How to plant dogwood

When it comes to usefulness, beauty and ease of growing, nothing beats the shrubby dogwoods, with their colourful winter stems and (in the variegated kinds) brightly painted foliage. Planting dogwoods in autumn and early winter makes most sense, as they do best in damp soil and will establish quickly. They’ll give their best if never allowed to go short of water, so it's a good idea to enrich the soil with well-rotted compost or manure before planting. Once settled, dogwoods are not fussy and will thrive even in poor, dry earth.

How to plant dogwoods

You can plant pot-grown dogwoods all year round or bare-root dogwoods between autumn and March. Right after planting, shorten stems by a third to a half, to help the plant establish properly. To enjoy winter bark colour, cut established plants to within 10cm of the ground in March, as the youngest stems have the brightest colour.

• What to plant in March