Milky Way Chinese Dogwood Tree

Milky Way is a named selection of Chinese kousa dogwood, valued for a heavy display of cream-colored bracts and strawberry-like autumn fruit. The Royal Horticultural Society describes it as a robust, spreading small tree for sun or partial shade. ## Landscape Use and Seasonal Interest The large June display suits a courtyard, cottage garden, or architectural planting where the tree has room to mature. North Carolina Extension lists flowering for Milky Way as potentially biennial, so the display may vary from year to year. Cream bracts cover the canopy, followed by strawberry-like fruit in autumn and orange-red fall foliage. ## Size and Siting The RHS profile describes a height of about 4–6 metres, while its maximum-size fields list 4–8 metres for both height and spread. Allow a generous footprint and check the expected size of nursery stock. The existing catalog dimensions remain within these published ranges. ## Soil and Water Grow in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil with an acid to neutral pH. Full sun or light shade is suitable; the RHS also lists clay, loam, and sand as soil types. ## Maintenance Select a vegetatively propagated plant when the named cultivar matters: the RHS cautions that seedlings sold under this name may vary unless they come from the original mother plant. Prune only when needed to remove damaged growth. [The RHS profile for Cornus kousa var. chinensis ‘Milky Way’](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/66733/cornus-kousa-var-chinensis-milky-way/details) provides cultivar-specific flowering, fruiting, siting, soil, and size information; [North Carolina Extension](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cornus-kousa/) lists the cultivar’s potentially biennial flowering and broader species habits.