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Click for previous Image Image 1 of 2 Cornus kousa Kousa Dogwood

'Summer Stars' holds onto its flowers all summer long!

Cornus kousa 'Summer Stars'

Kousa Dogwood

Plant Type:

TREES

Cornus kousa 'Summer Stars' - ​This hard-to-find Kousa Dogwood displays 2 fine traits. It is a dwarf form achieving 15 feet tall in 15 to 20 years. It flowers slightly later than other forms holding onto its bracts (petals) all through the summer - it's in flower most of the growing season. Flowers are typically white. The bracts late season pick up some pink and bright granny smith green tones. Autumn leaf color is bronze to burgundy before leaf fall. Autumn tones accompany the abundant and showy red fruits. These are terrific wildlife food but can actually be eaten right off the tree by humans. The texture is custard-like and pleasantly sweet... Just be sure you pick them when ripe enough otherwise they are not a taste treat. And watch out for the stony seed(s) at the fruit's core. The bark becomes increasingly mottled and quite beautiful as it ages. The tree habit is a broad dome. Not only is this a rare form but these are not grafted - they are on their own wood; that, my friends, is a rarity indeed for Kousa Dogwoods. Established starter tree, cutting grown.


Please scroll down to Genus Overview for more information.




Height:

15 ft

Spread:

15 ft

Colors:

White

Zone:

5 to 8
What is my hardiness zone?

Characteristics and Attributes for Cornus kousa 'Summer Stars'

Season of Interest (Flowering)

  • Late Spring / Summer

Season of Interest (Foliage)

  • Spring / Summer / Autumn

Interesting Bark

  • Marbled
  • Smooth

Autumn Interest

  • Fruit / Berries / Seed Heads
  • Autumn Leaf Color

Light

  • Full Sun
  • Mostly Sunny

Attributes

  • Specimen
  • Collector Plant

Growth Rate in the Garden

  • Slow

Soil

  • Draining
  • Fertile

Origins

  • Garden Origin

Propagated By

  • Cutting Grown

Genus Overview: Cornus

Cornus. The Dogwoods come in many sizes – low growing shrubs to rounded trees. They are indispensable in a garden with almost all species and cultivars sporting four seasons of interest. Many exhibit richly-colored winter wood, attractive flowers and pretty berries in blue or white. Most offer terrific fall foliage color. The cultivars that offer gorgeous winter bark are especially well-used as background to lower growing evergeens or as foreground shrubs set before conifers, their stem colors glowing in winter against a backdrop of green, black-green, yellow or blue. All that produce flowers and fruit are very fine choices for the wildlife enthusiast. The trees provide nesting spots. When shrubs are grouped together these also provide nesting opportunities for some species of sparrows and even catbirds among others. The trees and shrubs provide nectar for bees and many other pollinators when in flower. Birds relish the late season fruits. All prefer fertile soils that retain some moisture between rain events. All of our offerings are cutting grown.