December Shrub of the Month-Red twig dogwood

The muted colors of the winter garden palette have some showy stand-outs, and one is the red-twig dogwood Cornus sericea. (Formerly known as Cornus stolonifera.)
Red twig dogwood grows typically 6-9′ high and wide. Today, plenty of compact cultivars are available in assorted size ranges and colors.

ARCTIC FIRE (C. sericea ‘Farrow’) is a compact cultivar common in the trade. The bright red stems grow 3-4′ high and wide. Unlike the straight species, ARTIC FIRE does not spread by stoloniferous runners, making it a well-behaved addition to mixed planting beds.

‘Flaviramia’ is a yellow-stemmed cultivar that pairs well with its red-stemmed siblings or as a stand-alone specimen or mass planting. ‘Hedgerows Gold’ does NOT have yellow stems. Instead, this red-stemmed cultivar has variegated leaves with a gold edge, making it just as interesting during the growing season as in winter.

Red twigs will take full sun to part shade and tolerate most soils, including moist, boggy soils. Unfortunately, it’s not considered a long-lived plant due to its proneness to pest and disease problems.

The stems are a colorful, long-lasting addition to interior or exterior holiday floral arrangements.

What I love about this plant;
-The colorful stems!!
-Great for holiday decorating.
-Great winter interest.
-Comes in red or yellow cultivars.
-Tolerates moist or boggy conditions, making it perfect for rain gardens.
-Deer resistant.

What’s not so great;
-NOT a low-maintenance plant.
-No showy flowers like its cousin, the dogwood tree, but who cares with stems like that!
-Removing old stems annually and keeping the younger, colorful stems seems necessary if you love those red stems. Pruning can be performed annually or every other year. Some gardeners retain a few younger stems; others just cut them all down to the ground. Either method is best done in late winter. As showy as they can be, keep some in the back of the garden to cut down and use as holiday decorations come December-otherwise wait until late winter to enjoy the colorful stems.
-Prone to all sorts of blight, canker, and pests…not a long-lived plant.

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Words and photos by Jo Batzer

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