koriyanagi

This species is native to Korea and is widely seen in Japanese and Chinese gardens, also in fine basket making. Similar in size and shape to Salix purpurea, but has green leaves in pairs or in a whorl of three, whereas pupureas have blue-gray leaves in opposite pairs.

It was originally named S. purpurea ‘Japonica’ and then S. purpurea ‘Howkii’, but is not Japanese and S. purpurea is a European species. ‘Howkii’ came from a mistranslation of kori-yanagi to howkii-yanagi by a Japanese nurseryman (yanagi is willow in Japanese). Unfortunately some nurserymen still list this with the old name. Normally it grows up to 12ft tall and about half as wide. Like many willows it’s best to coppice this variety every year. In the wild the species grows in sandy/gravelly soil, but it is equally happy in our heavy clay-loam. We also bought cuttings of this from a nursery in Oregon labelled S. gilgiana and it turned out to be a male selection of S. koriyanagi and this is what we are offering now! Many Public Gardens also had this labelled as Salix gilgiana. Without a doubt, this willow has the best foliage of any willow in our collection–green from Spring into late Autumn. This is the last willow to lose its leaves in Autumn.