It may be dull and grey outside but Gina Parkinson can see signs of colour in the red-stemmed dogwood family.

Gardens can seem a little dull at the beginning of the year, although they are full of promise and there are signs of stirring as tiny shoots start to push their way through the soil.

Snowdrops and other early flowering plants such as the hellebores have yet to make an appearance and deciduous shrubs are leafless. A heavy frost or fall of snow will lift things for a while, but the dull grey days we get so often at this time do nothing to enhance a winter garden.

However, there is a group of shrubs that do their best to add colour and structure to the garden and these are the dogwoods, in particular those grown for their bright winter stems.

To make a really good show they can be underplanted with hellebores, snowdrops, winter aconites and early flowering crocus and the dark foliage of Euphorbia amygdoloides 'Purpurea' contrasts especially well with the red-stemmed dogwoods.

Cornus alba or Siberian dogwood is a vigorous plant with dark red stems and oval leaves which give good autumn colour before dropping to reveal the coloured branches.

White flowers appear on old wood in May and June followed by bluish white fruit and it is a hardy specimen that will cope with most soils in sun or shade.

One of the most popular forms is Cornus alba 'Sibirica' which is shorter growing and less vigorous than its parent but with brilliant coral red stems in winter.

Like the rest of the coloured stemmed group it is best grown in an open spot where it will be lit by sunshine for at least part of the day to highlight the beauty of its form. It also likes moist conditions and is a good choice for planting by a pond where its colour will be reflected in the water.

Variegated forms in the alba family include Cornus alba 'Sibirica Variegata' with deep coloured stems and cream edged green leaves that turn pink in autumn, 'Elegantissima' with grey-green leaves splashed with sliver and maroon stems and 'Spaethii' with golden yellow marked leaves and deep red stems.

Cornus alba 'Kesselringii' has the same vigorous growth as the rest of the group but with very dark, shiny, black-purple stems with purple-green shoots and dark green leaves that turn crimson in autumn. It looks particularly striking grown with the brighter red and yellow coloured dogwoods.

Other coloured stemmed dogwoods include Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty' sometimes named 'Winter Flame'.

This plant was introduced from Holland and has soft green leaves that turn to gold in autumn and bright gold, yellow and pink stems. Its relative C. Sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire' is a popular variety with orange-yellow and red stems and green leaves that turn orange-yellow in autumn.

It can be used for informal hedging. Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea' has canary yellow young stems and green leaves that turn reddish purple in autumn. It prefers a moist rich soil in an open situation and would provide an ideal contrast to the black stems of 'Kesselringii' mentioned above.

To get the best show of colour from dogwoods grown for their winter stems, hard pruning needs to be done in early spring. Cut the whole plant back to two or three buds of the base to encourage the growth of new stems - don't worry about cutting back so hard, growth will be rapid over spring and by summer a decent sized shrub will have formed.

:: Weekend catch-up

Take advantage of the quiet time in the garden and clean up spades, forks and trowels, washing off dried soil and rubbing over the metal parts with oil to stop them rusting.

Sort out all the plant pots and seed trays left from last summer and clean them in a mild solution of bleach to get rid of any lingering lurgies that may infect new seedlings when they are sown in a few weeks.

If the weather is really too awful to contemplate going outside, dig out all the seed catalogues that got filed away when they arrived last autumn and make a final order. Some of the more popular seeds may have sold out but there will still be a good selection available.

:: Gardening TV and Radio

Sunday, January 15

9am, Radio Leeds, Tim Crowther and Joe Maiden.

Noon, Radio York, William Jenkyns. (Repeated on Wednesday at 8pm).

2pm, Radio 4, Gardeners' Question Time. John Cushnie, Bob Flowerdew, Pippa Greenwood and chairman Jill Pyrah help gardeners in Kent with their horticultural problems. And Anne Swithinbank begins a new series in which she looks to nature to find out how to choose plants that will flourish. The gardening weather forecast is at 2.25pm.

Friday, January 20

8pm, BBC2, Christine's Garden. Horticulturist Christine Walkden returns to Lancashire to visit the tiny allotment where her passion for gardening first began.

8.30pm, BBC2, The Gardener's Year. It is early summer this week in Alan Titchmarsh's study of the gardening seasons and cottage garden plants are coming to their peak along with pots and containers.

Saturday, January 21.

8am, Radio York, Gardening Phone-in with Nigel Harrison. Telephone number 0845 300 3000.

Updated: 15:46 Friday, January 13, 2006