Dappled Willow 'Hakuro-nishiki'
Salix integra ‘Hakuro-nishiki’ · a variegated dappled willow
Grown for leaves that open pink and mature to a dappled mix of cream, pink and green, then red stems in winter, a fast shrub for borders and pond edges. It thrives in wet soil and, unlike most willows, takes drier spots too. Prune it each late winter for the brightest colour; summer heat fades it to green.
- Mature size
- 10 × 10 ft
- 3 × 3 m, tall × wide
- Hardiness
- Zones 5a–8b
- USDA
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Dry to moist
- Blooms
- Mar–Apr
Dappled Willow 'Hakuro-nishiki' at its mature size
A mature Dappled Willow 'Hakuro-nishiki' grows to about 10 ft tall and 10 ft wide, taller than most people.
Drawn to scale beside a 5 ft 9 in person. With VeraScape, you see it at this size in your own yard.
Typical mature size, unpruned. Sources: NC State Extension, Missouri Botanical Garden, Monrovia, plantdetectives.com.
Through the year
What Dappled Willow 'Hakuro-nishiki' looks like month by month in a typical zone 6–7 garden.
Dormant · Dec–Mar
Bare: dense thin arching twigs, the young stems red, the older stems gray.
New growth · Apr–May
Just after leafing out: the newest leaves at each shoot tip a soft shrimp-pink, fading to creamy white and then green lower on the shoot; about a third of the leaves pink, the rest creamy white and green; reads pink-and-white from a distance, not solid hot pink or magenta.
In leaf · Jun–Sep
Narrow leaves variegated creamy white and green, a light pink blush at the shoot tips.
Fall · Oct–Nov
Leaves turned a soft yellow, some still green, holding late.
Growing Dappled Willow 'Hakuro-nishiki'
- Grows well in
- The Northeast, the Midwest, the Plains and Mountain West, and the Pacific Northwest.
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Good for
- Hedge, drought tolerant, rain garden, winter interest, and fast growing
- Leaves
- Drops its leaves in winter
- Native to
- China, Japan, Korea, and Southeastern Siberia
Spacing for a hedge
VeraScape spaces plants so their grown canopies just touch. For Dappled Willow 'Hakuro-nishiki', that’s about 10 ft apart, center to center.
Place a row in your own yard and VeraScape spaces them at their mature width, so you can see whether they’ll crowd the walk.
See Dappled Willow 'Hakuro-nishiki' in your yard before you dig
Visualize it at its true size, alongside the rest of your design.