Common dogwood vs Red-barked dogwood

Its spread is the main problem: with root suckers it builds a dense thicket within a few years and runs into neighbouring beds and lawn. Only young stems are coloured and old branches turn grey-green, so it needs regular renewal pruning for the winter effect. The coloured-stem cultivars are smaller and weaker growing than the species. It prefers evenly moist soil and grows more weakly in prolonged drought. It has few diseases: leaf spot or anthracnose on weak shoots and occasionally scale insects. The flowers smell unpleasant.

In Central Europe hot, dry summers are what troubles it most: leaves scorch in prolonged drought, and a stressed shrub is more prone to leaf spot, twig blight and canker, and scale insects. Water in dry spells and cut diseased stems out at the base. Without regular renewal pruning the stems turn dull brown and the shrub becomes bare-legged and sprawling; sever root suckers with a spade if you do not want it to form a thicket.