Plant Type

Shrub

 

Height Range

6-12'

 

Flower Color

Yellow

 

Flower Season

Winter, Spring

 

Leaf Color

Light Green

 

Bark Color

Brown

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Medium, Extra in Summer

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Clay, Loam

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Well-drained, Moist

 

Soil pH

Neutral

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

Formal, Japanese

 

Accenting Features

Silhouette, Specimen, Unusual Shape

 

Seasonal Interest

Winter

 

Location Uses

Entry, Shrub Border, Foundation, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Cut Flowers, Screen, Small Spaces

 

Attracts Wildlife

n/a

This unique, deciduous shrub has interesting, gnarly, heavily twisted branches; even the leaves are oddly contorted. Foliage is a medium green, turning yellow in the autumn. Showy greenish-yellow catkins appear in winter. Size is variable, depending on the branching patterns, but eventually may reach 8 to 10 feet tall and wide. An interesting specimen, maybe it's best use is as a winter accent, when the twisted and curled branches are most visible.

Grow in well drained, loamy soil in full sun to part shade. This cultivar is usually sold in a grafted form, so root suckers should be promptly removed since they will not exhibit the characteristic contorted form. Periodic thinning may help accentuate the contorted form; for instructions in selective pruning, see the Guides. Do not shear! If you thin it out, keep the stems as they are wonderful structural interest in floral arrangements.