I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who contributed info, especially pictures of their red twig dogwoods...it has all helped me to realize that they will be the perfect answer to a beautiful border in my front yard and to keep the neighbor's dog (on a fully extended retractable leash) from running across my "lawn" while passing by 3x a day. I just started searching online and after reading about these beauties and reading everyone's entries...well, I just had to join the "Club" to say thanks (and hopefully contribute and to learn more). I will be visiting the local nurseries here in snowy Vermont to find the perfect specimens to begin my natural "fence." Last Fall I transplanted much of my backyard perennials up front, added a few newbies (ie, Nikko Blue Hydrangea) and some bulbs...to begin a front yard garden...and I don't need any "intruders" destroying my plantings (hopefully the deer will find another way around the yard!)....I cannot wait to see "everyone" in their new home when the weather warms up and the snow finally leaves us...the red twig dogwoods will add immense pleasure and visual beauty...spring fever is taking hold! Thanks for the forum... and to the contributor with the high-rise garden....wonderful pictures!...thank you...Ei

dd, the good foliage you see is in full sun next to heat of a sidewalk. they don't like real dry as we found when we lost a number to 'square peg/round hole stubbornness disease'in our dry shade area. best, mindy ******for those of you who want more info and photos, i strongly suggest you post your requests on the GW shrub forum. Also, it's easy to see catalogue photos of a huge variety of woodies, w/ accurate descriptions, on the encyclopedic forestfarm site.********* Here is a link that might be useful: forestfarm, the most encyclopedic U.S. nursery catalogue for woody plants

Mary and debout - based on my microcosm of a situation (my Redosier or C. sericea redtwig is containered), I would say that sun might be a strong factor for blooms. Mine is 3 years old in a container and it is running branches that are just under 4ft in length (the plant was originally a 12" bareroot in a box from the now-defunct Frank's Nursery), and this year it bloomed for the first time - albeit a little late as far as I can tell. The branches that bloomed were those (hold on and don't get queasy... LOL) that were hanging out over the edge of my balcony in the sun. At that spot, shooting way out, those branches could get sun in summer from sunrise at ~5:30 am to ~1 pm (NE-facing spot, nothing blocking the sun being this is a hi-rise). The branches in the back that are under the "canopy" of my balcony cover didn't bloom. The blooms then gave me a single white berry by August, although I did see a bunch of insects on them, although I guess not enough to get the flowers fully pollenated: I don't mind at this point because to see it finally bloom after being a baby was exciting enough. I think the one issue for growing in full sun is to make sure that it gets plenty of water as this sucked down some water, even in a part sun spot!! I also have a variegated one (C. alba 'Elegantissima') that is about 1 1/2 years old and there is someone in my neighborhood who has a large variegated one that has to be at least 6ft tall, which was surprising to me because I usually see them kept to under 5ft with pruning. Theirs is in a pretty shady spot though, but the leaves did brighten the area rather dramatically.

Just want to update this thread. I never had any problems with my Pagoda Dogwood this year. I saw some Japanese beetles but the damage was very very little to none. I was really amazed! Probably, all the jbs went to the canna beside it. The canna really looks so bad. What an amazing discovery :D You can actually see the damage the JapBeetles did to the canna. Going back to my Pagoda tree, it produced 6-7 inches branch on top. I don't know if it produced new branches sideways. It is very healthy. It is very drought tolerant. I've never watered it, just nature. I like the straightness of the trunk as well. This was taken August 1, 2010. The picture above was from 2009.