Until recently, willow was simply a wild plant, but now it is actively used in landscape design. It is suitable for creating hedges, fits organically into the composition of flower beds, and when planted separately it looks great.
Skilled gardeners create decorative arches and gazebos from willow, and fences and palm trees woven from its shoots will not leave anyone indifferent. The Willow family includes more than 550 common species. We have selected seven of the most unusual of them.
Popular beauty
Today, thanks to breeders, about 600 species of this plant are known. Some varieties love shade and coolness and cannot grow without moisture, others show their beauty only in the presence of sunlight.
Some varieties feel comfortable in the arctic cold, others in the hot, humid tropics. But most species do not like heat.
The height of the plant ranges from 10 cm to 40 meters. The thickness of the trunk also varies, the average is 50 cm in diameter.
A beautiful and recognizable tree is planted in parks and decorated alleys. In nature, willow can most often be found along the banks of rivers and lakes.
Landing Features
Today, quite a large number of people plant willow in their gardens and summer cottages. Undoubtedly, the tree looks very beautiful and unusual, but before planting a weeping willow in your garden, it is worth learning about some of the nuances of planting, as well as the positive and negative aspects of the location of the tree on the site.
Pros and cons of planting willow on the site
Let's start with the pleasant things - with the advantages of planting willow trees in the garden:
- Create an unusual hedge using several willow trees.
- Creating coziness and tranquility in the garden, thanks to the beautiful and dense crown of the plant, which creates excellent shade.
- Possibility of use in agriculture: willow leaves can be an additive to the diet of rabbits and goats, and this is a definite plus for people breeding these animals.
- The use of willow twigs for weaving baskets, furniture, etc.
- A joy for beekeepers, since willow is the best spring honey plant.
But planting such mighty and extraordinary trees also has its downsides:
- Fast tree growth. If you do not monitor the growth of the willow and do not trim its branches in time, the tree will grow very quickly so that it will be difficult to approach it. At the same time, the grown plant will begin to fill those areas that were allocated for planting other crops.
- Aphid invasion. Aphids simply love this tree, so not only willow, but also all fruit trees will suffer from a large number of insects.
Note! The negative aspects of planting a crop can be easily dealt with by getting rid of harmful insects using chemicals and protecting the fruit trees by planting them away from the willow. And the growth of the plant can be controlled by timely pruning.
Landing
Before planting tree seedlings, it is important to decide where to plant the willow tree. It is an independent tree, so you should not overload the area around it with a large number of different plants. The culture looks best on the shore of a pond or other body of water. If desired, you can plant willow in a group with other trees, but it is important not to make the composition heavier by planting too many plants.
Willows look great in wide areas. You can also make an extraordinary gazebo from certain types of wood.
In order for the seedling to take root, you need to know not only where to plant the willow, but also how. Below is the algorithm for planting a crop:
- It is better to plant willow in loamy soil; fertilizing the plant with organic substances has a good effect. At the planting site, there may be close proximity to groundwater ( some types of willow even begin to grow better because of this ).
- The seedlings will take root well in a new location if the root system is left closed.
- Before planting a willow from a branch, you should dig a hole in the form of a square, the sides of which will be 50 cm and the depth will be 40 cm.
- Before planting, the hole must be filled one-third full with a soil mixture consisting of humus and soil.
- When all preparations are completed, the seedling itself is placed in the hole, sprinkled well with earth and trampled down.
- All that remains is to water the planted plants abundantly.
Certain patterns of planting willow trees are needed to create gazebos, hedges and arches of extraordinary beauty. To achieve this result, the plants are planted in a certain sequence at a certain distance from each other, and then the pliable young rods are bent into a specific shape. As they grow, the branches get used to growing in this direction and after a few years they are able to independently maintain the desired shape.
Reproduction
Willows can be propagated both vegetatively and by seeds. However, propagation using cuttings is more popular, since the seeds do not always germinate and attempts to grow a tree in this way are rarely successful.
So, how to plant a willow cutting?
- For propagation, use only the middle of the branch, from which cut off several annual shoots that have been growing since last year. A distinctive feature of such shoots will be the buds.
- Cut the cut shoots into 15-25 cm cuttings. There must be several buds in their upper part. It is better to choose thick cuttings for growing willow.
- Plant the prepared cuttings in the soil, observing the following rule: the lower end should be directed downward and the upper end upward. It is better if half of the cutting is in the ground, but at least one bud is constantly peeking out of the soil.
- Water immediately after planting. The soil should be well moistened and stick to the branches.
