Growing the Bud’s Yellow Dogwood

Size and Appearance

Bud’s Yellow Dogwood is a branching deciduous shrub, growing to between 5 and 8 feet tall and wide, although it can be kept smaller with periodic pruning. It produces many slender, straight stems from the base, and young stems are a striking golden-yellow, especially noticeable during winter when the branches are bare. With time the bark on the lower branches turns dark gray, with a rough surface. The leaves are in pairs up the stems, and they are warm green, oval and smooth, up to 4½ inches long. Unlike many other varieties the leaves stay clean and free of spots, always looking attractive. In fall, as the nights cool down, the leaves turn shades of red and orange, darkening to deep purple-red as temperatures fall. These bright colors really add to your garden’s fall brilliance. In late spring small clusters of white flowers appear among the leaves. Although these are up to 2½ inches across, they are not especially showy. They develop into white berries by late summer, and these do add a striking touch, until they are taken by birds.

Using Bud’s Yellow Dogwood in Your Garden

This useful shrub can be used in all your shrub beds as middle or background plants, making an attractive background in summer and then becoming bold winter decoration. Grow it in more natural areas too, such as around trees or along the edge of wild areas. It is a form of a native shrub, so fits perfectly into wild and natural gardens. It is especially effective beside water, where it thrives, and it’s valuable in places where the soil is wet – places where plant choices are limited. Planted in a row, spacing plants about 4 feet apart, it makes a good informal boundary between one area or another, or to screen a fence or untidy area.

Hardiness

Bud’s Yellow Dogwood is especially useful in colder zones, and it’s completely hardy in zones 3 and 4, where the range of available plants is limited. It also grows well all the way into zone 7, so everyone can use it to add winter color.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

While full sun is best for Bud’s Yellow Dogwood, it also grows perfectly in areas with a few hours of shade each day. It will grow in deeper shade too, but not as strongly. It is very adaptable to almost all types of soil, including difficult wet places, as well as regular garden beds. It grows in clay soils, and there are few places it won’t grow, even in urban soils and low-nutrient areas.

Maintenance and Pruning

One of the outstanding features of Bud’s Yellow Dogwood is its enhanced resistance to the leaf diseases and twig cankers that cause problems with these types of dogwood in many areas. This makes it a choice worth seeking out, and using in place of more common varieties that are more subject to disease, especially the death of branches caused by canker. Pests are generally not a problem, and deer don’t eat this plant in normal conditions.

It can be grown without pruning, but over time the length of the yellow twigs will decline, and it won’t be as showy. The solution is hard-pruning in early spring. Cut back most of the thicker stems close to the ground, leaving branches that grew in the last year, or even cutting everything back to just a few inches tall. This can be done yearly if wanted in warmer zones, giving plants that are 2 or 3 feet tall. In colder zones, where growth is slower, cut back every 3 years or so, or plants will weaken slowly over the years. This method is better than light pruning each year.

History and Origin of Bud’s Yellow Dogwood

Red Twig Dogwood, Cornus sericea, is native to all the colder parts of North America, often growing along streams and around bogs. In Europe there is a very similar plant, Cornus alba, and botanists find these two species very difficult to separate. Back in 1899 a German botanist and nurseryman called Franz Ludwig Späth, found a yellow-twigged form of what may have been Cornus sericea, which was named ‘Flaviramea’. It isn’t clear exactly where the variety called Bud’s Yellow came from, and it is sometimes listed as a variety of Cornus alba. Indeed, it isn’t clear which of these species it belongs to, or even if they are too different species. Botanists and experts are increasingly tending to see them as basically the same.

Buying Bud’s Yellow Dogwood at the Tree Center

Bud’s Yellow Dogwood is such a useful shrub, every garden needs it. Brightening your garden in winter is easy with colored branches, so why not start with this dogwood, add some red-twigs too, and you are going to find winter a much more attractive season in your garden. Order now, as these popular shrubs are always in high demand, and sell out fast.

Growing the Midwinter Fire Dogwood

Size and Appearance

The Midwinter Fire Dogwood is an upright, broad, deciduous shrub, naturally growing 5 or 6 feet tall and just as wide if left untrimmed. With periodic pruning it can easily be kept closer to 3 feet tall. It produces many slender twigs, sprouting from the base, which are pink when young but as colder weather comes they turn orange and then bright red, making a really colorful show in your garden. New stems often turn purple on their sunny side. The color lasts all winter. Older twigs are yellow, and after a few years they turn greenish-gray in color, but new growth is always winter red. The smooth oval leaves are about 3 inches long, tapering to a pointed tip, with prominent veins running along their length. They are bronzy-green in spring, turning dark-green all summer, making a calm backdrop to other plants. In fall they turn clear, bright yellow, and then drop to reveal the brightly-colored twigs.

