Is Kousa Dogwood deer resistant?
Cornus kousa
Plant typeTreeHardinessZones 5–8LightPart shade
Mature height240–360 in
BloomSpringMaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
About Kousa Dogwood
Resists the anthracnose and borers that have devastated flowering dogwood, which makes it the safer choice almost everywhere. It flowers a few weeks later, with pointed rather than notched bracts, followed by strange raspberry-like fruit that is edible if unexciting. Mottled bark on older trunks is a real winter feature.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 6.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 118 to 177 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Similar to Kousa Dogwood
Other trees with the same deer rating.
- Allegheny ServiceberryAmelanchier laevisZones 4–8Seldom damaged
- American PlumPrunus americanaZones 3–9Seldom damaged
- Austrian PinePinus nigraZones 4–7Seldom damaged
- Chinese Fringe TreeChionanthus retususZones 5–9Seldom damaged
- Chinese Paper BirchBetula albosinensisZones 5–7Seldom damaged
- ChokecherryPrunus virginianaZones 2–6Seldom damaged
Where Kousa Dogwood grows
Hardy across most of these 49 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
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Every list Kousa Dogwood belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Kousa Dogwood
- Is Kousa Dogwood deer resistant?
- Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Kousa Dogwood grow in?
- Kousa Dogwood is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Kousa Dogwood grow in shade?
- Yes. Kousa Dogwood tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Kousa Dogwood get?
- Mature height is roughly 240–360 in. Growth rate is slow.