Willows are a diverse group of ancient plants. There are huge willows and tiny willows.
Even with such a diversity of expressions, a few general things can be said about willows:
Willows are often great for spring pollinators. Their flowers open up very early in spring, creating nectar flows for insects before much else is available.
Willow stems are often very flexible, hence many species historic use in basket making.
Willows tend to grow naturally in wetter locations, near water.
Willows are a great plant for silvopasture systems because they regrow nutritious fodder for animals very quickly and are resilient and medicinal. The leaves and bark are also used widely in herbalism, including as a whole plant version of aspirin (the bark of willows contains salicin, which is a chemical similar to aspirin aka acetylsalicylic acid).
These Plants Grow Easily From Hardwood Cuttings
We have hardwood cuttings of these plants available so you can propagate your own plants! Hardwood cuttings are literally just first year branches cut from a mother tree.
It is often almost as easy to plant hardwood cuttings of willow, elderberry, currants, and poplars as it is to plant a rooted plant. It also allows you to get plants growing where digging a large hole may be too destructive, like near the roots of a large tree. It also allows you to get many, many plants going with minimal upfront work of digging many holes.
Check out this video for a detailed look at planting your hardwood cuttings.
Varieties available this season (check the drop downs to see if varieties are available as plants or cuttings):
Taller, thinner willows (expect at least 10 feet tall plus at maturity):
- Miyabena – Japanese, large, fast growing biomass willow. Size of huge shrub or medium tree. Thick redish stems
- Rubykins – Japanese, tight column like growth, greenish stems thinner than Miyabena, very elegant
- Viminalis – excellent for pollinators in spring, can be thicket forming. Thicker stems, very green foliage and stems
- Britenzis – German variety with brilliant red/orange stems and silver/green/blue foliage. Great winter interest. Can get very large in good conditions.
- Curly – Curly leaves and stems! Glossy redish purple stems, not crazy vigorous like other willows in this category.
- Aquatica – an awesome biomass willow with great catkins for pollinators. Lots of light green colors
More bushy willows (mostly Salix purpurea willows, with purple, brown, and golden tones):
- Streamco – the ultimate stream erosion willow. This is a purpurea willow so would be appropriate for some basket weaving as well.
- Packing Twine – another purpurea willow, however these stems are so thin and flexible you can use them as a thick twine!
- Oka – an old fine basketry willow
- Bebbs – Also known as the diamond willow, has green leathery teardrop like foliage, thicket forming and great for erosion control. Said to be the most widely growing willow in North America
Pretty wild and crazy forms (both tall and wide, or other)
- American Pussy Willow – this selected pussy willow has huge silvery male catkins, which develop to yellow as spring progresses and pollen is released. Great for cut stems.
- Salix eriocephala – beautiful and quite fast growing! A thick shrub type, quite wild looking.
- Arctic – this willow is a relatively low, sparse grower with bluish stems. The first few years stems stay largely towards the ground