In late spring, on unpruned plants, you will see small clusters of white flowers along the twigs, partially hidden among the leaves. By late summer these have turned into bunches of dark purple berries. The flower and berry display is quietly attractive, and the berries are popular and valuable food for songbirds.

Using the Midwinter Fire Dogwood in Your Garden

Use this reliable shrub wherever you want a splash of winter color. It’s great for filling spaces in large beds, mass-planting along streams and beside water, or for bringing winter interest to the foundation planting around your home. The branches can be cut for vases in the house. Try to place it where you see it coming and going from your house in winter, or from a window – you probably won’t be spending much time in winter in the back corners of your yard.

Hardiness

This dogwood is hardy in zones 5, 6 and 7. It will grow in warmer zones in the north-west. If you want similar plants that are hardy in zones 3 and 4, check out our varieties of Cornus alba or our native red-twig dogwood, Cornus sericea. These are all very similar in appearance.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun will give the strongest growth and best winter color on your plants of the Midwinter Fire Dogwood, but it also grows well in areas with a few hours of shade each day. This plant grows well in ordinary garden soils, including alkaline soils, but also in moist to wet soils, as long as they are not stagnant and smelly. This makes it ideal for planting beside water where the choice of plants is limited. Very dry, sandy soils are not so suitable, but it will grow in most locations.

Maintenance and Pruning

The Midwinter Fire Dogwood is free of pests or diseases, untroubled by deer, and easy to grow. It can be left to grow naturally, but over time the new growth becomes shorter, so it becomes less colorful in winter. You can prune annually, but the easiest thing is to prune back close to the ground every 2 or 3 years. Do this in early spring, leaving about 6 inches of older stems. It will quickly re-sprout, sending up new twigs 2 to 3 feet long by fall, with lots of bright color. Avoid trimming like a hedge, as this will make the new twigs even shorter, and reduce color more.

History and Origin of the Midwinter Fire Dogwood

The European dogwood, Cornus sanguinea, grows wild all across Europe, from England to the Caspian Sea. It grows beside water, in low-lying areas and around woods. The long, straight stems have been used since prehistoric times for making arrows. It is often called “winter fire” for its red twigs, which are often sold in bunches in flower shops. The variety Midwinter Beauty was discovered around 1980 in a garden in Germany by V. H. Venhorst, and introduced as a garden variety in 1990 by Van den Dool Cultures BV, a tree nursery in Boskoop, the Netherlands. It is similar to Winter Beauty – but more vigorous and colorful – with which it is sometimes confused.

Buying the Midwinter Fire Dogwood at the Tree Center

These various dogwoods with colored winter twigs are invaluable in every garden, and such reliable plants that they are always big sellers. The Midwinter Fire Dogwood is always super-popular, and especially colorful. Don’t miss out, order now, and keep your garden warm this winter around a glowing fire.

Growing Isanti Red Twig Dogwood

Size and Appearance

The Isanti Red Twig Dogwood is an upright deciduous shrub that produces many stems from the base. reaching 4 or 5 feet tall. It spreads slowly sideways, growing from about 3 feet wide when young into a broad clump 6 or 7 feet across. The twigs are light green to pink when young, but by fall they have matured and ripened to a rich, deep red color that really shines out all winter. The leaves are oval, tapering to a point, and mid-green. They are between 2 and 5 inches long. In fall they turn bright red and orange tones, darkening to rich purples by late fall. When they drop the brilliant red of the twigs is revealed, staying that way all through winter.

In late spring on older bushes clusters of white flowers, about 2½ inches across, may appear. These are fragrant, and by early fall they have turned into white berries, that sometimes become flushed with light blue. Birds enjoy them, and they unfortunately often don’t last long before they are eaten.

Using Isanti Red Twig Dogwood in Your Garden

The Isanti Red Twig Dogwood is an excellent plant for shrub beds. Use it in the middle areas of larger beds, and as background in smaller ones. It forms an attractive green backdrop, and then becomes an important component in the bed with its fall leaves, and especially during the winter months. For group planting space bushes 3 or 4 feet apart. Grow it as a low barrier or screen along a fence or boundary. The many stems and strong roots make it an excellent choice for slopes and banks. Because it is a native shrub it is perfect – and very attractive – used to separate wilder areas from the cultivated garden. It grows well in wet soil, so it is an excellent choice for low-lying areas, along streams, around lakes, and anywhere beside water. For a striking visual effect, plant it with the yellow twig dogwood, Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’. The contrasting twig colors look great together.

Hardiness

This very hardy shrub grows without winter damage in zone 3, and all the way into zone 7. It needs no winter protection or special care.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun or partial shade suit the Isanti Red Twig Dogwood perfectly. The red twig color is strongest when grown in the sun, but this plant grows well under large trees, with just a few hours of direct sun each day. It grows in almost any soil, thriving in moist soils but growing very well in most ordinary garden conditions, with reasonable resistance to summer dryness once well established.

