Salix integra Flamingo - Flamingo Willow

The Salix integra 'Flamingo' is a variety of willow bush resembling the variety 'Hakuro Nishiki', but with an additional attraction; its decorative red young wood shoots in winter after the leaves have fallen. These shoots have the same mix of colours, green, white, and especially pink, which gives these willows their name "shrimp". This small bush forms a ball of colours bursting in all directions with its graceful branches that sway in the wind. Perfectly hardy, it can be grown without difficulty in open ground or in a container on the terrace. Its only requirement is a fertile soil that remains moist, even damp.

The Salix integra, from the family Salicaceae, is native to the Far East. It is found naturally in Russia, northern China, Korea, and Japan. It is a bush very resistant to cold, tied to moist and cool places, very present in its natural state in wet meadows, valleys, and along watercourses. It is perfectly adapted to our humid temperate climates, even cold ones. Its foliage develops in spring and falls in autumn.

The cultivar 'Flamingo' is a more recent selection than 'Hakuro Nishiki', the star of the 90s. It is a bush of fairly rapid growth, with numerous thin and flexible branches, quite compact, with a naturally rounded habit. It can be grown as a bush or grafted on a stem. At maturity, it will reach between 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) and 2.00 m in maximum height with a roughly equivalent spread. It is remarkable for its tricoloured foliage, green, white, and pink, with this colour being most visible from a distance. The bush forms a luminous ball with thin branches shooting out in all directions, very spectacular with its delicate pink leaves swaying at the slightest breeze. Flamingo means pink flamingo, and this name evokes the pure and very original pink displayed by this bush (few plants can compete in this register, like the Oenanthe javanica Flamingo).

Like many variegated bushes, the Willow shrimp prefers shaded exposures, especially in hot climates when the air is dry. Avoid too much sun exposure in this case, as it may cause the foliage to burn. It will thrive on the edge of a wood, or in an east or west-facing position. Its modest growth suits small spaces where it can be planted as a standalone specimen, in the center of a bed of perennials or bushes. It can also be grown in a large pot, taking care to choose one with a fairly neutral colour so as not to interfere with the colour festival of this willow! It can be happily associated with bushes with dark green foliage for the same reason, such as Camellias with their glossy evergreen leaves that will contrast without excess with the delicacy of the variegated leaves of our 'Flamingo' willow. The sobriety of a Hydrangea aspera Macrophylla, with its hairy dark green foliage, will temper in perfect harmony the exuberance of this willow shrimp.