PRUNE BACK CORNUS

Cu ing it now will keep stems at their brightest

The coloured-stem cornus are the best plants for bringing bright winter colour to the garden. They’re easy and reliable and have the bonus of tolerating clay and wet soils. Plus they grow quickly, making them perfect for first-time gardeners and they’re easy to propagate, so not expensive to buy.

Cornus alba is the most common and ‘Sibirica’ the most popular for its bright red stems. The habit is upright at first but stems arch outwards as they age and produce branches. Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’ is similar but has lime green or yellow stems and paler green leaves. It’s more upright in habit when young but spreads with age and can sucker to form large clumps.

Both are most a ractive, and easiest to manage, if pruned every year or two. This keeps them neat and compact, about 1.2m (4ft) high and 90cm (3ft) wide, but also at their brightest since it’s the new growth that’s most brightly coloured. It’s best to prune back the one and two-year-old growth in early spring so the plants have all summer to make strong new growth. The exact timing will depend on how long you want the red stems to contrast with other winter plants or bulbs in spring.