Arctic Fire Dogwood Care Guide

Brighten your winter landscape with the Arctic Fire Dogwood’s bright red branches. Still, the shrub creates a four-season interest throughout the year.

In spring, you have beautiful blossoms; in summer, it has diversified leaves with berries from late summer to fall.

You can use it as a cut flower for placing in a vase. So add this shrub to add a glowing red color to the landscape. With the bright red stems, it looks beautiful against the white snow.

You can cut branches for holiday decorations or create beautiful indoor plants in jars or in vases.

You can feel assured you will get winter interest to brighten the landscape.

Plant Name: Cornus stolonifera ‘Farrow’ uspp

Other Name: Red-twig Dogwood, Red Osier Dogwood, and Tatarian Dogwood

Plant Type: Deciduous shrub

Native Areas: North America

Light Requirement: Full sun to partial shade

Watering: Average

Fertilizer: Compost and Fish Emulsion

Toxicity: Causes skin irritation, and the berries are mildly toxic to humans and pets

Temperature: Winter hardy shrub down to -20°F

Propagation: Cuttings

Growth: 6-9 feet tall and 8-12 feet wide

Soil Type: Fertile soil

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8

More About Arctic Fire Dogwood

There are several dogwood species, and many of the cultivars have labels with red twigs as part of the common name. Still, depending on the variety, you can find some with dark green foliage or ones with variegated leaves in a greenish-gray with a white edge.

These evergreen deciduous shrubs bloom white flowers formed in flat clusters, and once they fade, the flowers produce white berries with a hint of green and blue. The fall foliage displays rose or gold and is deciduous, leaving behind red bark when the leaves fall.

The Arctic Fire Dogwood is sold as container plants or ball-and-burlap specimens in the fall or early spring. Most dogwood shrubs are slow growing, but the Artic Fire Dogwood is the opposite.

You can expect your plant to grow two feet in a year. These plants create a stunning winter display and grow well in a rainy or perennial garden. The shrub is deer resistant and attracts bees and birds to the landscape.

Arctic Fire Dogwood Care

This white flowering dogwood is suitable for growing in a rain garden and is the best color on the stems. Also, choose a spot where you can easily view them and receives enough sunlight from the south or west side in winter.

Furthermore, with the widely-spread root system, they work well for erosion control and grow well in moist woodlands.

Best Soil For Red Twig Dogwoods

The Artic Fire Red is suitable for growing with consistently moist soil. You can grow it as a specimen plant. You can work some humus into the soil when your plants arrive for added nutrients. These shrubs prefer slightly acidic soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.6. Alternatively, you can also grow them as a short hedge.

Suitable Light Conditions For Red Twig Dogwood

These shrubs are proven winners in the garden, thriving in full to part sun. Still, that signature red bark brightens up when planted in full sun. When grown in part shade, the red color is not as vibrant.

Watering Your Arctic Fire Red

The Red Twig Dogwood prefers moist soil and thrives along ponds and streams. In extreme heat, you must provide these shrubs with regular water. Young outdoor plants will need more water in the first few months to help the root system establish.

The only time your mature plants will need watering is during dry spells.

Temperature and Humidity

The Arctic Fire adapts to different temperatures. While it does not do well in excessive heat to humid climates, it thrives in cold down to -20°F. Too much humidity makes the Red Twig Dogwood vulnerable to canker.

Fertilizing Arctic Fire Dogwood in Early Spring

The Red Twig Dogwood is not a huge feeder. But if you fertilize them, spring is the best time. You can add a side-dressing of compost. Once new growth appears, you can feed your shrub with a fish emulsion.

How to Prune Arctic Fire Red Twig Dogwood

You will notice the red twigs fading over time from spring to summer. For the best color, you can do pruning of the oldest stems one-third every three years or annually, depending on if you want to keep the size small.

The best time for pruning is in late winter or at the start of spring. If the shrub looks overgrown, you can cut them back to ground level.

Propagating Arctic Fire Red Twig

These outdoor plants can easily propagate using hardwood cuttings taken in late fall.

1. Look for a stem as long as a pencil to cut from the mother plant.

2. Then cut the stems into six to nine-inch sections close to a bud near the end of the cutting.

3. Remove the side branches and leaves and dip the cut end into a rooting hormone.

4. Prepare a pot with soil and keep it in a sheltered spot or use a cold frame closed for the winter.

5. When spring arrives, you can remove the cold frame or move your pots back into the open space to grow.

6. It can take up to a year for your cutting to root. Once fully rooted, you can plant your saplings in the garden.

Arctic Fire Dogwood Similar Plants

You can find different Dogwood species with red bark, and all are classified under the Cornus genus:

• Cornus alba the Tatarian Dogwoods native to Asia.

• Cornus sericea the Red Osier Dogwoods are native to North America.

• Cornus sanguine the Bloodtwig Dogwoods are native to Europe.

As these trees have a lot of similarities, the common names lead to a lot of confusion regarding the nursery trade. We recommend the Red Osier Dogwood for the best erosion control, as it spreads using suckering and forms a colony with time.

Arctic Fire Dogwood Common Diseases and Pests

Some common pests that can bother your Arctic Fire Dogwood are leaf miners, bagworms, and scale. You can use insecticidal soap, neem oil, or commercial pesticides. Another concern is various fungal problems, including leaf and twig blight, leaf spots, and canker.

You can remove the diseased branches by cutting them back to healthy wood.