Yellow twig dogwood
Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea' · Cornaceae
Bright, greenish-yellow stems in winter. A native shrub that spreads into a thicket in moist soil.
- Size
- 6½ ft tall, 8 ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- 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 yellow twig dogwood
The planner designed this bed around yellow twig dogwood when this page was made: a 22 × 10 ft (6.7 × 3.0 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why yellow twig dogwood stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Yellow twig dogwood × 1, green leaves
- 2 Coral bells 'Firefly' × 19, red
- 3 Creeping phlox 'Emerald Blue' × 9, blue
- 4 Sweet coneflower 'Henry Eilers' × 3, yellow
- 5 Garden phlox 'Jeana' × 3, pink
- 6 Switchgrass 'Prairie Sky' × 3, tan
- 7 Purple milkweed × 3, purple
- 8 Foxglove beardtongue × 3, white
- 9 Winter heath × 16, pink
- 10 Black-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 11 Pearly everlasting × 3, white
- 12 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 6, purple
- 13 Easter lily × 5, white
- 14 Camassia × 6, blue
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do switchgrass 'Prairie Sky' and winter heath.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 6½ 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 switchgrass 'Prairie Sky' (5 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 8 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 16 of the 17 groups (94%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The most in flower at one time is 5 kinds, in mid July. In winter there are still four kinds to look at, coral bells 'Firefly' and creeping phlox 'Emerald Blue' among them.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where yellow twig dogwood goes in a border
At 6½ 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.
Yellow and red stems planted together double the effect of each. This is a vigorous spreader, best used on a large scale or beside water.
- Winter stems in contrast with red-twigged kinds
- Wet soil and stream banks
- Holding slopes
What to plant with yellow twig dogwood
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Red twig dogwood 'Arctic Fire': low enough (4 ft) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Winterberry: happy in the same moist soil.
- Switchgrass 'Shenandoah': low enough (4 ft) to stand in front of it.
Questions about yellow twig dogwood
Does yellow twig dogwood need sun or shade?
Yellow twig dogwood 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 plenty of water. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does yellow twig dogwood grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 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 yellow twig dogwood be planted?
6 ft (180 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 8 ft (250 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6½ ft (200 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many yellow twig dogwood plants do I need?
Usually one. At 6 ft (180 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is yellow twig dogwood 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.
Do deer eat yellow twig dogwood?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
Will yellow twig dogwood spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Suckers strongly and forms thickets. Give it room, or remove the suckers every year.
What does yellow twig dogwood look like in winter?
Yellow twig dogwood drops its leaves and stands as bare branches: it is grown for winter stems in contrast with red-twigged kinds. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is yellow twig dogwood good for bees and butterflies?
Yellow twig dogwood is visited by pollinators, specialist bees, butterflies and songbirds.
It is a host plant: the caterpillars of spring azure feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.
It is native to the United States and Canada (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Cornus
- Bloodtwig dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire'
- 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'
In these guides
- Plants for wet soil and rain gardens
- Plants for slopes and banks
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Garden plants native to Canada
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Host plants for the spring azure
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 6½ ft (200 cm) tall, 8 ft (250 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 ft (180 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 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- High
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Cornaceae
- Comes from
- North America
- Attracts
- Pollinators, specialist bees, butterflies, songbirds
- Host plant for
- Spring azure
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, wet soil, erosion
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.