I think you're right. I was beginning to think it was some kind of Japanese Knotweed, but everything I could find about that said it had white flowers. I was starting to think maybe this was just another variety, and now I see it is. THANKS!!! Now that I know what it is, I will NOT be planting it in my yard! Thanks so much!!!

A picture is needed. It could be new growth. Some varieties have very colorful new leaves. Mike

The Siberian Dogwood is great....I have it here and I am going to take a piece I started with me when I move to OH in June. I have the varigated form, which I find much prettier for a longer time than the plain variety. Here, you can get them at Home Depot for a reasonable price. To maintain the red twigs over all, you will need to periodically cut out the old growth...but this is several years. It doesn't creep, but you can easily make new starts by bending a young branch down and putting a stone on top of it, it will root starting a new plant. We had red osier in Michigan where I grew up and I used to love looking down the hill across the farm to the swamp where the red twigs would shine against the gold grasses and leaden November skies.... There is also a yellow twigged variety, but I have always found the red to be exceptional.

This is quite a large Japanese maple in quite a small pot. At some point or perhaps continuously, the planting medium dried out or is so congested with roots it cannot retain moisture at all. The tree's response to the dry conditions is to enter dormancy. Just like in the fall, leaves will be shed after first going through the normal process of dehiscing which in the case of this particular maple includes turning bright red.