Cornus Kousa, the Japanese flower dogwood, is a short-stemmed shrub that grows to six meters tall with large leaves and showy, orchid-like flowers. The flowering shrub is often planted as a solitary plant, mainly because of its size and size, but it also harmonises very well with other flowering shrubs. However, experts advise against regular pruning.
The Japanese dogwood can be thinned out, but does not need regular pruning
Clearing is perfectly adequate
Cornus Kousa should be cut as little as possible. Basically, it is sufficient to remove frozen parts of the plant in early spring and thin out the shrub if necessary. Above all, shoots that are growing inwards and that are too dense should be cut away so that the wood gets enough light and air. Plant parts that grow too densely - and are therefore too dark - develop significantly fewer flowers. The best time for this topiary is right after flowering, which should be around the end of June/beginning of July. Since the Japanese dogwood is quite susceptible to some fungal infections, you should use sharp and, above all, disinfected tools when cutting.
It is quite possible to cut back if the specimens are too large
Especially if the Japanese dogwood is planted as part of a group of trees or cultivated in a bucket, the shrub can quickly become too large and sprawling. In this case, either planting out or transplanting the plant or cutting it back accordingly will help. This should also take place after flowering, but must not be too drastic. More radical pruning will result in irreparable damage.
Cutting measures in case of illness and damage
Although the distinctive Japanese dogwood is considered to be a very robust plant, fungal infections or damage caused by excessive dryness or moisture still occur - mainly as a result of incorrect care or an unsuitable location. In the event of a fungal infection, all affected shoots should be cut away down to the healthy wood, whereby you should under no circumstances dispose of the clippings on the compost. Drought damage is often expressed by yellowing, drying shoots and leaves, which the shrub simply sheds after a while. A pruning is superfluous here, because the tree either drives out again by itself or has just died - and therefore can no longer be saved.
tips
The Japanese dogwood can be propagated very well by cuttings. To do this, cut off non-flowering shoots about 15 centimeters long in late spring / early summer and plant them in a growing substrate.