Quick Facts
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Height at Maturity: 5-13 Feet
Usage: Flowering
Shipped As: Bare-root
Planting Zones: 3-8
Product Details
We ship bare-root red osier dogwood, also sold as red twig dogwood, in November 2026. Pick 1 to 2, 2 to 3 or 3 to 4 foot plants, in packs of 25, 50, 100 or 500.
Red Osier Dogwood Size and Spread
A mature shrub stands 5 to 13 feet high and 10 to 16 feet wide. It spreads by underground stems, so one plant grows into a thicket. Stem cuttings root easily, which is why it is a favorite for large plantings. It is native from Alaska to Newfoundland, and south to Virginia and Illinois in the east.
Red Stems, White Berries
Young stems turn bright red to dark blood red, and they show most in winter. Dull white flowers open in flat clusters 1 to 2.5 inches across. White berries follow, 5 to 9 mm wide. The leaves are dark green above and waxy blue-gray underneath. In fall they turn red to purple.
Wildlife and Pollinators
In New England, red osier dogwood turns up in the diets of 95 bird species. Seeds that pass through a black bear sprout at 18 percent, against 7 percent for fresh seed. The flowers need insects. Bagged flowers set no fruit, and bumblebees visit most often. One Michigan site counted 83 to 340 fruits on a single plant in a season. The spring azure butterfly uses it as a host plant.
Names and Uses
The Hidatsa, Arikara and Mandan wove two-toned twill baskets from dogwood splints. The Ojibwe and Chippewa made red, light red, black and khaki dyes from the inner bark. The Apache and Cheyenne, among others, mixed the inner bark into tobacco for the sacred pipe. Older books list the shrub as Cornus stolonifera or Swida sericea.
Good to Know About Red Osier Dogwood
Cut the stems to 2 or 3 inches from the base before spring growth starts. The new shoots color most vividly. Stolons run up to 10 feet from the parent plant, and low stems root where they touch the ground. Once settled in, it handles drought well. It also stands in wet ground, so it suits a bank or a low corner.
Ordering Red Osier Dogwood in Bulk
Keep the roots damp from the day the box opens. Volume pricing available on all four pack sizes. Our red osier dogwood guide covers more native shrub picks, and erosion control with native plants covers where a thicket-forming shrub earns its place. You can also browse more shrubs for sale.