Red twig dogwood

About Red twig dogwood

Red twig dogwood is a fast, multi-stemmed shrub grown for its bright red (or yellow) stems that glow against snow all winter, with flat clusters of creamy flowers in late spring and white berries that birds love. Red-osier dogwood is native across most of North America, from Newfoundland to Alaska and south to Virginia, Nebraska, the New Mexico mountains and northern California, along streams, lake shores and wet ground (wildflower.org, NC State). Tatarian dogwood (C. alba) looks and grows almost the same but comes from Siberia, northern China and Korea; both sucker into thickets, and NC State notes both can turn weedy. It's a shrub cousin of the flowering dogwood and kousa dogwood trees.

Red-osier dogwood is hardy in zones 2-7 and Tatarian dogwood in zones 3-7 (UMN, NC State). It struggles in hot southern summers, where full sun stresses it and Tatarian dogwood gets more disease south of zone 7 (NC State).

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Plant container shrubs in spring or fall and water deeply until established, which takes at least two growing seasons (UMN). Give it room to sucker, or slice around the clump with a spade to keep it in bounds (NC State, UMN).

Soil

Almost any soil, from sand to heavy clay; best in rich, steadily moist soil, and it handles wet sites and short floods as well as some dryness. It is sensitive to road salt. UMN gives a pH range of 6.1-8.5 for red-osier and 5.5-7.0 for Tatarian dogwood (UMN, NC State).

Test the soil before planting; it grows in most soils and established shrubs in decent soil need little feeding (Clemson, UMN).

Feeding

• Spring to early summer after new growth starts, only if a soil test or poor growth shows a need: slow-release complete fertilizer in a 3:1:2 or 3:1:1 ratio, or what the soil test calls for. Spread it evenly from the stems out to the drip line and water it in; a typical rate for shrubs is about 2 lb of 12-6-6 per 100 sq ft (Clemson). Follow a soil test.
• Spring, right after cutting the whole shrub back for new stems: light feeding with a slow-release fertilizer, plus mulch. NRCS suggests fertilizing and mulching after a hard cutback so the new stems grow strongly; keep it light and follow a soil test.

Water is what new shrubs need most: daily for the first 2 weeks, every 2-3 days through week 12, then weekly until the roots spread, at least two growing seasons, using about a quarter to a third of the nursery pot's volume each time (UMN). It is sensitive to road salt, so don't plant it where plowed snow piles up (UMN).

Harvest

Creamy white flowers open mid-May to June, sometimes with a smaller second bloom in July-August, and white to pale blue berries follow (UMN). Stem color is brightest on stems under 3 years old, so cut the oldest third of the stems to the ground every year or two in early spring; or cut the whole shrub to a few inches before spring growth for a full flush of bright new stems (UMN, NRCS, NC State).

Varieties (16)

Pests to watch for

Scale insects, Dogwood borer, Leafminers, Bagworm, Sawflies (garden sawflies)

Diseases and problems

Leaf spot, Canker, Twig blight, Powdery mildew, Root and crown rot, Dogwood anthracnose

In the kitchen

Safety: No toxicity is listed in the extension sources we used. NC State lists the berries as edible, but they are tart and bitter (NRCS); they're best left for the birds.

Pets: Not listed by the ASPCA.