Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia): when and how to prune

Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia): when to prune it?

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Prune as little as possible. If needed, do it in February, when the tree is bare and the tiers are easy to see; remove dead or diseased branches as soon as you notice them.

What else to prune in those months? February

Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia): how to prune it?

1. Remove dead, damaged and crossing branches, each time back to a healthy side branch or to the trunk.
2. Never shorten the tips of the tiers: you would lose the pagoda shape.
3. If you want a single trunk, remove competing leaders while the tree is still young.
4. Cut diseased branches well back into healthy wood, then disinfect your secateurs.

How much to cut, and how often?

• One pruning period a year: February.
• Prune in moderation: never remove more than about a third of the shrub at once.

What does it mean for wildlife?

• The pruning months fall outside the nesting season (15 March–15 August), so you won’t disturb nesting birds.
• Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) flowers in May–June, when it attracts bees.
• Prunings can go on a dead hedge or brash pile in a corner of the garden: shelter for hedgehogs, wrens and insects.

Common mistakes

• Leaving a stub or sawing flush with the trunk: cut just outside the branch collar.

Nearby: related pruning guides

• Common dogwood
• Cornelian cherry
• Red-barked dogwood
• Japanese cornel (Cornus officinalis)
• Red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea)
• Flowering dogwood

Plant profile: Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) · Pruning calendar and basic rules