Maintenance and Pruning

Some red twig dogwoods are subject to leaf spots and stem cankers, but this vigorous variety is usually free of those problems, although not specifically resistant to them. Young plants benefit from mulch and regular watering. Pruning is not required, but it does increase the quantity of young, bright red branches. In cold zones remove up to one-third of the oldest stems in early spring each year, cutting them back close to the ground. This will encourage new shoots to grow, which have the best twig color. In zones 6 and 7 you can cut this plant down to 6 inches from the ground every second or third year, once it is established. This creates a smaller bush to about 3 feet, with many long, brightly-colored stems growing up in a dense mass.

History and Origin of Isanti Red Twig Dogwood

The Isanti Red Twig Dogwood is a selected form of the red osier, Cornus sericea, once known as Cornus stolonifera. This shrub is native across a large part of North America, from Alaska to Newfoundland, and through all the northern states south to Virginia and down the West Coast. It is an important part of wetland ecosystems, preventing soil erosion along river banks. The variety called ‘Isanti’ was found and collected around 1963 at the Cedar Creek Reserve, in East Bethel, Minnesota, a natural wetland conservation area owned by the University of Minnesota. The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, in Chaska, named and released it to nurseries. ‘Isanti’ is a name for the Santee people, a subgroup of the Dakota.

Buying Isanti Red Twig Dogwood at The Tree Center

Dogwoods are basic bushes for landscaping in all cold and moderate parts of the country and no garden can be without them. We always sell many plants of this popular and reliable shrub, so order now while we still have stock available. Bring color and interest to your winter garden with the Isanti Red Twig Dogwood.

The Prairie Fire Dogwood is an upright shrub with straight branches rising 5 feet or more from the base. It has many stems and it occupies an area 4 or 5 feet across. This is not a form of the American native red dogwood, and it doesn’t have the strong tendency to spread and invade surrounding areas that plant has. It stays where you plant it. The stems of this dogwood are a brilliant orange-red, making it one of the brightest features of the winter and early spring garden. Shining in the sunlight against a backdrop of white snow, or the dark earth of a winter garden bed, it is a great highlight during that most colorless time of year.

When spring comes, the new leaves, which are 4½ inches long, oval, and tapering to a point, appear. These are rich, golden-yellow, so that the whole plant glows like a golden flame. In shadier areas they are more a chartreuse green, which is still attractive, and one of the most ‘fashionable’ garden colors right now. That golden color holds all summer long, without fading, keeping this plant attractive for months. Then in fall it turns wonderful shades of pink and red, making a real highlight, and complimenting the leaves of your fall trees. As the leaves fall, the fresh, orange-red twigs are revealed, starting the cycle over again.

There is also a more modest feature, in the form of clusters of white flowers among the leaves on older stems. These change into bunches of white berries that turn a very unusual Wedgewood-blue by mid-summer. You may have to move some leaves to find them, but the startling color makes the hunt worthwhile. Unfortunately, birds have no trouble finding them, and they take them as food, so they don’t last long – keep a look out, as that color is rare in the garden.

Use the Prairie Fire Dogwood as a featured shrub in a mixed border, or in a row as a boundary or edging. It can be used as a single plant in a smaller garden, and it is also superb for mass planting in larger beds, to fill spaces with interesting plants that don’t need much care. Use it in natural settings, around a pond or along a stream – or beside a lake at a cottage. Although strictly not the native dogwood, it is so similar it can be used as an alternative. For a very striking effect, combine it with the yellow-twig dogwood (Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’), whose golden twigs look perfect among the red ones of the Prairie Fire Dogwood. Because it is so cold-hardy, this shrub is especially useful for gardeners in cold zones, where the choice of shrubs is more limited.

Plant the Prairie Fire Dogwood in full sun for the brightest leaf and twig color, but it will also grow well in partial shade. It is very winter hardy, surviving easily in zone 3, with winter lows of minus 40. It grows in most ordinary garden soil, and it is a plant that does not need ‘well-drained soil’, so it is the perfect choice for wetter areas. It will also grow perfectly well in ordinary soil, if it is not too sandy and dry. Water regularly until it is established, and water during dry periods. Mulching with rich organic material will help conserve moisture and develop strong growth and vivid color. This plant has no serious pests or diseases, and it needs little care. Deer may take a nibble, but they rarely cause serious damage to this plant. Every couple of years it will benefit from a spring pruning. Remove older stems at ground level and cut back young stems to about 4 feet tall. This will encourage long new stems to develop, with the best winter red coloring. Alternatively, in warmer zones, you can cut it to the ground and it will quickly re-sprout.

