I am a home owner in Maple Ridge BC I'm very interested in gardening but have not done much in the past. I have a west faceing front yard with a beautiful pink dogwood tree. How & when should I prune it? It is beginning to hang over my drive & I'm concerned that vehicles could get damaged or do damage to the tree. A rather large limb is shooting off from relatively close to the base of the trunk. Do I cut the entire limb? What zone do I live in. I'm also wanting to order plants from Vessey's seeds. Are they a reputable company? Thanks for any /all help! Phew...
Heavy pruning of mature dogwoods is not desirable, it is easy to quickly spoil them. If concerned maybe hire a consultant to come and look at it, otherwise make your own decision. Vehicles banging into it or branches hitting you in the face would be a good indication of a time for action. Try to find a side branch you can cut the offending part all the way back to, so that when you are done it looks like the tree grew where you wanted on its own. Don't leave stubs or partly cut away branches that make the tree look hedged, and try to avoid cutting large branches off at the main trunk - where decay fungi might gain entry afterward.
