Red-barked dogwood
Cornus alba
An ornamental plant, planted at any time of year.
In September: nothing to do. It can be planted now.
Add red-barked dogwood to my plot
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Red-barked dogwood, month by month
Bar: the usual months. Sprout: this month.
| Sowing, planting or job | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2027Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant a pot-grown red-barked dogwood. | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Plant a bare-root red-barked dogwood. | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none |
| Cut the red-barked dogwood hard back for new stems. | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none |
| Mulch the red-barked dogwood. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none |
What to do, and when
The usual months for a UK garden. Your own plan gives the week.
Planting
Plant a pot-grown red-barked dogwood at any time of year, 50 to 60cm apart. Strong source: RHS.
Plant a bare-root red-barked dogwood September to March, 60cm apart. Moderate sources: Gardeners’ World and Buckingham Nurseries.
Cut the red-barked dogwood hard back for new stems
Gardeners call this coppicing and stooling for stem display.
Once established, cut every shoot back to 5-7.5cm from the ground.
Usually February to April. Strong source: RHS.
Mulch the red-barked dogwood
Use well-rotted organic matter or composted bark, kept clear of the stems so they don’t rot.
Usually March to May. Strong source: RHS.
What the source words mean
Strong: the RHS page for this plant is among them.Moderate: another trusted UK source, or the RHS on its group.
Add red-barked dogwood to my plot
Every line above names the page it comes from. Where we found no good source for a job, we left it out. Where the name “Red-barked dogwood” comes from.