Red Twig Dogwood is grown for its foliage and the structure it brings to a planting. It's hardy across USDA zones 2 through 7 and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its spring flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies.
Red Twig Dogwood — the short answer
Red Twig Dogwood: grown in zones 2–7, part sun, pH 3.9–7.7.
- USDA zones
- 2–7
- Hardy to zone 2a — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.
- Soil pH
- 3.9–7.7
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Part Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Frost-kill temp (growing season)
- 32°F
- FAO ECOCROP
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Red Twig Dogwood on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether red twig dogwood actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score red twig dogwood against your land's real conditions.
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What Red Twig Dogwood is
Red Twig Dogwood grows as a perennial and reaches around eight feet at maturity. It blooms in spring. It's also well suited to containers.
How to grow Red Twig Dogwood
Red Twig Dogwood grows in USDA zones 2 through 7. Red Twig Dogwood does best in part sun — at least 4 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 3.9 to 7.7, on evenly moist to well-drained ground.
USDA Zones
2-7
Rated hardy to zone 2a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.
Soil pH
3.9 - 7.7
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Part Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
poorly (saturated >50% of year), well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
32°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
42.8°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Mature Height
8 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant red twig dogwood in part sun with at least 4 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat.
Match the soil
Red Twig Dogwood prefers pH 3.9 to 7.7 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Keep it in good form
Prune red twig dogwood to shape as it grows; the reward is its foliage and structure, not a harvest, so steady upkeep is the whole job.
Where Red Twig Dogwood thrives
Red Twig Dogwood is hardy across USDA zones 2 through 7. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 2–7 spans average winter lows from -50°F to 10°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 23 outright and splits 25 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 2–7·Where Red Twig Dogwood growsOpen map →
Continental US shown — Alaska and US Pacific territories sit outside the federal map's polygon dataset.
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Red Twig Dogwood stands, state by state
Red Twig Dogwood is rated for zones 2–7 — a cold floor USDA puts at -50 to -40°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 23 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 25 more, and 3 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 2–7
23 states
3 of 23 shown
The line runs through
25 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- Idaho · zones 3b-8a
- California · zones 4b-11a
3 of 25 shown
Red Twig Dogwood’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Red Twig Dogwood
Growing guides for red twig dogwood
Good to know
Red Twig Dogwood offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Your land is one point inside Red Twig Dogwood's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Red Twig Dogwood will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether red twig dogwood actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Red Twig Dogwood
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Red Twig Dogwood in my zone?
Red Twig Dogwood grows in USDA hardiness zones 2 through 7 (Rated hardy to zone 2a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Red Twig Dogwood?
Red Twig Dogwood is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Red Twig Dogwood need?
Red Twig Dogwood does well in partial sun — around 4 hours of direct sun, and it takes some afternoon shade in stride. That flexibility makes it a good match for a bed the house or a nearby tree shades for part of the day. A Growable Ground report maps how the sun actually falls on your land, hour by hour, so you can set it where the light lines up.
What soil does Red Twig Dogwood need?
Red Twig Dogwood prefers soil pH 3.9 to 7.7, on evenly moist to well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Red Twig Dogwood attract pollinators?
Yes — red twig dogwood's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Keep exploring Red Twig Dogwood
Red Twig Dogwood state by state
Every state red twig dogwood's zone reaches — 33 link straight to that state's red twig dogwood growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.