Growing guide · Shrubs

Cornus sericea

How to grow Red Osier Dogwood 'Flaviramea'.

Bright yellow stems for winter.

Light
Full sun, part sun
Water
High
Zones
3–8
Size
6–8 ft tall and wide
Spacing
5–6 ft apart.
Pets
Not on the ASPCA pet-safe list; keep it out of reach
Multi-stemmed shrub with bright yellow-green bare stems in winter

Light

Full sun for the brightest stems; part shade is fine.

Water

Keep moist; tolerates wet soil.

Planting and soil

Plant spring or fall at pot depth.

Feeding

Compost in spring.

Pruning

Each spring remove a third of the oldest stems at the base. Young stems have the best color.

Through the year

White flowers in May–June. White berries in late summer. Yellow stems all winter.

If something's off

Old stems dull and get twig canker; regular renewal pruning fixes both.

Plays well with

Plant it with friends.

Possumhaw Viburnum 'Winterthur'
Viburnum nudumPossumhaw Viburnum 'Winterthur' from $74.99
Virginia Sweetspire 'Henry's Garnet'
Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet'Virginia Sweetspire 'Henry's Garnet' from $77.99
Buttonbush Sugar Shack® 2.0
Cephalanthus occidentalisButtonbush Sugar Shack® 2.0 from $75.99

Why we stock it: A native shrub that is at its best when everything else in the yard is bare.

Grows wild in 30 states (USDA PLANTS records). About 87 native butterfly and moth species use Cornus as a host (Narango et al. 2020). 4 eastern pollen-specialist bee species use Cornus (Fowler & Droege 2020).

That's everything we know about growing it. Thanks for reading.

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