We decided to plant these beautiful, wispy trees in our backyard and fell in love! Best backyard decision ever! Below I will share what I’ve learned about the Dappled Willow trees and what mine look like one and two years after planting. Big changes happen quickly with these trees!
When I went to my local nursery to ask about planting a tree in our backyard, we mentioned that we get excess water in our backyard. One of their suggestions was planting a Dappled Willow tree. This tree is not necessarily recommended specifically to help with excessive water, but we just had a small amount of pooling and the employee mentioned that this type of tree loves water.
Here’s a quick overview of the Dappled Willow tree. If you want more information, a quick Google search will bring up whatever else you need to know.
- Official name: Salix integra hakuro ‘Nishiki’
- Other names: Tri-Color Dappled Willow or Variegated Dappled Willow Tree
- Part sun to full sun
- Zones 4-9
- 8-10 feet tall
- 5 to 7 feet wide
- Official prune time: early spring
- Fast grower: 2 to 3 feet per year
- New growth is pink and eventually turns white
- Deciduous tree
- Red branches in the winter
- Also is available in a shrub
Things to consider before planting your Dappled Willow:
- This tree is extremely fast growing! Even if the tree is trimmed back significantly, it will grow back quickly throughout the spring and summer – I’m talking a quick 2 to 3 feet! Space your trees and other plants out for mature growth. Dappled Willow trees grow to be about 8 to 10 feet tall and 5 to 7 feet wide, so plan accordingly! We planted the trees roughly 6 feet apart. I realize that is very close, however we wanted them to touch, and this was part of the plan. I will be diligent in pruning them to keep the round shape that I want.
February
May
Early July
- I followed the planting instructions from the local nursery. I did the usual: dig a hole twice the size of the pot, mix whatever garden soil/soil builder you have with the native soil, use fertilizer if needed, pack down the soil to get rid of air pockets, and make sure the trunk is straight. I would absolutely recommend stabilizing your tree for about two years.
This was recommended for my plants/trees because our soil is full of clay and rocks.
- These guys love water! I watered every day the first summer, then I started watering them every other day and cut back to two times a week in the fall. During especially hot times, I will go back to every other day. These trees tell you when they are thirsty! Their leaves will start to turn brown at the end if they need more water. (I still water mine more often since I have two close together.)
- I have read mixed reviews on whether or not their roots are invasive. We were told they were not, but just keep that in mind if you plan on planting this tree. From what I’ve read, the roots are not invasive like a giant Weeping Willow tree, however willows in general do like water.
We started out planting this tree on one side of our yard, but we loved it so much that we decided to plant more the following year. Here is what our trees look like years one and two after being planted. **Keep in mind that these trees are a few years old (they are typically sold between one to three years) when I bought them from the nursery.
One year after planting:
- The trees grew quite a bit in the first year. We put in four new trees, and two of the four have branches that are reaching 10 feet tall. They aren’t nearly as full as they eventually will be. The other two are about 8 feet tall.
The trunks are also still very thin, measuring about 1.25 inches in diameter. Because this tree is top heavy with a thin trunk, it is important to provide it with support.
We have tried several methods for supporting our trees to ensure that they grow straight:
- From planting until the first year, I used a small stake and gardening tape to support the trees. I noticed, however, that the trees were leaning toward the sun. I decided to use a hardier method around the 1 year mark. I attached the gardening tape to our fence so it was sturdier. Although I don’t love the look of the green tape now, I know it will be worth it once the tree is sturdier and growing straight. It is important to use a support method that allows the trunk to grow and expand. You will choke the tree if you stake it tightly (with rope for example) and the tree will eventually die. Make sure that whatever you wrap around the tree will stretch as the tree grows. I use this green gardening tape. It is supposed to be used for tomatoes and other “light” jobs, but this has worked just fine for holding up our Dappled Willows!
- I realize there are other forms of support methods like the following picture/link, however I have two children that run around our backyard, throwing balls, doing cartwheels, etc. Our backyard is not big, and I did not want something sticking out of the ground that they could accidently trip over or fall on. I needed to think outside of the box and do something that would keep my kids safe and keep my trees straight.
- No matter what method you use when adding support to your tree, you need to make sure your tree is able to move with the wind. Don’t stake it up so strong that it can’t move. The movement allows the roots to grow stronger which helps the tree to support itself. This growth is essential for your mature tree because this tree gets very full and top heavy.
Two years after planting:
We no longer needed to stake up the tree, and therefore I was able to remove the support. The trunk is thick enough to hold the tree up straight. The truck diameter is currently almost 2 1/4 inches wide. I expect them to get even bigger next year.
- The trees filled out and became very dense in year two. I cut them back fairly significantly in late winter. Within two months, the trees had grown back and completely filled in! It is now mid-summer, and the branches have grown out the full 3 feet since spring.
- Dappled Willow trees are supposed to grow to be about 8-10 feet tall. After two years, our tallest branches have already reached about 10 feet tall. I will continue to prune them to keep them about this size.
Things I’ve learned and my take-a-ways:
- If you need to trim these trees, do it (up to ⅓ branch size). It is suggested that you prune them late winter, but I’ve had to do it during the summer, as well. They will grow back! (That is one of the best things about this tree!) You can shape them however you want.
- The tips of the leaves will turn brown if you aren’t watering enough.
- They provide privacy in the spring and summer months. My husband and I wish we lived in the middle of the woods. We, however, do not! We weren’t necessarily going for coverage when choosing these trees, but boy do they provide it!
- In the spring, the new growth starts, and it is a beautiful pink color. As the summer goes on, the pink tips turn white. The leaves fall off in the fall, and the branches turn a nice red color. This remains throughout the winter.
- Consider protecting the trunks, especially when the diameter is small. We had a buck rub up against two of our trees in our backyard (couldn’t believe it hopped the fence). We used a pool noodle, cut it to size, and sliced it down the middle. Luckily, we were able to save the trees!
If you want a beautiful, low maintenance, fast growing tree, look no further than the Dappled Willow tree! We absolutely love what they’ve added to our backyard!
