Japanese Willow 'Hakuro-nishiki'

Japanese willow 'Hakuro-nishiki' (Salix integra 'Hakuro-nishiki') is a chameleon among shrubs. In spring the slender shoots unfurl soft pink leaves, then the crown turns variegated with pink, cream-white and green brushstrokes, and by midsummer it settles into plain green.

It looks best beside water: as a specimen on a pond bank, in a group on a damp spot, or as a grafted standard on the lawn. A mature bush is 1.5-2.5 m tall and wide, yet unlike other willows it holds its shape well after a short annual prune.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: In autumn and winter the colour comes from the young shoots, which take on a reddish tone while the trunk stays grey.
• Dimensions: By 10 years it forms a globe 1.5-2.5 m tall and just as wide.
• Hardiness: Takes frosts down to -29 °C (USDA zone 5).
• Flowering: In March-April yellowish catkins open on the shoots - the first sign of spring.
• Light: It likes full sun or partial shade; in a hot climate it appreciates some afternoon shading.
• Soil: Best on moist, fertile, well-drained soil; it copes calmly with waterlogged spots and tolerates drying out better than other willows.
• Watering: It likes the soil consistently moist: in drought water generously and regularly, and standing water does it no harm.
• Care: Prune in late winter or early spring - an annual hard cut gives brighter new growth and keeps the size in hand.
• Landscape use: A specimen or small groups, shrub borders, and especially handsome by a pond or stream.