Cornus kousa var. chinensis
Chinese dogwood
This shrub is deciduous so it will lose all its leaves in autumn, then fresh new foliage appears again each spring.
- Position: full sun to part shade
- Soil: fertile, humus-rich, well-drained, neutral to acid soil
- Rate of growth: slow initially, then average
- Flowering period: May to June
- Hardiness: fully hardy
This is a real showstopper of a tree, with two main seasons of interest. Broadly conical in shape, it produces tiny green flowers in June, which are surrounded by showy, creamy-white, petal-like bracts, that fade to lovely shades of pink as they age. In autumn the dark green leaves turn crimson-purple, and mature trees produce strawberry-like fruits. It's an excellent specimen tree for a small garden or woodland edge, and the leaf colour is best in fertile, well-drained, neutral to acid soil. - Garden care: Incorporate a good amount of well-rotted leafmould when planting. Requires minimal pruning once established, although as it is naturally low-branching and shrubby, you may need to clear a short, single stem when young. This should be tackled when the plant is fully dormant from autumn to early spring.
Goes well with...
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Dryopteris wallichiana
alpine wood fern
9cm pot
-
Epimedium × youngianum 'Niveum'
barrenwort
9cm pot
-
Trillium erectum
birthroot bulbs
1 × rhizome
-
Hosta sieboldiana var. elegans
giant blue hosta
bare root plant
-
Convallaria majalis
lily-of-the-valley
bare root plant
-
Corten steel tree ring edging - rust
600mm