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Salix Flamingo and planting near drains

Magical MeerkatMagical Meerkat Posts: 311
in Plants
Hello,

I have a small Salix Flamingo grown as a shrub in a pot, it's roughly 1ft in size. 

I want to plant it in the ground in our new house, now we are no longer renting 🥳 however the location I'm thinking of is near a sewage drain. I know willows are not a good idea next to drains, do these cultivars have the same issue? The plan is to keep it small, maybe 2ft maximum.

Are garden is very sandy soil and very sunny, so I'm finding it hard to find a partially shady spot that it will like. 

Thanks 

Posts

  • IlikeplantsIlikeplants Posts: 894
    my Salix flamingo is in a raised bed that can get quite dry, it’s about 6ft tall.

    I have 2 others in pots that will be kept much shorter, 2 or 3 feet. I don’t know if it will affect your drains but I wouldn’t chance it.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Sandy soils are notoriously well-drained and your salix flamingo needs moist or moisture retentive soil.   You'll need to do a great deal of soil enrichment to make it happy and you definitely want to stay away from sewage and water pipes.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Magical MeerkatMagical Meerkat Posts: 311
    Thanks to you both. Unfortunately we have the communal sewage pipe down two sides of the garden.  Which is making finding a location tricky. I've grown it in a pot for years, I will either have to get a much larger pot or try a sunnier part of the garden thats well away from the drains. 

    Don't worry I will be adding lots of enrichment to the soil. I've got a friend with ponies, so free horse manure is easy to get!
  • IlikeplantsIlikeplants Posts: 894
    Also I think mine is in a sunny part of the garden rather than partly shaded. It seems fine in sun.
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