Salix Discolor
$43.99
Salix discolor is a vigorous native shrub with silky pussy-willow catkins, upright multistem growth, and strong value for early pollinators.
- Description
- Additional information
Description
Salix discolor is a vigorous North American shrub prized for silky pussy-willow catkins that open before the leaves. Male catkins begin white and silky, then turn yellow; female catkins are green. The early display supplies valuable pollen and nectar.
This upright, multistemmed deciduous shrub grows about 10 to 20 feet high and 8 to 12 feet wide. Red-brown young shoots, gray mature bark, and simple alternate green leaves with gray-green undersides extend its seasonal character.
Grow in full sun to partial shade in deep, moist, well-drained soil. Allow generous space away from drains because shallow spreading roots can clog pipes. Prune after flowering or on a two- to three-year March cycle to renew catkin-bearing stems.
Additional information
| Height | 305 cm – 610 cm |
|---|---|
| Spread | 245 cm – 365 cm |
| Flowering months | February, March, April |
| Family | Salicaceae |
| Propagation | Propagate by softwood cuttings in early summer or hardwood cuttings in winter. |
| Pests | May be susceptible to aphids, caterpillars, willow leaf beetle, sawflies, and willow scale insects. |
| Diseases | May be susceptible to willow anthracnose, honey fungus, and rust diseases. |
| Pruning | Every two or three years in March, cut back established stems to encourage the best catkin display. |
| Hazardous | unknown |
| Variegated | unknown |
| Watering instructions | Keep soil consistently moist; established plants tolerate wet conditions. |
| Sunlight instructions | Grow in full sun, with open light from the east, south, or west. |
| Color flower spring | Green, White, Yellow |
| Color flower winter | White, Gray |
| Aspect | East, South, West |
| Foliage | Deciduous |
| Habit | Bushy |
| Moisture | Moist but Well Drained, Wet or Damp Soil |
| Ph | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral |
| Position | Full sun, Partial shade |
| Shape | Upright |
| Suggest planting location | Pollinator Garden, Butterfly Garden, Hedges and screening plants |
| Type | Shrub |
| Use for | Hedge, Butterfly-Friendly, Pollinator-Friendly |
| Years to max height | 5 |
| Drought resistance | yes |
| Soil | Clay, Loam, Sand |
| Local names | American pussy willow, Glaucous willow, Pussy willow |
| Blomidon Item No | SALDI01503G, SALIDI0001G, SALIDI0003G |
| Usps | Silky white male catkins turn yellow before leaves emerge., Early catkins support pollinators and stems suit cutting. |