Growing Pussy Willows and
Curly Willows
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| Japanese Fantail Willow in early spring |
If you’re a gardener, you know that the first signs of spring growth are as exciting as little league opening day. You haven’t gotten your hands dirty for months, and now the pussy willow catkins beckon you to get out and pull the ugly weeds that survived the winter. or not. In my yard in upstate SC, the pussy willow catkins that pop in February are the very first signs of my plants coming back to life.
In March of 2010, I went to the Southern Home & Garden Show in Greenville, SC. I ran across a booth with an arrangement of beautiful branches that looked a little bit like curly willow branches, but the ends of them curved and they weren’t as delicate. The company manning the booth, The Happy Berry and Mountain Willow, also had photos of more arrangements that were made using the exquisite branches. I was hooked. The branches I was admiring were from a Japanese pussy willow, a Japanese Fantail (Salix sachalinensis ‘Sekka’). To my delight, they were selling bundles of cuttings so you could grow your own! I bought a bundle of Japanese Fantail Willow cuttings and a bundle of Curly Willow cuttings, which came with instructions on how to grow them.
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| Japanese Fantail willow cuttings from the Home Show |
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| Curly willow cuttings from the Home Show |
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| ...and then there were roots...
I put them in water and
voila, the roots sprouted! If you’re not
a gardener, you are missing out on the pure joy of seeing roots sprout. It’s like seeing the blue “+” on the white
stick! While still in the plastic cups
in my kitchen, leaves sprouted also.
Ecstasy!
|
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| ...and leaves... |
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| March 13, 2010 |
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| March 27, 2010. They grew so fast that I had to transplant most of them so I ended up with 2 willows in each Earthbox. |
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| Since our new house is 8/10 of a mile down the street, the Earthboxes with my willows in them went for a ride down the street on the back of a moving truck!!! August 2010 |
As the Mountain Willow instructions say, “willows enjoy water like Germans enjoy beer!” For this reason, don’t plant a willow near old sewer pipes – that may cause a problem.
Knowing that they like sun and lots of water, I planted them in my new yard and have been enjoying them ever since. If you want branches with catkins on
them, you have to cut them in early spring.
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| The following grouping of photos are all of my Japanese Fantail Willows |
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| The Japanese Fantail willows are also called dragon tails |
My disclaimer is that only 1 out of every 20-30 branches on the Japanese Fantail willow curls at the end, but the normal branches are beautiful too.
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| I cut these branches and I am holding them in my hand to get a photo |
I love to use the willow branches in arrangements. You can cut branches anytime. If you cut them during the growing season, you have to let them dry out and eventually remove the leaves to use them in an arrangement.
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| Japanese Fantail branches cut during the growing season and dried |
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| Winter arrangement with 3 Japanese Fantail Willow stems |
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| I told you that the branches of the Japanese Fantail willow that don't curl are beautiful too! I cut these in mid-February and I live in the upstate of SC |
So what do the willows look like in the summer?
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| Japanese Fantail willow |
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| Japanese Fantail willow |
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| Leaves of Japanese Fantail willow |
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| Young Japanese Fantail willow |
Okay, what about the Curly Willows?
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| My Curly willows have not grown as fast because they need more sun |
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| Curly willow in winter |
I also cut my own cuttings to give to family and friends.
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| Be sure to cut a small hole on the bottom of each cup for drainage |
The people at The Happy Berry and Mountain Willow want you to enjoy growing willows too! Visit their farm in Six Mile, SC!
Willow fun fact: Poor
people at one time often ate willow catkins that had been cooked to form a
mash. Hmmm, no thank you. I also wouldn’t eat a pansy petal, but I hear
they’re edible too.
I’ve
just got to tell you about the good laugh I had with Walker Miller at The Happy
Berry. He was concerned that one of his
e-mails to me went to my spam folder because the Subject of the e-mail had the
words “PUSSY WILLOW”… HA
Happy growing and happy arranging!
…and that’s my 2 cents’ worth, Cheryl
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If you liked this article, you might also enjoy “Mini Flower
Arrangements and Simple Arrangements”: http://cheryls2centsworth.blogspot.com/2013/08/mini-flower-arrangements-and-simple.html
Link to The Happy Berry website: http://www.thehappyberry.com
Link to The Happy Berry website: http://www.thehappyberry.com
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What is an Earthbox?
ReplyDeleteIt is a self-watering container used to grow plants. To learn more, visit their website at www.earthbox.com ! My Dad bought so many Earthboxes that he started making home-made versions himself.
DeleteCherly! "Mountain Willow" here. Great article! and as a grower you are very willow savey. We really appreciate your support. I think we are the only willow with catkins grower in South Carolina. We hope your bloggers will visit us at the TD Convention center March 1-3. I also note that we are open on Saturdays into early April from 11 AM - 3 PM at the farm unless we are at a show. Since we are there working 90% of the time you can really visit any time but it is best call ahead on days other than Saturday to make sure one of us is there and not off running an errand or doing book work (I know isn't it a bummer)required by Uncle Sam. We would be happy to give a little tour and show how we do things at the farm. The farm is at 510 Gap Hill Road in Six Mile SC (29682) about 30 miles west of Greenville not far from Lake Keowee. We will honor the coupon either at the shows or at the farm.
