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UK Plant Identification Please

cpu888cpu888 Posts: 4
in Plants
Hi. What is this plant? I need to know how to prune it without it becoming too woody and large. Photos are attached, the one of the leaves is the only one I have but the quality is bad. You have to zoom in to see the leaves. I hope this is enough. This has recently been cut as seen in photos. The plant has woody base with long tall woody red stems/shoots and leaves as in photo.

Replies appreciated.
Thanks.








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Posts

  • UffUff Posts: 3,199
    edited November 2022
    It's a dogwood, cornus sanguinea. It should be pruned in spring so as to enjoy the lovely stems during the winter. Some say take out a third per year but I'm going to prune one of mine as in your last diagram.
    SW SCOTLAND but born in Derbyshire
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    I like to prune mine back to almost ground level at the end of Winter, so you can keep the lovely stems as long as possible.
    Then give them a good feed and mulch.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • cpu888cpu888 Posts: 4
    edited November 2022
    Thanks, searching for Cornus sanguinea looks to be the correct ID more so Cornus sericea (red twig dogwood).

    My scenario is I rent a property and am responsible for trimming the bushes but this dogwood is a little different. I have to move out in the next month and if the owners dont trim this correctly before next summer, the remaining 12 inch sticks I've left will become like the brown base, too woody and the whole thing will be too big for the garden and the whole plant would have to be potentially removed which is not ideal.

    So, a further question. How far/much of the red shoots can I safely remove without killing the whole plant? I don't want to leave too much so it becomes more of the base brown wood material next season and do not want to kill the whole plant by taking too much red shoot off. ???

    Replies appreciated again.
    Thanks.


  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    The new growth is red so you could cut the whole thing down to a few inches and the new growth coming back would be nice and red. They take very hard pruning well and you don't have to worry about going into the brown wood, it will just stimulate nice new growth in the spring. 
    Cutting it back now is fine it's just most do it in spring because you get to see the nice colours in the gloom of winter. It won't begin to grow again until spring.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    If you're moving out I would leave it as is, and enjoy the red stems while you can. The new tenants can prune it down in the spring.
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    edited November 2022
    cpu888 said:
    Thanks, searching for Cornus sanguinea looks to be the correct ID more so Cornus sericea (red twig dogwood).


    Mystery dogwood....
    Cornus alba sibirica gets my vote...berries are whitish...turning blue ..see pics 2 - 5

    Cornus sanguinea..berries are black...see pic 1

    see more in post below.




    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    see above also.
    Cornus sericea has white berries.
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Those bits you cut off will root easily if you want. Just stick them in a bucket of soil and leave them for six months.
  • cpu888cpu888 Posts: 4
    END RESULT ...

    Thanks all for identifying this plant I think it must be Red Twig Dogwood. I have now looked into how to prune it and the result is as follows in the photos... I just cut them all back to where they had been cut before and hopefully they will re-shoot next spring.

    Thanks again.


  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    cpu888 said:
    END RESULT ...

    Thanks all for identifying this plant I think it must be Red Twig Dogwood. I have now looked into how to prune it and the result is as follows in the photos... I just cut them all back to where they had been cut before and hopefully they will re-shoot next spring.

    Thanks again.



    Red twig dogwood is the common name for Cornus sericea...with white berries.
    When yours gets berries do add pics so we can tell you accurately which dog wood it is.

    Normally pruning of dogwood is left until the spring so that you can enjoy the red branches during the winter.

    It will do it no harm to do it now. it looks very neat and tidy.
    It might enjoy a mulch of composted bark over the roots...to supress weeds and keep the roots moist in summer.

    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
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