- If the leaves begin to bloom, shade the plant so that it does not dry out in the sun before rooting.
- After one week the shoots will begin to gradually take root, and after a few weeks they will have a strong root system.
- In the first few weeks, constantly monitor the moisture of the soil; after that, this is no longer necessary.
Designers' Favorite
Decorative willow, which has several dozen varieties, is ideal for creating a garden landscape design. Gardeners and designers adore her for her unpretentiousness.
The plant gets along well with its “neighbors” and grows in any soil. In garden design, this plant can decorate the shoreline of a pond or serve as a hedge, dividing zones of the site.
Purple willow Gracilis (Salix purpurea Gracilis)
The small graceful purple willow Gracilis, with a height of 50 to 150 cm, is ideal for creating hedges; it also fits well into the composition of flower beds, focusing attention on itself, and is also suitable for creating various geometric shapes in the garden.
Numerous thin shoots and small narrow leaves of silver-green color form an aerial crown in the shape of a ball. From a distance, the willow resembles a bluish cloud. The shrub blooms before the leaves bloom with large bright purple catkins.
Purple willow Gracilis is easy to care for, unpretentious and drought-resistant. However, it develops better in moist and fertile soils. The plant is light-loving, so it needs to be planted in open space. Its highly developed root system strengthens the soil.
To obtain a dense crown of the desired shape, it is recommended to trim the bush regularly.
Garden decoration
Among the many varieties of this wonderful plant, dwarf willow is very popular among gardeners. With different lengths, colors of leaves and inflorescences, these miniature shrubs can decorate any area.
By planting such beautiful shrubs in your garden, you can create an exquisite composition. They go well with other plants, standing out for their extraordinary beauty of narrow leaves and thin stems.
The height of the shrubs reaches one meter; there are specimens as small as 10 cm, which can be grown in a flower pot on a windowsill.
Reproduction options
Willow is grown from seeds, cuttings and seedlings. Seedlings are usually purchased from a store or nursery.
Sequence of actions when growing from cuttings:
- cut a young branch with several buds 25-35 cm long;
- put in water and add a root growth stimulator or bury it in a moist substrate; the soil must be moistened regularly;
- The place for the seedling is bright, but not in direct sun;
- In a month, roots should appear, and then you can plant them in a permanent place.
You can plant the cuttings in a container with drainage and fertile soil. These plants spend the winter indoors at a cool temperature. In the spring they are planted on the site.
Willow seeds reproduce in natural conditions. Gardeners rarely use this method, since the process is quite lengthy.
Landing sequence:
- the seeds are planted in a mixture of sand and compost, always on the surface of the soil, without covering them with soil;
- keep the bed moist by covering it with glass until 2 leaves appear;
- seedlings 3-5 cm high are planted in open ground in August - early September.
Mountain landscape lovers
The “Alpine” willow is distinguished by its creeping nature and many branches. From the name alone you can guess that this plant grows in rocky soil.
In the garden, a lover of mountainous terrain is given a place on an alpine hill or planted in the center of a rocky garden.
She will be kept company by her close relative “Skalnaya”, which can even grow from rock crevices. These two willows differ in the density and size of the leaves on creeping thin stems.
Willow propagation by cuttings, growing and caring for seedlings
Baskets and furniture are woven from willow vines and used in children's art classes. In landscape design, willow is used to decorate a pond, in group and single plantings, near a gazebo or playground, so that the large crown forms a good shadow; by propagating willow, you can create a beautiful hedge of shrub species (purple, Caspian) or plant it simply to strengthen the slope. Fallen healthy leaves can improve the composition of the soil.
Among the most popular, we can distinguish silver willow with a height of 10-12 m, weeping willow - 5-7 m, spherical - up to 7 m, Ural twisted - up to 3.5 m, Hakuro-Nishiki 1-1.5 m, purple - 2-2, 5 m.
Willow is planted and propagated by cuttings taken from annual shoots (this is the easiest way), since the germination rate of seeds is not high.
Planting a cutting
In spring, cut cuttings 3-5 cm in length in the part closest to the trunk. Plant the cuttings in a box with sand so that no more than 1 cm is visible on the surface. Moisten, cover with transparent glass or film and place for rooting in a warm place (+20°C) for 3-4 weeks. Moisten and ventilate the plantings during this period. Next, transplant the cuttings into peat-humus pots for 1.5 months.
Transplanting a willow cutting to a permanent place
Willow cuttings can be transplanted to a permanent location at any time before October; they will easily tolerate this procedure.
