Dogwood
Red-barked dogwood
Red-barked dogwood
Commit to the hard annual spring prune from year one — a plant left unpruned quickly loses the bright young stems it's grown for.
Care
For the best, brightest stem colour; tolerates part shade with less vivid colour.
Tolerates damp soil well, even boggy conditions.
Adaptable, moisture-retentive soil; tolerates wet ground better than most shrubs.
Cut back hard (to a low framework, or entirely to the ground) in early spring — the brightest stem colour comes on young wood, so this hard annual prune is essential.
A general feed with a mulch after the spring cut-back, since the whole display depends on vigorous new stems — the brightest bark is always the youngest wood. On damp fertile ground it needs nothing.
Hardwood cuttings taken from the stems you have just cut down: 20-30cm lengths pushed two-thirds into the soil where they are to grow. Few plants root more willingly, and the material is free.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchCut back hard to a low framework or to the ground for the brightest new stem colour. how ›
- AprilFeed as growth resumes. how ›
- NovemberEnjoy the colourful winter stem display, the main reason this plant is grown.
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchCut back hard to a low framework or to the ground for the brightest new stem colour. how ›
- AprilFeed as growth resumes. how ›
- NovemberEnjoy the colourful winter stem display, the main reason this plant is grown.
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryCut back hard to a low framework or to the ground for the brightest new stem colour. how ›
- MarchFeed as growth resumes. how ›
- NovemberEnjoy the colourful winter stem display, the main reason this plant is grown.
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryCut back hard to a low framework or to the ground for the brightest new stem colour. how ›
- MarchFeed as growth resumes. how ›
- DecemberEnjoy the colourful winter stem display, the main reason this plant is grown.
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Dark spots in humid summers.
What to do. Remove affected leaves.
How to spot it. From insufficient light or failure to prune hard enough.
What to do. Increase sun exposure, prune harder.
Flowering dogwoodKousa dogwood
Flowering dogwood
Water well through the first two to three summers; this group is slower to establish than the shrubby stem dogwoods and resents root disturbance once settled.
Care
Sheltered from strong wind.
Standard shrub watering.
Fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained, slightly acidic soil for best results.
Minimal — remove only dead, damaged or crossing wood in late winter; grown as a small tree/large shrub and needs little routine pruning.
A mulch of leaf mould or compost in spring, with a general feed only on poor soil. Flowering dogwoods dislike lime and disturbance far more than they lack nutrients — an ericaceous feed suits the acid-loving kinds.
Semi-ripe cuttings in summer with bottom heat, or layering a low branch. Named forms are usually grafted, so a cutting-raised plant will be slower to flower — worth knowing before you wait a decade.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- FebruaryRemove only dead, damaged or crossing wood while dormant. how ›
- AprilFeed as growth resumes. how ›
- JuneEnjoy the flowers (technically bracts), followed by autumn colour and fruit.
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryRemove only dead, damaged or crossing wood while dormant. how ›
- AprilFeed as growth resumes. how ›
- JuneEnjoy the flowers (technically bracts), followed by autumn colour and fruit.
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. In strong wind or full afternoon sun in a hot summer.
What to do. Site in a sheltered spot.
How to spot it. In stressed or old specimens.
What to do. Remove affected material.
Popular varieties
Questions
Dogwood: is it hardy?
Red-barked dogwood: H7: Fully hardy anywhere in the UK. It survives below −20 °C. Flowering dogwood: H6: Hardy in the vast majority of UK gardens. It survives down to −20 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Red-barked dogwood: Its best stem colour and vigour show in open ground. Flowering dogwood: For a few years while young, though it's ultimately a small tree/large shrub best suited to open ground.
Dogwood: when do you prune it?
Red-barked dogwood: Cut back hard (to a low framework, or entirely to the ground) in early spring — the brightest stem colour comes on young wood, so this hard annual prune is essential. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in March. Flowering dogwood: Minimal — remove only dead, damaged or crossing wood in late winter; grown as a small tree/large shrub and needs little routine pruning. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in February.
Dogwood: when does it flower?
Flowering dogwood: In the climate of UK it flowers in June.
When do you feed it?
Red-barked dogwood: A general feed with a mulch after the spring cut-back, since the whole display depends on vigorous new stems — the brightest bark is always the youngest wood. On damp fertile ground it needs nothing. Feeding months, UK: April. Flowering dogwood: A mulch of leaf mould or compost in spring, with a general feed only on poor soil. Flowering dogwoods dislike lime and disturbance far more than they lack nutrients — an ericaceous feed suits the acid-loving kinds. Feeding months, UK: April.