Cornus kousa and its cultivars

If the unrivalled range of Cornus confuses you, then just drop me through an e-mail to karan@junker.co.uk
detailing what you need the tree to achieve, and I will do my best to help you.

Don't forget that there are lots of lovely specimen plants to help get you going more quickly. With their dense root system, Cornus establish better from a larger plant.

CORNUS kousa 'Bush's Pink'
A lovely rich pink bracted American selection which holds its colour well. The additional pink pigment also tinges the leaves, giving them a crimson flush.
Not available this season - there are a number of other pink bracted cultivars. eg 'Akebana', 'Beni Fuji', 'Radiant Rose', 'Rosea' and 'Satomi'

CORNUS kousa 'Cherokee'
The dense form and compact habit make this one of the smaller growing kousas. It is extremely floriferous with wide, rippled bracts. A great introduction.
From £27.50

CORNUS kousa 'China Dawn'
A wonderful variegated selection with a broad, creamy white margin to the otherwise green leaves. I find that autumn colour is always more showy on the variegated forms as the different portions of the leaf turn colour at different rates. Much more tolerant of the environment than the frankly fussy 'Snowboy', I rate this one highly. However, do avoid a hot sunny site if you can.
From £27.50

CORNUS kousa var. chinensis 'Bodnant'
Possibly my favourite of the basic white flowered forms of C. kousa. The young stems are distinctly purple and the large creamy white bracts are freely produced. It also sets fruit freely. These resemble large strawberries. I am told that they are edible but I have never felt inclined to try them!
From £27.50

CORNUS kousa var. chinensis 'Bonfire'
Very similar to 'Greta's Gold, below, this cultivar was selected in the USA. The young leaves have a bronzey tint, then open to a broad gold margin or splash. The autumn colour is fantastic with the variegation determining the shades of pink and red.
Not available this season

CORNUS kousa var. chinensis 'China Girl'
Selected for prolific flowering with large creamy white bracts. The bracts actually start quite small, green and star like and enlarge and whiten as the central true flowers mature. Unlike many cultivars, once these flowers are over, the bracts turn brown and drop, rather than turning pink. Upright habit.
From £27.50

CORNUS kousa var. chinensis 'Greta's Gold'
This form arose on our nursery as a chance sport. We then named it after Greta our daughter, who at the time was just a baby! In the time since, we have improved the variegation and reliability by careful propagation. This plant is still special to us, as it was our first "new" plant. The young leaves have a bronzey tint, then open to a broad gold margin or splash. The autumn colour is fantastic with the variegation determining the shades of pink and red.
Not available this season

CORNUS kousa var. chinensis 'Milky Way Select''
Another vigorous upright form, but this one has a distinct white mottling to the leaf. Note that the bract in the adjacent picture is not fully mature, and will therefore continue to expand until is almost round. We now have a selected form of this from the US which is purportedly even better!
Not available this season

CORNUS kousa var. chinensis 'Snowflake'
The name reflects the distribution of the flowers and the graceful habit of the plant when in flower. Wrong season though! This one was selected for larger bracts which each have a distinctive wavy edge.
From £27.50