willow isnt much of an heirloom tree ... fast to grow.. fast to shed limbs.. fast to die ... in tree years ....

find the latin name.. then look to google images under such name ...

some peeps say ... the root mass... though in a different form/shape.. can be twice as big as the tree seen above ...

so using the link ... and looking at the maturer trees .... i would suggest.. 50 to 80 feet from your driveway... that will have to be a very large V ...

i had willow at the old house.. i hate them.. with the passion of a million burning suns... unless you have a golf course ... or a park.. i suggest.. JUST ABOUT.. anything else ...

or perhaps a gullible neighbor ... lol..

if you want corkscrew... research harry lauders walking stick .... a hazel ... a shrub much more suited to suburbia.... or smaller lots ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: i did it for you .. this time

They can be grown in a big pot. I've had mine in the large nursery pot for about ten years. I painted it, sat it in a deep saucer, stacked big stones around it for looks, and -- it looks great! It takes a lot of shade and is about 8 ft tall and 7 ft wide. I transplanted it this year to a still bigger pot and was surprised to NOT find it pot bound or with humongous roots. The friend I got my start from has it planted in the 'h-ll strip' and cuts it back every few years.

Have of three of them. They are very fast growing, up to the second story now from less than ten years ago. I enjoy the looks of mine, but to say they are messy (shedding branches constantly) is an understatement. Never had an issue with surface roots.

I just don't think of it as a front yard tree.
Harry Lauder's Walking Stick is much better if you like twisty branches.
Mike

I agree. The branch structure is interesting, but they are not 'tidy' trees nor do they have a pleasing silhouette. One of mine has a lot of burls on the lower trunk. I planted it not expecting it to be around well into the future (probably snap off or get a disease yet live forever regenerating itself from a stump), and would prefer to install a specimen tree in that situation you wouldn't have to be worried about replacing and starting all over with anywhere soon.

There are two other homes in the neighborhood with Corkscrew Willow in their front yards, so it wouldn't be out of place. We live just outside the city, but it's in a little set of hills and valleys (formerly a golf course), so there's a lot of undeveloped land and big lots--it's got a rustic look. My thinking was that I could put it in alongside some slow growers, and then tear it out when the others were big enough.

Anyway, how about question two--will a cutting take off in the shade?

Corkscrew Willow is extremely easy to root in water or even wet soil. I've had em' root in a pile of woodchips.
As a tree, they're not good looking, but florists like the twigs. Sort of like a rose. Generally the plant is not good looking, but the blossoms are beautiful.
Fall color and silhouette are nothing to brag about.
Here's one I have. It's different in that the twigs are yellow. Not showing well at this time however.
It's still in a pot, waiting for me to make a decision. Could be awhile.
Mike
{{gwi:477114}}

They prefer a sunnier spot to a shadier one. Two of mine have some shading, but in one instance, it's light and dappled. I would expect lankiness to be a tendency in shade, as well as some directional growth if the light is not uniformly distributed. It's obvious you admire this tree, and if someone is attracted to a tree enough to champion for it, then I suspect they'd enjoy it and not second guess themselves. You have seen it in other yards and seem comfortable with its presentation. If it's not to your taste in a couple years, they're not that difficult to fell. Be aware they are hosts for a mottley assortment of critters and keep a rake handy.