The willow group is huge! Do you know the genus & species (or even common name) of what you are talking about? One of the more ubiquitous ones lately, seen at big box stores alot last year, has been Salix integra 'Hakuro Nishiki' (dappled willow), but that might not be what you're talking about. Need more info!

Sorry about that. I guess it's like saying, "Oh, you're from Chicago? Do you know a guy named Bill who lives there?"

I actually have a couple Hakuro Nishiki and they are indeed colorful. Very leggy and wild, but colorful.

Below are some of the descriptions I pulled from the online nurseries.

NATUREHILLS.COM:
The Willow Hybrid tree, Salix Willow Hybrid, also called a Hybrid Willow, will, on average, and under normal conditions, grow six feet per year. Under ideal conditions and on good sites the growth rate is even faster, up to twenty feet a year. Planted as a hedge, screen, windbreak, or to line a road or drive, you can expect this tree to be over 20Â tall and 15Â wide in just three years.

This deciduous tree can grow to over 70Â tall. This tree will require supplemental water until established. It is not a Weeping Willow, but an upright growing majestic tree. Many homeowners use this tree as a shade tree because of its fast growth and quick shade.

GREENWOODNURSERY.COM:
Salix Alba Matsudunna Through a special purchase, we are again able to offer for sale this season this nationally advertised fast growing tree species. Willow hybrid, on average and under normal conditions, will grow six feet per year. Planted as a hedge, screen, windbreak, or to line a road or drive, you can expect this tree to be over 20' tall and 15' wide in just three years. It can grow to over 70' tall.

DIRECTGARDENING.COM:
Salix Hybrids are the fastest growing trees we know of for shade, privacy, wind protection, and soil conservation. They can grow up to 20 feet in only one season! Trees are DISEASE RESISTANT and do not spread by seed or suckers. They often reach 80-100 feet tall with lateral branches from the ground up.

Thanks,

Michelle

i would rather poke my eyes out and gnaw off my own arms .. before i would ever plant any willow ...

anything with a 20 foot per year growth rate.. is fast to grow.. fast to die.. fast to be a WEAK tree .. fast to cost you a lot of money to remove ...

let me put it this way .... if they are selling 5 for 8 bucks.. that means they reproduce or root freely .. and i would presume they are invasive ... if they were slow growing.. then the sellers investment would dictate a higher price ...

please .. please.. please ... do NOT plant willows ...

but of course.. knock yourself out with whatever decision you make ...

ken

PS: i feel the same way about maples/mulberries/cottonwoods and poplars ....

PPS: if it sounds to good to be true.. you know the rest ...

Well - based on that 2nd source calling it "Salix Alba Matsudunna", I found a variety of "Salix alba x matsudana" here under "The GlobalCompendium of Weeds", listed as a noxious weed. So right there, assuming it is a similar or the same hybrid (but with a misspelling), then I think that speaks for itself!

Thanks for the info. I'm going to pass on this shrub completely and find another that suits my needs. I don't need it to be that big, just enough to prevent trespassing.

Thanks,

Michelle

What you need is cockspur hawthorn. ;-)

Ernie

First, I would question any willow claiming up to 24 feet in a year -
Second, there are literally thousands of hybrid willows - saying 'hybrid willow' is like saying 'hybrid corn'. Each one has it's own characteristics. Hybrid willows are produced by using the pollen from one tree to fertilize another, then the resulting seeds are planted and the best are selected for use.
Third, the term hybrid willow only refers to the fact that it is from a cross pollenation - those best plants are reproduced as clones from that plant usually from cuttings.
Fourth, the preferred selection should be a sterile male, even though willows seldom spread by seed in our country, thereby eliminating the possibility of being considered a noxious weed because of it's uncontrolled reproduction or it's effects on native plants.

My suggestion is to not buy a "Pig in a poke(sack)" If the grower doesn't know what they are selling, find one who does. Cloned trees are usually named or more usually identified by a code such as SX61 a Japanese origin hybrid willow or NZ4650 which is from New Zealand or SV1 which was developed in New York.

