Cornus kousa 'BIG APPLE' Japanese dogwood
Cornus
Cornus is a genus that botanists rightly regard as true aristocracy among woody plants. It comprises approximately 50–60 species of trees and shrubs distributed mainly across the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with centres of diversity in East Asia and North America. Fossil records confirm its presence as early as the Tertiary period, and the first scientific description of the genus was published by Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) in 1753 in his Species Plantarum. For centuries, dogwoods have accompanied human culture not only as ornamental plants, but also as sources of exceptionally hard timber, medicinal substances and symbolic meaning in folk traditions, where they often represent strength, order and longevity.
Japanese dogwood (Cornus kousa) originates from East Asia, where it occurs naturally in Japan, Korea, and parts of China. It was scientifically described in the 19th century based on Asian plant material examined by Henry Fletcher Hance (1827–1886), who published it under the name Cornus kousa. The species was introduced into European and North American botanical collections, and later into nursery production, during the wave of botanical exploration and plant exchange at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. It was valued primarily for its pronounced seasonal interest, offering ornamental appeal from spring through autumn, and for its edible fruits. Japanese and Chinese botanists studied its variability in the wild and, in the past, described local forms that were treated as two subspecies, ssp. kousa and ssp. chinensis. While some authors regarded ssp. chinensis as a more vigorous, loosely flowering form with larger inflorescences and considered it worthy of formal recognition, modern taxonomy generally prefers to treat the species simply as Cornus kousa, without further infraspecific distinction.
Big Apple is a Japanese dogwood variety from the USA where it was discovered and selected by Polly Hill in the 1960s. The seeds were obtained from M.M. Brubaker of Pennsylvania and as the plants grew she noticed one that was different from the species. She named it Big Apple and while most contemporary horticulturists believe it was because of the large fruit, she also said in one interview that she liked New York, which is nicknamed the Big Apple, so where lies the truth? Certainly in Massachusetts where she founded an arboretum in 1958 when she was 51. She was not a breeder herself but she devoted all her whole life to growing rare plants and testing their hardiness northern states of the USA.
Big Apple is a beautiful variety of Japanese dogwood of a nice, well-branched habit. In June, it is covered with a profusion of small flowers surrounded by snow-white bracts which turn pink as they wither. They are attractive for as long as 6 weeks since the true flowers are inconspicuous and tiny, composed in about 2-3 cm wide spheres, which are followed by attractive, bright pink, edible fruits in late summer. They have a rough, bitter skin but sweet flesh with a few seeds. It is claimed that they can be up to 4 cm in diameter, however, our plants are still too young to produce mature-size fruit. So far we have collected fruits with a diameter of just over 2 cm, but we will see in 10-20 years.
The leaves are deciduous, dark green, medium-sized, conspicuously pointed and naturally drooping like, for example, pear tree leaves. Their autumn color is the second reason why we buy this beautiful tree: they turn several shades of maroon and purple with a hint of golden orange. Big Apple grows upright, 20-30 cm per year into a nice funnel-shaped shrub or small tree, so no pruning is necessary. If you still need to prune it, do so as soon as possible after flowering. Older shrubs make beautiful specimens suitable not only for Japanese-style gardens, especially when their lower trunks have been cleared and fancy understory planted beneath.
Every dogwood likes acidic soil, rich in organic material, and always moist but well-drained soil. Some gardeners advise planting it in semi-shade to reduce summer sunlight, but we do not recommend that. Plant it in full sun and mulch the roots well. In dry spells provide extra watering and thus you can be sure your dogwood will flower profusely and will be richer and healthier. Use of selective fertilizers supporting flowering and leaf colour is advised. Fully hardy to about -29 °C (USDA zone 5).
Last update 16-06-2024.
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- STANDARD QUALITY - Plants of this group are 1st class quality with number of branches and overall density adequate to their size and age, considering they were container grown.
- DE LUXE QUALITY - This label guarantees a luxurious quality of manually selected plants that, compared to their height and age, are exceptionally dense and beautiful.
- EXTRA - These plants are usually mature and bigger specimens with exceptional overall appearance.
- STANDARD (as described in the plant form) means a tree with a trunk of 190-210 cm and a crown at the top, unless specified differently. The commercial size for trees is their girth measured in the height of 1m from ground.
- HOBBY - These plants are of the same quality as our standard-quality plants but younger and therefore cheaper.
- SHRUB - a woody plant with branches growing bushy from the ground level.
- HALF-STANDARD or MINI-STANDARD - a small tree with shorter trunk, its size is usually specified.
- FEATHERED - These are trees with branches growing already from the base of the trunk and up along the stem.
- GRASSES and PERENNIALS - Sizes given usually read the diameter of the pot or the clump, as specified.
