Artic Fire Dogwood - Ask Extension
I have Artic Fire Dogwoods planted right in front of the windows of my house, and they are blocking my view. I want to prune them back. I just sa...
Knowledgebase
Artic Fire Dogwood #868191
Asked May 13, 2024, 12:52 PM EDT
I have Artic Fire Dogwoods planted right in front of the windows of my house, and they are blocking my view. I want to prune them back. I just saw that I should do that in late winter/early spring (before new green growth) but it's now May and they are almost fully leafed! I saw a post that said you can prune in late spring/early summer - when is that? Is there a bad time to prune them / a time I should NOT prune them? Mine are about 3 years old and have never bloomed, so I am not that worried about losing blooms.
Middlesex County Massachusetts
Expert Response
Hi,
Usually when you prune red twigged dogwoods, you remove whole older stems to encourage brightly colored young stems to be produced. It sounds like yours are growing to their mature size - 8 to 10 feet tall and you want to prune them back. You can do this now as these are tough plants and don't mind pruning. Just realize that they will continue to want to grow 8 to 10 feet tall and maybe it would be better to plant something low growing by your windows.
Usually when you prune red twigged dogwoods, you remove whole older stems to encourage brightly colored young stems to be produced. It sounds like yours are growing to their mature size - 8 to 10 feet tall and you want to prune them back. You can do this now as these are tough plants and don't mind pruning. Just realize that they will continue to want to grow 8 to 10 feet tall and maybe it would be better to plant something low growing by your windows.
