Re: [Fwd: Cornus kousa & Florida]

> I've got a Cornus kousa chinensis that I have put in
> about four years ago and it never had buds and flowered.
> Its a 6 ft shrub that has lost its central leaders over the
> years but leafs out and is growing more vigoursly now.
> 
> Does anyone know how long they take to get established
> and flower, and then reach their full flowering potential?

It's been my experience that they take a fair amount of time to 
get going.  The one up at my parent's place (Chicago) didn't really
start blooming until it was about 10' tall and had been in the 
ground for about 6 years.  There weren't many blooms then, but
now, 10 years after planting, it puts on an amazing display.

This is one of my favorite small trees, highly underrated in my
opinion.  It has long-lasting, showy flowers, interesting fruit,
a wonderful burgundy-maroon fall color, and great bark when it gets
older.  The only problem is the amount of time that it takes...  :)

How were the central leaders lost?  I'm assuming that it's not due
to regular cold damage, because that would obviously indicate that
any flowerbuds are also getting zapped (sorry, I had to mention it).  

> I saw a Cornus florida in Burlington Vermount Z5 that was a
> beautiful specimen at about 20 feet with many buds.
> Does anyone know where I could find seeds, or have some, from
> a similar zone to try? I also wonder how long would it take to
> flower and be at its potential?

I know that the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois (USDA zone 5a)
has many trees that bloom yearly, but they're in a relatively
protected spot.  But they do allow collection of seed if you get
in touch with the curator first.

Presumably other arboreta or botanical gardens would offer the same
service, so if you know of one near you with a cold-hardy tree,
you might want to visit in September/October to get some seed.

There are cultivars that are cold hardy, too.  You might want to 
look at 'Ozark Spring' and 'Spring Grove'.  

Chris

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