Red Stems add color to winter

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The shrub also attracts butterflies and other pollinators. Thus, the red-osier dogwood is an attractive and functional addition to any wildlife garden.

In the fall and winter, the leaves will turn orange and red and purple, and will drop off and allow the appearance of the intense red stems/twigs. Several authors recommend planting the red-osier dogwood in front of evergreens for the contrasting colors.

When you look at a red-osier dogwood, you may notice that some of the stems are no longer red. The loss of the red winter color is due to the age of the stem. After about three years, the stem will appear gray in color. In a process called renewal pruning, it is recommended that the oldest one-third of stems that are woody and gray be removed down to close to the base of the plant every year or two. This will allow for growth of the younger and more colorful stems. The best time to perform the pruning is just before the buds have begun to open in the early spring.

For the rest of this winter season, I will obviously not be completing the fun work that gardening provides. Instead, as Whoopi Goldberg advises at the close of the show she moderates, I will “Take a little time to enjoy the view” as I complete some of the activities that winter allows.