Let’s talk about each type of pruning and when it should be done. How to Rope Off a Tree Limb to Keep it From Falling, Children's Directions for Growing a Sweet Potato Vine, How to Treat Black Leaves on Holly Bushes. In spring, a heavenly array of star-like blooms appear. A dogwood grows 1 or 2 feet each year until it's about 25 feet tall. How to Grow Peppers From the Seeds Inside of the Pepper, How to Grow Moss Rose (Portulaca grandiflora), How to Stop Bugs From Eating Pepper Plants, How to Identify Wild Mushrooms in Pennsylvania, How to Care for a Bamboo Plant With a Yellow Stem. As varied are the different dogwoods as the number of tools you can select to perform the pruning. With that said, you can prune now to force branches a certain direction. Pruning a young dogwood helps determine its mature shape. They are prized for their large bracts in spring, decorative red berries in summer and their richly colored fall foliage. They do not require regular pruning, except to remove occasional damaged or dead wood. The best time to do this pruning is in winter while the tree is dormant; the absence of leaves also makes pruning easier because you have a clear view of the tree’s shape and structure. Pruning can help keep branches and limbs away from power lines and buildings. The new shoots that sprout from the ground will have a brighter red color in winter. How to Prune Kousa Dogwood Trees. Planting Dogwoods combine well in borders with the white winter stems of the ghost bramble (Rubus cockburnianus or R. thibetanus) for contrast, and also look good with emerging early spring bulbs.. Save the heavier pruning until the shrub is dormant which will be in the winter to late winter time frame. Pruning can help keep branches and limbs away from power lines and buildings. Conduct this severe rejuvenating pruning in early to mid-spring before leaf buds swell and open. Suckers that grow at the base of a dogwood tree use energy that the tree needs for proper growth. To encourage a shrublike appearance, trim off the top third of the tree with long-handled pruning shears to promote new branch growth near the ground. They can be planted in the landscape as a large shrub or a small tree, depending on how you prune and shape them. Keep reading to get tips for growing Kousa dogwood trees and how to take care of Kousa dogwoods in the landscape. Reduce the length of the branches only when needed to improve access around the tree, such as when it overhangs a walkway or is brushing up against another tree canopy or structure. Two good times to prune a Kousa dogwood are right after its finished blooming in June or toward the end of winter (if you don't mind giving up some of the flowers that year). Think of the kousa dogwood in thirds. Mulching: Kousa dogwood benefit from a layer of mulch to hold in moisture. For general shaping, prune the shrub right after it has finished blooming up to July. Some care needs to be taken on when you prune a dogwood tree and how much you prune off at one time. Cut the bottom end horizontally and the top end at an angle. You also should prune to remove weak branches before strong winds can break limbs and fall on people or buildings. If they require pruning, it should be conducted immediately following bloom in the late spring or early summer, according to Purdue University. How Do I Store Iris Bulbs Over the Winter? ... You can prune to maintain its natural shape. Think of the kousa dogwood in thirds. When you prune will depend entirely on what type of pruning you are doing. A native of Japan and Korea, Kousa Dogwood with tiny, star-shaped flowers are known for embellishing the yards and decks for all four seasons of the year. Then its time to hard prune them each spring to enable fresh growth before winter. 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