Common Red Dogwood Hedge Plants

• Sold as: Bareroot whips, 40/60cm, 60/80cm or 90/120cm
• Plants per metre: 3/m single row, 6/m staggered double row (grant standard)
• Kept height: 1.5–2.5m as a mixed-hedge constituent or colour block
• Growth rate: Moderate
• Deciduous: Yes — leaves turn deep red in autumn
• UK native: Yes
• Thorny: No
• Best soil/site: Damp ground or most soils including chalk; full sun for the strongest stem colour
• Wildlife value: RHS Plants for Pollinators; berries for birds; food for several moth caterpillars
• Delivery: Bareroot, November to April

Common Dogwood is the native hedgerow dogwood — a suckering, twiggy shrub that fills the middle of a mixed native hedge and turns crimson-stemmed through winter. It isn't a formal, clipped-face plant; it's a filler and a colour-bringer, most often bought alongside hawthorn and hazel to make up a proper country hedge.

It takes damp ground happily but is equally at home on most soils, including chalk. Give it full sun if winter stem colour matters to you — in shade the stems stay green rather than turning red.

Managing it for colour

Left alone, common dogwood thickens into a tall native shrub. For the strongest winter stems, treat it as a pruning-group-7 plant: cut hard, back to 5–7.5cm from the ground, in late winter to early spring — colour lives in the youngest wood, so cutting hard is the point, not a maintenance chore. Wait until the plant has been in the ground two years and growing strongly before you start. In a country hedge grown for structure rather than colour, it can simply be left to thicken with the rest of the mix.

Planting and establishment

Plant into a weed-free strip through the bareroot season, November to April, avoiding frozen or waterlogged ground. Firm in to the root collar, apply Rootgrow, and water through the whole first season — the main cause of a young hedge failing is drought, not cold. Keep the base weed-free for the first two to three years.

Why Ashridge for your hedge

Ashridge hedging is grown for one purpose — to be a hedge — under contract by specialist UK growers working to our specification. We're one of the largest UK sellers of bareroot hedging, to gardeners and the trade alike, so stock is lifted to order and moves fast through a purpose-built cold store that keeps it in top condition all season. Bareroot plants establish very readily: like for like, a bareroot plant is larger, stronger and healthier than a pot-grown one, and better value for money. Common Dogwood is guaranteed to grow for 12 months, subject to our standard care conditions.

How many do I need per metre?

3 plants per metre in a single row (33cm apart) for a garden hedge. For a stock-proof or grant-compliant hedge, plant a staggered double row at 6 plants per metre, rows around 40cm apart.

Is Common Dogwood a UK native?

Yes, and it's a constituent of most of our native mixed hedge packs — it's one of the standard building blocks of a proper country hedge.

Why are my dogwood's stems green rather than red?

Shade is almost always the reason. The same shrub carries crimson twigs in full sun and lime-green ones in shade — if your dogwood is disappointing, check the site before anything else.

When do I prune it for the best colour?

Late winter to mid-spring, with early-to-mid April the best balance between enjoying this winter's stems and producing next winter's. Cut all shoots back to 5–7.5cm from the ground once the plant is established.

Will it take over my hedge?

It suckers, so left unchecked it will spread within the row. Regular cutting back keeps it in bounds — it's a well-behaved constituent of a mixed hedge once it's part of your normal trimming routine.

How far from my boundary should I plant?

At least 0.5m from a fence or boundary — this is also a condition of our 12-month guarantee.

Pairs naturally with Hawthorn and Hazel, its constant partners in a native mix, and with Guelder Rose for extra berries and a second flowering season. See the full dogwood range or browse all hedging plants.