Golden Japanese Willow

Grown for its golden to yellow-green foliage, Salix udenensis Golden Sunshine is a vigorous, deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub with an upright, bushy habit and reddish twigs, giving winter interest. The narrow, lance-shaped leaves emerge chrome-yellow in spring, turning yellow-green in summer and bright yellow again in autumn. In spring, insignificant pale yellow catkins appear with the young leaves. Particularly good planted next to a pond or bog garden, or indeed anywhere with reliably moist soil. Willow Golden Sunshine is a low-maintenance plant, needing minimal pruning – just remove any dead or damaged twigs as it emerges from dormancy.

Site: Tolerates exposure
Soil: Any reliably moist, well-drained soil, preferably a loamy clay
Position: Colours best in full sun
Notable uses: Ornamental, floristry, wildlife, specimen
Season of interest: Year-round
Hardiness: Fully hardy
Height: 8-11ft (2.5-3.5m) Spread: 6-10ft (2-3m)

Images by Kenraiz cropped and licensed under CC-BY-SA-4.0