Privacy Dapple Willow and Survival Strategies of Plants

Dapple Willow is possibly one of the fastest growing shrubs in the plant universe. It is not a tree, but can be trained to become a small tree of around 12’ tall. The plants in the picture are bud breaking already on February 26th. It is not an evergreen, but it is a beautiful and fast growing plant that works well for privacy in some applications. It is also one of the past plants to drop leaves, similar to other Willows.

It is a water lover and the roots proliferate at an extreme speed. It is a plant that stores energy in its roots and therefore recovers fast even if a March frost kills off any of the early green growth. Any plant that greens up the earliest in the Spring has this survival strategy.

Green Giant Arborvitae is still hosen by about 80% of property owners for privacy, but Dapple Willows work ideal in some situation, especially in wet or erosion prone areas.

Dapple Willows breaking bud on 2/26/24