Cornus kousa 'China Girl' Tree

Cornus kousa 'China Girl' produces a mass of creamy yellow tinted bracts in June, later than Cornus florida varieties and after most spring flowering trees have finished. The oval foliage is dark-green, turning striking shades of orange and red in the autumn.  Small pink fruits that have a similar appearance to strawberries also adorn the branches in the autumn.

Growing to 4 x 4 metres in 20 years, this Chinese Dogwood variety is a lovely small garden tree with an attractive spreading shape. 'China Girl' will serve well in any sunny position in the garden given well-drained soil.

AKA Chinese dogwood, Cornus kousa var. chinensis 'China Girl'

• Common name: Chinese Dogwood tree
• Height and spread in 20 years: 4 x 4 metres
• Seasons of interest: Spring, Autumn
• Flowers: Creamy yellow tinted bracts
• Foliage: Dark-green oval leaves, turning orange and red in autumn
• Soil: Suited to most well-drained soils except strongly alkaline soil

Planting Cornus kousa China Girl Trees

Our pot grown China Girl Dogwood trees can be planted at any time of the year. Start by removing weeds and grass within a metre of your desired planting hole, then dig a square hole as deep as your root mass and roughly 1.5x as wide. To help the plant establish, sprinkle Mycorrhizal Fungi in the hole.

Gently loosen the roots and place into the planting hole. Using 50% of the original soil and 50% compost, fill in the hole and firm around gently, making sure not to bank the soil up around the collar of the tree.

Only single stem forms require a staking kit. Finish with a generous amount of water at the base. For further information, visit our help and advice section.

Aftercare Advice for Cornus kousa China Girl Trees

Water well and regularly for the first spring and summer, increasing in periods of hot or dry weather. Avoid over watering as 'China Girl' does not like wet soil. When planting in autumn, you may only need to water a little. Take care to water the soil, not the leaves which can lead to scorching - irrigation kits help.

Once planted, keep the area free of competing weeds and grass for the first few growing seasons. Don't mulch around the base of Chinese Dogwood with bark.

Pruning Advice for Cornus kousa China Girl Trees

Most Chinese Dogwood trees naturally grow into an appealing dome-shape, so the only pruning required is to remove any damaged or diseased branches. The only time to hard prune a Dogwood tree is to control the overall size or internal canopy or if there is not enough light reaching the inner branches.

To help ease these issues, cut off any crossing or over-crowding branches then continue to remove any secondary branches throughout the canopy. Only prune in the dormant season and never in spring. Pruning during spring can create entry points in the wood for insects which may lead to disease.

Delivery Costs

*Free delivery promotion excludes mature trees, extra large kits and delivery to Highlands or Islands. Discount applies at checkout.

Delivery Times

Next Day Despatch
We will always try to get your plants to you as quickly as possible.  For many of our trees and plants, if you order today we will despatch your order within 24 hours.  We are constantly adding to our range of next day plants, and we do not add a surcharge for this service. Click here to see our next day delivery plants.

Standard Delivery
We have one of the widest range of trees in the UK, and for those plants which we cannot despatch next day we will normally despatch within 4 weeks. The despatch time for different products will be confirmed when products are added to your shopping basket

Pre-orders
We will only want to deliver your orders when they are perfect for planting! Depending on the season and how well the plants are growing, we will give our best estimates of the despatch dates for pre-orders.  These dates may vary and by species and while we will always try to deliver within these timeframes if the expected despatch does change then we will notify you by email.

Special Orders
Orders containing pleached or mature trees (trees over 2.5m in height) are delivered within 3 weeks. They require specialist delivery and are grouped geographically. Any customers ordering pleached or mature trees will be contacted and notified of their delivery date.

If your trees are required by a specific date, please let us know as soon as possible; while we can’t offer any guarantees we will always do our best to accommodate you. You can leave instructions in the notes field on the Delivery Page of the Checkout or send us an email at [email protected].

Please note that orders are shipped once all the trees in the order are ready.

Collections
Collections are by appointment only at our West Yorkshire-based nursery. If you would like to place an order for collection, please get in touch before placing your order. You will not be charged a delivery cost for a collection and any delivery cost that has been applied will be refunded.

The product table at the bottom of the page gives the forms and sizes available for this variety. Please note, photos are a guideline as all plants are unique. *Pot sizes may vary. Below are definitions of terms:

Supplied Size: Height measured from the top of the pot.

Single Stem tree: Classic tree with one trunk, pruned for a beautiful, natural shape.

Top grafted tree: A height next to this form refers to the length of clear stem, which will not grow taller. Only the head of branches will develop. Ideal for small spaces.

Feathered tree: Branches from the bottom of the trunk all the way up. These branches can be removed if a clear stem is required.

Multi Stem tree: Two or more stems arising from or near ground level, growing from one root system.

Bush: A plant with many stems low down, rather than one clear stem.

Clump: Several plants in one pot that give the appearance of a bushy multi stem tree.

Climber: Naturally climbing plant. Usually delivered running up a cane, ready to position in the garden.

Standard Tree: A more mature tree with an upright clear stem of approximately 1.8m-2.0m (measured from the soil to the lowest branches of the crown). Standards are available in different forms relating to their girth size (circumference of the stem measured 1m above soil level), not height.