Dappled Willow Shrub Spacing And Pruning

Question

Im a first timer when it comes to gardening. This is my first yr to do some changes in our yard. I happened to love and bought Dappled Willow, (Salix integra ‘Hakuro Nishiki’) shrub form and got very excited to plant them, not reading much about how they grow and spread. I decided to put them in the back, close to our house (about 20ft away) where our patio is. I plant them there thinking it would create a nice hedge and the patio will make it look cozy. I have 6 dappled willows and i planted them in a row, 3 on the left and 3 on the right with a spacing of like 1ft apart only, and my plan is to prune them for like 4 to 5ft when they grow. And maintain this height. Will you help me out what to do. I can transfer them if ever. I just need a better advise for this coz I really loved to have them in our yard.? Thank you so much

Answer 1

I would have opted for only 2 per spot, and spaced them 3 feet apart, at the least.

This will likely be an overcrowded spot, causing the shrubs to grow poorly.

You could remove the one in the center of each spot. This can help. But do so, carefully.

Here is an article that will help you to care for these shrubs, to their potential:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/willow/dappled-japanese-willow.htm