KTRS 550 Inside Out Show Week of November 7th 2009 Plant of the Week Redtwig Dogwood Cardinal

Redtwig dogwood ‘Cardinal’ is an easy fast growing shrub that is related to the native redtwig dogwood found in Missouri’s natural plant community. He is quite adaptable. He is so handsome that he is defiantly doorstep worthy.
A master of versatility. He is ready to mix it up with boggy buddies ‘Henry Garnet’ Sweetspire, ‘Little King’ River birch and ‘Morton’ Arrowood viburnum. If there is a touch of shade, let sweet little Christmas fern and her friend Geranium maculatum play too! They can romp around the base of these bigger guy to make a beautiful layered combination!

Redtwig dogwood ‘Cardinal’ is good at making friends, so plant him anywhere that has at least average soil and moisture. Although very tough and drought tolerant, to look his best, give him little extra water if it gets really hot and dry!
His bright red color in his stems goes away in the growing season so he can be focused on being more service oriented. It is then when he works to take up excess run off water, especially in early spring.

He does a fine job as a soil anchor. He reduces erosion while he feeds nectar to the local butterflies! He does have rather nice lacey looking white flowers. He also makes very small blue berries, a favorite of song birds.
By mid-autumn, his foliage turns hues of black-eyed purple- just to hint that there is much more to come. By the time the leaves dropped, the twigs have renewed their deep red pigment. This lasts till spring. Like most Redtwig dogwoods, he will stretch up to 6’ and can be kept to that height with ease.

Care Factor Rating: 3 Redtwig dogwood ‘Cardinal’ ( Cornus sericea) must be watered regularly till established. To maintain the best stem color, prune all stems close to the ground in early spring every 2-3 years. This is likely to disrupt flowering and fruit production just for that season. This will also encourage the mature height to stay just below 6’. This pruning method is easier than trying to remove 20-25% of the oldest stems each spring. Otherwise remove only the occasional damaged or dead branch any time of the year.

Although he does like to spread outward from his base but he is controllable and well mannered when given boundaries. Once established, remove any excess shoots with a pruning saw. Cut around the base with a sharp shovel and remove any excess root and woody material and replace-refill any hole area created with fresh soil to protect roots. This activity will slow the gradual expansion of the primary clump. Maintaining base area spread for each individual shrub to a minimum of 2-3 feet wide. This will permit the shrub to appear balanced by keeping the height and width somewhat equal.

This is a cane shrub that spreads by increasing from the crown / base by producing new shoots from the base annually. This makes him a perfect choice for hedge use or screening. If his individual personality is to remain defined, consider limiting the basal area / spread of this shrub in early spring before the leaves develop.