I had 3 of them that were in moderate shade, they did ok. But the problem I had with them was they were so far back I couldn't enjoy the color in winter since I couldn't see them from my window. I realized after the fact that I shouldn't have bothered to pay the premium for that variety.

Good luck.

i have several planted in deep shade under a norway maple and they are doing fine (and after being transplanted 3x!!).

Both Cornus sericea 'Artic Fire' (3'-4'tall) and Cornus
sericea 'Kelseyi' (2' tall) have performed well for me in
shade. . .the real trick with red-twig dogwood, though, is
siting them in front of a light colored wall or fence, or
a tawny clump of over-wintering ornamental grass, which was my favorite solution. . .

Incidentally, there's a fair amount of confusion in the
trade between Cornus sericea and/or Cornus stoloniferous -
easier to look for the varietal name.

Carl

Carl,
Thank you. The one I have on the north side of my white masonry home does great. What is the difference between Cornus sericea and Cornus stoloniferous. I have about a dozen red-twig, and there are many different looks. Have you propagated yours? I'm going to some of that this year as I am getting tired of paying for them. Again, thanks, Ron

I have one growing in front of my house almost directly in the shade of a large maple and it's doing fine. It is a western exposure so it probably gets more afternoon light because of that. Mine has variagated leaves so it really shows up. Definitely one of my favorite shrubs.