Red Osier Dogwood

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Red Osier Dogwood

Cornus sericea

Evergreen-Deciduous

Deciduous

Overall Mature Size

Medium

Mature Height & Spread

6-9' x 7-10'

Exposure

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Water

High, Medium Water

Flower Color

White

Bloom Time

Spring

Special Features

Attractive Bark, Attracts Birds, Butterflies, Fall Color, Hedge, Shade Tolerant

Container Sizes

#1, #5

Natural Growth Habit

Spreading

Sunset Garden Zones

A1-A3, 1-9, 14-21

Minimum USDA Hardiness Zone

3-7

Plant Type

Shrub

Cornus sericea (Red Osier Dogwood),synonymous with C. stolonifera, is a rapid-growing multi-stemmed deciduous shrub which grows to a maximum size of 6-9′ tall with a loose rounded spreading habit. The ornamental feature of this plant is bright red winter stems. Tiny white flowers appear in clusters in late spring and sometimes continuing into summer. The fruit is attractive to birds and have almost as much ornamental interest as the flowers. The dark green leaves turn an attractive reddish purple in autumn.Cornus sericea is effective in naturalistic plantings in moist soils where plants are allowed to spread and form thickets. It’s also effective as a property line screen. It is also effective in shrub borders where plants can be combined with yellowtwig dogwoods for an interesting bicolor stem display. Although pruning is not usually required it’s possible to remove 20-25% of the oldest stems in early spring of each year to stimulate growth of new stems which will display the best red color.

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