Dogwoods are often planted in public places, for they stand up to wilful or accidental vandalism quite well. ‘Professionals’ did the pruning, in the picture above. That is to say that the people who did the pruning, and also the people who supervised it, were paid to do the job. It could so easily have been carried out by someone who had a grudge against Cornus!
There are a number of different Cornus (Dogwoods) in general use. Some need to be cut back each year, whilst others need no pruning whatever.
Cornus stolonifera ‘Flaviramea’
The dogwoods that are grown for their spectacular stem effect (ignore the picture above) are usually cultivars of Cornus alba, C. stolonifera and C. sanguineum. As well as the stem colour, several have brightly variegated or coloured foliage. The best being C. alba ‘Sibirica Variegatum’, C.alba ‘Elegantissima’, C.alba ‘Spaethii’, and C.stolonifera ‘White Gold’.
Cornus alba ‘Spaethii’
Cornus
stolonifera ‘Flaviramea’ has bright green
stems from leaf-fall through until they are
pruned in march. They tend to spread through
suckering stolons, so are good for bold
plantings. The summer foliage – which hides the
stem colour – is simply green and not
particularly interesting. There is a form -
C. stolonifera
‘White Gold’ that has excellent white-edged
variegated foliage, and therefore makes a good
dual season plant. The foliage colour and effect
is also enhanced, by the hard pruning regime.
Cornus sanguineum Magic
Flame in the foreground, with the almost-black
stems of C. alba Kesselringii to the left, and
the taller Salix alba Yelverton providing the
backdrop in this spectacular winter border at
Broadview Gardens, Hadlow college, Kent. (The
Salix gives added height to the border,
together with a slightly different colour and
form to that of the dogwoods.
The importance of ‘light’ cannot be stressed enough in choosing an area for your dogwood. Bear in mind that the sun is at a much lower angle in the winter so choose a spot where the stems will be caressed by evening sun for best results.
To get this spectacular winter stem effect with dogwoods, it is necessary to cut the shrubs back hard each spring. Mid-March is fine, but a little earlier or later will be ok depending upon the suitability of ‘gardening’ weather.
The reason for this hard pruning is to encourage as many upright cane-like stems as possible. The new stems have the brightly coloured bark, whilst the older stems are nowhere near as spectacular. The stems will re-grow to 1m – 1.5m high each year – starting off slowly as they sprout from below the pruning cut, then growing quickly throughout June until the end of August. |
Picture on left shows the new basal growth on C. sanguineum Magic Flame, whilst on the right, the best red – Cornus alba ‘Sibirica' - is an abundance of cane-like stems throughout the winter.
The pruning cuts from
the previous spring are clearly visible
at approx 15cm above ground level. The
brighter colour of the new stems is also
clearly visible.
If you are starting from
scratch with a neglected shrub, it will
normally have several main stems at ground
level. Cut all the top growth off to within
15cm of ground level. An alternative is to
just cut back to a slightly taller
framework, if you need the extra height at
the back of a border for instance. To cut
back older neglected dogwoods, you will need
a pruning saw. To carry out the annual
pruning thereafter, a good pair of secateurs
or loppers will do the trick.
Cornus sanguineum
'Midwinter Fire’ also has a
spectacular autumn foliage effect, as
well as bright yellow, orange and red
stems throughout the winter months.
Cornus kousa, C.
florida, C. Canadensis, C. alternifolia,
C nuttallii C. controversa, C. mas. Cornus canadensis
is a creeping form of Dogwood,
rarely reaching more than 15cm high.
Other flowering dogwoods can reach
up to 15 metres in height. They are
not to be treated like the dogwoods
discussed earlier, which are grown
for their stem effect. Absolute minimal
pruning is the key to success –
unless of course, it has been
planted in the wrong place. As most
of these types grow into large
shrubs or even small trees, then
there is always that likelihood! Any pruning
carried out, should be done in late
winter/early spring and would
normally consist of removing the odd
side growth, crossing branches and
any dead wood. Just the minimum that
is required in order to maintain a
good shape. Most of this group
flower early in the year, on
flowering growths made during the
previous. Any drastic measures taken
will invariably cut out the
flowering growths.
The majority of this
group of dogwoods are so
considerate. They have a
natural propensity towards
tidiness and rarely need any
interference from humans –
unless of course, they have
been planted in the wrong
place. The Cornus
controversa Variegata on the
left – grown for it’s
splendid shape and
spectacular foliage - is a
typical example of!
Flowering Dogwoods
Cornus canadensis
Cornus florida Rubrum
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