Cornus Kousa Roberts Selectie Chinese Dogwood

Cornus Kousa Roberts Selectie (Chinese Dogwood) is a deciduous flowering dogwood with numerous creamy-white bracts in spring and edible raspberry-type fruits in late summer. It’s a good choice for wildlife-friendly gardens and low-maintenance spaces that need a bright pop of colour.

Cornus kousa is a small dogwood that’s native to Eastern Asia and is better known as Chinese Dogwood or the Szechuan strawberry. It grows in light woodlands and there are many varieties with its naturally exotic-looking flower bracts. The variety Roberts Selectie is especially hardy, but still has the showy bracts and rich fruits of the genus.

Its waxy-edged foliage appears in spring, unfurling to a pointed tip and maturing to an array of yellow and reds in autumn. In May and June, its prolific creamy-white flower bracts protect fragrant tiny green flowers. If pollinated, its flowers mature into deep red raspberry-like fruits which can be eaten after the peel is removed. If you’re not keen, birds will eat them.

This is an excellent choice for low-maintenance wildlife-friendly spaces. It has ornamental flower bracts, good autumn colour, and edible fruits in exchange for very little care.

Height And Spread of Cornus Kousa Roberts Selectie
Chinese Dogwood Roberts Select reaches a maximum height and spread of 4 by 3 metres.

How Hardy is Cornus Kousa Roberts Selectie
This variety is hardy enough to withstand wet and cold UK winters if its roots are well drained and it has plenty of sun in summer. It’s one of the hardier selections.

How To Use Cornus Kousa Roberts Selectie
Chinese Dogwood Roberts Select is a low-maintenance tree or shrub for informal gardens. It especially suits mixed cottage garden borders and wildlife-friendly spaces.

Its edible fruits make it an unusual addition to a kitchen garden and it mixes well with other forms of dogwood to create an easy-care outdoor space with showy flower impact in spring.

How To Care For Cornus Kousa Roberts Selectie
It will grow in most types of well-drained soil including sand and clay, but prefers neutral to acidic conditions. Choose a sunny to partially sunny spot and water it well until you can see new growth.
Pruning isn’t required and can ruin its shape. Wayward or crossed branches can be removed in their dormant winter months. Apply a thick layer of organic mulch in early spring for the best flower show and plumpest fruits.