TREES > WILLOW > WEEPING

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WILLOW guide

willow branches hanging over a large lake

Container GrowingPruningVarieties – Corkscrew – Flamingo – Weeping

tears willow tree are vast , beautiful trees which can find a place in many gardens .

Willow ( Salixspp . ) is a genus of Tree that can total in a image of shapes , size and kind .

salix babylonica tree with hanging green foliage

Weeping varieties are plants within this genus that have pendulous branches , which bend over and clothe towards the ground .

Overview

PreferredFull Sun or Partial Shade

ExposureExposed or Sheltered

Height1 – 12M+

Salix x sepulcralis ‘Chrysocoma’ tree

Spread1 – 8M+

Bloom TimeSpring

PreferredMost territory types

small Salix caprea ‘Pendula’ tree with furry catkins and a conifer in the background

MoistureMoist but well - drained

pHAny

When people talk about weep willow , there are a number of different tree to which they could be referring .

closeup of weeping purple willow

They are often referring toS. babylonica – a deciduous tree diagram with weeping mannikin .

They can farm to around 8 - 12 one thousand improbable , with a similar breadth .

However , this tree does not usually thrive in the UK , and is now largely replaced with the below in cultivation .

weeping willow tree in a field in front of a cloudy blue sky

Another weeping willow tree isSalixxsepulcralisvar.chrysocoma(also referred to asSalix alba‘Tristis ’ ) . It is also sometimes bring up to as ‘ Golden Weeping Willow ’ .

This is a hybrid of our native white willow tree , and the above - mentionedSalix babylonica ; it is vernacular in parks and gardens and is one of the first willow to come up into leaf , in March .

This is a large tree diagram , which grows taller than 12 thousand and wider than 8 m.

hanging willow branches

Purple weeping willow , S. purpurea‘Pendula ’ is another crying willow to conceive .

This is a evenhandedly compact willow tree , which grow to around 3.5 x 2.5 m.

The term ‘ crying willow ’ can also refer toS. caprea‘Pendula ’ , which proceed by the names weeping goat willow , weeping puss willow or Kilmarnock willow .

huge weeping willow tree next to a bridge and riverside pub

This is an even little tree diagram more suited to smaller garden which will maturate to around 1.5 - 2.5 m in both height and width .

Another small-scale tree diagram is a gnome weeping willow , S. integra‘Pendula ’ , which has a compact tiptop and width of just around 1.5 x 1 m.

Why Grow Weeping Willow?

Weeping willows are exceedingly attractive cosmetic tree .

Their drooping form , along with their foliage and catkins produced in the outflow make these very pretty trees to look at adding to a garden .

However , beyond their cosmetic appeal , there are a range of other grounds to develop willows like these in your garden .

large nursery with many potted trees ready for planting

Willow barque can be used to make a rooting compound which is used to help oneself cuttings to root more successfully .

The stem and bark are also very useful in basketry and in a range of other craft projects – and good charcoal can be made from the wood .

Beyond these employment , willow can also be utile in land management and in organic garden design – it can assist in oversee urine and solve waterlogging event .

weeping willow tree covered in ice and snow in winter

Willows can also help to stabilise the soil with their vigorous and extensive root systems .

How To Grow A Weeping Willow

willow tree all like jolly deep , fertile soils in full sunlight .

They be given to care moist conditions and some can cope well with waterlogged or even wetland margin sites .

They will often be set on a riverside , or tight to a garden pond .

red secateurs being used by a gardener to trim branches from a willow tree

They can cope with a broad range of different grime type and pH level , and can cope with expose sites .

Some even get by with maritime exposure and willows also tend to have good tolerance to atmospheric pollution .

One thing to remark is that willow , especially enceinte weeping willow , have extensive and wet - seeking roots which can cause problem with drains .

To make for it secure do not place a weeping willow tree ( especially a bigger one ) too close to buildings , water pipe or a septic system .

Planting A Weeping Willow

Willows do not tend to respond well to transplantation , so care should be taken to establish them into their permanent place as soon as potential .

tears willow tree tree are most frequently purchased as pot - grown specimens .

These can be planted out at any fourth dimension of the year .

However , it is beneficial to plant these out in spring or early autumn and to avoid planting during specially hot and juiceless periods .

willow tree can sometimes also be purchased as unfinished - root flora and planted out during the dormant period .

When planting a weeping willow , prod a hole that is the same deepness as the root testis , and around twice as wide .

you may regard bring mycorrhizal fungus kingdom to the planting hole to aid organisation .

tauten a premix of the survive soil and compost back around the root ball , making sure that the willow is planted at the same depth as it was before .

check that that you do not bank up the territory around the root word of the tree diagram – mulch well with organic matter but make certain that this does not touch the trunk .

Weeping Willow Care

crying willow tree trees should be watered well during ironical periods , especially during the first few months as they become ground .

These trees will call for more watering in summer , and less as temperature fall .

Your weeping willow should not require additional fertilisation as long as the soil is suitably nourishing and you mulch with organic matter .

Replenish the mulch around your tears willow each spring to maintain fertility .

It is important to keep the area around a young weeping willow tree tree free from competing weeds and dope for the first mates of growing season .

However , as when found anything else in your garden , you should cerebrate holistically and consider the other plants which could be position tight by to form social club of companion plant that will help keep your willow tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree healthy and create a resilient ecosystem .

If you endure in an area with rabbits or cervid , using a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree sentry duty for the first couple of long time after planting will be a proficient idea .

Do not lop a youthful weeping willow for its first year .

After this , you’re able to prune damaged or pathologic ramification at any time of the year – to boost a clear theme , prune lower branches off the lower part of the master automobile trunk in the winter month , during the dormant full point .

Weeping willows flow into RHS pruning group 1.1RHS Pruning groups . ( n.d.-b ) . Royal Horticultural Society . Retrieved March 27 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.rhs.org.uk/pruning/rhs-pruning-groups

They course take shape a well - balanced framework and need little pruning , if any at all .

However , they can also be hard clip to restore an older specimen , or poll if desire .

“ Many of the lowly weeping willows are top - grafted , meaning a piece of the weeping variety is effectively biologically weld to a more upright rootstock tree diagram at a tiptop of around 1 molarity to permit it to shower , ” say Master Horticulturist Peter Lickorish .

“ For this intellect , the hard pruning of weeping willows is generally well fend off and cut below the graft story will intend you ultimately end up with a dissimilar tree ! ”

Weeping willows are beautiful and useful Tree – if you have a suitable spot in your garden , there may be a weeping willow that is right for you .

References