Floppy dogwood

lovegardening77 · June 2016

My red dogwood has gone floppy, some of the stems have broken off, some of the leaves are brown and it's just looks so weak. I've had it about 3 or 4 years, I cut it back hard every year and it usually does so well. Has anyone else had this problem?

a.briantevans96844 · December 2023

Mine too

Buttercupdays · December 2023

Dogwoods can be cut back hard, but they need the right growing conditions and the chance to get established. They grow like weeds in my garden as we have lots of rain and they can develop new root systems fast to support them. If your plant has less than perfect conditions and has had new growth cut back since young it may just be exhausted.

Tidy the broken stems and leave it to grow next year, then you can see how it looks. If it looks better then cut it back the following year, if not try to find out why.

I only cut back mine to control their size and appearance. The wild areas get cut every few years to stop them taking over, but they are good for wildlife and the red stems are lovely in winter.

Topbird · December 2023

I have lost three cornus shrubs for (I think) 2 reasons - first we live in a very dry area and second I was a bit over enthusiastic cutting them back in the early years.

I now have 2 fine specimens planted in borders which retain the moisture a little better than the areas I first tried (however, still very, very dry compared with gardens in (say) the Lake District).

The first 2 springs after they were planted I restricted pruning to the odd broken twig. In year 3 I removed about a third of the stems to near ground level to promote growth providing winter colour. Since then I've removed around half the stems each spring. Both specimens are Mid Winter Fire which I believe should be pruned a little less harshly than some of the other cornus varieties, so I've not gone for the complete cutting down to the ground.

Both shrubs are flourishing despite a severe 10 month drought last year.

Floppy dogwood

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