Here is a link that might be useful: BioSeedlings

A concern with willows is that the ROOTS are invasive and strong... they can damage underground pipes, especially sewer lines and cause expensive damage. Beyond that, I personally don't see the harm, as long as you aren't considering them a permanent fix because they are somewhat short-lived and prone to blowing down in storms.

I have 25 willows, lots of variety. Did buy 6 of the hybrids advertised as fast growers but they all croaked. Swamp in winter.

Best willow here is Prairie Cascade, extremely fast grower, no shedding, bright golden trunk and branches in winter, luscious dark green glossy leaves in summer, lovely form. Huge. Very hardy.

Bought 5 blue arctics, cute little things, but their rootstock, smithiana, suckered like mad and we let them grow, needed the shade desperately, very big fat and tall now, swishing green canopy, bright yellow puffy flowers early spring, will be cutting off many of these enormous suckers this January as the specimen trees under their canopy are finally old enough to handle bright sun.

Planted willows to suck up vast amount of swamp water. Working!

For a screening border plant a variety of conifers and broadleaf evergreens. Match your soil and water conditions to plants that will thrive in your yard. Willows, except for the Prairie Cascade (at least in my yard), shed all year and are prone to snap crackle pop in the wind and ice.

I'm thinking these are like the "austrees" that are advertised? I looked them up once too, and heard that the life span on these trees (not what the sellers say, but what buyers have said) is not very good. But I suppose...since they do grow so fast.... we live on a busy road, and my husband wanted to look into these to block out the traffic so we could actually have some privacy in our yard.

My intention (as I assume is others, as well) was to plant these paired with other more desirable, longer lived trees (such as an oak, for example) to get some amount of green/privacy/shade/whatever fairly soon while the other tree develops over time. When the willows on it's way out the better will be there to fill in.

Do these Hybrid Aussie Willow Tree really grow as fast as they're purported to?

If so, Might any of you be willing to spare a few cuttings?

{{gwi:278592}}
here is a pic of a hybrid willow hedge I have. Its high maintenance to keep it a certain height, but I get plenty of cuttings to plant elsewhere though, so it works for me. Anyways, anybody that has less than an acre, shouldn't let this plant attain mature size or it'll be a curse.

The former owners of my home planted several austrees along the back fence of a 1/3 acre lot. They were 8-12 feet when we moved in three summers ago. They are taller than our two-story home, and I have pruned them at least twice a year. Maybe this year I will cut them down a lot more to see what happens.

The good thing is that they do offer privacy from our back neighbors, and they do look nice, particularly in the wind.

The bad is that they are very messy. Leaves EVERYWHERE. We had one four-inch trunk break this year in a wind storm. I am a bit fearful of their roots getting into our sprinkler system or worse. I am also a bit fearful that they will die off, leaving us with a lot of removal fees. And they LOVE water. I've heard from others whose trees died because they were not irrigated.

If you have a large plot of land with ample room for the trees and you want them for privacy, I would consider them, so long as you water them or they get a lot of rain. If you live in a residential area, I would not. I would much rather have a nice tall hedge of shrubs than austrees.

We purchase 27 of these plants from Nature Hills. All 27 of them never sprouted! (They are shipped bareroot in dormancy) We called Nature Hills and they told us to give it more time. We gave it 6 weeks and still nothing. Nature Hills won't issue us a refund and tell us they don't have any of these plants left this season. (Could it be they shipped us the last of the stock and it was less than healthy?) Nature Hills solution to the problem is to have us re-purchase the plants next year. Hardly a solution! I would discourage anyone from purchasing from Nature Hills. Customer service is non-existent and they don't stand behind their products.

I bought my willows from reputable mail order nurseries who had complete details about the plant. Two that have a large variety are Bluestem Nursery http://www.bluestem.ca/ and Forest Farm Nursery. The variety of stem and leaf and growth habit is incredible

I have a corner lot and I grow several different types as hedges to screen out the street view. My favorites are salix daphanoides and a silver leafed willow whose latin name escapes me at the moment.

