Scarlet Willow Sapling Trees

Salix Alba Britzensis Saplings

Delivered by Mail Order Direct from our Nursery with a Year Guarantee

Scarlet Willow, Salix alba Britzensis, also known as Chermesina willow, has waxy yellow, orange and red young stems. This tree thrives on wet soil and sunny sites. It is usually coppiced into a large shrub or pollarded to maintain a constant display of bright young shoots. plants / bushes/ shrubs / saplings / whips: what it is recommended for, what it will tolerate and its growth habit.
Scarlet Willow is not suitable for a clipped hedge.
It can be grown as a screening tree up to about 20 metres high.
The plants on this page are young saplings. You can also buy larger Scarlet Willow trees here.

View our selection of willow hedging or see our full range of hedging plants.

Scarlet Willow plants are only delivered bareroot, during winter (Nov-March).

Choosing a size:
When you are ordering a large quantity of Scarlet Willow for a big planting project, we suggest that you buy smaller plants. They are cheaper than large plants, easier to handle and more likely to cope well with poor conditions.
All of our young trees and shrubs are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

General description of Salix alba Chermesina plants:

Common Names: Red Willow, Scarlet Willow, Coral Bark Willow
Botanical Names: Salix alba Britzensis, Salix alba Chermesina
Willows produce pollen rich catkins fairly early in the spring, which is good for bees. Female trees will release lots of little seeds, carried on the wind by wispy beards of fluff, but these won't germinate unless they fall on wet soil.
Scarlet Willow is almost always grown as a coppiced shrub or pollarded at a manageable height. This will keep it producing new stems with the superb orange-red bark, which fades in its second year and disappears in the third. Pruning it every other year will keep it looking great.

History & uses of Salix alba Chermesina

This tree is a variety White Willow, Salix alba, which is native in Britain. It was raised in Britz, Germany. It has won the RHS Award of Garden Merit for being a beautiful plant that is easy to grow.

Notes on planting Scarlet Willow:
This tree loves damp, fertile, acidic soil and will probably suffer on chalk. It needs full sun.

Prepare your site before planting:
It is good to dig over the area where you intend to plant several months in advance. Destroy the weeds first: nettles, brambles and ground elder are tough. Then dig the soil over; remove rocks, roots and other rubbish. Mix in well rotted compost or manure down to the depth of about 2 spades.
If you have a heavy clay soil, it might be too difficult to dig over for most of the year. Heavy clay is fertile soil, so you don't really need to improve it; killing the weeds is still necessary.

Remember to water establishing plants during dry weather for at least a year after planting.

Planting accessories:
Prepare your site for planting by killing the weeds and grass.
If you are planting in an area with rabbit and/or deer, you will need to use a protective plastic spiral for each plant, supported by a bamboo cane.
If your soil quality is poor, we recommend using mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of new trees and shrubs.
You can also improve your soil with bonemeal organic fertiliser.

After Care

After you plant your Scarlet Willow trees, the most important thing to do is water them in dry weather. You will also need to weed around the plants. Both of these will be necessary for at least a year after planting.
Water thoroughly but not too often: let the soil get close to drying out before watering your plants again.

Special notes on caring for Scarlet Willow:
Scarlet Willow is a very tough plant that shouldn't need special attention once it has established. If pruning is necessary, it is best do it in winter. Always hire a tree surgeon to remove large branches.

Hygiene & Diseases:
Dead, damaged or diseased wood can be pruned off as soon as it appears.
Disinfect your pruning tools between every cut if there is any sign of disease.
Burn or dispose of any diseased material, do not compost it.

After you plant your Scarlet Willow trees, the most important thing to do is water them in dry weather. You will also need to weed around the plants. Both of these will be necessary for at least a year after planting.
Water thoroughly but not too often: let the soil get close to drying out before watering your plants again.

Special notes on caring for Scarlet Willow:
Scarlet Willow is a very tough plant that shouldn't need special attention once it has established. If pruning is necessary, it is best do it in winter. Always hire a tree surgeon to remove large branches.

Hygiene & Diseases:
Dead, damaged or diseased wood can be pruned off as soon as it appears.
Disinfect your pruning tools between every cut if there is any sign of disease.
Burn or dispose of any diseased material, do not compost it.