Planting Guide for Red Twig Dogwood

Water Requirements

• Plant red twig dogwood shrubs where the ground is damp. The shrub tolerates seasonal flooding, growing in areas that are very wet periodically during the growing season. If you have a section of property that spring thaws and rains cover with water but then is dry by summer, it is a potential site for this species. However, the shrub will not thrive in sites that are always underwater, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Red twig dogwood grows naturally in wetlands and along lakes, ponds, rivers and brooks. Keep the soil watered as the shrub becomes established.

Planting Zones

• Cold hardiness is not a problem for red twig dogwood. It will survive with few problems in areas as cold as USDA Zone 3, with the shrub able to tolerate the warmer areas within Zone 2. A bigger concern for this dogwood is warm weather; it does poorly where summers are hot and humid. Such conditions result in red twig dogwood being susceptible to diseases. USDA Zone 7 is considered the warmest zone for this shrub to thrive.

Sunlight Requirements

• Full sunshine locations are appropriate for the red twig dogwood, especially in the colder areas where the plant grows. In the warmer zones, the plant will give the best results if protected from the hottest times of the day and in a site with afternoon shade. Too much shade, though, stunts the growth of the shrub and reduces its flowering effect.

Possible Uses

• Reproducing by suckering, where new growth emerges out of the red twig dogwood's own root system, this shrub will create thickets if conditions are favorable. This allows you to create colonies of this shrub in the wet portions of your acreage as well as help deter erosion. The red winter twigs go well with contrasting evergreen trees and shrubs, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden. You can use this plant to form property line borders and screens to give you privacy.