Question
Jim, I have some dogwoods that are large and about 30 years old. They were damaged by the drought here in western NC and to look good again they need to be trimmed severely. Can they stand to be cut back like a Maple, Oak and other trees?

Answer
Dogwoods require little pruning. Dead and diseased branches should be removed as soon as they are noticed. You can the thin the branch structure of your dogwood by selectively removing crowded branches at the point where they originate from a larger branch or the trunk. You can also remove low-hanging branches. This kind of pruning, which is done to shape and thin a dogwood, is best done in late wintr or early spring before new growth begins. You should prune in the winter to keep the possibility of Dogwood borers form infesting the wounds. Be very careful not to injure the bark on the trunk; it is thin and easily injured. Injured bark provides an easy entry point for dogwood borer larvae.