How to make a Christmas tree with dogwood branches?

Modified the 18 November 2025 by Ingrid 4 min. Autumn Difficulty: Débutant

Christmas lights are starting to bloom in the streets, shops and boutiques are adorned with a thousand lights, and you might find yourself humming Christmas carols despite yourself. No doubt, the festive season is approaching! It's time to think about decorating your home, not forgetting the traditional Christmas tree. Yes... but perhaps for various reasons (a desire for change, a small living room, a toddler, a climbing cat and tree destroyer), you want something other than the classic Nordmann fir or Spruce. What if, this year, we made a Christmas tree from Dogwood? Graphical and original with its coloured wood, it will bring a touch of whimsy to your home without cutting down any trees.

Discover our tutorial for making a Christmas tree from dogwood.

original Christmas tree made from dogwood branches

1- Which variety of dogwood to choose?

Dogwood has everything to please! It brings graphic appeal and originality, all without losing a thorn. Moreover, no shrub dies during this operation, as it is simply a pruning, encouraging the growth of new coloured shoots for the coming year. Furthermore, Cornus tolerate cutting well. This makes it an ecological and economical operation! Varieties with coloured wood, yellow, orange, red or purple, will bring cheerfulness, while remaining in warm hues, particularly the red tones, a hallmark of Christmas. Here are a few examples:

Cornus alba Baton Rouge - Red Dogwood

A beautiful variety with very bright coral-red branches, contrasting nicely with its green foliage in summer, which also turns purple-red in autumn.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 1,75 m

Cornus sericea Cardinal - Stoloniferous Dogwood

Cornus sericea 'Cardinal' stands out with its light green foliage turning bright red in autumn. Its branches, usually orange, take on raspberry-red hues in winter.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 2,50 m

Cornus stolonifera Flaviramea - Stoloniferous Dogwood

A lovely shrub with bright yellow wood in winter that will bring brightness to the garden, whether in a border or by the water.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 2 m

Cornus sanguinea Annys Winter Orange - Common Dogwood

This beautiful dogwood offers a lovely colour gradient! Its branches turn from yellow at the base to bright red at the tips, passing through orange in winter.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 2 m

Cornus alba Siberian Pearls - White Dogwood

This dogwood has green leaves that beautifully turn purple in autumn, then revealing its decorative wood, a lovely mahogany red.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 2 m

Common Dogwood - Cornus sanguinea

Cornus sanguinea has more flexible branches than other varieties, with colours ranging from red-purple to orange and green tones.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 2 m

→ Find more varieties of coloured wood dogwoods

2- What do I need?

A dogwood with coloured wood
Pruning shear to trim the branches
A large container for your branches, such as a vase or pot (a Christmas tree stand can also work)
Christmas decorations: baubles, garlands, pine cones, hips, Cotoneaster lacteus, holly, etc.
Optional: a string of lights

3- How to make a Christmas tree from dogwood?

1- Arm yourself with your disinfected pruning shears (to avoid transmitting diseases between plants), then select some beautiful branches from your dogwood;

2- Cut the branch above a bud. This will allow the tree to branch out;

dogwood branches

3- Place your branch or branches in a large container, such as a vase or large pot;

Tip: To keep the branches stable and weigh down the pot, I slipped pine cones into the vase. You can also use pretty pebbles, Christmas baubles (avoid glass ones) and even wood chips.

ecological Christmas tree made from branches

4- Then comes the moment that both little and big kids (and I too) love: the decoration! Adorn the beautiful branches with strings of lights, Christmas baubles, and other joyful decorations. All that's left is to admire your original (and ecological) Christmas tree!

decorating a Christmas tree made from branches

4- Tips and advice:

You can also decorate your tree with natural elements, such as pine cones or small berries, which are plentiful in the garden this season: cotoneaster, hips, and even ornamental apples. However, be careful that young children do not swallow them.
You can also make small decorations as a family, such as orange peel ornaments and wool pom-poms.
We recommend taking one branch of Cornus for every three, to always keep beautiful coloured and decorative shoots in the garden during winter.
Once the festive season is over, you can compost the branches by cutting them into small pieces, or keep them to create an Easter tree in spring.

Making a Christmas tree from dogwood