The Prairie Fire Dogwood is a selected form of the Siberian dogwood, Cornus alba. This plant is similar to the North American red-twig dogwood, Cornus sericea, but it grows throughout Siberia, northern China, and into Korea. In the wild it can become a small, 10-foot multi-trunk tree. Its red twigs are the brightest of any dogwood. Sadly. we have no idea where the form called ‘Prairie Fire’ came from, but it may be a re-naming of an older variety, first mentioned around 1903, called ‘Aurea’.

Our plants are of the best quality, and this plant is the brightest red-twig dogwood in existence. With its unique foliage it is extremely popular, so we know our stock will soon be gone. Order now and enjoy one of the brightest and easiest garden shrubs.

Growing Kelsey’s Red Twig Dogwood

Size and Appearance

Kelsey’s Red Twig Dogwood is a deciduous shrub that forms a low bushy plant, reaching a little over 2 feet tall and wide. It has many vertical branches growing from ground level. The leaves are oval, tapering to a point, with a smooth, glossy surface decorated with prominent veins. They are 2 to 4 inches long, and an attractive rich green. In late spring you may see some clusters of white flowers nestling among the leaves, or at the ends of the branches. These may develop into white berries by late summer, which are attractive, to us and to birds, who often quickly eat them all.

Fall color of the leaves is brilliant and colorful, with shades or red and orange darkening to purples by late fall. Once the leaves fall the beauty of the twigs is revealed, and they remain vibrant and colorful all winter. The lower parts of the branches are brown or greenish, but all the upper parts are bright red, adding a colorful effect to the garden in winter.

Using Kelsey’s Red Twig Dogwood in Your Garden

Anywhere you feel your garden is drab from late fall to early spring, that is the place to plant this excellent low-growing shrub. Grow it in a bed among other low-growing bushes, or mass plant it along the front of larger beds. Line a walk or driveway with it. It can even be used in planter boxes for winter interest. Because it grows well in wet soil it is perfect lining the bank of a stream or around a pond. As a native plant it fits well into natural gardens and woods, along a path or planted under taller trees and shrubs. Plant the taller Yellow Twig Dogwood behind, for an attractive color contrast.

Hardiness

A great virtue of this plant is its hardiness. It survives winter unharmed in zone 3, and probably even in zone 2, yet it grows well in most warmer areas, beginning to suffer only in the heat and humidity of the south-east in zone 8.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun will give the best twig colors, and strong, bushy growth, but Kelsey’s Red Twig Dogwood grows well in partial shade too, with just a few hours of direct sun during the growing season. It is extremely valuable if you have wet soil, where it thrives, but it grows just as well in ordinary garden soils. Avoid hot, dry sandy areas, although this plant will handle ordinary summer dryness once well-established.

Maintenance and Pruning

Pests and diseases are rarely problems – some leaf spots may be seen in some years, but these are normally not a serious issue. Deer usually leave it alone. You can grow Kelsey’s Red Twig Dogwood without any maintenance. Removing some of the oldest branches in late winter will stimulate new, more brightly-colored twigs.

History and Origin of Kelsey’s Red Twig Dogwood

We owe this valuable shrub to the work of Harlan P. Kelsey, a 20th century American landscape architect, nurseryman and a now largely-forgotten conservationist who was very influential in his time. As important for conservation in the East as the much more famous John Muir was for the west, Kelsey died in 1958. With his pioneer father he had cleared land to create Kelsey Highlands Nursery in Boxford, Massachusetts. His nursery show-garden and plant collections are today preserved as the Kelsey Arboretum. Originally called the Kelsey Pygmy Dogwood, the plant is a form of the red twig dogwood, Cornus sericea. That bush grows wild across most of North America, usually along the banks of rivers and streams, in swamps, or around the edges of wetlands. We don’t know if Kelsey collected his dogwood in the wild, but he did grow many plants from seed at his nursery, so it was perhaps a seedling he noticed for its dwarf form. It was first released around 1939, and it is just as useful today as it was back then.

Buying Kelsey’s Red Twig Dogwood at The Tree Center

Gardening using native plants has become important, and you can do it in your own garden – and enjoy the glow of red twigs in winter – with Kelsey’s gift to gardeners. There is always a big demand for this unique plant, so order yours right away, while we still have stock available.

The Ivory Halo Dogwood is a deciduous shrub that grows 5 to 6 feet tall and wide, making an excellent medium-sized plant for a larger garden, or a background plant in a smaller garden. It has a twiggy structure, with multiple branches coming from ground level. In spring and summer the foliage is delightful, with each light-green leaf having a broad, irregular margin of white, creating a plant that brightens up all parts of your garden. It looks terrific standing out against a hedge or other plain green plants. Plant it singly or in groups among evergreens around your home, or in shrub beds. Create an informal edging along a path or driveway with a row, spacing the plants 4 feet apart. Use it in large planter boxes to brighten paved courtyards in urban areas. No matter how you use it, this plant is sure to please. For a striking winter effect, mix this shrub with the Yellow Twig Dogwood, (Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’), whose bright yellow winter twigs look great mixed with the red twigs of the Ivory Halo Dogwood.

