When to prune dogwood trees for optimal health. A dogwood grows 1 or 2 feet each year until it's about 25 feet tall. When should you prune a dogwood tree? Red twig dogwood (Cornus alba 'Sibirica') and red osier dogwood (C. stolonifera) bear small white flowers, but unlike their treelike cousin flowering dogwood, they are primarily prized for their colorful red stems. Here is a quick guide on how to prune a red twig dogwood. From late fall to late winter while the dogwood tree is completely … The plant is native to Ohio and can grow to a height of 6 to 10 feet with a width of 6 to 10 feet and can be used as a hedge or accent plant depending on how you prune it. Dogwood all other, including Redtwig, Gray, Yellowtwig and Variegated Prune these spring flowering shrubs soon after they have bloomed. Pruning your silky dogwood is vital for keeping the flowering shrub healthy and for maintaining the shape you want it to have. It has brightly coloured young bark that looks great in winter when all the leaves have fallen. Do not prune when the tree is flowering in the spring, or you will make it vulnerable to dogwood borers, one of the very few pests that seriously affect it. In early spring cut back about one-third of the oldest, most faded stems. Dogwood shrubs don't require frequent pruning, but you can intensify winter stem color by removing older canes regularly. Variegated dogwoods come in either a shrub or tree, and are easy to grow in a variety of soils and climates, hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 3 to 8. Most common being the white flowering dogwood, but you will also find pink flowering dogwoods. How to Prune Variegated Dogwood. For example, remove all but one stem from a young tree to give it a single-trunk shape, pruning away any new, low side branches until the main trunk is a few feet tall. You can just use single plants here and there, or make a lovely dogwood feature by planting a big clump of them. Some summer pruning can also be done on particularly … Pruning a young dogwood helps determine its mature shape. These shrubs can literally set your garden on fire through the winter as they drop their leaves to reveal firey stems. Dogwood is a very easy ornamental shrub to grow. The shrub trees can grow to be between 6 to 10 feet in height, so you must occasionally them to keep growth under control. Red twig dogwood will brighten your winter landscaping with its bright red branches; the shrubs actually can provide year-round interest.Despite bearing spring blossoms, variegated leaves during summer, and berries from summer to fall, clearly, this plant's common name explains the main reason that people grow it: namely, … Top prune the plant to improve the shape and reduce its size, but be careful not to remove more than 30% of the top growth. 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