Salix candida Iceberg Alley® - Sageleaf willow

Salix candida 'Iceberg Alley'® is a cultivar of tomentose willow selected for its intensely silky, almost white foliage during the bud burst period, and its spring flowering with decorative aments. This small willow forms a rounded, dense and regular bush, easy to incorporate into a contemporary or naturalistic garden, always in moist soils. Whether in the ground or in a large pot, it adds a very beautiful silvery note to landscape displays.

Belonging to the Salicaceae family, Salix candida is a species from the marshes of North America (Canada and the northern United States), where it grows on often calcareous soils, waterlogged in spring. First Editions® Iceberg Alley® ‘Jefberg’ was discovered and selected at the Memorial University Botanical Garden in St. John's (Newfoundland and Labrador), then distributed in the First Editions® series; this male selection has a naturally compact habit and particularly silvery and long-lasting foliage compared to the type. The name "Iceberg Alley" is a nod to the maritime corridor off Newfoundland where icebergs from Greenland drift each spring, a direct evocation of the dazzling hue of the foliage.
The shrub adopts a bushy habit, both upright and rounded, well-branched from the base. Its growth is quite rapid in the first few years. In the ground, it reaches between 1.20 and 1.50 m in height and 1.20 to 1.80 m in spread. In a container, expect 0.9 to 1.20 m. The root system is rather running and shallow as with many willows, dense and fibrous; avoid planting it near ducts. The current year's shoots are silvery-grey, covered in white down; the bark of older branches tends towards purplish-grey.
The deciduous foliage shows narrow, oblanceolate leaves with an entire margin, 3 to 9 cm long, grey-green on top, distinctly downy and white underneath; this underside reflects the light. Flowering occurs in April-May, during the bud burst period: the short aments, initially silvery, present pinkish-red anthers turning yellow at ripeness, borne on short leafy shoots. These aments provide nectar and pollen for insects early in the season. The hardiness of this willow is remarkable: the bush can withstand frosts of -35 to -40 °C without difficulty. It appreciates cool to moist soils, even heavy ones, and tolerates calcareous ground well.

Plant this Salix 'Iceberg Alley' in a sunny bed that remains cool, on the edge of a pond or ditch, or in a large, well-drained pot, but watered regularly. Use it to create a bright spot in your displays. Pair it with cool-soil grasses (Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea 'Transparent'), yellow flag iris or ligularias. In a watered garden, pair it with spring-flowering shrubs like Spiraea 'Ogon', Physocarpus 'Dart’s Gold' and Cornus alba Elegantissima to play with light-coloured foliage.