Growing Ivory Halo Red Twig Dogwood Shrubs

In fall the leaves turn yellow before dropping to the ground, revealing rich deep-red twigs, which hold their color all winter long, making a bright display, especially against the snow. Combined with the bright leaves, this shrub gives you beauty and color all year round, making it ideal for easy-care interest in every garden. It is a great improvement over the older variegated dogwood (‘Elegantissima’), because it has a much denser growth structure; the leaves are closer together on the stems, making a bushier plant; and the winter twigs are brighter and richer in color. The Ivory Halo Dogwood should not be confused with the taller, tree-like flowering dogwoods. It has small flowers in clusters, in spring and early summer, on older branches. These are attractive, 2.5 inches across, but not showy, and the main interest is in the brilliant and colorful foliage.

Planting and Initial Care

Plant the Ivory Halo Dogwood in full sun or partial shade. Unlike many other variegated plants, the leaf patterning does not fade in shadier spots. It thrives in almost any soil, from ordinary garden soil to damper soils, and it even grows well in areas that are sometimes flooded. That makes it a great choice along a stream, around a lake, or in any low-lying area. Avoid hot, dry, sandy soils, where growth will be reduced. This shrub is extremely hardy, thriving even in zone 3, but reliable and easy to grow all the way into zone 7. It has few pests or diseases of concern, and it is among the easiest of garden shrubs to grow. Since the brightest twig color is on new growth, some spring pruning is beneficial to maximize that winter glamor. Either remove a few older branches each spring, close to the ground, or cut the whole plant right back to the ground every 3rd year in colder areas, and every 2nd year in milder zones.

Appearance

The Ivory Halo Dogwood is a form of the Siberian dogwood, Cornus alba. This plant grows all through Siberia, northern China and Korea, usually in damper areas and the edges of forests. The wild plant grows to around 10 feet tall, with plain green leaves, blue-white berries and reddish-brown winter twigs. It is closely related to the red-twig dogwood, Cornus sericea, a very similar-looking American native shrub which is more inclined to spread underground that its Asian cousin. The Siberian dogwood is therefore a better choice for smaller spaces. 

History and Origins of the Ivory Halo Red Twig Dogwood Shrubs

A variety called ‘Elegantissima’ (or ‘Argenteomarginata’) appeared in Europe some time before 1900, and it has been a favorite in gardens for well over 100 years. In 1983, at the Bailey Nurseries in St. Paul, Minnesota, Rodney Bailey spotted an unusual plant growing in a field of plants of the ‘Elegantissima’ variety. It was more compact, with the leaves closer together, and the twig color was a much stronger red. He realized that this plant was perfect for smaller settings, where the taller ‘Elegantissima’, which can reach 10 feet in height, would be too tall. The exact origin of this plant is not known. The nursery patented it in 1994 under the name ‘Bailhalo’. That patent has now expired. It is registered under the name Ivory Halo, and it is a significant improvement on the older variety. Our plants are grown from stem pieces taken from the correct variety, and we always recommend growing the best – which this certainly is. Our stock is limited, so order now for lots of year-round color and very little work.

Even if you live in zones 5 and 6, the greater height of this plant makes it the perfect choice for a larger background plant, or to fill larger areas of your garden. It grows well in both normal and wet garden soils, so it is a great choice around a pond or along a stream bank. Like other red-twig dogwoods, this is an American native shrub, and so it is ideal for gardeners who like to avoid exotic plants, and instead choose to grow a natural garden of American plants.

Growing Cayenne Silky Dogwood Shrubs

The Cayenne Silky Dogwood is a shrub growing 6 to 8 feet tall, or even taller in time, depending on how it is pruned. It spreads into a wide shrub up to 10 feet across, so this is a plant for larger gardens and large spaces. It has an open, rounded form, an what makes it unique is the red color of the younger branches, in comparison with the normal purple-brown of this tree when growing in the wild. These bright-red stems make this plant really stand out in your garden in the winter months, and this attractive shrub brings interest and color just when most other plants are without flowers, or leafless and dull.

Plant a specimen where it can be seen from a window in winter, or use it in groups to fill large areas, especially in difficult, damp and shady spots. Wherever you plant it you will enjoy an attractive green background plant all summer, blue berries in early fall, and dynamic red twigs all winter, on an easy-care plant.

