Hello,

Is it possible to coppice an overgrown dogwood? I'd just have at it when it's the appropriate time, but we live in a rental and I'm afraid of ruining the thing.

Thank you!

If it's one of the dogwoods with coloured stems, it's normal to coppice it, as it's the young stems that have the best colour.

Normal time is late spring, after you've had time to enjoy the stems but giving time for new stems to grow for next year. If it hasn't been pruned for many years, I'd be worried about doing it all in one go, I might do it over 2 or 3 years.

None of this applies if it's one of the other Cornus species, grown for flowers rather than stem colour.

On 29/08/2012 18:22, Mitulove wrote:
Hello,

Is it possible to coppice an overgrown dogwood? I'd just have at it
when it's the appropriate time, but we live in a rental and I'm afraid
of ruining the thing.

Thank you!

Is it one with coloured stems that you look at in winter or a flowering
one. Your best bet now is cut out the oldest thickest boring looking
stems low down and retain the ones with decent colour. Then prune again
in spring to remove less coloured wood after it starts into growth.

They survive industrial gardening with a a chain saw so I expect they
are pretty hard to kill.


--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 22:46:02 +0100, Martin Brown
wrote:

They survive industrial gardening with a a chain saw so I expect they
are pretty hard to kill.

....unless they are the variegated type, which grow slower. I once cut
back a variegated dogwood very hard before I knew this, it has taken a
long time to recover.

Gardening on Wilts/Somerset border
on slightly alkaline clay.

In article , says...

Hello,

Is it possible to coppice an overgrown dogwood? I'd just have at it
when it's the appropriate time, but we live in a rental and I'm afraid
of ruining the thing.

"Dogwood" is a catch-all name used for several different plants, first you need to
identify/describe which you have.

Janet

On 29/08/2012 23:35, cotula wrote:
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 22:46:02 +0100, Martin Brown
wrote:

They survive industrial gardening with a a chain saw so I expect they
are pretty hard to kill.

...unless they are the variegated type, which grow slower. I once cut
back a variegated dogwood very hard before I knew this, it has taken a
long time to recover.

It is still alive though!


--
Regards,
Martin Brown

"kay" wrote in message
...
Mitulove;967741 Wrote:
Hello,

Is it possible to coppice an overgrown dogwood? I'd just have at it
when it's the appropriate time, but we live in a rental and I'm afraid
of ruining the thing.

Thank you!

If it's one of the dogwoods with coloured stems, it's normal to coppice
it, as it's the young stems that have the best colour.

Normal time is late spring, after you've had time to enjoy the stems but
giving time for new stems to grow for next year.

I agree with Kay - Dogwoods with the lovely red stems are seen at their
best over the winter months. I have, but a couple of plants, which did
remarkably well after a spring "cuting back".

Bill

Well, some of the very new growth is a pinkish colour and the flowers were very puny and not terribly interesting, so I'm guessing it's one grown for the stems. We thinned the thing out about a month ago because it was so tangled and congested and has a terrible mildew problem. It survived this procedure OK, it seems. It's still about 7'X7'. Is it vital to wait until winter/spring to cut it back? It would be nice to be able to better access the area underneath to plant some bulbs and whatnot.

Indeed, if someone gave my Cornus kousa the kind of pruning I give to my Cornus alba, I would be extremely upset.

I would have thought the soil directly below would be quite dry, and bulbs would have a hard time competing with the Cornus roots.

On 30/08/2012 16:37, kay wrote:
Mitulove;967773 Wrote:
Well, some of the very new growth is a pinkish colour and the flowers
were very puny and not terribly interesting, so I'm guessing it's one
grown for the stems. We thinned the thing out about a month ago because
it was so tangled and congested and has a terrible mildew problem. It
survived this procedure OK, it seems. It's still about 7'X7'. Is it
vital to wait until winter/spring to cut it back? It would be nice to

Not really. I'd say you could still lop off any unsightly tired old bits
now but remember you will have to look at what is left until it starts
regrowing in spring so aim to leave it looking nicer!

be able to better access the area underneath to plant some bulbs and
whatnot.

I would have thought the soil directly below would be quite dry, and
bulbs would have a hard time competing with the Cornus roots.

Had hyacinths and crocus under mine and they had no trouble growing and
add a splash of colour coming out of winter. I expect other woodland
bulbs would prosper under those conditions too.

Hard part is digging through the tangle of roots to plant them!

--
Regards,
Martin Brown