Very informative Kevin. I planted 7 dogwoods in my yard because they are beautiful and labelled deer resistant. Deers ate the 7 young dogwood shrubs almost to the ground. Never got to see the beautiful red branches.
Thanks for a great and timely video. My husband and I were planning to do some rejuvination pruning of some dogwoods, korean lilacs and spirea, but were a bit nervous. Your videos have given us the confidence and know how to do it. Do you then fertilize the bushes later in the spring?
It is a good idea to do so, but I am guilty of not always doing it, and I still have great results (although I have excellent loam soil). Most of my trees and shrubs receive nutrients that will leach down from the lawn fertilizer I add once or twice a year. I add a little extra fertilizer to shrubs, which I am rejuvenating more often than recommended (3-5 years is average). For example, I have an Amber Jubilee Ninebark that I cut back hard yearly and always top-dress the area with Osmocote slow-release fertilizer.
Hi Kevin, love that dogwood! Beautiful color. I have some large evergreens that I want to layer some shrubs in front of. The cardinal dogwood looks perfect for that. Do you recommend any other very colorful types? I'm in zone 7b.
Arctic Fire or Isanti are a couple of smaller (6’) dogwoods with a darker red twig color. I recently planted a Creme de Mint dogwood that has a nice chartreuse winter twig color. Tatarian Dogwoods have a yellow twig that is an excellent contrast. I have a friend who has a Flame Willow that has nice red stems for winter, but it can reach 20 feet.
Kevin, can I rejuvenate an old lilac using the same method as the dogwood you demonstrated in this video? Saw your strawberry pot in the garden in video. Could you please share your knowledge on planting in a strawberry pot? What perennials to plant in strawberry pots? Thank you.
I’ve had good luck rejuvenating most lilacs. I’ve never gone back all the way to the ground, though. The common lilac, vulgaris species, can be a little unpredictable. Since this species suckers, I’ve seen it happen where the main plant fizzles and most of the re-growth goes into the surrounding suckers. What was the title of the video where you saw the strawberry pot?
In the rejuvenation of the dogwood, as you toured gardens there was a strawberry pot with succulents. It was lovely. I’d like to try that this summer. Thank you very much for the information on the lilac rejuvenation. I shall not attempt to rejuvenate it. Appreciate your expertise.
I'm thinking of pruning back my Red Twig Dogwood for better red color. Will I get long stems this summer? We are selling our home and want it to look good.
Very informative Kevin. I planted 7 dogwoods in my yard because they are beautiful and labelled deer resistant. Deers ate the 7 young dogwood shrubs almost to the ground. Never got to see the beautiful red branches.
Wow. Thanks for this. I now want to plant dogwood.
Thanks for a great and timely video. My husband and I were planning to do some rejuvination pruning of some dogwoods, korean lilacs and spirea, but were a bit nervous. Your videos have given us the confidence and know how to do it. Do you then fertilize the bushes later in the spring?
It is a good idea to do so, but I am guilty of not always doing it, and I still have great results (although I have excellent loam soil). Most of my trees and shrubs receive nutrients that will leach down from the lawn fertilizer I add once or twice a year. I add a little extra fertilizer to shrubs, which I am rejuvenating more often than recommended (3-5 years is average). For example, I have an Amber Jubilee Ninebark that I cut back hard yearly and always top-dress the area with Osmocote slow-release fertilizer.
Hi Kevin, love that dogwood! Beautiful color. I have some large evergreens that I want to layer some shrubs in front of. The cardinal dogwood looks perfect for that. Do you recommend any other very colorful types? I'm in zone 7b.
Arctic Fire or Isanti are a couple of smaller (6’) dogwoods with a darker red twig color. I recently planted a Creme de Mint dogwood that has a nice chartreuse winter twig color. Tatarian Dogwoods have a yellow twig that is an excellent contrast. I have a friend who has a Flame Willow that has nice red stems for winter, but it can reach 20 feet.
Great, thanks! You have given me a nice selection to research. The chartreuse variety sounds very cool. 👍
Kevin, can I rejuvenate an old lilac using the same method as the dogwood you demonstrated in this video? Saw your strawberry pot in the garden in video. Could you please share your knowledge on planting in a strawberry pot? What perennials to plant in strawberry pots? Thank you.
I’ve had good luck rejuvenating most lilacs. I’ve never gone back all the way to the ground, though. The common lilac, vulgaris species, can be a little unpredictable. Since this species suckers, I’ve seen it happen where the main plant fizzles and most of the re-growth goes into the surrounding suckers. What was the title of the video where you saw the strawberry pot?
In the rejuvenation of the dogwood, as you toured gardens there was a strawberry pot with succulents. It was lovely. I’d like to try that this summer. Thank you very much for the information on the lilac rejuvenation. I shall not attempt to rejuvenate it. Appreciate your expertise.
I'm thinking of pruning back my Red Twig Dogwood for better red color. Will I get long stems this summer? We are selling our home and want it to look good.
Depends how well established they are but mine have been in the ground a few years and they grow back very quickly. So they should be fine for that