How to Choose the Perfect Willow:One of the easiest trees to grow
One of the questions I get asked a lot is what plants are easy to care for. My sarcastic answer is plastic ones, but there are some plants that are certainly easier to care for than others. Over the past few years I have added several willow plants to my garden and now have about 5 different varieties.
My willow collection began several years ago when I bought some curly willow for a client. I like putting curly willow (those twisted branches in flower arrangements) in outdoor containers for the winter. In the spring of the following year I noticed the willow branch, just a cutting, had started to root into the soil. Not wanting to kill the plant, I brought it home and put it in sunny damp area of the garden. That was 5 or 6 years ago and it’s now a 20 foot tree.
Curly willow, like most willows loves moist soil. They are one of the few plants that likes “wet feet”. These plants, once established can also grow at an almost alarming rate. If you do end up placing a willow, make sure it’s in an area where it can spread out.
Some willows become broader with age than others. There is a variety of willow called ‘swizzlestick’ which won’t get wider than 5 feet. The plant does grow tall however.
Many of the willows with which most of us are familiar have elongated oblong leaves. However, salix magnifica has a much wider leave with a dark blue/green hue. This willow also has purple new growth and wonderful flowers or catkins in the spring. This is a collector’s plant, but also just a good plant in general.
Another plant with leaves standout leaves is the dappled willow. If you are searching for this plant it’s available as Salix integra ‘Hakuro-nishiki’ Dappled Willow. I’ve seen this plant at high end nurseries as well as the big box stores. I love the plant, the white variegated leaves are certainly a standout in the garden. The plant is often sold in small containers, but will grow very fast. I have one of these at the edge of the wettest part of my yard. It has become a 20 foot behemoth in just a few years.
The good thing about willows is that you can hack them back aggressively and they will grow back very quickly. If the plant becomes too tall, just cut it back as much as you want, then a bit more to allow for the new growth.
Willows do have some insects which love to eat their leaves. The blue willow beetle is a nasty little bug which can defoliate a willow tree in a matter of days. The beetle is is susceptible to Bacillus thuringiensis tenebrionis and also Spinosad which can both be found at any nursery. These two products are also considered organic, but should be sparingly applied nevertheless.
The video below shows some examples of the willows I have in my yard. You can see how different they are and how fast some of them have grown. With over 300 different varieties of willows out there, I’m sure there is one for your yard.
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