In summer, gardeners rely on flowers and foliage for color. But what do you do in winter? In Minnesota and other northern or snowy places, planting red-twig dogwood is one solution. This hardy shrub features bright red stems that stand out against a backdrop of snow. Botanically the plant is Cornus sericea or Cornus stolonifera, but it goes by many common names, including red twig, redosier, western dogwood, or American dogwood. About 10 years ago, the University of Minnesota introduced a variety called Cardinal that is especially suited to the north and has cherry-red stems.
Red-twig dogwood looks great planted in a group. I have a half-dozen in a large bed on the corner of our yard. Red twigs grow 8 feet tall and have lovely up-facing white flowers that bloom in May or June. Red-twig dogwoods do require regular pruning, though, to keep growth in check and to produce the brightest stems, which tend to be young stems. I’ve been thinking about coppicing mine because they have gotten pretty rangy (see photo), but haven’t gotten any official confirmation that that is an acceptable practice. Does anyone know? And if I can coppice, when is the best time?