Plant Care
Light: Will happily grow in a range of sun exposure situations, from a low-light spot that gets a minimum of four hours of direct exposure to a full sun spot that is exposed all day.
Soil: Best growth occurs in moist soils, even wet spots like by a rain garden or next to a body of water. However, it’s fairly adaptable and will perform well in most soil and even through bits of drought once it is established.
Water: Enjoys moist conditions, but will tolerate dry periods after it is established.
Fertilizing: If desired, you may apply a granular fertilizer formulated for flowering woody plants in late winter/early spring when the soil is workable.
Pruning: Regular pruning is recommended and you can choose one of two methods. The first is yearly rejuvenation pruning while it’s dormant in the winter. Essentially, you’ll just remove one third of the thickest, oldest stems all the way back to the ground to promote new growth. If that sounds a little too laborious, you can just cut the entire plant down each spring, which does remove flowers, but will also encourage new growth. This juvenile growth has the brightest color. Dead or damaged wood can be removed at any time, just cut back to a set of leaves.
Other: Their colorful branches make a beautiful addition to a cut flower display or winter arrangement.
