The Press of Atlantic City: Green Thumbs: With proper pruning, Red Twig Dogwood can prosper Q: I have a red twig dogwood on the east side of my house. Rabbits chewed through most branches during winter, leaving only short stubs at the base. I'd like to cut it to an even height, close to the ...

Understanding the Context

Question: We have some red twig dogwood shrubbery. It is growing like crazy and we would like to know the proper ways to trim it - when to trim, suggestions on how, or where, to be cutting the ... Do you have a red-twig dogwood whose stems are grayer than red? How about a Forsythia that only blooms near branch ends?

Key Insights

Maybe an old lilac with bare, twiggy stems on the bottom half? These are shrub ... Vivid stems of red-twig dogwood (Cornus sericea) provide a welcome jolt of winter color in an all-to-often stodgy winter landscape. This family of shrubby deciduous plants rarely attracts much notice ... In horticulture, the red twig dogwood is most noted for the color of its young branches, which are a nice ornamental red, especially in the winter.

Final Thoughts

In the wild, it indicates a wet site, can survive ... As if the cold weren't unwelcome enough, there's little in the landscape to treat your eyes during the dragging winter months. If you go into mourning once your garden goes dormant, tuck a red-twig ...