Arctic Fire® Red Red-Twig Dogwood (Cornus)

Red-Twig Dogwood) Arctic Fire® Red Cornus lights up the winter landscape with bright red stems on a compact shrub. Those stems look their best in winter sunlight and stand out sharply against snow. In late spring, clusters of small white flowers appear at the branch tips. Dark green leaves fill out the shrub from spring to fall. Its dense, twiggy habit packs in plenty of colorful stems. 

This dwarf, deciduous shrub grows 3–5 feet tall and wide instead of the 8–10 feet of standard red-twig dogwoods. That smaller size fits home landscapes and compact gardens. Use it in shrub or perennial borders, mass plantings, containers, or a winter garden. Space plants 4–5 feet apart. Hardy in zones 2–7, it grows in full sun to part shade. It handles average to wet soils, including clay, and tolerates salt and drought. It’s a selection of a North American native shrub. The flowers attract bees and butterflies, and the shrub is deer resistant. Snip a few stems for winter arrangements and holiday decorations.

The brightest red shows up on stems that are one or two years old. Older stems turn brown and corky, so cut a few of the oldest to the ground in early spring. Fresh new shoots will replace them with bright color. It blooms on old growth (last year’s stems), so removing only the oldest stems keeps plenty of flowers coming. A Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrub.