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Willow identification mystery

KKsMumKKsMum Posts: 8
in Plants
Hi. I'm looking for some advice. I've just bought 2 Blue Streak willows from T&M which I expected to have dark bluish purple stems, possibly with greenish yellow young growth. What I've received is definitely a strong red, with no hint of blue/purple/green/yellow at all. T&M checked with their supplier who is adamant the red is young growth and these c.18month trees should start to show blue at c.3years. I'm sceptical to say the least....the bigger issue being adult size if not coppiced. Blue Streak is a smaller willow (c.5m in 10yrs)....others can be much bigger!! Their advice is to plant them and wait a couple of years to see what happens!!
Does anyone have any knowledge of this variety and young v older growth colours?
I'm happy to plant these anyway, but need to decide if I can risk this in the main garden or if I should plant them in the meadow just in case where they will have more room.
Really hope you can help.
Thx
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Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    No idea about your willow, but I wouldn't buy any plants from T&M. They're not growers, as you've discovered.
    If you post some photos, someone else who has grown these, might be able to reassure you or otherwise.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    T&M are cheap but not great on what they supply. If they stick to their claim, I would take a photo, plant the things and see what happens.
  • KKsMumKKsMum Posts: 8
    Thx fairygirl and posy. I tend to but from T&M when offers available and i agree it can be a bit of a lottery sometimes. Overall, they are better than most and they are being helpful about this. 
    I would post a photo but cant see how to do that....will try later.
    I dont mind planting them to see what happens...i just dont want to move them if they aren't the smaller Blue Streaks and would prefer to plant them more suitably. I suspect the nursery is worried, but as they seem to have shipped directly to me, i guess they're hoping not too many people query it....in the meantime, they are adamant to TM that these are correctly labelled.

    Unless im wrong, and they are right, that a red shrub can somehow turn blue with age. Would be a first on me if its true...and will be amazing to see. Maybe i should play the long game and plant these in the meadow...then take cuttings that would be ready to plant elsewhere in a couple of years?
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Hmmm. I have never seen a colour change like that either. Perhaps the meadow...
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Click on the icon that looks like a Hill with a moon [above] and follow the info. If you keep the pix around 1MB or less they load better - and the right way up.
    If you want decent shrubs/plants/trees, it's better to go with a good, recognised  supplier if you don't have a good nursery near you.
    We can offer suggestions on the forum, and there are already plenty of threads about it. At least  you can get a refund or replacement much more easily too  :)
    I'm struggling to think of any plant that changes colour that way.
    Willows are 'tricky' in a garden setting too - there's a current thread on the forum just now  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • KKsMumKKsMum Posts: 8
    brilliant...thx fairygirl 🤗

    Now...as you can see....all red. And yes, there are 4 of them!! I cannot fault TM for trying...when i raised the issue on the first 2, they agreed red didnt seem right and sent another 2 without quibbling.

    So now i have 4 to find homes for....just as well im on a farm as i can always plant in a field if i have too.

    Either of you have any thoughts on the pic?
  • KKsMumKKsMum Posts: 8
    Oh...meant to add....nurseries are a bit thin on the ground here and the better ones are closed to visitors for covid reasons. When this is all over, i will take your advice and search the forum for some ideas...there may be places i 
  • KKsMumKKsMum Posts: 8
    ...oops....that i dont know about. 
  • robairdmacraignilrobairdmacraignil Posts: 782
    I don't have this variety of willow but I do have one growing that has a nice bright orange colour to its younger stems. The older growth has a darker colour and it is possible for the stem colour on some willows to be different depending on how old they are. I just looked up images of blue streak willow and some of the images that showed up on the browser have a reddish colour to the younger growth so this might mean your plants are what they are labelled as but still only guessing to be honest.

    Happy gardening!
    https://www.youtube.com/user/sustainableveg/videos
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    The colour on this site matches the ones in your picture
    http://www.willowgrovefarms.com/store/p6/Salix_daphonides_'blue_streak'.html 

    It’s not a Salix that I know … I wonder whether the bloom which gives it the purplish-blue colour is more prevalent on young growth, as with Rubus cockburnianus which I have grown…

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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