Ken, you feel the same way about willows as you do maples?

I heard people rip on willows (they do have their place) but maples?? Or maybe you specifically mean Silver Maple?

felisa is right. There are many many different kinds of willows. Its not appropriate to knock them all, just because of your experience with one.

austrees sounds like one of those hyper-marketed plants.

Anyone have any backyard pics of their hybrid willow. I dont want to spend over $200 on 10 trees and I need privacy NOW from my starring neighbor!

We live in Buffalo, NY and are looking to make a privacy screen ASAP. We'd like to cover both sides of our backyard, 30-40 feet down from the back of our house. We've got a nice deck and will be putting in a patio next year. We have gotten quotes for the Green Giants, but they seem to be hit or miss around here. Came across this hybrid willow and it looks like it would create a great privacy screen.

We have a row of dappled willows on one side, so we'll see how that goes. How different would this hybrid willow be? Seems like the same thing. Any other suggestions??

I live in oregon high desert, over 4000 feet no trees but what has been planted. these hybrid willows will grow over 20 feet by year 2, so if you want to get rid of them get some goats by end of summer they are gone

I planted a screen of hybrid willows here in central Illinois in 1992. They are not "short lived." In fact, all are still living and quite hardy. They grew quickly without even watering to amture height of about 35' and have screened out neighbors effectively for years. You don't want these near your house; they lose smaller branches in wind storms and litter can be a problem.

There is a variety that has beautiful red stems in winter and only grows about 20' high, I think it's called coral snap by Advanced Tree Technology. If you need a quick deciduous screen I think these things are great. THere aren't any suckers or seeds or sprouts, but you can take a cutting and grow out roots.

I have a willow story. My neighbor whose backyard I see from the back of my house second story window bought corkscrew willow on sale about 8 years ago. It was a twig and cost about $2.00. It was a lovely little tree for a few years. Now, when I look at her garden from the second floor of my house it's taller than all houses around. Certainly taller than my house and wide, at least 12 feet if not more. Their yard has a lot of underground water and it shows. I think the willow is taller than all surrounding trees. Me, I'm happy with my arctic willow and when I want to see big willows I go to the lake or visit friends with large acreage.

When I lived in NM, that was just about the only deciduous tree that did well in the mountains. Loved it. Loved my ornamental cherry and plum trees. Loved my aspen.

Yeah, it was weak. And it could be messy. But I had a nice, tall tree in the front yard that was stunning and a delight to be under.

BEFORE BUYING FROM DIRECT GARDENING, LOOK AT THEIR REVIEWS ONLINE!!! TERRIBLE COMPANY!

I'm looking to plant hybrid willows in large containers around our pool, which is surrounded by concrete and has no garden bed on one end. Either hybrid willow or some sort of bamboo. I know they won't be as happy in a container, but that should keep them in check. Also I know the willows aren't "long term" trees (might last 5-10 years) but that'll do for my purposes until we do some bigger changes to the space.

Some say they grow anywhere from 6'-20' per year.

==thats from the original post ... can you imagine the pot you will need.. to hold a 20 foot tree upright??? ...

i dont think willow is your solution .... i dont know about bamboo

ken

Lisa- Willows are messy plants that will drop a lot of small branches, leaves, and catkins to clog your pool filter. So never a good choice near a pool. And I doubt that they would survive the first winter in a container in zone 5a. (See below)

I don’t know of any bamboo that will survive in a container in zone 5a. There are a few types of bamboo that will survive in the ground, but not many.

A container is exposed to air temperatures on all but the bottom, rather than being surrounded by a huge mass of soil from the ground around it like with in-ground plants. Because of this, the container soil will freeze solid in cold weather and will have many cycles of freeze-thaw over the course of the winter. Based on my experience as well as what I read, few plants can survive this. The ground, because only the top surface is exposed to air temperatures, may freeze a few inches down, but doesn’t freeze below that unless it is in an area that is without plants, mulch, or snowcover, and even then there won’t be the kind of temperature extremes and swings that happen in even the largest containers because it takes a long time for in-gound soil temperatures to change due to the enormous mass. Year-round container growing works for warmer areas, but not zone 5. I have found one plant only of many tried that will grow and survive in a container, ribbon grass, something that is too much of a thug to let loose in a garden. However, it isn’t tall enough to votive you much privacy, perhaps 2’ tall.

