Plant Image Data Base                                         

    Cornus alba

                                                        Red Twig Dogwood

• Form
  • medium-sized deciduous shrub
  • on average, maturing at 8' tall by 8' wide, but the many forms available include dwarf as well as larger forms
  • upright oval to upright rounded growth habit in youth, becoming either arching and spreading or open and straggly with age
  • rapid growth rate
• Culture
  • full sun to partial shade
  • adaptable to many conditions, including wet soils, but prefers moist, well-drained soils
  • performs best when regularly thinned (or pruned to just above ground level every second to third year) to promote compactness, upright growth habit, canopy air circulation, larger and more intensely variegated leaves (where applicable) and stout new colorful stems
• Foliage
  • medium to dark green, with variegated forms available
  • fall color green, chartreuse, or greenish-purple and not showy
• Twigs
  • colorful stems exhibit their best Autumn and Winter color when juvenile
  • stems are often numerous, radiating from the base of the shrub

• Function
  • mass or group plantings, borders, foundations, embankments, erosion control, non-thorny informal hedges, and at the edge of bodies of water; ornamental Winter stem interest may also occur in these situations for those cultivars whose stems are showy
• Assets
  • ornamental Winter stem interest (either red or yellow, subtle or prominent)
  • some cultivars have variegated foliage
  • rapidly-growing shrub
  • wet site tolerant
• Purpose
  • Tatarian Dogwood is a rapidly growing shrub for winter stem interest, and, in some cultivars, for showy variegated summer foliage.
• Summary
  • Cornus alba and the closely related Cornus sericea are deciduous shrubs which often exhibit Winter appeal due to their dormant stem color; they are fast growing and adaptable to wet sites, with some cultivars also known for their showy leaf variegation or dwarf size.

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