Westonbirt / Sibirica Scarlet Dogwood Plants

• Latin name: Cornus alba 'Sibirica'
• Also sold as: Westonbirt Dogwood, Siberian Dogwood. One plant, several names
• Sold as: Bareroot, 60/80cm
• Native: No
• Winter stems: Bright crimson, the reddest of our Dogwoods
• Foliage: Deciduous, reddish in autumn
• Flowers and fruit: Small cream flowers, then blue-white berries
• Size: 1.5 to 2.5m tall and wide, as a suckering thicket of slender stems
• Pruning: Cut hard back for the brightest stems (pruning group 7)
• Best soil and site: Most soils, damp included. Full sun for the crimson
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Hardiness: H7, hardy in the severest British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Sibirica, also sold as Westonbirt, is the reddest of our Dogwoods: a suckering shrub whose slender stems turn bright crimson in winter. It grows in most soils, damp ground included, and you cut it hard back to keep the young, brightest stems coming.

Westonbirt / Sibirica Scarlet Dogwood Plants

Cornus alba Sibirica, Siberian or Westonbirt Dogwood, is a vigorous dogwood with rich red young bark. This strong-growing, deciduous shrub has green leaves that turn red and orange in the autumn. Sibirica dogwood's primary feature, however, is its brilliant scarlet bark, which provides much-needed winter colour and can light up the dreariest day.

Like all dogwoods, it prefers moist soils and will grow in very wet conditions. It makes a good specimen shrub but is probably at its best when planted in a group with other dogwoods with coloured bark. As such, it makes a very long term (November to April) winter feature which lights up the garden on the most dismal days and is at its best in snow or frost.

If It can reach 3 metres, but it's better coppiced every year. This variety was cultivated at Westonbirt Arboretum in the 1830's.

You can also look at the rest of our range of Dogwood plants for sale.

These plants are delivered bareroot during winter (Nov-April) and are graded by their height in centimetres above the ground when planted.

Planting Companions

The classic winter planting is red beside yellow: Sibirica with Golden Twig Dogwood. Midwinter Fire adds a third colour, its stems graded from yellow to red, and Scarlet Willow gives you the same idea at tree height. Dust bareroot roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Ashridge?

Your Sibirica Dogwood is grown for us by specialist growers, and bareroot plants are lifted to order while dormant and guaranteed for 12 months. Plant them between November and April. Ashridge has sold plants since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

Westonbirt or Sibirica: which is it?

The same plant. Westonbirt is a synonym of Cornus alba 'Sibirica', which is why our title carries both names.

Which Dogwood has the reddest stems?

This one. Its slender stems turn bright crimson in winter, and it is the variety most often planted in drifts beside water.

How big does it grow?

It reaches 1.5 to 2.5 metres tall and wide. Our older copy says it can reach 3 metres if you never cut it. Cut back each year, it stays far below either figure.

Do you have to cut it back?

For the winter colour, yes. The young stems are the bright ones, so you cut the shrub hard back and let it regrow. Left uncut, it makes a bigger shrub with duller bark.

Will it grow in wet soil?

Yes. It grows in most soils, damp ground included, which is why you see it by ponds and streams.

Does it need full sun?

It grows in sun or partial shade. For the brightest crimson, give it full sun.

When are the plants delivered?

Bareroot only, from November to April, while the plants are dormant. You can order at any time of year and your plants are lifted and sent once the season opens.