Something happened to it, it's not supposed to die down like that. You would certainly want to cut the dead parts off at this point.

Thank you for responding. Its really odd because right before the new growth started to appear the entire thing was twiggy (like the top is now) with the exception of some random brown leaves. The other one i planted looks very similar, but the twigs without leaves arent as long. Strange. So once i cut these off is it ok to continue to randomly prune (i want it to grow back thick) or is that something you only do once or twice a year? I cant help it, but i really enjoy pruning. Its relaxing:-)

hey ... welcome ...

first.... i see no white... whats dappled about it???

second.. dead wood is ALWAYS cut out... no need to ask.. nor worry ...

third.. hit link.. and look at the size ... your plant is 8 to 12 feet too close to the house ... move it in fall ...

especially with that french drain there.. and a willow .... it will fill that pipe in.. in no time ...

with no WWW back in the day... i learned the spacing issue the hard way ... never forget.. foundation plants are planted to HIDE the foundation... NOT ON THE FOUNDATION ...

finally.. its ALIVE... who cares what it looks like... you win...

ken

planted a few of these this spring and they did well. but there are all individual shoots.. do I prune now (fall) for it to branch out next yr? or wait til spring..? TY

A few thoughts here, as I have three gigantic dappled willows and loads of experience with them.

I wonder why there is no white dappled on the leaves, too. That's a willow, but keep an eye on it come springtime. It should put out new growth that's green, white and pink. But in one of my photos, the foliage is all green, so yeah...there is a point in the season where they're pretty generic looking.

Your plant is fine. Cut off the dead. And then TRANSPLANT it further away from the foundation. You cannot imagine how big they get. Take it out ten feet if you can, I am not kidding.

For example, my three were the same size as yours when I bought them at a plant sale five years ago. They got crispy and brown in the containers when I didn't plant them soon enough. They limped along for a season. Now I have this in the spring.

{{gwi:262700}}

And THAT was cut back by at least four feet before it leafed out. I have them cut back by 4-5 feet every spring. They easily grow to 10-ft across while you're not looking. You really must move it and it must have room to spread or you will constantly be hacking away at it. Here is another one, seen at the right in the photo. I had sawed this one down to the ground a year earlier. Note that it's green. The dappled color comes about amonth later in spring:

{{gwi:262702}}
See my point?

I want to add -- always prune these in early spring just before they leaf out, when the leaf buds are swollen. Cut them back hard after they're established. Cut off all that dead now though. It will never regenerate.

I planted two last fall that are doing well, but I think I'll want more space between them. Would you move them now or wait until late winter or spring?

Thank you!

Some people would argue with me, but I think if you're in Zone 6, you can move them now, and I mean ASAP. They bloom in spring, so fall would be the time to transplant them. September would have been better, but I'll be they do fine. Water them really well and mulch.

I agree with MulchMama....they are tough and very hardy ...I would move them now, you still have time.....