Dogwood shrubs are multi-stemmed deciduous plants valued for their vibrant bark color, typically red or yellow in winter. Pruning serves two purposes: encouraging new stems, which display the most intense color, and maintaining the plant’s health and size. Timing is specific because aggressive pruning outside the correct window can reduce the winter color display or stress the plant. Understanding seasonal windows ensures a healthy, colorful display.
Late Winter Timing for Stem Color
The most significant pruning for dogwood shrubs occurs in late winter, generally from February to early March, just before the leaf buds swell and break dormancy. This timing is necessary because the most brilliant stem colors appear only on one- or two-year-old wood. Older stems develop a dull, grayish-brown bark that lacks winter appeal.
This late winter work is known as “rejuvenation pruning” or “hard pruning.” An annual maintenance approach involves removing about one-third of the oldest, thickest stems down to the ground level. This encourages a surge of new, brightly colored shoots in the spring. For a severely overgrown shrub, a more drastic technique is to cut the entire plant back to a “stool” of six to ten inches above the ground every two to three years. This ensures the most impressive color display for the following winter season.
Mid-Summer Timing for Shaping and Light Trimming
A pruning window occurs in mid-summer, after the shrub has completed its main flush of spring growth. Pruning at this time should be minimal, focusing on cosmetic shaping or reducing the overall size of the shrub. This lighter trimming maintains a tidy appearance or prevents encroachment on nearby plantings.
Avoid aggressive cutting during the summer months, as this stimulates new growth that may not “harden off” before the first frost. Unhardened growth is susceptible to winter damage, which can stress the plant and lead to dieback. Summer pruning should be completed by late July or early August in colder climates to allow sufficient time for subsequent growth to mature.
Anytime Timing for Damage Control
Pruning to remove damaged or diseased wood is not tied to the calendar and must be performed immediately upon discovery, regardless of the season. This sanitation pruning is a matter of plant health rather than aesthetics. Leaving compromised branches allows pests or pathogens to enter the main plant structure, potentially causing greater harm.
If you find a stem that is dead, broken, cracked, or showing signs of disease, cut it back cleanly to a healthy portion of the stem or remove it entirely at ground level. Utilizing sharp, clean pruning tools for these cuts minimizes injury to the remaining plant tissue and reduces the risk of spreading disease. Removing inferior wood ensures the shrub focuses its energy on healthy growth.