Cut out old, weak stems as well as well as those that are damaged, discolored, or growing poorly. Remove about a third of the stems at ground level every year. The primary goal of pruning red twig dogwoods is to remove the old stems that no longer show good winter color. Annual pruning is essential to keep the brilliant colors of the twigs. Red twig dogwood care is minimal except for pruning. Overcrowding encourages diseases and causes less attractive, thin stems. They grow up to 8 feet (2.5 m.) tall with an 8 foot (2.5 m.) spread. When planting red twig dogwoods, give them plenty of room. They look fantastic when planted in groups or as an informal hedge. Red twig dogwood is one of those plants where more is better. There are two species of Cornus called red twig dogwoods: Tatarian dogwood ( C. While both the tree and the shrub belong to the Cornus genus, red twig dogwoods never grow to become trees. Growing a Red Twig Dogwoodĭon’t confuse red twig dogwood trees with other dogwood trees. Both fruits and flowers look good against the dark background of the foliage, but pale in comparison to the brilliant winter display. The shrub produces creamy-white flowers in spring and berries that ripen from green to white by the end of summer. The stems, which are green in spring and summer, turn bright red when the foliage drops off in autumn. The outstanding ornamental feature of this plant is its bright red winter stems.Growing a red twig dogwood is a great way to add spectacular color to the winter garden. 'Cardinal' is a cultivar that is a rapid-growing, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub which grows to a maximum size of 6-9' tall with a loose, rounded, spreading (stoloniferous) habit. Specific epithet from Latin means silky in reference to the hairs present on young twigs and upper leaf surfaces. Cornus is also the Latin name for cornelian cherry. Genus name comes from the Latin word cornu meaning horn in probable reference to the strength and density of the wood. Synonymous with and formerly known as Cornus stolonifera.
Red stems somewhat resemble the reddish stems of some osier willows, hence the common name of red osier dogwood.
Fruit is quite attractive to birds and is generally considered to have as much if not more ornamental interest than the flowers. Flowers give way to clusters of whitish (sometimes with a bluish tinge) drupes in summer. Tiny, fragrant, white flowers appear in flat-topped clusters (cymes to 2.5” diameter) in late spring, with sparse, intermittent, additional flowering sometimes continuing into summer. Reddish stems turn bright red in winter and are particularly showy against a snowy backdrop. Ovate to lanceolate, medium to dark green leaves (2-5” long) acquire interesting shades of red to orange eventually fading to purple in autumn. With the exception of the lower midwest and deep South, this species is native to much of North America where it is typically found growing in wet swampy areas, wetland margins or along lakes and rivers. Cornus sericea, commonly known as red twig dogwood or red osier dogwood, is an upright-spreading, suckering shrub that typically grows in the absence of pruning to 6-9’ tall with a slightly larger spread.