Dig a hole 50x50 cm deep and wide, mix the soil with rotted compost and peat in equal quantities and fill the hole 2/3 full with the resulting soil. Willow prefers light loams. Plant the cutting without removing it from the pot if it is peat-humus and with an earthen lump if it is a plastic cup. Fill with soil and water. Now, throughout the year, the willow needs to be watered at the rate of 20 liters of water per plant once every 10-14 days. During drought, you can do it more often. If you plant a willow near a pond, well or spring, this problem will be partially solved.
To create a hedge along a garden path, plant willow trees on both sides, keeping a distance between planting holes of 1.5-2 m, and at a height of 2.5-3 m, intertwine the branches with each other, thus making a living tunnel or just an arch .
Care
Willow is a drought-resistant tree, so it needs to be watered sparingly. As a top dressing, use organic matter together with complex mineral fertilizer when digging the trunk circle. For one plant, a bucket of organic fertilizer and 30-40 g of mineral fertilizer. This type of feeding is enough once in spring or autumn.
You can begin to form a willow from the age of 3-4 years, when the tree has already grown the ground part. There is no point in giving up pruning altogether, as the plant runs wild and the branches become sparse. All shoots are pruned in the spring by an average of 20-30 cm, then the crown becomes denser and takes on a beautiful shape.
Often during the rainy season, willow will show spots on the foliage; this can be corrected by spraying with Oxychom or HOM.
For the winter (October-November), wild shoots are removed and covered.
Willow propagation
The easiest way to propagate willow is from cuttings, and it is best to do this in the spring so that you don’t have to think about storing the cuttings. This is a plant about which they say “Stick a branch and it will take root,” the main thing is that it is about 30 cm long with 5-7 buds. Make the lower cut obliquely, under the bud and deepen it by 1/3.
If there is somewhere to store the cuttings, then the shoots can be harvested in the fall, after the leaves fall. In the spring, cut the cuttings, treat them in a growth stimulator and plant, leaving 2 buds above the soil surface. Five-stamen and ash willow respond poorly to cuttings.
Willow can be propagated by seeds, which ripen a month after flowering and remain viable for just a few days, which is not entirely convenient and rational.
Furry girlfriends
A dwarf gnarled bush with leaves covered with delicate silky hairs and has a double color. On one side, the oval-shaped leaves are yellow in color. On the other, green. The hairs give a silvery tint on both sides.
The decorative nature of such a creation is undeniable. To its exquisite beauty, this plant adds unpretentiousness and frost resistance. Another representative with the same “hairstyle” and name is distinguished by the rounded shape of the bush. Overwinters quietly, peeking out with its branches from the snowdrift
Another of their relatives is called “Spear-shaped”. The shiny leaves are round at the base and sharp at the end, resembling a spear. Hence the name.
It grows in mountainous areas, on slopes, as well as in the tundra and undergrowth. All these types of willow take root well in garden plots, without causing any special worries in caring for them.
Rosemary willow (Salix Rosmarinifolia)
Rosemary willow, or Siberian willow, grows almost throughout Europe, Siberia, Primorye and northern Central Asia. The shrub with a lush crown reaches two meters in height, and grows even more in width, although rather slowly.
It has pubescent dark green leaves (silver on the back) that turn yellow in the fall, and rich red-brown shoots with a purple or violet tint. Numerous yellow catkins bloom before the leaves appear or simultaneously with them; bees are especially fond of their delicate floral aroma.
Rosemary willow is undemanding to the soil and requires virtually no care other than regular pruning to form a crown. The plant is light-loving, prefers damp places, and is not afraid of low temperatures.
A hedge created from rosemary willow will serve you for at least 20 years without renewal.
Capricious and gentle
A straight bush with many branches and ovate leaves covered with silvery hairs, which takes root poorly and grows slowly, is called “Swiss”.
Prevention of diseases is carried out in spring and autumn with a solution of copper sulfate. In winter, to prevent the plant from freezing, cover it with burlap or other material in several layers.
The “Winding” willow appears with the same whims. The plant is afraid of frost and even drafts.
But its spiraling branches and wavy leaves of bright green color make lovers of exquisite designs coddle this beauty. It’s hard to refuse such a highlight on the site.
Who bends the willow branches?
The twisted trunk and branches of the matsudana willow are a distinctive feature of these trees or shrubs. The frost resistance of the species is satisfactory: in severe winters, freezing occurs above the level of snow cover. Some gardeners additionally insulate their plants for the winter. A popular decorative form of " Tortuosa " is a tree or bush with a sinuous trunk and olive-gray branches. The leaves are also twisted in a spiral. The plant does not do well in a windy place, especially in an icy northeast wind. Willow leaves are burned during spring frosts. Without corrective pruning, the tree becomes thickened, making it difficult to admire the pattern of intertwined and twisted branches.
