Cornus kousa Cappuccino - Flowering Dogwood

Cornus kousa 'Cappuccino' is a new Dutch selection that stands out for the beauty of its foliage, which changes colour with the seasons and sunlight. This Japanese dogwood successively adorns itself with young reddish shoots and brown leaves that turn more or less dark green depending on sun exposure, and then turn sublime shades of bright red before falling in autumn. Its other assets are a lovely tiered habit, in a 'pagoda' shape, a beautiful white flowering in spring, and beautiful round carmine-fuchsia berries, which ripen during a long hot summer. Very hardy and less difficult to grow than its cousin Cornus florida, this very beautiful shrub undoubtedly deserves to be planted more. Give it a prominent place, preferably in partial shade, in a large shrub border.

Cornus kousa is a small tree or large shrub, native to Japan, China, and Korea. Its graphic silhouette, supported by layered and horizontal branches, gives it a very Japanese look. After many years of research and intense selection and hybridisation work, the 'Cappuccino' variety, introduced in 2010, has the most colourful foliage ever observed in this type of plant. This cultivar has a relatively slow growth, but can reach 4 to 6 m (13 ft 1 in to 19 ft 8 in) in height and 2 to 3 m (6 ft 6 in to 9 ft 10 in) in width after many years.

'Cappuccino' blooms in May-June, highlighted by leaves in shades of chocolate, purple-brown, and bronze-green. The shrub is adorned with numerous 'flowers', which are actually inflorescences, measuring approximately 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) in diameter. These are clusters of small true flowers that are green and surrounded by four pointed bracts forming a star. Their colour is a barely pinkish-white on the edge, and they live and remain beautiful for several weeks after the pollination of the true flowers. They are arranged on the tree as if they were placed on the foliage. The flowers are followed by fruits measuring 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter, red in colour, resembling strawberries. The higher the summer temperatures, the more abundant the fruiting. The fruits are edible and fleshy with a sweet flavour, and although of no real culinary interest they nevertheless enhance the charm of this large shrub at the end of the season. 'Capuccino' is also remarkable thanks to its young leaves tinged with purple.  The leaves of Cornus kousa are ovate, strongly veined and slightly undulate on the edges. They measure between 5 and 8 cm (2 and 3.1 in) in length and are opposite to each other along the branches. They often take on beautiful colours in autumn before falling.

Cornus kousa 'Cappucino' thrives in continental climates, with marked summers and winters, but performs very well in milder areas. In hot regions, it must be protected from scorching sun. This Japanese dogwood is still rare in gardens yet very easy to grow once it has been carefully planted. It is a beautiful attraction on its own and deserves to be planted in isolation, standing out in the middle of a short grass meadow, for example. It will also be advantageous at the back of a border composed of camellias, Pieris, Rhododendrons, or shrubs with staggered flowering or evergreen foliage. Choose, for example, to combine it with oakleaf or paniculate hydrangeas, Japanese maples with purple foliage, a Fothergilla, or a Tetradium daniellii, the bee tree.