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Plants for Difficult Places

How can I saftely prune Flowering Dogwood?

16 years ago

Hi,

I'm considering planting a semi-mature Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) in a spot where I'd like to keep not wider then 23'. Flowering Dogwood trees can actually get to be about 33' wide.

I will plant it in partial shade, surrounded by trees on 3 sides, so it should behave a bit like a woodland form. I know someone who prunes his Flowering Dogwood and all of the branches that are pruned become floppy and weak and unhealthy - hard to describe.

Is there a way I can keep this tree from growing wider then 23' and yet not harm the trees branches which are pruned? Any one have experience doing this?

Thanks,

Steve

Comment (1)

yogagarden
16 years ago
The trees on the three sides should encourage the dogwood to go up rather than out. I don't believe it will encroach on those three sides, just as in a woodland setting the dogwood is a really tall, rather than spreading tree. Then you would only need to do a little shaping on the one side. Do as little as possible, especially close to the ground, cause any opening in the dogwood bark is particularly vulnerable.

You might also select a smaller cultivar, like some of the colored varieties, to hedge your bets.
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