Bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire'
Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire' · Cornaceae
Winter stems that shade from yellow at the base through orange to red at the tips, like a flame. The leaves turn gold in autumn before they fall.
- Size
- 6 ft tall, 6 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 7
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers late May to mid June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire'
The planner designed this bed around bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' × 1, green leaves
- 2 Bloody cranesbill × 5, pink
- 3 Winter heath × 16, purple
- 4 Sweet coneflower 'Henry Eilers' × 3, yellow
- 5 Astilbe 'Purple Candles' × 5, purple
- 6 Chives × 13, purple
- 7 Snowdrop × 12, white
- 8 Darwin hybrid tulip × 7, red
- 9 Grape hyacinth × 7, blue
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- A classic partner for snowdrop. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does winter heath.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 6 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to astilbe 'Purple Candles' (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 10 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 9 groups (67%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The scheme leans cool (pink, purple and blue) and uses yellow and red for warmth, with white to calm things between them. Among the neighbours here are two pairs of recognised partners, such as bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' and snowdrop.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 5 Good, 2 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' goes in a border
At 6 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is very tall (5 to 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
It glows when the low winter sun shines through it, so place it to the south or west of where you will stand. Cut it back hard every second spring for the brightest stems.
- The best winter stem colour
- Planting where the low winter sun will light it
- With evergreens and early bulbs
What to plant with bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Snowdrop: adds the flowers, early March to late March; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Daffodil: adds the flowers, mid April to early May; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
- Black mondo grass: spires rising out of its mound; low enough (8 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire'
Does bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' need sun or shade?
Bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 7. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' be planted?
5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 ft (180 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 ft (180 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire'?
Bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' comes from Europe to Lebanon and Caucasus. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Tatarian dogwood 'Ivory Halo': the same job in a bed and the same size.
- Inkberry: the same job in a bed and the same size; fine leaves, not medium, keeps its leaves in winter.
- Highbush blueberry: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early May to late May.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
Will bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by suckers into a wider clump. Remove the outer shoots to contain it.
What does bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' look like in winter?
Bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches: it is grown for the best winter stem colour and planting where the low winter sun will light it. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' good for bees and butterflies?
Bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' is visited by pollinators, specialist bees and songbirds.
More Cornus
- Cornelian cherry Cornus mas
- Red osier dogwood Cornus sericea
- Red twig dogwood 'Arctic Fire' Cornus sericea 'Arctic Fire'
- Siberian dogwood Cornus alba 'Sibirica'
- Tatarian dogwood 'Ivory Halo' Cornus alba 'Bailhalo' (Ivory Halo)
- Variegated red twig dogwood Cornus alba 'Elegantissima'
- Yellow twig dogwood Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 6 ft (180 cm) tall, 6 ft (180 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Very tall (5 to 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late May to mid June; dense clusters; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Rounded, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 7
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Cornaceae
- Comes from
- Europe to Lebanon and Caucasus
- Attracts
- Pollinators, specialist bees, songbirds
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.