T hrough winter, flowers get battered down by winter storms and berries fall or are eaten by wildlife. But brightly coloured stems and contorted twigs resist anything nature hurls at them.
Finding colour and twisty twigs together in one plant family is quite unusual. But it does happen in hybrids of the Corkscrew Willow "Colden Curls" and "Scarlet Curls." Both are easy to grow and if kept small, are quite spectacular in the garden whether being lashed by rain or festooned with snow. They're also great Christmas decorating material.
It's better to prevent these two willow hybrids from growing into large trees because the twisted twigs whether golden or orange-red are brightest when young. When they grow tree-size, the twigs quickly become plain brown twisty branches bright only at the tips.
Also, willows are so fast growing that tree branches are soon quite out of reach. Pollarding (pruning all or most branches close to the trunk) keeps brilliant, healthy new growth coming and keeps the tree within bounds. This should be done soon after the New Year while buds are still dormant.
Willows are much better neighbours if kept small. That's because willows have weak, shallow roots, drop older branches and shed lots of twigs each winter.
Acreage gardens are the place for large willow trees. In large gardens, people can enjoy the beauty of their twigs against the sky. Willows are also so greedy for water, they can turn marginal swamps into something one can walk on.
Contorted Hazels (Cory-lus contorta) are more widely planted than Corkscrew Willows and much more tightly twisted.
In winter they are intricately beautiful especially since masses of little catkins begin forming in late November.
It's a slow starter, but ultimately needs considerable pruning to stay within its space. [email protected]
