Japanese cornel (Cornus officinalis): when and how to prune

Japanese cornel (Cornus officinalis): when to prune it?

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It needs little pruning. If necessary, prune in April, straight after flowering: next year’s flower buds form in summer.

What else to prune in those months? April

Japanese cornel (Cornus officinalis): how to prune it?

1. Remove dead, diseased and crossing branches.
2. For a tree shape, gradually remove the lower side branches to show off the peeling trunks.
3. Never cut the whole shrub back hard: you would lose years of flowers and its natural shape.
4. Rejuvenate an overgrown shrub by removing one or two old branches at the base each year.

How much to cut, and how often?

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

What does it mean for wildlife?

• Pruning in April can fall in the nesting season (15 March–15 August). Check carefully for nesting birds first: disturbing an active nest is against the law.
• Japanese cornel (Cornus officinalis) flowers in February–March, when it attracts bees.
• In September–October birds eat the fruit: leave some on the plant or on the ground.
• Prunings can go on a dead hedge or brash pile in a corner of the garden: shelter for hedgehogs, wrens and insects.

Common mistakes

• Clipping without first checking for nesting birds.
• Leaving a stub or sawing flush with the trunk: cut just outside the branch collar.

Nearby: related pruning guides

• Cornelian cherry
• Red-barked dogwood
• Common dogwood
• Red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea)
• Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)
• Flowering dogwood

Plant profile: Japanese cornel (Cornus officinalis) · Pruning calendar and basic rules