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| Hello- I planted the above dappled willow, which looks very different from another dappled willow shrub I purchased and planted from the same lot of plants. What do I do to make it "bushier?" Note: I do believe it is experiencing a little transplant shock as some of the mid-branch leaves are yellowing.
Rather than the arrangement I have, I prefer what the plant looks like at this link: http://www.bhfnursery.com/plantdetail.php?ID=707 Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Cut it back to about 8 inches. I would wait until next year, it's going through enough right now getting established. |
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| Hard prune willows at end of winter. Note, however, that it is normal for non-alpine types to be "willowy" (hence the expression). People do shear this particular willow into tight shapes but then when the leaves are off plants so handled looked congested and stubbly. |
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- Posted by formandfoliage 9b (Sunset zone 15) (My Page) on Sat, Jun 23, 12 at 16:21
| I have never touched mine and it looked like yours for the first year after I planted it, and now, a couple of years later, it looks like the one in your link! It's a very vigorous grower, and you could help it along as others suggest but I think you'll be pleased with the way that it grows naturally. Just make sure that it gets enough water. |
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- Posted by formandfoliage 9b (Sunset zone 15) (My Page) on Sat, Jun 23, 12 at 16:25
| I have never touched mine and it looked like yours for the first year after I planted it, and now, a couple of years later, it looks like the one in your link! It's a very vigorous grower, and you could help it along as others suggest but I think you'll be pleased with the way that it grows naturally. Just make sure that it gets enough water. |
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- Posted by formandfoliage 9b (Sunset zone 15) (My Page) on Sat, Jun 23, 12 at 16:25
| I have never touched mine and it looked like yours for the first year after I planted it, and now, a couple of years later, it looks like the one in your link! It's a very vigorous grower, and you could help it along as others suggest but I think you'll be pleased with the way that it grows naturally. Just make sure that it gets enough water. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, Jun 24, 12 at 9:11
| you just planted it.. put down the cutters and step away ... insure proper deep watering all summer... it needs time.. and your patience ... your expectations.. of how fast a recent transplant .. and an established shrub.. can grow.. in just a few months.. are a bit high ... the first year.. all i expect.. is for it to live.. period.. the leaves are its food making machines.. and it needs food ... to grow the disturbed roots .. if you cut them off.. i fear for it.. but being a willow. i doubt you will kill it ... ken |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, Jun 24, 12 at 12:36
| boy that answer of mine.. may as well have been in Yiddish.. lol here is the short summary.. we dont prune recently planted trees/shrubs/conifer .. take that.. and maybe the rest above will make some sense.. lol .. ken |
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| Leave it alone to establish roots and get well settled in during this summer. Survival the first year is all you can expect, as Ken says. Not sure how big you want this to grow. My Dappled Willow is kept smaller, by yearly shearing of the growth from last year. Mine only has a couple HEAVY stems from the ground, which have lots of new growth from the shearing each year. I get almost 4ft of growth each season, from those stems upward and outward. I shear to get the white color when it leafs out. The second year after planting, I just let it grow and it got so big it was overwhelming the space. Also had no special colors on the leaves. So that third year I went after it before the buds had gotten started in the Spring. I trimmed it back severely, to those two main stems. I left them about 30 inches tall, and all new growth rose above from there. That third year I got my white color back on the new leaves, which holds well until about late August. It makes a great color spot in the yard these days. Those two stems are about 3" thick at ground level, with lots of other heavy branching limbs at the 30 inch top for new growth to sprout from. Looks terrible for a short time after shearing, but fills out very well in a short time. |
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