Dappled Willow

That beautiful shrub sporting “flamingo” inspired deep pink new growth each spring is known as the Dappled Japanese Willow  (Salix integra “Hakuro-nishiki” ).  This light, airy shrub is quickly  becoming one of the more popular colorful plants for landscapes today.  Whether working to curb erosion near streams or to hide your yard from prying eyes as hedges, the Dappled Willow will bring the weeping elegance of rain gardens to your landscape. New growth on the Dappled Willow is a pretty pink color bursting forth each Spring and is often mistaken for flowers.  This colorful foliage eventually fades to a striking mix of white, green, and pink as the summer moves on.  The limbs tend to grow long and have a nice arching effect.   I was so impressed the first time I saw a Dappled Willow and loved how it was so colorful, cheerful and different.  I’m always looking for something different to add to my landscape so I had to have one!

These shrubs will loose their leaves each winter leaving behind striking red stems which add winter interest.  I like to cut these stems to use in arrangements to add structure and color.     Or, if you want more of these beautiful bushes, stick the cut red stems in the ground and chances are you will see little leaves sprouting come spring.  That was easy now, wasn’t it?  

 This unique, fun shrub is known to be a rapid grower requiring little maintenance other than pruning each winter to maintain desired size.  I cut mine almost to the ground each winter only to be blessed with beautiful new growth and color each Spring.  Since the brightest colors are on new growth, pruning is encouraged to maintain that starburst shape and size and promote colorful new foliage.

Dappled Willows are resistant to deer, tolerate wet soil and are hardy in zones 4 through 9.  Plant in full sun to part shade and they seem to tolerate most soil types without a problem.  

• An easy-care plant that can help solve your yard’s wet spot problem.
• Prune to whatever shape and size you want!  Prune it to fit in a formal garden, leave it willowy, prune in a circular shape, or leave it alone to grow in a more natural setting as a specimen plant.
• Enjoy the new growth each Spring as this color explosion will last a long time, especially compared to some of the more fleeting Spring-blooming shrubs.
• Dappled Willow provides year-round interest with its red stems in the late Fall into Winter.

Keep in mind:

• Just like any plant in the Willow family, their roots will seek out water. Avoid planting Dappled Willow near your water pipes or drains.
• Dappled Willow is a very fast grower so make sure you plant it where it will have room to grow.

At the Ranch:  We have several sized of Dappled Willow available.  We currently have one and three gallon size plants.  We also have over 200 small plants (liners) in quart containers.  Last summer I planted small rooted cuttings into a “grow bed”.  These plants were over 4 foot tall by end of summer, I was amazed!   They have now been pruned to about 10to 12 inches and dug up.  After trimming the roots, I potted then into gallon and three gallon containers to be ready for our spring sales.  That was a job to say the least but they should be gorgeous.  You better come by and get one!

Dappled Willow

Dappled Willow new foliage