kniphofia said:Cornus can be hard pruned back to the ground in early Spring. That year's growth will produce brightly coloured stems for the next winter.
Silversurfer said:
Not all Cornus produce brightly coloured stems.
Cornus alba sibirica does and can be pruned hard in the spring.
However there are many other Cornus sp that would be ruined doing this .
eg Cornus capitata, Cornus contraversa, Cornus kousa, Cornus florida etc.