SKU: SC00140

Red Osier Dogwood or Red Twig Dogwood is a shrub with red branches that spreads by underground stems and will produce large clumps. It has flat-topped clusters of white flowers in spring and gorgeous red fall color, in addition to the red stems which provide winter interest to the garden. Red-Osier Dogwood tolerates moist sites and is good for bank stabilization because it is easy to establish and grows rapidly.

Height: 6-12'
Spread: 6'
Soil type: Will tolerate clay
Soil pH: 6.8-7.2
Light: Part-shade
Flowers: White, flat-topped clusters appear in May-June
Fruit: White to Blue
Fall color: Red

Wildlife value: Used for food and cover by white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, moose, mountain goats, cottontail rabbits, snowshoe hares, and numerous birds, including the bobwhite, ring-necked pheasant, wild turkey, and grouse. Red-osier dogwood fruit is low in sugar so it is initially less attractive to wildlife and less inclined to rot than other fruits. Consequently, the fruit stays on the plant through the winter and is available when fruits of other plants are gone. In the northern Rockies, its fruit is a key grizzly and black bear food. Fruit of red-osier dogwood is also eaten by songbirds, grouse, quail, partridge, cutthroat trout, ducks, crows, mice and other mammals. Deer mice, meadow voles, and other small rodents feed on the young stems and bark. Beavers use it for food and to build dams and lodges. Larval host of spring azure.
Notes of Interest: Red-osier Dogwood has a high tolerance for oil and could be used in oil-damaged sites. The long slim stems were used by Indians for basket weaving and are still used by present-day crafters. Indians and early settlers smoked the inner bark, stem scrapings, and leaves. In Southern California the inner green cambium layers were peeled, dried, and smoked ceremonially. Indians also used an extract from red-osier dogwood as an emetic for treating fevers and coughs and obtained dyes from the bark and roots.