Arctic Fire® Red Red Twig Dogwood

Arctic Fire® dogwood is a magical addition to any garden, but especially those that embrace a winter display or native plants. It produces tiny white flowers in the springtime, supporting local pollinators first and later on supporting wildlife with little berries. Thankfully it doesn’t support deer, however, as it rarely suffers from browsing damage. This selection is much smaller than the typical option, growing half the size of the gigantic red twig dogwoods you see out in nature. It’s perfect for building up borders, cut flower gardens, or using in drifts to create an impressive display for fall and winter.

Why grow Arctic Fire® dogwood?

  • Deer resistant
  • Very compact size
  • Supports pollinators

Additional information

Dimensions3 × 3 ft
Flower Color

White

Foliage Color

Green

Height

3-5'

Width/Spread

3-5'

Exposure

Full Sun, Part Shade

Soil

Average, Moist, Wet

Bloom Time

Spring

Uses

Borders, Cutting Gardens, Naturalizing, Rain Gardens, Specimen, Woodland gardens

Features

Alkaline soil, Attracts pollinators, Award winner, Clay soil, Cut flower, Deer resistant, Drought tolerant, Fall interest, Landscape plant, Native, Salt tolerant, Winter Interest

Blooms On

Old wood

Breeder

Mike Farrow

Botanical Name

Cornus sericea 'Farrow' PP#18,523

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.