Furry catkins that honeybees hunt out, branches twisted into curves, leaves that open pink before turning white and green: the willows (Salix) run to more than 300 kinds, from 85-foot giants to pocket shrubs for a pot. Give them cool, deep soil and a sunny spot and they grow fast, hardy and almost untouched by disease.
Which one fits in your garden?
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Willows all share a common liking to cool and deep soil, where they can thrust their powerful roots, but most of them still settle in fine in ordinary or even chalky soil.
Most species are very easily propagated through cuttings, since all that is needed is:
Planting a willow tree is best done in fall, in a sun-bathed spot of the garden.
Willows range from a pocket shrub in a pot to a tree the size of a house, so the choice comes down to how much room you have. Here is how the types named in this article compare.
| Willow | Height | Suits | Why grow it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeping willow (Salix babylonica) | 85 ft (25 m) | Large gardens only | Swooping branches, needs huge space |
| Purple willow (Salix purpurea) | 1 to 2 m (one or two yards) | Small gardens | Branches used in basket-weaving |
| Salix integra ‘Hakuno-Nishiki’ | Tiny pocket shrub | Pots and the smallest plots | Pink leaves turning white and green |
| Coyote willow (Salix exigua) | 10 to 16 ft (3 to 5 m) | Average-sized gardens, poor soil | Bushy shrub with grey leaves |
| Goat willow (Salix caprea) | Up to 40 ft (12 m) | Roomier gardens | Furry catkins, early bloom loved by honeybees |
| Chinese willow (Salix matsudana) | Up to 35 ft (10 m) | Small gardens | Curved leaves and twisted branches |
Whichever you pick, all of them share the same taste for cool, deep soil and a sunny spot.
The famous weeping willow (Salix babylonica) needs a huge space to spread its 85-foot (25 meter) stature and swooping branches, but many much smaller varieties are ideal for small gardens.
Average-sized Salix exigua (10 to 16 feet or 3 to 5 m) is a bushy shrub with gray leaves that grows on poor soil.
With its distinctive furry catkins, and much sought after by honeybees thanks to its early blooming, goat willow (Salix caprea) can climb up to 40 feet (12 meters) tall.
Chinese willow (Salix matsudana) is definitely highly ornamental thanks to its surprising curved leaves and twisted branches. Up to 35 feet (10 meters) tall, it fits in small gardens.
Laure Hamann
