Cardinal Red Twig Dogwood

Light Needs

Partial Sun to Full Sun

(At Least 5 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

6-8 Feet

Mature Spread

6-8 Feet

Growing Zones

3 to 8

Cornus sericea 'Cardinal' Red Twig Dogwood features healthy medium green foliage and small clusters of white flowers during Spring and Summer. Even better, the Cardinal Red Twig Dogwood's branches turn bright red in late fall and stay that way through winter. Each individual plant can grow to be 6’-9’ tall and up to 10’ wide. Though the best parts of this plant may seem to revolve around the aesthetic features, don’t be fooled! Originally from North America, this lovely plant is great for both birds and butterflies! Butterflies love to feed on the nectar of the white flowers. When planted in groups of three or more, the Cardinal Red Twig Dogwood creates the perfect environment for nesting birds and the flowers turn to light-blue berries that feed them.

Whether you choose to plant a single Cardinal Red Twig Dogwood or several in a group planting, the features will only enhance your landscape. Deer resistant, you likely will not have to worry about walking outside to find your beloved plant chewed to pieces. This is because other plants are much more palatable to your local deer.

Once established, these beauties are considered drought tolerant. Pruning about 25% of the tree each year will help its branches and leaves stay healthy and grow well. Although it is not evergreen, this plant is a showstopper in every season.

Cardinal Red Twig Dogwood Care

Grow in partial or full sunlight, making sure it gets at least 4 hours of sun each day. When planting, create an equal soil mixture of aged compost and native soil to continually feed nutrients to the plant as it establishes. If the leaves turn yellow or brown in spring and summer, or if the red colors are dull in winter, you might need to add more fertilizer. In early spring as the first buds begin to appear, add a thin layer of aged compost along the base of the plant.

Usually, the soil won't need pH adjustments because it works well in acidic, neutral, and alkaline conditions. Although it is considered drought tolerant once established, this plant appreciates a consistent watering schedule. For the best results, make sure it stays well-watered during very hot weather or if it hasn’t rained for 1-2 weeks. In contrast, the Cardinal Red Twig Dogwood tolerates wet and bog-like soil.

The youngest branches show the brightest red twigs. To achieve peak results, prune 25% of the plant while it is in dormancy. Start with the older, damaged twigs first and remove them by pruning at the base of each twig. Then go through and remove more that appear thicker than others. Do this throughout the entire crown until you have removed approximately ¼ of the twigs. If this is too much yearly maintenance, another option may be to allow 2-3 years between prunings. With this method, you will prune all twigs down to the ground to encourage new growth.

Cardinal Red Twig Dogwood Spacing

The Cardinal Red Twig Dogwood does well by itself,  in group plantings or as a barrier. With a spread of nearly 10’, keep in mind how dense you’d like your plants to be. When planting a single Cardinal Red Twig Dogwood, keep at least 10’ distance between all other plants. When in group plantings, you may choose to plant a bit closer and have them 6’-8’ apart. As with group plantings, barrier planting can be achieved by spacing each plant 6’-8’ apart.