Salix acutifolia 'Blue Streak' (m)

RHS Plant Profile

willow 'Blue Streak'

RHS 2002

Synonyms

Salix daphnoides 'Blue Streak'

Shrubs

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A large, deciduous shrub to around 10m in height, with narrow, dark green leaves and purple stems, frosted with white in winter. This gives them a blue hue from a distance. Slender, silvery catkins to 5cm in length, with yellow anthers appear in spring

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

8-12 metres

Max Spread

wider than 8 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 20–50 years
Max Spread: wider than 8 metres
Max Height: 8-12 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained or Poorly–drained or Well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: South–facing or North–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure: Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H6

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Salicaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Salix are deciduous shrubs and trees of diverse habit, with simple leaves and tiny flowers in catkins, male and female usually on separate plants. Some are valued for their brightly coloured winter shoots, others for their foliage or showy male catkins
Name Status: Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in moderately fertile deep soil in full sun. Will cope with all soil types, including boggy and wet, as long as it is not stagnant water. Avoid areas prone to flooding

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in early summer or hardwood cuttings in winter

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens

Pruning

pruning group 1. Suitable for hard pruning to rejuvenate or for pollarding. Can be coppiced biennially and annually for the best stem colour and a more compact size

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, caterpillars, leaf beetles, sawflies, willow scale

Diseases

May be susceptible to willow anthracnose, scab, canker, honey fungus and rust