Nothing stands out more than the bright red or yellow twigs of the dogwood shrubs against the snow in your landscape. As the dogwood shrub ages, the stems become more grayish instead of the bright red or yellow color. Pruning them will bring back the brilliant red and yellow color of the stems.
When to prune dogwood shrubs? For hard or rejuvenating pruning, prune the older stems or canes in the late winter while the dogwood shrub is dormant. For general shaping, prune the shrub right after it has finished blooming up to July.
When you prune will depend entirely on what type of pruning you are doing. Let’s talk about each type of pruning and when it should be done.
When To Cut Back Dogwood Shrubs
There are several ways to cut back a dogwood:
- Rejuvenating or Hard Pruning
- Coppicing Pruning
- Annual Pruning
- Touch Up Pruning
- General Pruning
Your end pruning goal will dictate the optimal time to
Rejuvenating or Hard Pruning Red Twig Dogwood
If you have overgrown dogwood shrubs, no matter if it is a red twig dogwood or yellow twig dogwood shrub, you can hard prune or rejuvenate prune the shrub in late winter while it is completely dormant.
Once the buds start to swell you are quickly running out of time.
It is recommended that you prune up to 1/3 of the plant starting with the oldest stems first. You can identify the old stems because they will be the dullest or even a gray color instead of the bright red or yellow.
In theory it should take 3 years to completely rejuvenate the entire shrub. Instead of that timeframe you might good to just take a 1/3 out every other year.
This is all going to depend how out of control the dogwood shrub is and how fast the growing conditions are where you are located. If you are further north you have a much shorter growing season then the southern areas. Keep this in mind when you decide how aggressive to be with your pruning.
Coppicing Red or Yellow Twig Dogwood
If your dogwood shrubs are just completely out of control and overgrown you might elect to use a method called coppicing. This
You would use this method in the late winter while the dogwood shrub is completely dormant.
From comments made on the internet you will have to decide how well your plant grows before you take such drastic measures. If you are further north or in a not so ideal situation you might think twice because it will just take a few seasons for the shrub to recover.
Whereas, if you live in the south or in an optimal climate your dogwood shrub will more than likely recover fully in just one season.
If you use this pruning method you will not have stems left to bloom in the spring for the flower show.
The goal in mind should be more for the red or yellow twig show in the next winter season show.
Annual Pruning
If you can keep up a consistent pruning schedule then a great way to keep you dogwood shrubs in bright colors is to just prune the oldest stems once a year in the late winter.
Just removing 3-5 of the oldest stems each year on a normal size plant will accomplish the goal. If the shrub is very large you would end up taking out more than just 5 stems at a time.
By only removing 30 percent or less of the shrub you can achieve great results.
This will keep a constant crop of new brightly colored red or yellow stems coming for the best winter show of color.
Plus by just taking the oldest stems you leave plenty of new to middle aged stems to produce the flowers in the spring.
Touch Up Pruning
After the dogwood shrub has finished blooming in the spring, you can “shape” the plant by cutting back wild stems and evening up the foliage.
This can be done until July. After July and into the fall you shouldn’t prune the shrub because it will encourage new growth which will freeze back in the cold winter months.
New growth on plants need time to “harden off” so that it can withstand the freezing temperatures. Delicate new growth just simply can’t handle the colder temperatures.
General Pruning
Damaged Stems or Canes
If you notice damaged stems that might have been broken from kids playing or something hitting the shrub you should cut them back to healthy wood as soon as you notice the damage.
This will help the dogwood shrub heal over faster and discourage disease.
Diseased Stems or Canes
There are a few diseases that can attack the dogwood shrub. This will depend on where you are located.
One of the most common is a blight that causes brown spots on the stems.
Prune the diseased stems out if they are untreatable as soon as you notice them. When doing this you will want to prune the stem completely off at the ground or back several inches into the healthy part.
After you finish, clean your tools with a disinfectant solution. Some people just use bleach, some use rubbing alcohol, and others will purchase special cleaners.
Crossed Stems or Canes
If you notice stems that are growing into the center instead of towards the outside you should cut them out so that they don’t rub on other good stems which can invite diseases and insects.
In the winter months when the shrub is dormant it is easier to spot such stems but if you notice them in the summer go ahead and remove the stem.
Pruning Dogwood Shrubs in Summer
If you are pruning dogwood shrubs in the summer it should just be for touch pruning or general pruning. This will just be light pruning for shape or to fix damage of some sort.
Save the heavier pruning until the shrub is dormant which will be in the winter to late winter time frame.
Can I Prune Dogwood Shrubs in The Fall?
Pruning dogwood shrubs in the fall is not advised. This will encourage new growth that will not have enough time to harden off for the freezing winter temperatures.
It is better to just wait a couple of months until the shrub looses all of it’s leaves in the winter months.
The ideal time to prune is late winter.
Tools Needed To Prune Red or Yellow Twig Dogwood Shrubs
Most of the pruning will only require a pair of hand pruners and maybe a lopper. Stems on the dogwood shrubs just don’t grow into large trunks like its cousin the dogwood tree.
Related Questions
How big do red twig dogwoods get? This will depend a little bit on the conditions the shrub is growing in, but in general, they can reach up to 10 to 12 feet tall and about the same distance wide.
Do red twig dogwoods bloom? Yes, but not the same as their cousin the dogwood tree. The bloom is more of a clutter of little white flowers. While this shrub does flower it is not a big show, the big show is the bright colored stems in the winter landscape.