Appearance

The leaves of the Cayenne Silky Dogwood are oval, slightly glossy and smooth, between 2 and 5 inches long, and medium green, with prominent veins. The underside of the leaves – and the young twigs – are covered in fine white hairs, which give the shrub its common name of silky dogwood. The flowers appear in late spring or early summer, and they are small, without the large, colored bracts seen in the flowering dogwoods. Nonetheless they are quietly attractive, forming a cluster of yellow-white flowers 2½ inches across. These are followed by clusters of berries which begin white and by late August turn a striking and unusual blue color, close to the color of Willow pattern china plates. Birds also find them attractive, so the berries are usually not around for too long. Your local birds will thank you for the feast, though.

Planting and Initial Care

The Cayenne Silky Dogwood will grow from zone 5 to zone 8, and it grows best in the warmer zones. It is happy in any ordinary to moist soil, and it will also grow well in completely wet areas, such as along streams and around ponds. It likes soils with plenty of organic material in them, but you can grow this plant successfully in most garden soils that are not too dry. It will grow in full sun if the soil is wet, and otherwise it grows best in light shade. It will also grow in full shade, making it an ideal choice for those difficult, shady parts of your garden.

When grown in ordinary garden conditions, mulch over the root zone area with a 2 to 4-inch layer of organic material in spring. This will conserve moisture, keep the roots cooler, and encourage good growth. The red twig color is most pronounced on new shoots, so trimming this plant anytime from spring to the end of July will encourage new shoots with the best coloring. Harder pruning in early spring will keep this plant smaller, if you wish. You can also cut it back to the ground every third year, to produce a more compact plant with long shoots and lots of winter color.

History and Origins of the Cayenne Silky Dogwood

The silky dogwood (Cornus amomum) is a North American native plant, growing all through the north-eastern states, from Ohio to Alabama. It is most abundant in the South, where it grows wild along streams and river banks. The unique red-twigged form called ‘Cayenne’ was found growing in a beaver swamp in Fancy Gap, Virginia, by Dr. Michael Dirr, the famous plant expert from Georgia University. He took samples home, and then grew them for three years to test its suitability for gardens.

This new plant has only recently been released to nurseries, and it is expected to be in high demand in southern areas in particular, where many gardeners have envied the northerners for their red-twig dogwoods. Our stock will soon be sold, so order now and grow this spectacular plant in your own garden, to enjoy those greatly-loved bright red winter twigs.

In those cooler areas, few shrubs fit that description as well as the Cardinal Red Dogwood. The most striking feature of this shrub is its winter twigs, which are a rich red – beautiful against both bare earth, dormant lawns or snow. This feature draws our attention, and it brings interest just at that most lifeless time of year. Added to that, this is a plant that thrives not only in ordinary garden soil, but also in wet and even flooded soil, with a natural affinity for water. As well, it is a selected form of a North American native shrub, so it has every right to be in our gardens.

Growing Cardinal Red Twig Dogwoods

Plant the Cardinal Red Twig Dogwood behind smaller flowering shrubs – it will be at its best when they are resting for the winter. Use it to fill spaces in the background of your garden, or among the foundation planting around your home. Make an informal hedge with it to separate one part of your garden from another, or to mark the boundary of your property from surrounding fields or woodland.

Best of all, if you have a pond or stream, plant it around the banks, on the opposite side from where you are, to soften and enrich the contours of the water. Anywhere you have a low-lying area that is often wet, this shrub is the ideal choice. In winter you can cut branches to bring indoors to make colorful vases during those drab months.

Size and Appearance

The Cardinal Red Twig Dogwood is a multi-stemmed shrub that grows between 6 and 9 feet tall, or even a little less, depending on soil conditions and if and how it is pruned. It spreads into a dense clump by sending new stems up from the ground around it, but it is not invasive. Young stems begin life green, but as they mature and ripen the bark turns orange to bright red, colors that are retained and become richer and more prominent through the winter months. As the stems become older the bark turns brown, but some pruning encourages a continuous supply of those desirable red branches.

The leaves are 2 to 5 inches long, oval in form, with a smooth outline and an attractive appearance. In spring and summer they are rich green, but in fall they turn handsome shades of red, orange and purple, adding to the glory of that magnificent season. In late spring tiny white flowers appear in flat heads 2 to 3 inches across. These are pretty insignificant, but they can be followed by attractive clusters of white berries, sometimes tinted with purple. These are an additional feature of this shrub, and they also provide food for wild birds in winter. As the colorful leaves drop to the ground in late fall, the brilliant red twigs are revealed once again, the highlight of the multiple features of this shrub.

Hardiness and Climate

The Cardinal Red Twig Dogwood is a fantastic addition in any garden, but especially in colder areas. It is perfectly hardy to minus 40 degrees, so even in the coldest parts of zone 3 it will thrive. Yet it also grows well in much warmer areas, all the way into zone 8. Further south it will not grow so well, as it needs some winter cold to mature its buds each year.

