Salix integra Hakuro-Nishiki - Flamingo Willow

The Flamingo Willow, Salix integra Hakuro Nishiki in Latin, is distinguished by its delicate, multicoloured and ever-changing foliage, extremely decorative from spring to autumn. Its young shoots, tinged with salmon pink, are variegated with pink and light green in spring, then with white and medium green in summer. The dense and rounded habit of this bush, adorned with fine leaves in multiple shades, creates an extraordinary visual effect, exceptionally bright. In winter, its bare branches also reveal a reddish colour. Perfectly hardy, this deciduous willow can be easily grown in open ground or in pots on the terrace. Its only requirement is fertile soil that remains moist.

The Salix integra, from the family Salicaceae, is native to the Far East. It is naturally found in Russia, northern China, Korea and Japan. It is a very cold-resistant shrub, adapted to wet and cool locations, very common in wet meadows, valleys and along watercourses. It is perfectly suited to our temperate and humid climates, even in cold regions. Its foliage develops in spring and falls in autumn.

The cultivar 'Hakuro Nishiki' is a Japanese cultivar that made a very remarkable appearance in the European horticultural market in the 1990s. It is a fairly fast-growing shrub, with numerous slender and flexible branches, quite compact, with a naturally rounded habit. It can be grown as a tree or grafted on a stem. At maturity, it will reach a height of between 1.50m (4.9ft) and 2.50m (8.2ft), with a roughly equivalent spread. Its shiny green branches take on a beautiful dark red hue in winter. In spring, they bear flowers before the leaves, gathered in tiny red-pink spikes. The leaf buds are quite dark pink, unfolding into numerous small shrimp pink leaves. These small leaves are narrow, oblong, rounded at the base, with dentate margins, and arranged alternately on the branches. Their surface then variegates with white then green. The summer foliage is variegated with light green and cream.

Like many variegated shrubs, the Flamingo Willow prefers shaded exposures, avoid too sunny exposures as it may cause leaf burn. It thrives on the edge of a grove, or in an east or west exposure. Very easy to grow, even in slightly chalky soil, it only requires a bit of moisture at its base throughout the year. Its modest development is well suited to small spaces where it can be planted as a solitary specimen, in the centre of a perennial or shrub bed. It can also be grown in a large pot. In a Japanese-style bed, for example, it can be associated with Sacred Bamboo (Nandina) or non-invasive bamboo like (Fargesia). Its ball-shaped and slightly spiky habit, as well as the brightness of its foliage, contrast beautifully with the conical habit and curly foliage of small conifers like the White Spruce (Picea glauca Rainbow's End), or the blue columns of the Virginia Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum Skyrocket)...