ReplyDeleteOur summer crop is berries. You can learn more about our small diversified farm on the Internet www.thehappyberry.com
Thank you!! Walker for The Happy Berry Bunch
Thank you for this information!! How far is your farm from Clemson? about 15 or 20 minutes?
Deletecool post,thank you, im going to school at kwantlen in british columbia,canada in the hort program and spotted a salix uddensis 'sekka' on our golf course, with bugs everywhere, really cool plant.
ReplyDeleteI agree - cool plant!
DeleteDear Cheryl, thank you for such a great blog post with great details. I have a question - I love to grow both pussy and curly willow - but I live in Central New Jersey, is it too cold for me to grow them outdoor? If so, I guess I have to give up. If not, what is the best time season to plant them from pot to ground. Presently, I bought some curly willow from the store and all of them are rooting in water. I am really tempted to grow more as i love to do floral arrangements too. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteFirst, find out what plant hardiness zone you are in by looking at the map: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ . Most of NJ is Zone 6, for example. On the plant tag, it will say for what zones it will be suited. If it doesn't, the tag should say how hardy the plant is. For example, it might say that the plant is hardy to -10 degrees F. If you live in an area where it doesn't get colder than - 5, then the plant should do well in your area. The BEST time to plant is always fall, BUT the next best time is the spring. I plant all kinds of stuff in the spring! Good luck!
DeleteJapanese Fantail Willow will survive down to minus 30 degrees F.
DeleteHow much did you have to pay for the bunches?
ReplyDeleteThey were not expensive! If I had to guess, it was $3-$5 for a bunch of 5-6 cuttings.
DeleteHi there! I planted a hedge row of about 500 red curly willows in March. They are now between 5-9 feet tall, and I would like to prune them to weave into more of a fedge. I can't seem to find any good resources for when to prune, how/when to plant whatever I prune if I'm sharing with someone (like, can they plant in November in Illinois?? Or would that need to wait until spring?), or how to make crafts and arrangements out of the pruned willows. Can you point me to a growing guide or something similar? Or maybe you would have answers to these questions! Either way, thanks for your time and for sharing your experiences!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do not know the answers to all of your questions, I have never had a problem when I prune them when the catkins are pretty (February or March in SC) and then I use the branches in arrangements. I have heard that you can spray hairspray on them , but I have never done that myself . I think your best bet would be to go to a local garden center with your other questions. Thanks for your comments !
DeleteIf anyone is REALLY interested in propagating ANY woody landscape plant, Google a source for the book Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, by Michael A. Dirr. This was my textbook for the class by that name, during my horticulture education at Pikes Peak Community College in the 1980s. This book describes the plant identification, ornamental characteristics, culture, propagation and uses, and I HIGHLY recommend it - it's one of the few textbooks I saved from my college days (the hort program was discontinued after I completed 2 semesters - arghh!!), and I still use it a LOT. It's a large, heavy, soft-cover book; I wish it was hardcover, but....
ReplyDeleteUnder Salix (willow) propagation, Dirr says: Seeds have no dormancy and germinate within 12 to 24 hours after falling on moist or wet sand; there is no dormancy known in any species; all willows are easily propagated by soft or hardwood cuttings at any time of the year; just collect the cuttings and stick them; the stems have pre-formed root initials. ... Dr. Max Kawase, Ohio State, has identified a "willow root substance" that is quite effective in promoting rooting of difficult-to-root plants especially when used in combination with IBA [rooting hormone]; the young willow stems are cut into small pieces, steeped in water; the cuttings to be rooted are then placed in the extract and allowed to absorb for a period of time; IBA may also be applied in conjunction with the willow extract.
So, there's your rooting tip of the day! If you're trying to root some cuttings and they don't seem to be cooperating, chop up some young willow twigs and let them soak in a bucket of water for several hours, along with your bundle of difficult cuttings; remove your bundle and dip them in rooting hormone, then stick them in moist sand until they DO root, which should be pretty soon, if all goes well and you keep them moist with mist. I do what my grandmother used to do - create a mini greenhouse over each cutting with a glass jar jammed slightly into the ground to keep it moist and to prevent the jar from blowing over. In summer, however, it will have to be shaded or the cutting will cook!
I started some fantail willow cuttings under jars 2 years ago, and they're growing like mad now. I live in upstate NY in the northern Finger Lakes region (4 miles east of Cayuga Lake), and willows are definitely hardy here - my cuttings came from WAY up north at the northeast corner of Lake Ontario, near Watertown, just south of the Canadian border!
wow. THANK YOU for all of this valuable information!!! I think I need to get that textbook!
DeleteCheryl, Thank you for this blog and info. Even though it is now Dec. 2017 the information you posted about your experience with the Japanese willow was really helpful for us. Now to find someone who has willow cuttings for sell. You were so lucky to find a local dealer and get those for less than $10! Anyway, thank-you again, EEric
ReplyDeleteCurly Willows, Fantail Willows and Pussy Willows all grow here in New Hampshire -Zone 5.
ReplyDeleteGood to know! Thanks for info!
Delete