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             The Gardener Guy of Tulsa, Oklahoma

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Pussy Willows

Pussy willows, like all willows, like wet, swampy areas. They will grow up to be small trees, but can be kept to a manageable size with yearly pruning - and now is a good time to do so. And fortunately for those of us who depend on pussy willow bouquets to chase away the mud season blues, the more you trim your pussy willows, the more vigorous and productive they will be. Left unpruned, pussy willows can easily reach 20 feet tall. Since they bloom on their upper branches, picking good-looking stems can be next to impossible if the bushes are allowed to get too tall.

An established pussy willow is next to impossible to kill. If you have wild pussy willow that is tall and gangly, you can take a saw and cut it all right to the ground. It will come back. It can grow four feet or more in a single season.

If you see yellow dust on your pussy willows, they are already producing pollen. So if you are allergy-prone, don't pick stems with yellow on them. But you can halt pussy willows from producing pollen: pick them at their peak of beauty, and place them in a dry vase. They will stay looking the same for a year. If you pick them before they are fully developed, put them in a vase with water to let them mature. Drain off the water when the little gray kitties are at their cutest.

In 2005 I worked as a volunteer on an organic farm in the Dordogne region of France that grew willow for making baskets. I worked through an organization called Willing Workers on Organic Farms,. In exchange for 4-6 hours of work each day I got room and board, lived with a family, and learned a lot about willows - including how easy it is to root them.

To root willows, cut 8-12 inch sections of vigorous young stems in May or June. Strip off the lower leaves, and push the stems into moist soil, leaving just 2 inches above ground. Roots will develop at each node (where leaves start) on the stem below ground; new stems and leaves will grow above ground, so long as you leave at least one node above ground. Depending on your soil, you may need to poke a hole in the ground before inserting your willow stem; be sure the ground is firmed up around it when you are done.

I grow several kinds of willows, and all are nice. My favorite is the rosemary willow (Salix elaeagnos), which has dark reddish-brown stems and long narrow leaves that look like rosemary. The underneath side of the leaf is whitish, while the top side is grayish to green. I need to prune mine this year, as it is now - after 3 years - starting to get floppy and lean towards the light. I've read that one can cut them to the ground each year to keep them tidy, but I like mine bigger - it is about 5 feet tall and wide at present.

My friend Doris LeVarn of Meriden, N.H. introduced me to another beauty: she potted and rooted a "Hakuro-Nishiki' willow (a form of Salix integra). This willow has tri-colored leaves: green, white and a pinkish color. Hers got to be 10 feet tall and wide within 4 or 5 years, and this year she pruned it heavily. The upper branches are a nice red at this time of year. Leaf color is best on new stems.

I also have a tiny willow that stays small, blue arctic willow (Salix purpurea nana). Most growers say that it is only marginally hardy here in Zone 4 where it gets to be minus 20 to 30 degrees each winter. Mine does well and has survived because it has what it likes: soil that is constantly moist, year round, and full sun. After 10 years it is only 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. It has delicate small thin grayish leaves. I keep it in a flower bed and have not had to prune it.

I grow another marginally hardy willow: curly or twisted willow (Salix tortuosa). I've had it by my stream for at least 5 years, and I love the twisted branches. It looks particularly nice in winter, against snow. Like many willows, it is not said to be a long-lived plant.

To write this article I drove quite a distance to look at some black pussy willows (Salix melanostachys) for sale at a nursery. I was not impressed. The catkins were small and did not invite me to touch them, the way gray pussy willows do. They were also spaced far apart on the stems, so they would not look dramatic in a vase. Presumably they would grow better in the ground than in a plastic pot, but I can't find space for everything, and I decided these would not drive home with me.

It's a bit early to plant shrubs, but go have a look at pussy willows to see if you like them, and then start a few later on. Just remember that they like wet places, and they should do fine for you.

Henry Homeyer is the author of 3 gardening books. His web site is www.gardening-guy.com.