Tri-Splendor Variegated Japanese Dogwood

Tri-Splendor Kousa Dogwood gets its name from the way the leaves are splashed with a festive mix of three colors in spring—apple green, white, and sunny yellow. And the flowers are variegated, too! The four showy “petals” (actually bracts) are a cool pale green color, edged in creamy white. Much more resistant to the diseases that can afflict our native Flowering Dogwoods, the Tri-Splendor Japanese Dogwood is a smart alternative in areas where Dogwood anthracnose and other Dogwood problems are present.

Growing trees from seed takes a lot of patience, but the payoff is that every once in a while you get the excitement of finding a seedling unlike any that has ever been seen before. That’s how the Tri-Splendor Kousa Dogwood originated in the nursery of Crispin Silva of Molalla, Oregon. Silva sowed a crop of ordinary Kousa Dogwood seedlings in 2000, and after they sprouted he was thrilled to find this perky nonconformist in the bunch. He patented the lucky find in 2008, and the new tree is just now becoming available. You can be one of the very first to own this special tree!

This head-turning small to medium-sized ornamental specimen tree will light up your front yard entryway garden or backyard retreat in spring, winning oohs and has from your neighbors and guests. With the advent of hot weather, Tri-Splendor Kousa Dogwood begins to lose its variegation, and by the end of summer, the leaves are green. However, that doesn’t mean the show is over. Tri-Splendor will delight you in fall when its leaves take on tones of pink and red. As with other Kousa Dogwoods, you can also expect pretty raspberry-red fruits to spangle its branches in late summer. Bark that exfoliates in patchwork patterns over time will add yet another layer of interest to an already phenomenal tree.