Posted: November 22, 2022
Flower gardens don't need to be dull and boring in the winter. Learn how you can bring color to your garden throughout the year by planting a red twig dogwood.
Photo by gracey at morgue
No matter the season, color is where it's at with the Red Twig Dogwood. Also known as Swida sericea, this deciduous shrub begins its colorful show in early spring with new growth of green twigs, pushing out a deeper green foliage which present a contrasting backdrop to clusters of white flowers. By August, these blossoms have dropped off and given way to white berries, which are loved by birds. Later in the autumn, the kaleidoscope of color shifts to purple, red and even orange. And the true wow factor appears when the foliage has dropped and the remaining bright red twigs liven up the winter landscape. Even the deer will admire them and respectfully keep their distance saving the shrub only as a last resort.
Written by Master Gardener Stephanie Cavallaro
See also, Penn State Extension's "Shrub Dogwoods for the Home Landscape"
