Urgent advice required (dogwood?)

[Montezumasrevenge]

Only urgent in the sense that I've just bought a new cordless hedge cutter and must must must make use of this glorious weather.

We have, what I call, "red sticks" growing in the front garden. Google tells me they are some form of dogwood. But not a tree, they seem to have an enormous root system and pop up independently, not from a trunk or any main branches iyswim.

They are taking over and I need to know how to contain them if you please? RHS website states to cut back to knee height which is fine . But what about the ones that are spreading and growing up through surrounding trees and hedges? Not sure if I can dig them out easily as their are so many other shrubs.

Sorry it's so long, tl:dr version: how do I stop dogwood spreading all through the garden?

Hopeful bump...

I'm afraid you've got the answer, you need to dig out the roots. You could try just getting back all excessive shoots to the ground, but it will be a continuous job.

No advice but extremely jealous of your opportunity to play with your new toy - I bought a leaf sucker a few weeks ago and it's done nothing but rain here ever since

You need to dig it up. Every time I cut mine back it whispers, 'oh yummy, pruning. Astrantia obviously want me to treble in size."

Thank you both, think I'm just going to attack it with power tools! Raah!

Just checking to see what a gardening emergency might be, but I see you guys have it covered

Bloody stuff

Hacked it with secateurs in the end. Hopefully it might grow back in a nicer shape anyway.

At least yours is nice red stemmed stuff. My garden is awash with bastarding dull as ditchwater dogwood and fuck me but it's almost as big a pain as the bamboo we are trying to eradicate.