Mine is very thin; can I cut it down in fall to come back better in spring?
Prune redtwig dogwood when it is dormant this winter. It responds well to hard pruning. Since it grows fast, you may want to thin spindly branches each year (anything less than pencil diameter) and prune out the oldest wood annually after spring bloom is over. Young wood blooms more heavily and has that lovely red color.
I’ve had a red twig dogwood on my property for the last 20 years. The last couple years I noticed that the leaves started to look funky. This year it’s in bad shape. I’m in Colorado, it’s planted on a slope facing north east and gets watered 3 times per week.
It sounds like overwatering may have gotten the best of them over time. This is an infection starting. Probably Dogwood blight. Though this cultivar is resistant, at some point it can contract the disease. Fungicide treatment will be necessary, and watering habit will need to be modified just a little.
Watering should be done when the soil is bone dry down to about 2 inches. This will have no schedule. A moisture meter may be necessary to determine the depth at which the soil is bone dry, and without moisture. Since the blight survives at the soil surface, you will need to balance the moisture to keep the deep roots moist, but the top, relatively, dry.
Here are some articles that will help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/using-fungicides-in-garden.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/dogwood/dogwood-blight-control.htm
Thanks so much for your help! Blight makes sense because previous owners planted the shrub by a downspout. I have moved the downspout outlet and mulch around the base.
It is early Oct in northern Indiana and I have a red twig dogwood at my church that still has green stems, green leaves and is blooming. All the ones at my house (same variety) are almost bare and have red stems. It is 3 years old, any ideas?
It is still a little early in the year, but two thoughts come to mind.
They could be different cultivars, or the trees dropping early can have a disease. Unfortunately, your photo did not come through, so I cannot assess the situation.
Here is an article that will give you more information on the tree:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/dogwood/red-twig-dogwood-care.htm