Cornus are great for your garden and the colourful dogwoods are easy on the eye.

What is looking  good in your winter garden or locally at the moment? Look around now because you can start on next years garden to create a sight to behold. Locally I saw several dog woods that would make an interesting winter feature in my garden if I can find the space. I am less sure about the chicken wire on my picture above but I guess it gets covered in greenery by spring.

Tips on Cornus – Dog Woods

• Dog woods are an extensive family including trees up to 10 feet tall. Planted now they can thrive in wet or dry soil
• If grown for the stems prune hard to the ground in March
• The variety Kesselringii has very dark red stems that almost seem a black-purple
• Plant the green stemmed Flaviramea below with the red stemmed ‘alba’ varieties for colour effects

The first week of March and it was time for me to chop the Cornus Dogwoods down to size. The red stems that have shown up so well during winter will never be the same again if left on the shrub so they are ‘out for the chop’.

Pruning Cornus

• Cut all the upright stems down to within 3 – 4 inches of the ground.
• Water well and mulch the stump with good compost or manure to encourage new growth. Dogwoods like water!
• New stems will grow, show leaf, flower and be ready for another winter display come Autumn.
• Some pencil thick stems, 6 inch long, can be used as cuttings for growing new plants.
• Check around the stool of the plant as you may have several new plants available from the layering of the old stems – any with roots can be severed from the main plant and relocated.

There are many other interesting Cornus trees and shrubs or new Cornus Alba Sibirica plants can be bought via Amazon
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