The Fast-Growing Shrub With Soft-Colored Flowers That Makes A Great Privacy Hedge

While there are plenty of hedge species you can plant for privacy in your yard, you ideally want a fast-growing shrub that also has a few attractive attributes. Obviously, you want a species that lends itself beautifully to clipping, pruning, and shaping, but wouldn't it be nice if the plants also have stunning foliage and some soft-colored flowers that catch your eye and make you smile? If these are all things that pique your interest, take a look at the dappled willow (Salix integra 'Hakuro Nishiki').

It's very different from the willow trees you might be familiar with, as it only grows as a shrub with a maximum height of about 6 feet and a spread of around 7 feet. This wide growth is what makes it absolutely perfect as a hedge species. Another thing that makes this shrub so desirable, apart from its fast growth, is the stunning colors displayed by the leaves. When new leaves emerge in spring, they're a pretty pink color. As they mature, they become variegated with shades of white, pink, and green. When the growth has finally matured in summer, the foliage is mainly all green. If allowed to grow long enough, you'll get a slight droop at the ends of the branches, just a little reminiscent of a weeping willow, and in the fall, there's another surprise as the stems turn red and will generally remain so over winter. To top it off, the cute little catkin flowers appear in spring and are usually a soft yellow or green color. While they're not all that showy, they do attract quite a few different species of specialized bees.

As long as the area you want to plant your privacy hedge gets plenty of sunlight, your dappled willow plants should do just fine. A little afternoon shade is acceptable, too, especially if you experience hot summers. Overall, these plants do best in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 8. You also want the soil to be relatively moist but have good drainage; however, dappled willows are plants that can handle your wet garden soil. Once well-established, though, this variety of willow can tolerate drier conditions as well.

To produce a nice, dense hedge for the ultimate privacy, you'll want to space your plants around 4 to 6 feet apart. Their fast growth should ensure that the hedge will fill out fairly quickly. To enjoy plenty of that gorgeous new growth, you'll want to prune your plants in late winter. This will also help to maintain their shape, especially if you want a hedge that's a little more on the neater side. To maintain this tidier growth, you can lightly shear the plants every couple of months through the warmer growing season. You should only need to feed your hedge plants once a year in spring using a slow-release, balanced fertilizer. Finally, even if you're not looking to plant a full hedge, the dappled willow is just another beautiful privacy shrub you'll want to grow right next to your windows so that you can admire its beauty every day.