Salix alba 'Flame'

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white willow 'Flame'

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white willow 'Flame' RHS / Joanna Kossak

Synonyms

Salix alba 'Chermesina Flame'

Plants for pollinators
Trees Shrubs
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A dense, deciduous, oval-shaped tree to around 6m in height, which is usually cut back as a shrub. It has long-lasting yellow foliage and bright vibrant red-orange stems which curl inwards and provide fiery colour throughout the winter

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

4-8 metres

Max Spread

2.5-4 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
20–50 years
Max Spread
2.5-4 metres
Max Height
4-8 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–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, Spreading branched
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 full sun in moist or wet soil; avoid planting near buildings because its roots take up a lot of water from a wide area

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in early summer or hardwood cuttings in winter; may also be propagated by large sets, up to 3.5m long and 2-3cm thick

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Architectural
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Coastal

Pruning

Pruning group 1

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, caterpillars, gall mites, flea beetles, sawfly larvae, and willow scale

Diseases

May be susceptible to willow anthracnose, watermark disease, willow heart rot, rust diseases, crown gall, honey fungus, root rot, silver leaf, and tar spot