variegated red-twig dogwood
© David Mason
© Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks
Cornus sericea ‘Hedgerows Gold’ is an outstanding selection of the redtwig dogwood with bright golden-yellow variegated foliage on deep red stems. It has attractive leaves with irregular gold margins that surround an emerald green center. In spring, tiny white flowers appear in flat-topped clusters followed by white fruit in the late summer and early fall. The fruit is quite attractive to birds. This shrub gives a great deal for the little it asks in the way of care and attention. It tolerates damp or dry soils, as well as that difficult combination of winter-wet-summer-dry locations.
Plant Type: shrub
Foliage Type: deciduous
Plant Height (10-year): 10 ft. 0 in. (3.05 meters)
Plant Width/Spread (10-year): 10 ft. 0 in. (3.05 meters)
Plant Height-Mature: 12 ft. 0 in. (3.66 meters)
Plant Width-Mature: 12 ft. 0 in. (3.66 meters)
Hardiness: USDA Zones 3 to 8
Flower Color: white
Flowering Time: spring
Sun/Light Exposure: full sun or light to dappled shade
Water Requirements: regular watering in well drained soil, clay, or sandy soils
Seasonal Interest: red stems in winter, variegated foliage in spring & summer, autumn foliage color
Wildlife Associations: bees, butterflies
This variegated redtwig dogwood is extremely adaptable, growing in a wide range of soil types from well-drained to wet locations and from clay to sand. It is vigorous in full sun or light to dappled shade, but a sunnier location will provide brighter stems in winter. To encourage bright red stems cut back a third of the oldest stems to about 6 inches tall every year, leaving the strong upright young whips.
Text and photos ©2020 Great Plant Picks/Elisabeth Carey Miller Garden except where otherwise noted
Funded by the Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation, The Seattle Times, and Individual Donors
Administered by the Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden