Description

🌿 Botanical Profile

  • Common Names: Red Osier Dogwood, Red Twig Dogwood, American Dogwood
  • Scientific Name: Cornus sericea (syn. Cornus stolonifera)
  • Family: Cornaceae
  • Native Range: Widespread across North America, including Michigan

🌸 Features & Seasonal Interest

  • Flowers: Clusters of small, creamy white flowers bloom in late spring to early summer
  • Foliage: Oval green leaves turn red to purple in fall
  • Stems: Striking red stems offer vivid winter interest, especially when set against snow
  • Fruit: White to pale blue berry-like drupes in late summer are eaten by birds
  • Height & Spread: Typically 6–9 feet tall and wide; can form dense thickets through suckering
  • Wildlife Support: Provides food and shelter for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife

🌱 Growing Conditions

  • Light: Full sun to partial shade
  • Soil: Adapts to a wide range of soils, but thrives in moist, well-drained or wet soils; tolerates clay and seasonal flooding
  • Water: Prefers moist to wet conditions; excellent for riparian and rain garden sites
  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 2–8

🌾 Landscape Uses

  • Erosion Control: Ideal for stabilizing streambanks, slopes, and wetland edges with its fibrous root system
  • Winter Interest: Vibrant red stems stand out in snowy landscapes
  • Rain Gardens & Wetlands: Thrives in saturated soils and intermittent flooding
  • Wildlife Gardens: Supports nesting birds and provides seasonal berries
  • Hedges & Natural Borders: Useful for creating privacy screens or natural fences