Bloodtwig Dogwood

Bloodtwig dogwood is the European shrub grown for winter stem color, similar to Tatarian dogwood but with dark red to blood-red stems and a slightly larger mature size at ten to thirteen feet. The species name says it: sanguinea means blood-red. The flowers are dull white, in flat-topped clusters in May to June, and the fall color runs purple and red. The berries are small, dark, and taken by birds in fall. Native to Europe and western Asia, it is tougher than it looks, tolerating a wide range of sites and conditions.

In Western Washington, bloodtwig dogwood works as a naturalized shrub, a screen, or a mass planting where winter stem color is the design goal. Like Tatarian dogwood, the best color develops on young wood, so hard pruning every one to three years keeps the display vivid. It takes full sun to part shade and handles the heavy, occasionally waterlogged soils that characterize many lowland residential sites. No significant disease or pest concerns are flagged in the regional knowledge base. If you want red winter stems and already have Tatarian dogwood in the landscape, bloodtwig offers a similar effect with a different shade of red and a slightly more vigorous habit. The two species also mix well in mass plantings where varying stem tones create a more nuanced winter display.