Redtwig dogwoods are beautiful and useful plants year-round. Their clusters of small, creamy-white, star-shaped, spring flowers are attractive and well-favored by beneficial pollinators. The blooms lead to blue-purple or white fall berries, adding to their beauty while offering a satisfying food source to songbirds and other wildlife. In addition to these benefits and interests, redtwig dogwoods are typically planted for, as their name suggests, their many, vividly colored, winter branches. They tend to form dense clusters of twigs, in shades of yellows, corals, oranges, and of course reds, which vary in size among cultivars.
Redtwig dogwoods are easy-going plants for full-sun to partial-shade, with little care for soil types, from clay to rocky, but they will grow best in rich, well-drained soils. In the wild, Redtwig dogwoods are generally found growing near wetlands, bogs and along streams, yet they are also somewhat drought tolerant once established. They are perfect plants for rain gardens, woodland borders, or near ponds and streams. Smaller cultivars also grow wonderfully in containers for year-round screens and hedging. The twigs colors are most vivid when exposed to 6-8 hours of sunlight per day, and on newer growth. Up to about one-third of old grown on mature plants may be removed in early spring to encourage bright new twigs.
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