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Cornus kousa 'Trinity Star'
By Rkwright
20 May, 2012
2 likes
Only four flowers opened on this last year and this is normally a heavy blooming dogwood. I dug it up several weeks ago and potted it so I wouldn't stress it out too much when I move. It's a lot easier to pot up plants before moving, you don't have to rush to get them in the ground that way!
This will grow about 12 feet tall and wide with a flat top. It flowers later than Cornus florida and the flowers typically last 4-6 weeks. Cornus kousa is a little easier to grow in cold climates and doesn't have as many disease problems as Cornus florida. The fruit and bark are also attractive on this. Trinity Star has been a difficult variety to find but worth the effort.
Comments on this photo
Usually white, some are pink. Early flowering dogwood is Cornus florida, larger flowers with rounded bracts. They flower before they leaf out. Sometimes they don't flower well here, especially after a hard winter. They're more susceptible to leaf mildew and other diseases that can affect flowering. Cornus florida is a US native and Cornus kousa is native to China/Japan.
Cornus kousa flowers after it leafs out, has smaller bracts with more of a pointed end. The flower buds are a bit hardier than Cornus florida. Most of the Cornus kousa are white, there are pink varieties but I've never seen a deep pink-red like I see with Cornus florida sometimes. Anyways, if you haven't had luck with the Cornus florida dogwoods then Cornus kousa might do better. They don't have as many fungus problems that affect Cornus florida.
21 May, 2012
Ok, thank you.
21 May, 2012
Do you know which one you had? A lot of people have been telling me that their dogwoods haven't been flowering this year and it seems like all of them are the early blooming ones. Last year, the one in the picture only had 4 blossoms and this year my early blooming pink dogwood only had one flower. I am starting to think that it is has been late spring frosts killing the flower buds before they open.
21 May, 2012
Just been to get the label!
[its 8.20am here, is it late night or early morning for you?]
Cornus x Rutgan Celestial
21 May, 2012
That one is a hybrid between Cornus florida and Cornus kousa. It's supposed to have the prettier flowers like Cornus florida but disease resistance like Cornus kousa. Did you have it long? Not sure why it wouldn't flower, unless frost did get the flower buds. I had to stay up to get some last minute work done that I put off all week, it's 3:30am here now and way past my bedtime!
21 May, 2012
I was a bit surprised to see you on here at this time!!! i hope you havent got to be at work for 9 am!!!
I have had this plant about 2 possibly 3 years?? its a young one about 24 or 30" tall at the most. We had some cold spells this year and last year but not much was damaged so i cant see that this would have been worse than others??
21 May, 2012
Dogwoods can flower very young but that is still small enough where I wouldn't worry if you aren't seeing flowers yet, just as long as it looks healthy otherwise. I'd like to try one of the Cornus x rutgan varieties, the 'Stellar Pink' ones I have seen looked like nice plants. It would have to get pretty cold to damage a dogwood, -15 F to -20. If they are beginning to grow and then get frosted it can damage flower buds but usually won't kill all of them.
22 May, 2012
Sounds as if I just have to be patient!?!
22 May, 2012
I am sure it will flower once it gets a little bigger. I have several seedlings that are about that size that haven't flowered yet. You have a good variety too, I am sure it will be full of blossoms in a couple years, maybe sooner. It leafs out and flowers at roughly the same time so it will be a little later than a lot of flowering dogwoods.
23 May, 2012
its in leaf now but no flowers, thanks Rk, i shall not give up on it!!
23 May, 2012
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This photo is of "Cornus kousa 'Trinity Star'" in Rkwright's garden
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2 Jan, 2012
I have one cornus, had it fora couple of years, no flowers/white bracts though??
20 May, 2012