Golden Acre Home & Garden Centre's Plant Library

Brand:  First Editions®

Description:

A compact, dense native shrub that presents powdery, silver foliage that adds texture and contrast when combined with other shrubs; pretty silver catkins with red stamens in spring; best in full sun; tolerates moist soils and pruning

Ornamental Features

Iceberg Alley® Sageleaf Willow features delicate silver catkins with red overtones and yellow anthers along the branches from late winter to early spring before the leaves. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has attractive grayish green foliage with white undersides and tinges of silver which emerges white in spring. The fuzzy pointy leaves are highly ornamental but do not develop any appreciable fall colour. The smooth bark and white branches are extremely showy and add significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Iceberg Alley® Sageleaf Willow is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Iceberg Alley® Sageleaf Willow is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Planting & Growing

Iceberg Alley® Sageleaf Willow will grow to be about 6 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It has a low canopy, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium 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 selection of a native North American species.