Soil Conditions

It grows perfectly well in ordinary garden soil, but always does best in moister soil, enriched with organic material. It will grow in areas that are sometimes flooded, and even grow in spots with an inch or two of water over the soil most of the time. It is an appropriate choice for heavy clay soil too. It has few significant pests or diseases, even deer usually leave it alone, and this shrub is an easy and trouble-free addition to any sized garden.

Pruning

Although it can be left untouched to grow naturally, many gardeners prefer to prune it to keep those red twigs coming. There are two methods used. One is to remove about 25% of the oldest wood every year, cutting branches out at the base. Alternatively, cut the whole plant back to 6 inches tall every 2 or 3 years. This will produce the longest, brightest twigs, and a dense, upright form, but the plant will only be 3 or 4 feet tall. The choice is yours, depending on your inclination and garden.

History and Origins of the Cardinal Red Twig Dogwood

The Red Twig Dogwood, Cornus sericea, is a native shrub, growing wild across most of the country, but especially in the northern states. It is usually found by rivers or lakes, in swamps and in wetlands generally. The form called ‘Cardinal’ is a selection found around 1987 that has much more brilliant twig coloring than wild plants, and it is also a little more compact – both ideal qualities for the garden.

Buying Cardinal Red Twig Dogwoods at The Tree Center

Our plants are grown by rooting stem pieces of correctly-identified plants, not from seed, which always produces inferior and variable plants of poorer quality for the garden. This plant is a garden staple in cold areas, and our stocks will not last long. Order now while we can still satisfy your order. You may also be interested in other similar varieties of this plant that we carry, like the Arctic Fire Red Twig Dogwood.

There are other red twig dogwoods available, but this special variety is a big leap forward. Not only are the twigs vibrantly colored in brilliant red all winter long, but the plant is naturally bushy and upright, so it produces far more new twigs from low-down on the plant. This means it is dense and full, making it really stand out, not sparse and thin, like more ordinary dogwoods can be. It stays shorter too, reaching only 3 to 4 feet tall, making it ideal for modern smaller gardens.

Growing Arctic Fire Red Twig Dogwoods

As well as being a great addition to your garden for color, the Arctic Fire Red Twig Dogwood is also a great plant for all cold areas, where the variety of plants can be limited. It is winter hardy to at least minus 20 degrees, which puts it right inside zone 5, covering all but the most extremely cold areas of the country. Yet it is heat resistant too and thrives just as well when summer temperatures approach 100 degrees. There is even more to this plant, because it also thrives in wet soil, and even in shallow water, where most other plants will fail. If you have low-lying damp spots, or a stream or pond to landscape, then this plant has to be your number-one choice.

Planting Location

Plant your Arctic Fire Red Twig Dogwood in a sunny or partially shaded location. It will grow well in almost any garden soil, and thrives under ordinary garden conditions. Although it is a great choice for wet soil, and looks very attractive beside water, it will be perfectly happy in normal gardens too. In a smaller garden, plant it among other plants around your house, or in shrub beds. In larger gardens, plant it in groups, spacing the plants about 2 feet apart, for a spectacular winter display.

Appearance and Colors

During the summer your plants will be attractive too, with oval green leaves, making an attractive backdrop for spring and summer flowering plants. The leaves are up to 4 inches long and 2 inches wide, with a smooth upper surface and a very pale green lower surface. In fall they turn beautiful shades of red, adding to the joys of that colorful season, before falling to reveal the stunning twigs.

Watering, Pests and Diseases

Water your new plants well during the first year or two, and after that they will happily tolerate normal dry periods in summer. This plant is not normally bothered by pests or diseases and it is also resistant to deer. Unlike the common Red Twig Dogwood, which needs regular pruning to produce plenty of red twigs, Arctic Fire constantly sends up new growth from the base and is always dense with bright color. No special care at all is needed for this easy to grow plant.

History and Origins of the Arctic Fire Red Twig Dogwood

The Red Twig Dogwood, Cornus sericea, is a North American native plant, growing from Alaska to Newfoundland, on both sides of the US-Canada border. It grows naturally in wetlands, along streams and the banks of rivers, and is an important plant for reducing erosion. It has been widely grown in gardens here and in Europe for well over 100 years, admired for its red winter twigs. To develop stronger stem color, Mick Farrow, a dedicated nurseryman and plant breeder form Holly Hill Farms, Earleville, Maryland, turned his breeding skills to the problem.

