How to prune this dogwood?

Posts

• Dovefromabove Posts: 88,147

  16 January edited 16 January

  Lovely project 😊
  I would rejuvenate it bytaking out the oldest stem at the base, thus encouraging new growth from the base. Repeat in a few years as required. 

  
  Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
  
  
  
  
  
  

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• bcpathome Posts: 1,313

  16 January

  It won’t be an instant job . Take out old wood over several seasons and gradually make it shorter . Good luck 

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• robairdmacraignil Posts: 782

  16 January

  Red stemmed dogwoods are often grown just for their bright red stems and so may be cut back to close to ground level or coppiced to give the longest and most colourful new red stems for the following winter. Some recommend doing this every year but the ones I have tend to be cut down only every second or third year or whenever they are overgrowing something else.

  
  

  Happy gardening!
  

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• Rubytoo Posts: 1,630

  16 January

  What are you aiming to do?
  Keep all or some as trees but with a little more red.
  Have them as shrubs with more regular winter interest.
  
  We have one old one (not nearly as large as yours), but keep it as a little tree as it suits a purpose for now.
  I cut some branches out and find it grows quite strong new ones from ground level and up the trunk. 
  These tend to grow quite fast as long straight whippy shoots around two to three feet in height within the first year.
           
  So this spoils the look of having a little tree as such. 
  
  Yours look like our one with red ended branchlets, which is quite a nice effect in itself.
  And still get white berries which the birds love.
  
  Also you can cut off stems and simply push them into damp ground or a pot to propagate if you wish, they root very easily and quickly.
  Also if you check around the bases you may find stems that have rooted along underground or on the surface. It would be insurance if you wanted to keep the type you have and experiment with cutting some back harder, if you want to hedge your bets....
  
  Looks like an interest plot good luck and hope you enjoy it

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• Obelixx Posts: 30,090

  16 January

  I had these along a boundary in my last garden and in a position where they glowed in the low winter sun.  The point of these shrubs is the stem colour when the garden is otherwise a bit bare.   They do also produce flowers for nectar and great autumn leaf colour so are good value.
  
  I left mine - red alba sibirica and Midwinter Fire - until March and then prune all the red ones back to just above a low pair of buds or young leaves.   The Midwinter Fires don't like such drastic pruning so I'd remove one third of the stems at the base - choosing the oldest, least coloured stems - and then just shortening the rest by a third.
  
  Once you decide what height and form you want from yours you could take out main stems back to the base now and/or lift the crown by removing low btanches to create a clear main stem.   After that, for a first prune, just take out one third of the growth and shorten the rest bu about a third so the plants don't get a huge shock.  You will get renewed vigour and colourful new stems to brighten up your garden.
  
  
  
  

  Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
  

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• Perki Posts: 2,527

  16 January

  Do you know the variety ? or any old pictures with leaves on . I have a similar cornus called Elegantissima which has variegated leaves , this variety like Obelixx has mentioned with midwinter fire doesn't like drastic pruning either . 
  I agree with the other posters about what you want with the garden , I personally like the shape so consider just thinning it out but this would else depend on variety and what you want for your garden , you may have a nice scenery behind the cornus for example so I'd consider consider cutting back hard.  

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• NoSlugsPlease Posts: 120

  16 January

  Thank you all for the advice. Yes, it would be a good idea to have a think about the overall shape that we want before we start pruning. I think we will keep them as trees rather than shrubs, but hopefully with more red branches. The pruning will have to be done slowly anyway, as we have a lot of work to do on the rest of the land , but at least I now know how far we can go without damaging the trees.
  @Perki , I don't what variety it is but I assume it's "common dogwood" (whatever that is) as this was equestrian land and surrounded by farms and fields, not a garden.
  

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• NoSlugsPlease Posts: 120

  16 January

  Forgot to say, thanks @Obelixx and @Perki also for tip on Midwinter fire. I hope to plant a few of these in another spot so I'll have to treat them differently.
  

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• Silver surfer Posts: 4,719

  16 January edited 16 January

  NoSlugsPlease said:

   I think we will keep them as trees rather than shrubs, but hopefully with more red branches. 

  
  
  Sorry,  but your Cornus sp ...common name dogwood will always remain a shrub rather than a tree, as it has multiple branches sprouting from low down.
  
  Quote RHS...
  "It can sometimes be hard to distinguish between a large shrub and a small tree – but in general shrubs tend to produce multiple woody stems that sprout from low down, while trees usually have one tall main trunk."
  
  Do please post pics in the spring when it has leaves on if you would like to know which Cornus it is.
  
  Cornus alba sibirica is the one with red branches in the winter..pics below
  
  First pic shows it completely cut down to the ground.
  2nd pic ...before pruning.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Perthshire. SCOTLAND .

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• NoSlugsPlease Posts: 120

  17 January

  Thanks, @Silver surfer . I'll have a look at the leaves again in spring.
  

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