Red osier dogwood

Cornus sericea

North American native shrub with white spring flower clusters, white-blue autumn berries and brilliant scarlet young winter stems. Spreads by suckers to form thickets.

Hardiness ratings

Red osier dogwood hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 2–7 −45.6 °C to −12.2 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H7 down to −20 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 2–7 −40 °C to −7 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 1–5 −15 °C to 10 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Bird-attracting white berries in late summer
  • Brilliant red young stems through winter — coppice or hard prune in late winter for the strongest colour
  • Spreads by suckers to form thickets — useful for stabilising stream banks and damp ground but allow space
  • Extremely cold hardy — succeeds where most ornamentals fail

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Red osier dogwood against your zones

Reference

Red osier dogwood on Wikipedia