Plants with Winter Interest - Coral Embers Willow

Farm and Garden, Penn State Extension, Franklin County
181 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg, PA 17202
Telephone: 717-263-9226
http://extension.psu.edu/franklin

Plants with Winter Interest – Coral Embers Willow

  

Master Gardener Jerry Lewis adds to our series of Plants with Winter Interest describing the Coral embers willow Salix alba ssp. vitellina 'Britzensis'.

  

Nothing special in the gardeners' world, just a fast-growing, hardy, colorful shrub for a large area - and a real delight this time of year.

   

When the leaves fall in autumn, it shows off its branches for the winter: yellow, orange, red in varying degrees all over...and it really stands out in a winter landscape.  Add some snow and you will really appreciate it.

   

It’s inexpensive to buy, it’s vigorous (grows 2-3 feet a year), gets large (my 9 year old reached about 13 feet this year), gets woody (you need to trim it back), serves as a great nesting place for all kinds of wildlife (I've seen it all), and looks really cool when it snows especially.

   

Important: It needs to be trimmed back as far as possible into the current year's wood EVERY year, or it gets very large.  So, in Feb-Mar, before leaves start to come out, go out and trim everything but an inch of the colorful stems off.  The new growth will start from here, and the further you cut it back, the more colorful it will be the next winter.

   

It serves as a great screen shrub, and you can pick it out in the winter from quite a distance (if you happen to have trouble finding your house).

    
The Missouri Botanical Garden fact sheet adds that ‘Britzensis’ is an “all male white willow cultivar, grown mainly for its red stems in winter, its attractive foliage and for its ability to prosper in wet soil conditions. As a multi-stemmed shrub, it can be effectively massed or grouped in shrub borders or foundations. Also can make an effective screen. Mix with Salix alba var. vitellina for red and yellow stem contrast.  As an unpruned tree, it can be quite effective in informal naturalistic settings. Regardless of habit, it is a good selection for moist soils along streams, ponds or in low spots where other shrubs or small trees may falter.”