I am wondering in what way are they not doing well, what do they look like and what do you think they should look like? I find that the natural dogwood in my prairie-oak savanna area (don't know if they are redosier or not) do not look like the dogwood you find in landscapes from nurseries. They are in competition for nutrients and water with the plants around them, and they are more sparse and less uniform. The plants themselves look healthy though, no signs of disease. Is this what you have also? I am no expert, but I think that this may be the nature of the beast here and that with time, the clumps may spread to give the visual effect that you are after. As far as fertilizer goes, I don't fertilize my natural area, I doesn't seem "natural"...Either way, I wouldn't prune them till spring, pruning is usually beneficial only when used to encourage growth, they are taking a break now and will get the 'hint' better in the spring....Good luck, Helen

I would consider pruning other, nearby plants to give them more space to grow. I wouldn't prune them to the ground this fall, because you'll miss out on any red stem color this winter. In the spring, you might prune the whole thing back, or remove only larger, older stems that not longer produce much red color. I don't like to fertilize in natural areas because it tends to encourage weeds.

Thanks much for responding. The stems are sparse...and they do look relatively healthy... There is also some competition that could be limiting their growth. The soil in that part of my property is a clayey sand and may not be redosier's favorite soil. Would manure be a good idea or no? Greg

I think it would. The following link is a good source of information: http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/shrubs/cornusser.html
Helen.