WILLOW TALK
A staple of walks along the river, the right variety can also bring structure and drama to your plot
WHEN we think of willows, we usually picture the magnificent weeping willow, Salix babylonica, dipping its branches by a riverbank.
This is far too large a tree for most gardens and will suck up all the moisture. However, there are more than 300 species of willow, including the dwarf Salix herbacea which creeps along the ground at a height of just two inches in Arctic and alpine regions and is one of the smallest woody plants in the world. There are also many other gardensuitable varieties which offer beauty in their colourful stems, ornamental catkins and graceful leaves.
In midwinter, the colourful stems of willows can be appreciated, and rival those of cornus. For example, the deep purple of the violet willow, Salix ‘Aglaia’, or the bright yellow stems of ‘Golden Ness’.
I love the sight of the orangered ‘Yelverton’ branches when they glow in winter sunshine. Like dogwood, these shrubs can be heavily chopped back in spring to ensure vibrant new stem growth. They make beautiful winter gardens paired with cornus, white brambles, bamboos and silver birch.
Then there are the wonderfully twisted stems of the Corkscrew willow, S. ‘Erythroflexuosa’, a small tree which can make a beautiful specimen for an average sized garden.
Willows produce male and female flowers and as so often happens in the natural world, the male type is showier than the female – very fluffy with lots of yellow pollen.
There is plenty of variety among willow species with the dramatic black catkins of S. ‘Melanostachys’, the Black Pussy Willow a personal favourite. Then there’s a relatively new variety, ‘Mount Aso’, the Japanese pink pussy willow which has soft pretty pink catkins in late winter and early spring. It was selected for breeding by a cut flower specialist in Japan who spotted its decorative potential for indoor vases. ‘Eugenie’ also has delicate pink catkins and Salix hookeriana has very showy long, silvery white ones. All are great favourites with florists for adding structure to displays. Foliage can be equally varied. The Coyote willow, S. ‘Exigua’ is a particularly unusual large shrub or small tree with fine silvery grey leaves. The Flamingo Tree is a very popular variety often grown as a lollipop shape in a pot – the leaves are blotched with white and pink at the tips. If you’re growing it in a pot, the challenge is to keep it well watered.
Willows thrive in wet soil so are a great choice for damp waterlogged areas or pondside settings. They grow in ordinary loamy soil and are best planted in full sunshine. You’ll have no problem growing them from cuttings – they are known for their ability to root, even if you put them in upside down!