Cornus kousa Rosy Teacups - Flowering Dogwood

Cornus kousa 'Rosy Teacups' is a new American hybrid, very similar to the famous variety 'Venus' but with larger pink flowers! It is a large bush with an upright and well-branched habit, bearing an unprecedented flowering in May-June with large pale pink bracts with darker, almost reddish margins. The very showy inflorescences, sometimes over 10 cm (3.9 in) in diameter, contrast with the sumptuous dark green foliage and can last for more than three weeks. They are followed by beautiful coloured, edible fruits in summer. In addition, its deciduous foliage turns deep red in autumn, providing a highly coloured accent in late season. It is a very floriferous selection, even more resistant to drought, insects and disease and should be planted in sunny or semi-shaded positions in well-drained, fertile and moist soil while establishing.

Cornus kousa is a small tree or a large bush, native to Japan, China and Korea. Its detailed silhouette, supported by tiered and horizontal branches, gives it a very Japanese look. Developed from many years of research and intense work of selection and hybridization, the variety 'Rosy Teacups' is a cross between Cornus kousa and Cornus nuttallii originating from Rutgers University in the United States with large pale pink to dark pink flowers and deep red autumn foliage. This cultivar develops a rather upright and compact habit, reaching 5-6 m in height and 6 to 7.5 m (19 ft 8 in to 24 ft 7 in) in width after many years. Despite its slow growth, it is a robust and easy-to-grow shrub as long as it enjoys non-scorching sunlight and well-drained, moist soil, preferably fertile and without limestone.

The flowering of 'Rosy Teacups' takes place in May-June, starting from 3 to 4-year-old specimens. The bush is adorned with a multitude of 'flowers', which are actually inflorescences, measuring over 10 cm (3.9 in) in diameter. These are clusters of small, green true flowers surrounded by 4 pointed bracts, arranged in stars, with pale pink margins or a darker, almost red colour. They are arranged on the tree as if they were placed on the foliage. The flowers are followed by 2.5 cm (1 in) diameter fruits, ranging from pink to carmine red, similar to strawberries. The higher the summer temperatures, the more abundant the fruiting. The fruits are edible, fleshy, with a sweet flavour, they do not have a real taste interest, but they enhance the charm of this large bush at the end of the season. 'Rosy Teacups' has sumptuous dark green foliage that turns bright deep red in autumn. The leaves of Cornus kousa are ovate, strongly veined, slightly closed, with wavy margins and pendulous. They measure between 5 and 8 cm (2 and 3.1 in) long and are arranged opposite each other along the branches.

Cornus kousa 'Rosy Teacups' prefers continental climates, with marked summers and winters, but performs very well in milder areas. In hot regions, it should be shaded from the scorching sun, in moist soil. This Japanese dogwood is still rare in gardens but yet very easy to grow once it has been carefully planted. It constitutes a beautiful attraction alone and deserves to be planted as a specimen, standing in the middle of a lawn for example. It will also be good at the back of a group composed of heather or evergreen shrubs with staggered flowering or persistent foliage. Choose for example to accompany it with oakleaf or paniculate hydrangeas, Japanese maples with purple foliage, syphorines, a Cercis, a Fothergilla or a Tetradium daniellii, the honey tree.