Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter fire'In January, the 'Midwinter fire' dogwood earns it's place in the garden. The branches of this close relative of our native red-twig dogwood stand out in a spectacular display of orenge and gold. It's a great choice for drift planting in the back of a perennial border, as a deciduous hedge or as a single specimen in a promenent location in your garden. Midwinter fire is sure to please throughout the winter months.
This medium-sized shrub grows to 5' - 6' tall according to most of the literature, but it can reach heights of 8' or more if left to its own devices in the right location. The youngest twigs show the best color. I recommend pruning this shrub in the late spring or early summer to control its height and encourage fresh twig growth for the winter. Pruning in this way may cause you to lose some flowers or berries, but flowers aren't really what I'm after with this plant. It does bloom with small, milky, white flowers in the spring, and the flowers give way to dark berries in the summer. Its leaves emerge a bright yellow green and fade to a darker, medium green in the summer before turning gold again in the autumn. The plant prefers full sun, but it will perform fairly well in partial shade. It grows best in consistently moist soils that are rich in organic matter.
For much of the season, this shrub is a fairly pedestrian occupant of the garden. It really won't impress you with its flowers or leaf color, but the colorful payoff is great in the long, dark days of the winter.
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