Five years ago I planted a Cornus Kousa “Venus” for a client.  I was not familiar with the variety, but even as a small tree, it flowered with enormous cream-white flowers. I planted it on a lark, the flowers were so compelling.   I saw that tree last spring for the first time since I had planted it;   in only 4 years time, the tree had grown considerably larger, and was completely covered with hundreds of enormous white blooms. It has to be the most beautiful dogwood I have ever seen.  This spring I found 41 of them in 25 gallon pots.  I wanted to be able to have small trees that people could plant themselves; this dogwood is making it really easy for people to take a tree home.

Bred by Dr. Elwin Orton Jr. of Rutgers University,  it is an interspecific hybrid of Cornus Kousa, and Cornus Kousa x Nuttalli.  It matures at 20 feet tall, and 20-30 feet wide.  Resistant to anthracnose, and other illnesses that can plague dogwoods, it is also quite hardy.  All this aside, it is a striking small flowering tree in bloom, and in leaf. I would plant it with a fair amount of sun.  I think this tree belongs in that select group of garden plants that are gorgeous all around.

My gorgeous group includes hydrangea “limelight”, the Griffith Bucks rose, “Carefree Beauty”,  the lactiflora peony “Mrs. FDR”,  the maple “Princeton Gold”, the boxwood “Green Velvet”; I should stop here, as my gorgeous list is probably more than you ever wanted to hear about.  Every gardener I know has their own gorgeous list. You might consider adding this dogwood to your list,  should you have room for one more stunningly beautiful plant.