Dappled willow
Salix integra 'Hakuro-nishiki' · Popular
New leaves open shrimp pink, turn white mottled with green, and finally green, on arching, coral-red stems. From a distance the whole bush looks as if it is in flower.
- Size
- 6 ft tall, 6 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around dappled willow
The planner designed this bed around dappled willow when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why dappled willow stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dappled willow × 1, variegated leaves
- 2 Dianthus 'Kahori' × 13, pink
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 40, yellow
- 4 White mugwort × 4, cream
- 5 Siberian iris 'Caesar's Brother' × 3, purple
- 6 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 8, pink
- 7 Double snowdrop × 7, white
- 8 Grecian windflower × 8, blue
- 9 Daffodil × 3, orange
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 6 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to white mugwort (5 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 11 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 10 of the 10 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' is the plant there is most of: 40 of the 87. Cool colours (pink, purple and blue) with yellow and orange as the warm notes, and cream and white to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 5 Good, 2 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where dappled willow goes in a border
At 6 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is very tall (5 to 6½ ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
The colour is all in the new growth, so trim it lightly two or three times in summer to keep fresh shoots coming. It needs moist soil and some shade from hot afternoon sun.
- A colourful focal point
- Moist soil
- A standard (small tree) for containers
What to plant with dappled willow
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Siberian iris: adds the flowers, late May to late June; low enough (2½ ft) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Japanese anemone: adds the flowers, mid August to early October; low enough (3 ft) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Lady's mantle: adds the flowers, late May to early July; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about dappled willow
Does dappled willow need sun or shade?
Dappled willow grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and plenty of water.
What zones does dappled willow grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should dappled willow be planted?
5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 ft (180 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 ft (180 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many dappled willow plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is dappled willow poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like dappled willow?
Dappled willow is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Dwarf blue spruce: the same job in a bed; 24 in shorter, keeps its leaves in winter.
- Tatarian dogwood 'Ivory Halo': the same size; an anchor, not a specimen, medium leaves, not fine.
- Inkberry: the same size; an anchor, not a specimen, keeps its leaves in winter.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does dappled willow look like in winter?
Dappled willow drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
More Salix
- Dwarf arctic willow Salix purpurea 'Nana'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 6 ft (180 cm) tall, 6 ft (180 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Very tall (5 to 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, deciduous; variegated
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- High
- Feeding
- None needed
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.