How to Trim a Yellow Twig Dogwood

Yellow twig dogwoods, or Cornus sericea "Flaviramea," are cheery, yellow-barked versions of red twig dogwoods, or C. sericea. These dogwood shrubs are at home in chilly Alaska gardens or temperate California valleys and cope with a wide range of soil types. Their growth habit supports their adaptability; dogwood shrubs spread through underground stems, creating thickets of dense growth. As the thickets age, they lose their distinctive color. Annual trimming restores the bright color and keeps your dogwood tidy.

Gloves
Pruning shears
Loppers or pruning saw
Spade (if necessary)

Instructions

- 1
  Wait until a dogwood is 3 years old before pruning to give the shrub time to establish a healthy root system. The seasonal pruning time is as adaptable as the shrub itself; prune just before the dogwood blooms in spring or just after the flowers fade.
- 2
  
  The lopper's long handles increase your cutting power.
  
  Remove one-third of the oldest branches. Make cuts at the branch's base, just at soil level. Use loppers or a pruning saw for branches larger than 1/2 inch in diameter.
- 3
  
  The cutting blade is set to one side; keep this side close to the ground or to the parent branch.
  
  Trim any crossing, broken or rubbing twigs. Use pruning shears for smaller twigs, keeping the blade as close as possible to the ground.
- 4
  Thin the top growth if necessary, making cuts back to just above a growth bud or to the junction of two twigs. Make the cuts flush with the larger branch when you prune a twig from the branch; stubs die back and become entry points for insects or disease.
- 5
  
  Sharpen your spade to make root pruning easier.
  
  Use a spade to cut through the thicket's underground stems if your dogwood is spreading farther than you'd prefer. Make cuts where you wish the thicket to end. Uproot the growth beyond the cuts. Don't surround the entire thicket with a moat of cuts, however; you may set back flowering or severely harm your dogwood.

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