Willow tortuous "Tortuosa"
The tortuous willow of the Ural selection with strongly curved branches of olive or reddish-brown color and twisted leaves tolerates our climate better. The height of the tree “Sverdlovskaya sinuous 1” is about 4 m. It has a slightly weeping shape. There are winter-hardy low-growing forms with a weeping and pyramidal shape. They tolerate pruning well. When propagating, it is better to root short cuttings.
Twisty willow always looks so unusual
Falling cascades
Among the low-growing varieties, the willow “Vetla” stands out. A lover of the coastal zone of reservoirs, it lowers its branches up to three meters long into the water, as if rinsing them. This decorative low-growing willow gets along with different plants and makes a wonderful duo with dwarf conifers and other shrubs.
It has a silvery tint of leaves that rustle merrily as they sway in the wind. Some varieties of plants with hanging branches have a tent-like crown.
Others, like “Caspian”, charm with their unusual foliage with a snow-white border and yellow spaces in the middle. This decorative effect is greatly appreciated by landscape designers and keen gardeners.
Weeping trees in landscape design
Without proper garden planning, a noble tree will not produce the desired effect on guests. To make your garden look beautiful and complete, you need to follow a few tips for planting willows:
- Willows are recommended to be planted on the banks of reservoirs. On the site it can be an artificial pond, fountain or stream. You can place the tree near the pool.
- Willow will look good in a seating area if you place a bench under it. The shade from the tree will help you hide from the heat, and the rustling of the leaves will pleasantly soothe vacationers.
- There must be plenty of free space around the willow planting site. It could be a neat lawn.
- You cannot plant bright flowers near willow. They can divert all attention to themselves.
Willow is an independent element that does not require planting additional plants; it will look good in a simple garden with a minimum number of decorative elements.
Fluffy inflorescences
Willow "Arctic" grows in harsh climates. But, despite this, it pleases with long-lasting flowering.
The flowers of this plant are extremely beautiful: at the initial stage they are pink in color, gradually changing it to yellow. The inflorescences are quite large.
Long branches spread across the ground. Those branches that are located in the center of the bush, on the contrary, rise to a meter in height. The shoots of the plant have a beautiful bright yellow color.
Which willow to plant in the country: dwarf species for modest plots
Perhaps the most popular are willows of the most modest sizes. They will decorate an alpine hill, emphasize the naturalness of a common flower bed and are good even for solo planting.
Among the dwarf species it is worth noting the following willows:
- Tupolistnaya. A creeping bush no more than 30 cm high. The shoots are brown, the leaves are shiny, oval, sitting on short petioles.
- Mesh. The shoots are branched, creeping, up to 50 cm long, brown in color. The leaves are small, ovate, leathery, with an embossed pattern of a network of veins.
- Grassy. The maximum height of creeping bushes is 15 cm, the leaves are round. Young stems are yellow, turning brown over time.
The many faces of migrants
Numerous varieties of this beautiful, delicate and sophisticated plant are found everywhere. They can be found in Europe and Asia, America and even in hot countries.
With shiny and matte, long and round leaves, with modest or luxurious inflorescences, giant or dwarf size, willows decorate parks and the shores of reservoirs, with their participation designers create compositions for exhibitions and competitions.
Trimming hedges
The hedge requires annual sanitary cutting and shaping at least once every three years. Pruning is carried out in early spring and in August-September. The first time a willow hedge is trimmed is a year after planting.
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During the procedure, dried, damaged branches and shoots that extend beyond the fence profile are removed. The shoots are cut above the previous cut.
For trimmed willow hedges, the best profile is in the form of a trapezoid tapering towards the top with the sides sloping at an angle of 70-80°. This shape ensures uniform illumination of plants from the tops to the root parts. But the fence can be given other shapes: rectangular, triangular, hemispherical, spherical.
For untrimmed willow hedges, we use the coppice formation method. It is used to renew plantings, increase the density of hedges and improve the decorative appearance of plants.
The overgrown hedge is trimmed periodically, removing damaged shoots and branches.
With the coppice method of formation, the shoots are cut to approximately ¾ of the length, leaving small stumps. The cut is made obliquely and is carried out over the outer kidney. The procedure is repeated for several years in a row, with the shoot being cut over and over again just above the site of last year’s cut.
Important. In standard forms of willow, in addition to branches, young root shoots and rootstock are cut out.
