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Cornus

in Plants
Is this a cornus alba? If it is I have read on here that it needs cut back now. So how far do I prune? Is it ground level, leave 6 ins, 12 ins...I just don't know. Ideally I'd like to end up with a nice upright plant and not the sprawler that I have now. Any help please.
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It looks like it might be cornus sanguinea.
Can you take a photo of it now, without the leaves?
Thanks Hosta. It's in my daughter's garden and will probably be a couple of days before I can get a photo.
They are sprawlers, I'm afraid. Very pretty, though and easy to grow. You can cut it back any time now, to just above ground level.
I think I'd get a precise ID before going in with the loppers. It doesn't look like one of the robust coloured stem varieties
In the sticks near Peterborough
Nutcutlet says :
"I think I'd get a precise ID before going in with the loppers. It doesn't look like one of the robust coloured stem varieties"
I concur 100%
Me too. I had albas and sanguineas in my last garden and, whilst the sanguineas happily suckered about they sulked with a vengeance if hard pruned liked the albas which always responded well.
In my experience, sangunineas do best if you cut out just a third of the stems each year and maybe trim the rest back just a bit to tidy up the size and shape.
For this new garden I shall only be buying albas as I love the glorious red in low winter sun and they give great autumn leaf colour.
Last edited: 20 February 2018 10:42:47
Thank you all for the replies. Here are the photos and I apologize if they are upside down but I have footered around with them for over an hour. When I open them they're grand but when I insert to the post they flip.
Anyway hope they help with the id. They are budding so I think the prune needs to be soon.
Last edited: 21 February 2018 21:26:54
My gut still says sanguinea. I'd follow Obs' advice.
Thank you Hosta. I will follow Ob's advice. Prune third out, light trim and we'll see how it behaves