Trees, Shrubs and Conifers: dogwoods, 1 by ViburnumValley

ViburnumValley wrote:
I agree with all the sentiments listed above, and will add some background.

Cornus kousa 'Milky Way' is one/several of those plants that you probably will never pin down. What is sold today originates from multiple seedlings collected and propagated years ago, NOT a single parent plant. These plants were selected for larger and more precocious flowering, so that is all good. Performance likely will vary from plant to plant though, and many plants are being sold as 'Milky Way' seedlings, which means even further variation.

All that being said...I haven't seen a disappointing 'Milky Way' kousa dogwood ever. Just variable. The best answer when choosing young dogwoods is to recognize whether there are flower buds on the plant you are buying. If so (and by judging relative amount of flower buds across the plant), then you should be able to "make the call" about whether you'll be happy with the plant instant gratification-wise.

There are so many superior clones of dogwoods available today, that no one should ever have to purchase something second-rate. Unless you are doing a restoration project and don't wish to have the genetic variability from seedling-grown plants, then pick a winner the first time. Heavily flower-budded young plants should be purchased and you will have instant delight in your landscape the first year.

Last word: just about every kousa dogwood holds within it the potential for fabulous flowering. If it is not performing well now...just wait. This plant will become the star of many landscapes for:

•its striated dome habit
•late spring/early summer flowering after the foliage emerges
•interesting and colorful raspberry/strawberry like fruit in fall (which can be a bit of a mess as it is copious in time)
•multiple color arrays as the leaves turn
•and finally, the very nice exfoliating bark in creams, grays, whites, and tans which will develop as your tree ages

Site it well, and enjoy.