The genus of dogwood includes almost fifty species, many of which have been cultivated as crops for hundreds of years. With a few exceptions, the trees grow like shrubs. In order for the intensely colored bark to retain its attractive hue, you need to rejuvenate the plants regularly.

A hard pruning is good for the dogwood

When is the right time for this care measure?

Ideally, the cut should be done before the start of the growing season. The ideal time is a frost-free day from the end of February to the beginning of March.

Depending on the thickness of the branches, you will need:

  • rose scissors,
  • pruning shears,
  • hand saw.

All tools should be very clean so that no pathogens can penetrate the wood through the cuts.

How is it cut?

Prune the dogwood vigorously to produce many young canes with intensely colored bark. However, this means that you have to do without the flower decorations, since all dogwoods flower on wood that was formed the previous year.

About every three years you can put the shrubs back on the stick and cut all shoots 10 to 20 centimeters above the ground. If you water and fertilize the plant well, the dogwood will easily reach a height of around two meters again within a year. After pruning, the shrub also impresses with numerous thin, strongly colored rods.

Flower dogwoods are not pruned

Flowering dogwoods are cultivated for their attractive flowers, pretty fruit decorations and autumn colours. Since these varieties remain beautiful even without pruning, you can do without regular pruning measures. At most, an occasional clearing cut is required.

  • Pruning is preferred in June, after flowering.
  • Crossing shoots that are too close together are cut out.
  • Then bring the whole plant into shape a little.

Dogwood as a hedge

Since dogwood is very tolerant of pruning, it is well suited as a hedge plant. If the green enclosure grows too tall or sprawling, prune it back generously on a mild day in late February or early March. So that the bushes grow back nice and bushy, you should always shorten them above a branch.

tips

Wear gloves when working on the dogwood as there are toxins in the bark that can cause nasty skin irritation and rashes. Since eating the twigs can be deadly for small pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs, you should never feed them the clippings.

Category:

Trees