Dogwood is a bit of a saviour at this time of year. Everything else has given up: the Christmas tree is gone, the nasturtiums collapsed into a nasty brown soggy heap, and the bright colours of spring are just too far away. But a line of dogwood at the bottom of your garden or by your gate will cheer you up and keep you going until at least February.
The line of dogwood planted along the road by my block of flats cheers me up every morning (at least, when it is light enough to be able to see the dogwood), and even more so because it is currently bearing lovely china-white clusters of berries which contrast beautifully with the bright red stems.
In March, the stems will be cut back hard to within six inches of the ground. It seems harsh, cutting such a fine plant back, but if you don’t the bush will lose its bright stems and become dull and jaded. Leave four or five buds on each stem, and watch the neon red re-grow in time for autumn.
10% off at Victoriana Nurseries
Anyone visiting Victoriana from F&F will automatically get a discount on their order. Click the link above.
Image a day
Caro (UrbanVegPatch)
I was just admiring the dogwood this morning in the icy morning sunshine. Ours is massively overgrown, never been cut back, so only the tips bright red. Thinking of cutting them for plant supports as in Jan/Feb Which Garden mag. Interesting that plant is cut back in March – can an overgrown plant be resurrected? It’s pretty woody at the base …
F&F
Hi Caro, it can be if you cut it back to buds near the base. Obviously there will be fewer of these towards the base, so might just mean you cut back less hard. I love dogwood stakes, what a way to instantly brighten up your plot!
Thursday
In the country on the continent where I now live, there’s a lot of dogwood to be found in hedgerows and along the roadsides, the stems of which look really effective, the red hues changing as you drive past them. I confess to giving some something of an early prune just before Christmas, cutting a bunch of straight stems which I put in a long vase and hung tiny baubles from them as an extra festive decoration. The baubles have now been packed away but the stems, now hardened and no longer bendy, still look really effective in the vase. I plan to do another early prune just before next Christmas with a view to making a red-stemmed wreath for the door.
F&F
That sounds utterly wonderful Thursday! If you remember next Christmas, would love to see that wreath.