How to Grow
Tatarian dogwoods are suitable for cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 2b to 7b, though most are happiest in Zones 3 and up.
They can also be grown in Zone 8 if you don’t experience super hot, humid summers.
Let’s take a look at their cultural requirements:
Light
Tatarian dogwoods grow well in full sun to partial shade. In shadier spots, the flowering and fall color might be reduced.
Soil
They’ll grow in anything from sandy to clay soil with a pH between 5.0 and 8.0.
Ideally, tatarian dogwoods should have organically-rich, consistently moist, well-drained soil, but they’ll adapt to dry or soggy soil as well.
Water
Your job is to keep the soil moist at all times. When it starts to dry out at all, add more moisture.
A short period of drought won’t harm the plant, but an extended dry spell during a hot time of year could harm your tatarian dogwood.
Fertilizing
You shouldn’t need to fertilize your tatarian dogwood unless your soil is incredibly depleted and the plant seems to be stunted.
The easiest way to determine what’s going on with your soil is to do a soil test.
I test my soil every year or every other year to see what’s happening and what amendments I need to add.
When you have your test results, amend the soil accordingly.
Cultivars to Select
Unless we call out otherwise, all of the Siberian dogwood cultivars on this list are suitable for Zones 3 to 7.
You’ll often see C. alba cultivars mislabelled as red osier dogwood (C. sericea) and vice versa. They’re closely related and look extremely similar.
They grow in similar conditions, so feel free to substitute a red osier if you fall in love with a particular cultivar.
But there are lots of exceptional tatarian dogwood cultivars, including these:
Bud’s Yellow
If red isn’t really your color of choice, check out ‘Bud’s Yellow.’
The bright green leaves turn an attractive yellow, red, and purple in the fall. The flowers are yellow, too, followed by white berries that the birds will devour.
‘Bud’s Yellow’
It has an upright shape that is a bit taller than it is wide, with a height of about six feet.
You can find plants in #3 containers available at Nature Hills Nursery.
Chief Bloodgood
Chief Bloodgood (‘Chblzam’) is a robust shrub that grows to about six feet tall and wide, with bright green summer foliage and bright reddish-purple fall leaves.
When the leaves and snow-white berries drop, you’re treated to deep, crimson-red stems.
Chief Bloodgood
It maintains a nice, rounded shape, and the white spring flowers attract all the pollinators from far and wide.
This one is only hardy to Zone 4.
You can find Chief Bloodgood plants available at Nature Hills Nursery.
Creme de Mint
The mint green leaves trimmed in creamy white look good enough to eat. They look even more delicious when they take on a pinky red tinge in the fall.
This cultivar is more heat tolerant than many others and will grow happily in Zone 8. It can reach up to five feet tall and wide with a compact, rounded shape.
Creme de Mint
Creme de Mint™ looks best when you plant it in full sun, as that’s what brings out the distinct variegation and brightest stem coloration.
You can find this showy shrub available at Nature Hills.
Ivory Halo
Also known as ‘Bailhalo,’ Ivory Halo® is dense and compact, growing to just five feet tall and wide.
Proving that good things come in small packages, the leaves are an eye-catching green with cream margins.
Unlike other variegated types, this one doesn’t tend to shed leaves in the summer heat. The RHS liked it so much that they gave it their Award of Garden Merit in 2000.
Ivory Halo
It’s an elegant show in the summer and a vibrant display in the winter, just when you need it most.
You can find plants available in #3 and #5 containers at Nature Hills.
Prairie Fire
The young, bright golden foliage of ‘Prairie Fire’ changes to soft yellow during the summer before turning bright red and dropping from the shrub.
Then it’s time for the bright orange-red stems to take over the show. Consider the clusters of white flowers followed by white berries to be a major bonus for the birds and bees.
‘Prairie Fire’
This one has a more upright shape than some tatarian dogwoods, reaching about five feet wide and seven feet tall.
Set your yard ablaze by purchasing ‘Prairie Fire’ at Nature Hills Nursery.
Sibirica
The coral-red branches of ‘Sibirica’ have made it a popular option across the globe. The leaves are more rounded than the species. The flowers are white, followed by bluish drupes.
The plants labeled as ‘Sibirica’ can vary quite a bit as this isn’t a stable cultivar, it’s a variety, which means it’s a natural variation that occurred in nature.
‘Sibirica’
The size can vary from four feet tall and wide to seven feet tall and wide.
You can find ‘Sibirica’ available at Nature Hills Nursery.
Strawberry Daiquiri
The large, creamy and green variegated leaves on Strawberry Daiquiri® (‘Stdazam’) are so pretty that you’ll want them to stay around forever.
But then the purple, pink, and orange fall leaves droop and you’re treated to the bright red stems!
Strawberry Daiquiri
The large clusters of white flowers followed by bluish berries are just icing on the cake.
This cultivar reaches up to six feet tall and wide and is extremely adaptable, growing anywhere in Zones 2 to 8. You can find plants available at Nature Hills.
Pruning and Maintenance
Pruning is an important part of keeping tatarian dogwoods looking their best. That’s because it’s the young wood that has the brightest coloring, while the older wood tends to be dull.
If you want to encourage bright color, prune off the older wood. You can either take the wood out entirely or prune it back by two-thirds.
Remove suckers by cutting them down to the ground or even digging up a small section. Otherwise, you can allow the suckers to develop if you want the plant to spread.
