Plant Library

Other Names:  Kousa Dogwood

Description:

A striking, upright columnar dogwood, featuring large white bracts that cover the tree in early summer; spherical red berries in fall resemble raspberries; deep green foliage turns scarlet to reddish-purple in fall; a great landscape accent

Ornamental Features

Snow Tower Dogwood is covered in stunning clusters of white flowers with creamy white overtones held atop the branches from late spring to early summer. It features an abundance of magnificent red berries from early to mid fall. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves turn outstanding shades of scarlet and in the fall. The peeling gray bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Snow Tower Dogwood is a multi-stemmed deciduous tree with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Snow Tower Dogwood is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Snow Tower Dogwood will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 7 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have rich, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.