Does anyone not have this? One place I drive by has shrub form ones in front of a blue Atlas cedar. Looks pretty good. High grafts can arch and hang eventually, producing a weeping effect. Issues I have seen are burning of the white portions of the leaf--a search of this site might turn up multiple posts about this as well--and an at least occasional problem with some plants becoming less variegated over time.

Being a willow it wants full sun and damp soil. Being partly white it burns in full sun.

Snohomish is in USDA 8. 7 corresponds to the mountain climate, out past Gold Bar.

We have several of these planted underneath a grove of Jacquemontii Birches where I work. They are maybe 6-8 feet wide and about 5 feet tall. We have others we sell that are allowed to become small trees and others are still small shrubs. All wonderful!

It's a shrub by nature, tree shape is acheived by grafting onto stem of another kind of willow. All dappled willow same clone.

Thank you for the tips! I live in Snohomish County, north of Everett. I got Zone 7 by putting my zip code into the Gardenweb "zone finder". Is the "zone finder" one of those things I should take with a grain of salt (or dirt)?

Yes, it puts me in Zone 7 also. I'm probably about 1/4 mile from Puget Sound.

Here is a link that might be useful: Washington Zone Map

I love this plant! Nishiki willow survives even in zone 4, although it loses much of its variegation after a particularly cold winter. In the colder area of zone 7 where I live it really thrives. It can grow to be quite large but you want to prune it hard to ensure lots of new growth every year because the new wood is where the good colors are. Some people prune it all the way back (while dormant) to about 12" above ground every 3 years; others prefer to remove about 1/3 of the wood every year. I did it the first way last year and I don't care for the result--too much regrowth. I held off cutting anything out this year and next January will try removing ~1/3 of the branches. By the way, if you want lots of Nishiki willows, just stick the cuttings in the ground and they will root out over the course of the next growing season.

If you live in the colder area of Zone 7 (in western WA) you must be located someplace like the ski village at Snoqualmie summit. Most western WA gardeners are in Zone 8.

If you have a Sunset WESTERN GARDEN BOOK look at the western WA zone map on page 36, to a certain extent the Sunset climate zones correspond to the USDA hardiness zones in this instance--apparently similar data was used--but the Sunset map is more accurate and easier to read. For the most part (in western WA):

Sunset 1A = USDA 7

Sunset 4, 5 = USDA 8

WOW, I just checked out that Washington state zone map and it has the entire Olympic mountain range in zone 8a. I haven't been there for a while. Things sure change!

Yes, that part of the USDA map is a joke--as are many others. Doesn't put Snohomish in Zone 7, however. Unless the town has been moved to the mountains.

The common mistake is to think if you have 0-10 degrees F once in awhile you are in Zone 7. That's not how it works. 0-10 degrees F is the average minimum temperature for Zone 7, not the absolute minimum temperature.

HiI am a newbie to this. We have a Salix integra. Is it safe to transplant to a new area now? We planted it 2 years ago. I live in Western pa. Thanks in advance.

That looks like the 1990 map, not the latest one. The 1990 one puts my garden in Olympia in zone 7b, though it hasn't been below 20 degrees there in 9 years. I don't think the Olympic Mts are all zone 8a, but I've been surprised to find some interesting things growing there at quite high altitudes.

This year I've seen two other dappled willows similar but slightly different from 'Hakuro Nishiki'. One has greyish leaves and is quite attractive.

Probably one that is becoming less variegated, at least for the moment. The base color is grayish green.

I have been able to grow 3 of them from cuttings even without RH. The 3rd one I have just started trying to shape a tree form. Has anyone tried this ? Will it work ?

-LG

I've seen three distinct cultivars at the same retailer, and all from the same grower (Hines), I just can't remember the names. One was more distinctive from 'Hakuro Nishiki' (much greyer) than the other one.

I've seen a second name used, but not three yet. Not at all clear there is more than one plant involved. Haven't looked at numerous examples or done any other research, didn't notice the second name until recently.

The nishiki willow is one we put in a creeklet and it's survived well. It had trouble adjusting to the standing water at first, but this spring has come back with a flourish. I didn't prune it at all because I didn't want to traumatize it in its first year in this wet yard. Next January I'll prune it down 1/3 as recommended above. Perhaps there will still be a spot in the creeklets to put the cuttings; this is a lovely bush!

Here's mine as it just started getting the pink blush at tip ends:

{{gwi:365798}}">

Hello. My name is ron I,am kind of new to this I just brought four of the willow dappled.I,am not going to put them in to the ground until the spring will they survive the winter.I,am in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin any information would helpful.

Since this willow is borderline hardy for you (zones 5-8 and you're in 5), waiting until spring to plant is a good idea :-)) A garage or cold basement or other cool area that remains at or above freezing should be good for winter storage. The plant is dormant now and really doesn't require any light, so that is not a factor. You may need to check on watering from time to time throughout the winter. You don't want the soil to dry completely but neither do you want it too moist - barely damp to the touch should do it.

Here is a link that might be useful: cultural info on dappled willows

I've seen some top-grafted ones in local gardens this year that were really quite nice, the cascading effect resulting from putting them up on a stem that elevates the crown of the willow quite an enhancement.

I planted two dappled willows this summer, and they are tall and thin. I am worried about the heavy Wisconsin snows breaking them. Should I cut them back early winter or wait until spring?

Love these "trees" I have about 8 of these. 7 I planted from bare root just stix that have grown to about 3 feet then willow down gracefully. I have trained them to be tree like. Doing very well. The first one I received two years ago this May.It also has been trained into a tree form with three trunks each about 3 inches around and about 10 feet tall to where they willow so gracefully. I feel water is very important to them.

The leaves on this plant are turning brown what am I doing wrong? not all of them just a few what does it need? more water or fertizlizer is miracle grow ok? since I live in zone 5 when is the best time to prune it?

How do you make a dappled willow shrub into a a dappled willow tree? Any information would be GREAT!!! Thanks!

oh, i like the part of the thread when its 2007 and someone cursed the weather. "it hasn't been below 20 degrees in olympia in 9 years!".

gee thanks!

Paghat turned hers into a multi-limbed tree, see link.

I just got one of these, but am also trying to grow more natives instead of introduced plants, so a conflict of interest. Oh well, they are lovely.

Here is a link that might be useful: paghat

what makes the ends have a pinkish tip? Is this the flowering part in spring or just new leaves? Will the pink tips eventually go green? Thanks

I just planted five dappled willows in tree form, hoping they would grow to their maximum height. After the landscaper planted them, I noticed that the center stalk had been cut, I assume to limit their height. Can I continue to cut lower limbs to coax them higher?

I love this tree I would like to have. Another

For anyone still reading this outdated thread, the tree form of the dappled willow is not just the original shrub "trained" as a standard - it is the willow shrub grafted onto the stem of another upright (tree) willow species. Where the graft is located is as tall as the trunk portion will ever get. But the willow shrub itself - Salix integra - can get quite large if left to its own devices.....6-8' across and as much as 10' tall. Allowing it to reach that size as a grafted topknot on a shortish trunk would look ridiculous, so the shrubby top portion is routinely pruned to keep size in check.

And many folks apply the same principle to the ungrafted shrub as well, routinely cutting it back each year to keep size in check. This can sometimes have the advantage of increasing the twiggy stem growth so the plant looks very full and lush when it leafs out.

And the pink portion is only the coloration of new leaf growth. Flowers on this shrub are the typical willow catkins and not particularly heavy in production or very showy.