What's eating my red osier dogwood?

Red osier dogwood is most seriously damaged by dogwood borer, which tunnels into weakened stems and causes dieback. Scale insects colonize bark and reduce vigour. Deer and rabbits actively browse the bright winter stems. Aphids appear in spring but are rarely fatal on established multi-stemmed shrubs.

Entry holes with oozing sap or sawdust frass on stems; tunneling girdles and kills individual canes Prune out infested canes to the base annually; apply permethrin bark spray when adults fly (late May–June); avoid nicks from lawn mowers

Oystershell or cottony scale forming crusty patches on bark; yellowing foliage and loss of stem vitality Apply dormant horticultural oil before bud break; remove and dispose of heavily scaled stems

Browsing of stem tips and bark rubbing by antlers, especially in late autumn and winter Protect with wire fencing in deer-heavy areas; use repellent sprays reapplied monthly through winter

Sticky honeydew and distorted soft growth on shoot tips in spring; ants farm aphid colonies on stems Knock off with water; apply insecticidal soap if colonies are large; natural predators usually reduce populations by summer