Planting a harlequin willow is a worthwhile investment. With conscientious care, the tree will soon shine with pink flowers and attract everyone's attention. However, the plant obviously places some demands on the location. Otherwise, the harlequin willow is extremely easy to care for. Read here what you need to pay attention to when planting Japanese ornamental willow.
How should you plant and care for a harlequin willow?
A harlequin willow should be planted in a sunny to partially shaded location, ideally as a solitary plant. The soil should be moist and nutrient-rich, enriched with mulch (€13.00 on Amazon) or compost. The plant is frost hardy, but requires winter protection for potted plants.
Location
The Harlequin willow loves warm and bright locations. A special feature of the tree is its bright green foliage. However, if the harlequin willow lacks light, the leaves do not turn as intensely as expected. However, the blazing sun is equally damaging. In this case, the leaves curl up unsightly because their liquid evaporates. A sunny to partially shaded location is therefore ideal.
Tip
It is best to plant your harlequin willow as a solitaire to highlight its impressive appearance.
Substrate
The harlequin willow, on the other hand, has fewer demands on the soil. However, with a few tips you can promote the development of your little tree:
- Conventional garden soil is sufficient for the harlequin willow
- Ideally, enrich these with mulch (€13.00 on Amazon) or compost
- Provide the harlequin willow with sufficient nutrients
- Keep the substrate moist throughout
- The soil should store the irrigation water
How to overwinter?
To plant a harlequin willow in your own garden, you have two options to choose from:
- Putting the harlequin willow in the ground
- Cultivating the harlequin willow in a pot
If you pay attention to the aspects mentioned above, the first variant proves to be particularly easy to care for. Apart from regular pruning, you hardly need to pay any attention to the tree. The plant is also frost-hardy in winter. Winter protection is required for potted plants:
- Wrap the pot with a burlap sack
- Cover the substrate with a layer of mulch
- store the harlequin willow in the fresh air despite frosty temperatures
