Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Kousa Dogwood bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Kousa Dogwood, Chinese Dogwood (Cornus kousa).

More about kousa dogwood

About Kousa Dogwood

Cornus kousa · also called Kousa Dogwood, Chinese Dogwood · flowering

Kousa dogwood is an East Asian small tree blooming about a month later than flowering dogwood, with pointed creamy-white bracts held above the foliage, followed by raspberry-like edible red fruit and crimson-purple autumn color. More disease- and sun-tolerant than Cornus florida, it suits mixed borders and woodland edges in moist, acidic, well-drained soil.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons kousa dogwood isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming kousa dogwood traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding kousa dogwood a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get kousa dogwood to flower

Maximise sun. Give kousa dogwood the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for kousa dogwood and get the feeding right with the kousa dogwood fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Kousa Dogwood flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full kousa dogwood care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Kousa Dogwood blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my kousa dogwood flower?

Kousa Dogwood blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make kousa dogwood bloom?

Give kousa dogwood the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does kousa dogwood normally bloom?