Thank you, Floral_uk. I watched a YT video last night where a landscape company came in and sheared a mature standard Salix as though it were a sheep. Seemed to work but I understand the problems with shearing and how it does not leave proper cuts on a plant. My little specimen was picked up end of season at a bargain price.. Always liked how they looked on others' properties. I've also read that they are super easy to propagate so I may try to do so to add a few more to screen out areas of my property that need more privacy.

I don't think you need to worry about proper cuts on this one, to put it in real basic terms, the more you cut it the better. The boldest color shows only on the new growth, so cutting back in the spring and trimming the tips off a couple times during the season will encourage fresh, colorful growth. I've seen them planted and then un-pruned for years and they just end up looking messy and pretty boring, so any pruning is better than just leaving it grow.

Stick a few of the trimmings into the ground and they'll likely root without any trouble. It's an easy enough experiment to try with all the cut bits.

Great and thanks, Katob! I am wondering is a monlo ninebark would work well with this shrub? Deep purple in contrast with the bright colors of the Salix

The reason I said not to shear is not because of the quality of the cuts. It’s because you need to prune back hard, not just go over it with a hedge trimmer to create a blob shape. That leads to thick twiggy growth and a congested, brown interior.

makes sense... I will leave it to grow for the next two or three seasons.. then in year 4 I will prune it hard in early spring. Maybe some summer maintenance afterward.

This site https://www.gardenfocused.co.uk/shrub/salix-integra-hakuro-nishiki.php has clear pruning and care advice.

Interesting link. I did not know the standards were usually grafted, I would have thought even this variegated form would be fast growing enough to make the grafting process not worth the effort.

They state the cold tolerance on that link as -12C. That appears to be incorrect to me.

I wouldn't know since -12c is unheard of in my area. But other sites say z.4 - 9. Is that incorrect in your experience? https://www.midwestgardentips.com/plant-spotlights/hakuro-nishiki-dappled-willow 

I'm mean shut