For six weeks, the Milky Way dogwood (Cornus kousa ‘Milky Way’) carpets its limbs in white blossoms—actually white bracts—in late spring to early summer, putting on a breathtaking show. For years I’ve admired the trees in my neighborhood but didn’t know the cultivar name. Literally, thousands of blooms cover a single tree. Even relatively young, smaller trees are covered with blooms. I just planted a Cornus kousa ‘Venus’, which offers fewer but larger blossoms, and I second guess my choice each time I pass a ‘Milky Way’.
Red, strawberry-like edible fruits develop as summer progresses. The fruit appeals to birds as well as humans (peel them and eat the soft, custard-like insides). It has a height and spread of 15 to 20 feet. The leaves have nice orange-red to scarlet color in the fall making Milky Way a multi-season gem for Zone 5-8 gardens. Milky Way’s white flowers age to pink; however, there are at least two pink blooming cultivars: ‘Satomi’ and ‘Beni Fuji’
What do you think? Should I plant ‘Milky Way’ instead of ‘Venus’?