Farrow crossed various outstanding forms of this plant, and selected the seedlings, until he came up with the ideal plant, naming it officially with his family name in 2008. This improved variety, sold as Arctic Fire by the Proven Winners brand, is smaller than wild plants, growing just 3 to 4 feet tall, rather than the 6 to 10 feet of wild plants. Its twigs are the strongest vibrant red color, and it grows much more densely too, with over 60 bright red twigs pushing up from the base of mature plants. Such a special variety cannot be grown from seed, and since it is patent protected, if it doesn’t say ‘Arctic Fire’ it won’t be the plant you need.

Buying Arctic Fire Red Twig Dogwoods at The Tree Center

Here at the Tree Center we always make sure we offer the best forms of widely grown garden plants, because experts know it is always best to grow improved types of plants, rather than cheaper, ordinary plants. The Arctic Fire Red Twig Dogwood is a real winner, and it is highly sought-after by those ‘in the know’. Order now or be disappointed, because our stocks will not last. We encourage you to browse other similar varieties that we have in stock, like the Cardinal Red Twig Dogwood.

Growing Variegated Red Twig Dogwoods

The Variegated Red Twig Dogwood grows quickly into an upright, multi-stemmed shrub sprouting from the ground, reaching as much as 10 feet tall under ideal conditions, but usually growing closer to 5 feet tall in most gardens. With regular hard pruning it can even be kept shorter. It spreads slowly to a width of about 5 feet, and it is not a wide-spreading or invasive as some other kinds of red-twigged dogwoods are. The bark on younger stems is bright red for the first few years, with a smooth, glossy bark. It gradually turns browner and rougher as the stems thicken and mature, so that the brightest twigs are always the youngest ones.

This deciduous shrub has long oval leaves, about 4½ inches long, with a smooth edge and a tapering tip. The color is an interesting soft slightly grayish green, and around the edge of the leaf is a broad margin of creamy-white, making a beautiful contrast to the rest of the leaf. This margin varies in width, and it sometimes breaks a little into blotches, making each leaf slightly different to the others. The overall effect is bright and colorful, much more interesting that a plain green shrub would be. In late spring small clusters of greenish-white flowers will be found nestling among the leaves at the ends of the stems, and by mid-summer these develop into striking bunches of berries, in a unique and beautiful shade of porcelain blue, that is both distinctive and unusual. These are popular with wild birds, so unfortunately do not often last long on the plants.

Uses on Your Property

Use the Variegated Red Twig Dogwood among other medium-sized shrubs in a mixed border planting. Use it alone, or in groups to form an interesting background planting. Plant a row to separate one part of the garden from another, or to edge a wooded area from the more formal parts of your property. Use it along streams and water-ways to stabilize the soil and add multi-seasonal interest. This versatile shrub has so many uses around the garden there is always a spot to plant it in, so you can enjoy its foliage and especially the winter twigs, which are a stand-out feature. For a wonderful effect, plant alongside the Yellow Twig Dogwood, where the two twig colors will contrast beautifully, each one enhancing the other.

Planting Location

Grow the Variegated Red Twig Dogwood in full sun or partial shade, anywhere in your garden. It will grow in any ordinary garden soil that is not too dry, and this plant is a great choice for those difficult wet areas of a garden, where it thrives where many other plants fail. It will grow in wet soil and even in soil that has a couple of inches of water over it, so it is perfect to plant along streams, around ponds, or at the edges of a lake. The root system and branches also help prevent soil erosion, and for wet spots this plant can’t be beaten. It has few important pests or diseases and it not bothered by deer or rabbits, making it a great plant for the cottage or natural garden.

Care and Maintenance

You can let your Variegated Red Twig Dogwood simply grow, and in time it can reach 10 feet tall, with strong stems and many red young branches. To keep it smaller, and develop more red branches, pruning is recommended. This can be done in several ways. One way is to take about ¼ of the branches away each year, cutting the oldest ones right to the ground, and shortening back the tallest of the remaining ones. Another way is to cut the plant right to the ground every 2 or 3 years, so that it sends up many bright red stems 2 to 4 feet long. This is a great technique in a smaller garden, to reduce the size and emphasize the winter color. In the coldest areas this hard pruning may weaken the plant over time, so it works best in warmer areas with a longer growing season.

History and Origins of the Variegated Red Twig Dogwood

This plant is similar in appearance to the American native red-twig dogwood, Cornus sericea, but in fact it comes from Central Asia and China. It was introduced into Western Europe from Siberia as early as 1741, but we don’t know where the variegated form arose, although by 1900 it was already winning awards at garden shows. The main difference from the American plant is the blue, instead of white, berries, and of course the name, Cornus alba, the Tartarian dogwood.

The Variegated Red Twig Dogwood is a very popular plant, especially in colder regions, and a top favorite with all smart gardeners. We receive regular shipments so we always send our customers the best quality possible, but sometimes shortages occur, so order now while stocks are still available, and avoid being disappointed.