Pruning cornus to maintain their colours
When and How to Prune Dogwoods? Dogwoods (Cornus) are popular ornamental shrubs and trees known for their striking winter stems, attractive foliage, and delicate flowers. Pruning is essential to maintain their shape, encourage healthy growth, and enhance their ornamental features. Here's a guide on when and how to prune your dogwoods effectively. --- ### **When to Prune Dogwoods** The timing of pruning depends on the type of dogwood and the feature you want to highlight: 1. **Winter-Stemmed Dogwoods (e.g., Cornus alba, Cornus sanguinea)** - **Best Time:** Late winter to early spring (February to March). - **Why:** These varieties are grown for their vibrant winter stems. Pruning in late winter encourages the growth of new stems, which display the brightest colours in the following winter. 2. **Flowering Dogwoods (e.g., Cornus florida, Cornus kousa)** - **Best Time:** After flowering, in late spring or early summer. - **Why:** Pruning after flowering ensures you don't remove the buds that will produce next year's blooms. 3. **Evergreen Dogwoods (e.g., Cornus capitata)** - **Best Time:** Late spring or early summer, after flowering. - **Why:** This allows the plant to recover and maintain its evergreen foliage. --- ### **How to Prune Dogwoods** The method of pruning depends on the type of dogwood and its purpose in your garden: #### **1. Winter-Stemmed Dogwoods** - **Objective:** Encourage vibrant new stems for winter display. - **Method:** - Cut back all stems to within 5-10cm (2-4 inches) of the ground. - This hard pruning stimulates vigorous new growth, which will have the brightest colours in winter. - Remove any weak or damaged stems. #### **2. Flowering Dogwoods** - **Objective:** Maintain shape and promote flowering. - **Method:** - Remove dead, diseased, or crossing branches. - Thin out crowded areas to improve air circulation. - Lightly shape the tree or shrub, avoiding heavy pruning, as this can reduce flowering. #### **3. Evergreen Dogwoods** - **Objective:** Maintain a tidy shape and encourage healthy growth. - **Method:** - Trim back any overgrown or straggly branches. - Remove dead or damaged wood. - Avoid cutting into old wood, as this can reduce flowering. --- ### **Tips for Successful Pruning** - Use clean, sharp tools to make precise cuts and prevent disease. - Always prune just above a bud or branch junction. - Avoid pruning during frosty weather, as this can damage the plant. - After pruning, apply a mulch around the base of the plant to retain moisture and suppress weeds. --- By pruning your dogwoods at the right time and in the right way, you'll ensure they remain healthy, vibrant, and a stunning feature in your garden throughout the year.
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Dogwoods or Cornus with decorative stems are shrubs prized for their winter brilliance, when their colourful stems light up the garden with vibrant and warm hues of red, orange, or yellow. In addition to adding a splash of colour during the colder months, they are easy to maintain and perfectly suited to both small gardens and larger spaces. To preserve the beauty of these shrubs over the years, regular pruning is essential. Discover all our tips on when and how to prune dogwoods with coloured stems to ensure a stunning winter display!
Why prune decorative stem dogwoods?
Pruning dogwoods with decorative stems is essential to preserve the brilliance and vibrant colour of their branches, which are their main attraction in winter. In varieties such as white dogwoods, common dogwoods, or red osier dogwoods, only the new shoots of the year display vibrant colours, while older branches fade to brown or greyish tones, diminishing their charm. Dogwoods are fast-growing shrubs, making pruning easy and effective: by cutting them back each year, you encourage the continuous production of colourful young stems. This practice also helps maintain a dense and compact shape, ideal for small gardens or container growing, and ensures a stunning winter display when their branches brighten the landscape with their vivid hues. Finally, pruning helps maintain the plant’s health by removing dead or damaged wood, reducing the risk of disease and promoting better growth.
When to prune dogwood?
Pruning dogwoods should be done from the first year after planting to encourage the growth of young, colourful stems. To maintain the intensity of the colours, it is best not to keep stems older than 3 to 4 years, as the bark fades over time. The ideal time for hard pruning is in late winter, before new growth begins, typically between late February and early March depending on the region. Ensure you prune when there is no risk of frost to avoid damaging the young shoots.
Note: Pruning on a two-year cycle encourages a more natural and flexible shape, although the colour of the stems may be slightly less vibrant.
How to Prune Properly in a Few Simple Steps?
The decorative dogwood is easy to prune. Simply equip yourself with a pruning shear, a lopper, or a secateur and follow these steps:
- Prune the stems at a slight angle just above an outward-facing bud to encourage balanced growth.
- For a compact shrub (around 1m in height), cut the stems back to about 30cm from the ground. This technique is ideal for showcasing the vibrant young shoots.
- If you prefer a denser, bushier shrub, only shorten one-third to half of the branches.
- Remove about one-third of the oldest, thickest, and least colourful stems each year to encourage vigorous new growth. Leave the young stems intact without shortening them to maximise their colour.
- Remove dead wood at the base of the shrub to maintain a healthy and well-aerated plant.
- Spread a thick layer of compost around the base of the shrub after pruning to promote regrowth and revitalise the plant.
Good to know: You can also cut the entire shrub back to ground level. This severe pruning results in highly colourful stems, but the shrub will take about two years to regain its volume. This practice can also accelerate the ageing of the stump and create a temporary, less attractive gap. For large areas or mass plantings, such as on a slope, hedge trimming is also an option for quicker maintenance.
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