Chinese Evergreen Dogwood, Kousa Dogwood

Uncommon and slow growing (for me at least), it took 5 years from a 12" young plant to reach a 6' x 6' tree and flower heavily for the fi...Read Morerst time. Mine is planted in full sun and only receives supplemental watering during the hottest, driest part of the summer.

The back of the leaves feel like sandpaper and the leaves roll inward rather than lie flat a good part of the year. Around Thanksgiving/Christmas each year, the leaves turn purple and remain until mid-spring when they all drop as the new growth starts to push. The tree looks a little awkward for a couple of weeks at this point but the new growth soon covers it again.

The tree, at least when young, has a lax habit but is quite dense.

Love this tree! I have one that is about 20' and is doing well in hardwood understory and blooming profusely right now (May 27). Seeds ...Read Moregerminate well if planted outdoors in the fall. I had 13 seedlings last spring but lost all of them to squirrels. This year I covered the pots with hardware cloth and have 5 healthy little trees.

In my area the leaves remain mostly lime green all winter and provide needed winter color against the grey woods.