I have 2 dappled willow trees. I'm in Nashville. We had terrible heat last summer. Then we had some very bad cold weather. I trimmed both trees and one is great. The other has no leaves in the back at all. Not sure how to trim it. It has a bunch of suckers coming from the middle. Do I cut all of the 1-inch branches off with no leave and take those suckers out? I am taking pictures of the tree with leaves and the one without. Please help me is the back dead due to the weather and will it come back next year? Not sure what to do. Thank you
You can remove all the suckers at the base of the plant as well as any dead or damaged stems. The rest you can trim the height you desire because they will grow back quickly. Here is more:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/willow/pruning-a-dappled-willow.htm