As of 2013 these are Ex-plants.
This is Salix yezoalpina, which is a prostrate groundcover with twisty limbs that show in winter. I got them at Farmington Valley Nursery, where he had one planted in the garden that had spread a good five feet in total.
They are planted along the east side of the house, since they do best with afternoon shade. They have fuzzy catkins and a little bit of white fur on the glossy leaves.
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| 5/27/11 |
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| 11/17/11 |
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| 4/25/12 |
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| 5/26/12 |
These had such promise. I loved the leaves and they spread nicely. But in 2012 they looked awful.
Even on the east side of the house where they got deep afternoon shade, they fried and browned in high summer. By the end of the season they were a brown, messy looking swath of stems, with no fall color.
2013 did not improve these willows. At first, in spring, they looked wonderful and boy, did they spread out and cover ground, just as I had wanted.
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| 6/11/13 |
But when hot temperatures hit in early July they browned out and never recovered all season, despite the extra water I gave them.
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| 7/11/13 |
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| 7/11/13 |
In fall, 2013 I took them all out. Their roots went to China and it was a real job to dislodge them. I had wanted to save some and try them in another shadier, cooler spot, but the ripping out left no roots at all.
The soil in the strip where the willows were was bone dry despite recent rain, and that was a puzzle. Did they simply soak it all up and it still wasn't enough?
These interesting, lovely fuzzy little willows are now ex-plants. I put several cuttings of dwarf deutzia 'Nikko' in their place. It won't spread as fast, but the deutzia does eventually fill out and cover ground and it seems to be easy care for me.
