Native Plant of the Week - Red Osier Dogwood

Welcome to our weekly commentary, Native Plant of the Week! Each week, we'll feature a different native plant, tell you a bit about it, what it can do for you and why you should have it in your garden. We'll pick plants based upon their seaonality, their blooms and foliage, habit and overall benefits to the surrounding landscape. Since we're approaching winter, it's fitting that we talk about trees and shrubs that provide winter interest to a garden. This week's Native Plant of the Week, Cornus sericea, the Red Osier Dogwood.

Red Osier Dogwood provides year-round interest: bold red twigs in winter, white flowers in late spring, dark green leaves in summer and reddish purple leaves in autumn. You'll want to plant this shrub in spot where it can be viewed, somewhere in the garden where the color can pop (against a white fence would do the trick). Looks stunning when massed! The shrub can be planted in part shade, but the bark will be much brighter if placed in full sun. This shrub can be used in a wet/moist area, like a rain garden (see photo). This shrub is also great for erosion control because of its widely massed root system. There are many cultivars available which will provide you with a variety of heights to choose from - 'Farrow' at 3-4' tall and wide, 'Cardinal' at 6-9' tall and wide, and 'Isanti' at 4-5' tall and wide, just to name a few.

The color on the branches will fade over time, but those older branches can be pruned out.  For best color, prune out 1/3 of branches every March. Pruning promotes new growth, and that new growth will have the bright red color you're looking for!