'Milky Way' Japanese Dogwood Tree | Cornus kousa
The best flowers in the galaxy
Grown by Danielle
South Downs National Park
3 options
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Currently out of stock
Currently out of stock
Perfectly happy plants, or your money back
Specialist overnight plant delivery
The highlights
- Spreading, vase-shaped tree
- Medium tree - grows up to 6m
- Stunning foliage and unusual red berries
- Wonderful autumn colour
Description
- A small tree that's perfect for more space-limited gardens, 'Milky Way' is carpeted in large, creamy bracts (which surround tiny flower clusters) in the summer
- Ovate, pointed leaves are green in the summer, before taking on blazing amber and crimson hues in autumn
- When young, 'Milky Way' has a vase-like shape, before spreading and becoming more rounded with age
- Unusual red, globular berries (which we think look a bit like sea mines or massage balls...) adorn the tree throughout the autumn; these are edible but most people treat them as ornamental
- A fully hardy tree that can tolerate temperatures down to -20°C and withstand being planted in an exposed site
- Our potted trees are supplied in EcoPots™. Eco pots use 70% less plastic and are fully recyclable, unlike normal single use pots. They flex and so produce less root spiralling and travel better in the post
- Our trees are usually between 18 and 36 months old at the time of dispatch
- Our trees are professionally pruned before dispatching. This formative pruning can involve cutting the main leader, if the expert tree growers decide this will produce a better shaped tree. This can stop the tree becoming "leggy", and promote stronger, bushier growth
What to expect
What to expect
Supplied as
Height on arrival
Eventual height
Eventual spread
Flower colour
Habit
Hardiness
Spacing
How to grow
How to grow
Excellent pest and disease resistance
This tree is generally unaffected by pests and diseases, however it can be affected by cornus anthracnose. Practicing good plant hygiene and promptly removing dead/dying plant matter can help prevent this.
Full sun to partial shade
Plant in a sunny, sheltered position. This tree will tolerate dappled shade but will flower best in full sun (around 6 hours of sunlight per day).
Neutral to acidic, well-drained soil
Prefers loamy, neutral to acid soil but will grow in any soil as long as it's well-drained. If your soil is heavier, mix in some perlite or horticultural grit during planting, as this will help with drainage.
Planting calendar
Planting calendar
- Best time to plant
- Harvest
- Flower
Choose your size
South Downs National Park
Meet Danielle
110 years' expertise free with every tree
Danielle's nursery has been growing trees in the South Downs National Park for over a century, and it shows. Dug up and sent straight to your garden at between 18-36 months old, their quality rootstocks, expert pruning and natural pest control mean that these traditionally field-grown trees are the hardiest you can get.
What customers say about us
We do our best to provide you the best experience ever
Growing with Roots
Good to know
Our plants are grown 
in the UK
Specialist UK growers we know and trust grow your plants the traditional way, with organic fertiliser and biological pest control. They pick only the healthiest plants for you, professionally pruning them so that they’ll grow strong and well shaped.
Our plants are delivered overnight
Your plants are sent to you fresh from the field in our plastic free box that’s specially designed to hold them tight, then securely delivered by specialist plant couriers - straight from the grower to your garden within 
24 hours.
We're here to help at every step
We want your plants to have a long and healthy life. Expect easy-to-follow grow guides and videos devised by our team 
of experts.
Perfect plants, guaranteed
We’re confident that you’ll be delighted 
with your new plants. Need help? Alice and her team are here to guarantee you’re 
perfectly happy.
Seasons change
Top trees for autumn colour
Rupert Eley, a lifetime autumn colour enthusiast, takes us on a whistle stop tour of his favourite displays within his family gardens, including crabapples, rowans, acers and more.
See our nursery
How we grow your trees
Meet John, our expert tree grower in the South Downs, and see how he raises, prunes and packs all our trees.
Learn from our experts
For growing advice that's clear and easy to follow
5 Trees for All Four Seasons
These trees are guaranteed to be striking no matter the season!
Read more
Ask the grower
One of our trusted team will get back to you via email
What customers say about us
We do our best to provide you the best experience ever
Best plants you will ever get online
I have ordered plants from them twice this year. They arrived well packaged, on time and looked strong and healthy. I feel the staff from Roots plants deal with their plants and customers with passion and care. I can’t wait to order again, price is good as well.
Highly recommended all round
Delivered quickly, perfectly packaged and the tree was in excellent condition. Really healthy and taken to the garden with no problems. Can't recommend highly enough. 5 stars isn't enough!
Satisfied customer
Unlike other online sellers, this company are well ahead in the quality stakes. My plant arrived promptly as per their promise and the plant was much more established and healthy than I had expected. It’s the second time I have ordered from them and I have faith in their promise. Excellent service.
A really good quality tree
A really good quality tree, delivered on time and very well packaged. But the emailed planting advice and supporting information was what really impressed me. Thoroughly recommended.
Exceptional quality
The quality of the plants was exceptional, unlike ones I have had before from local garden centres. Thank you so much. I will definitely be using you again.
Marvellous!
Marvellous service, great plants and fast delivery. Very useful information on how to care for the plants I bought. Easy to use website that makes it far too easy to overindulge in fabulous plants 😂🌱
Fighting plastic waste
Delivering fresh from the nursery
Supporting UK growers