This shrub is well suited to being planted at the back of garden borders or in long lines to create a dramatic flash of colour in the garden during winter cornus sericea 39cardinal39 is a deciduous dogwood shrub that after its leaves fall in autumn has bright red woody stems during winter which look fantastic on cold frosty mornings it is also a nice shrub during spring with its clusters of white flowers and in autumn when the green foliage turns to reds and yellows alongside blue