Cornus kousa 'GOLD STAR'

Japanese dogwoods are very popular shrubs in our climate because they have unusual flowers and habit and are fully hardy here.

Gold Star is a less known but very attractive variety of Japanese dogwood with variegated foliage. Its leaves are dark green at the margins and bright golden yellow in the centres. Sometimes the leaves may revert to its former green colour. Should this happen remove all branches with reversed foliage to keep the shrub colourful. The leaves are deciduous and gain fantastic shades of burgundy red and purple in autumn. Gold Star bears white flowers in mid spring. In fact, they are flower bracts while true flowers are tiny and gathered in a small sphere surrounded by the bracts. The spheres are about 2-3 cm across and mature into rather nice tasting, edible fruit in late summer.

This variety is very shrubby, making predominantly a wide, prostrate bush. It grows at medium growth rate when young and slows down later as the plant matures. 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 07-12-2010.