Plant Library

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Other Names:  Mount Aso Pussy Willow, Salix chaenomeloides

Description:

A unique garden accent shrub with a rapid growth rate; enormous, fuzzy pink catkins are extremely showy in late winter and early spring; use only as a solitary in the garden to draw attention

Ornamental Features

Mt. Aso Pink Japanese Pussy Willow features delicate pink catkins along the branches from late winter to early spring, which emerge from distinctive red flower buds before the leaves. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has bluish-green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves turn yellow in fall.

Landscape Attributes

Mt. Aso Pink Japanese Pussy Willow is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Messy

Mt. Aso Pink Japanese Pussy Willow is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Planting & Growing

Mt. Aso Pink Japanese Pussy Willow will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It is quite adaptable, prefering to grow in average to wet conditions, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.