Pruning Red-barked Dogwood

The vivid red or orange winter stems are the main reason for growing Cornus alba, and regular pruning in March keeps the display at its best. Young stems produce the brightest colour, so the goal is to encourage plenty of new growth each year. Without pruning, the shrub becomes a tangle of older, duller wood and loses much of its winter impact. In March, just as the buds begin to swell, cut back all or most of the previous year's stems hard—down to within 5–10 cm of the base or to a low framework of older wood. This technique, called coppicing or stooling, sounds drastic but red-barked dogwood responds vigorously with a flush of strong new shoots that will colour up beautifully the following winter. Use sharp bypass secateurs for stems up to pencil thickness and loppers or a pruning saw for anything thicker. If your shrub is mature and you're nervous about such severe pruning, you can phase it in by removing only one-third of the oldest stems each March over three years. However, the all-at-once approach gives the most uniform and striking result. After pruning, the plant will look like a collection of stumps, but by midsummer it will have regrown into a leafy mound 150 cm or more tall. Clear away all prunings—don't leave them lying around the base where they can harbour pests or disease. Feed and mulch immediately after pruning to fuel the new growth, and water well in dry springs to support the burst of young stems.