How to Prune Red Twig Dogwood

Keep Your Red Twig Dogwood Looking Healthy

Pruning is essential. You need to prune your trees and shrubs to maintain their shape and keep them healthy.

I prune my red twig dogwood in late Winter or early Spring to keep it looking great all season long.

How to Prune Red Twig Dogwood
Red Twig Dogwood in my Home Garden

Home Garden–Pruning Shrubs in the Garden

I thought it would be helpful to create a How-To video showing the entire process.

I’d love to hear about your experience pruning trees and shrubs. If you have any tips and tricks, please leave them in the comments. Thank you!

Pruning Tips and Tricks

  • Remove all dead, broken, or diseased branches
  • Remove crossing or rubbing branches
  • Remove branches growing into the interior of plant to improve air circulation
  • Remove suckers and water spouts (branches growing straight up)
  • Best time to prune is late Winter – early Spring for Zones 5 & 6
  • Save branches to make new plants with stem cuttings
  • Cut to an outwardly facing bud

Why Prune?

  • Maintain the size of your plant
  • Remove unhealthy/dead/broken branches
  • Shape the plant into a more desired form

Types of Pruning Cuts

  • Heading cuts – removing the terminal bud which encourages lateral buds to grow
  • Thinning cuts – cut branch back to a bud, side branch or to the main stem
  • Reduction cuts – removing a larger branch or trunk back to a smaller side branch

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