So plant large, quick-growing annual vines on trellises in your pots, something like some of the larger cultivars of mandevilla vine or Black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia) or scarlet runner beans. Add some groundcover or draping plants like wave petunias or golden creeping Jenny and you will have a colorful set of pots for your pool that will offer privacy. Be sure to read up on container soils and have some type of irrigation system to keep them looking good.

Or consider freestanding screens that can be moved into place to provide privacy.

Thanks NHBabs z4b-5a NH and ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 for your input!

I could certainly move the containers into the pool shed or garage for the winter.

I already drag a giant ceramic planter inside from the patio all winter and have 4 year old palm tree doing very well in the cool basement with just a cheap UV lightbulb from Amazon. It might reach the ceiling so this might be its final summer before starting again.

Or maybe I use some containers for grasses and just use them as annuals, and possibly try something like a dwarf spruce in the large containers... those might survive on our somewhat sheltered front porch over the winter?

We planted 75 hybrid willows in 2015 along the back fence of our 2 acre lot outside of Fort Worth. I hated living in a fish bowl and needed something fast. Four years later and we love our willows more every day!

We planted them 3 feet apart so that the bare branches would give us privacy every year after the leaves dropped...which they do swimmingly. Planting so close to each other does not allow for them to reach much taller than 15-20 feet tall which is fine. They were easily 6 feet tall by the end of 2015 and were mere twigs when we got them in the mail from eburgess.

Kept them watered the first year and keep them moist with soaker hoses now. They are quite drought tolerant, they didn't mind the standing water this very wet spring, they withstand 50-75 mph gusts regularly, and they have withstood a few ice storms. They look beautiful when they move in the wind like feathers.

Only problem we've had is the cottonwood borer beetle damaged 5 trees before we caught the problem, but once treated with Permethrin, the trees rebounded the following spring and caught up to the height of the undamaged trees.

Zero problems with roots invading anywhere to date. Thry propagate like rabbits if you cut a branch and stick it in a 5 gallon bucket of water! Inch long roots in 7 days.

As someone who has painstakingly excavated pure evil running bamboo, I can't imagine these willows will ever have me cursing their resistance. They continue to be an absolute joy in our yard and should they all die tomorrow I'll still feel like I came out on the winning side given the privacy they've given us for mere pennies.

Do you happen to know the scientific name for the hybrids that you purchased? Really would love to get some but just want to make sure we get the right kind that If planted 3 feet apart as you did will stay at about 15-20 feet!

Typically sold under the common name of Austree hybrid willow, these are a cross between corkscrew willow (Salix matsudana) and white willow (Salix alba). Botanically, they are Salix x 'Austree'.

And the likelihood of these remaining at only 15-20 feet without pruning even when planted very closely is extremely remote. Sorry. Very fast growing trees do not stay very compact regardless of the growing conditions.

^^ ???

I'm in San Antonio with slightly alkaline clay soil - are there good alternatives to the Austree? My lot is 40 wide x 80ft deep but I'm wanting to put in a 2nd story deck so I'll want privacy on the sides (nobody behind us.) Been considering planting Austrees 3ft from each other and trimming the back sides so my neighbors on either side don't hate me. Something 15-20ft tall would be ideal.

Nervous about cypress because soil stays moist and once they die they're gone

We purchased Austrees over 25 years ago. Regret it big time.

They will not tolerate an ice storm, despite what the company says.

They drop small limbs every time the wind blows. And if we get anything over a 35 mile gust, big limbs fall.

Make sure you have a chain saw!

Many dead limbs that are 60 feet up, so we have to pay a service to come out.

Don't get any of these trees!!!