Flashy Catkins | Vermont Willow Nursery

rorida

Aric Vanselous — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 20:39:28 +0000

This is a great ornamental species from China, Japan, Korea and Russia and deserves a place in everyone’s garden! It’s a very vigorous grower with glossy, bright green stems that are covered with white waxy “bloom” when young (like a black grape or plum). It has been suggested that this bloom protects the plant from ants carrying aphids etc. up their slippery stems or perhaps from sun-scald in winter! The trunk remains green for a number of years, then turns gray-green. Leaves are shiny green with a long tapering point at the tip and finely serrated (toothed) edges (like the closely related S. acutifolia). In early Autumn the leaves turn bright yellow as does the species S. acutifolia (S. daphnoides, another close relative, does not turn yellow in Autumn and the leaves are much thicker and have coarser serrations). In July masses of large, pale-pink buds develop and by late summer they turn deep pink and finally bright red. In late winter these male catkins open a bright white; gradually turn yellow with pollen and finally gray. They last for weeks on the plant or in a vase. If not coppiced, this grows into a small tree.

It is great for ornamental uses in the garden, winter displays and cut flower; as the rods from coppicing are tall and pliable they are useful dried for making baskets and fresh for living structures, although they are quite twiggy.

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pyrifolia

Aric Vanselous — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 19:50:16 +0000

This lovely Willow is native to the upper Northeastern States and most of the Canadian Provinces. On our property in Vermont we have one bush of this species; it’s a lonely male clone and we haven’t seen another plant of this species anywhere else in Vermont, although they are reported in the State. We have been given cuttings of other specimens of this species and some of them are female–so I will plant some near this lonely male so he can do his thing with a lady of his own kind!

This is a choice species, one of the most attractive native willows in the Northeast. Great foliage, beautiful flowers and winter stems that are very glossy dark red or reddish brown. The leaves are thin so that when they are very young they can be translucent; often they are red-tinged making it even more attractive. The leaves are glossy above and are, of course pear-shaped, but much smaller. The flowers open just as the leaves appear; in the meadow where it grows, it is surrounded by male and female bebbiana, discolor, eriocephala and petiolaris (and maybe sericea). We keep hoping to find a hybrid between the pear-leaf and one of the others; apparently hybrids with discolor have been reported, but no convincing specimens have been found (George Argus, Flora of North America). We might have to try our hands pollinating this to verify it! BTW I have never been able to smell the balsam odor on the buds and fresh leaves, sadly I have a lousy sense of smell! As this grows at 70° N above the Arctic Circle in Canada it maybe hardy to Zone 2 and could be our hardiest willow!

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

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triandra ‘Whissender’

Aric Vanselous — Sun, 03 Oct 2021 20:28:38 +0000

This came to us as S. daphnoides ‘Purple Heart’ (a female selection) so as soon as it flowered with male catkins so we had a big oops! We checked it out and found it is a very cool selection of S. triandra and by far the most vigorous and prettiest of the triandras we have grown; also one of the most popular in Europe for basket-makers to boot. As you can see it’s a free-flowering male selection that bees swarm to! Another amazing feature of the Triandras is their exfoliating bark that rivals any other type of tree grown for this purpose (Cornus, Maples, Pines, Birch, Plane/Sycamore, Stewartia, Crepe Myrtle etc.)! Will grow on poor ground and light sandy soil. Coppice every 2-3 to get the best rods; but remember it only flowers on old wood, so don’t coppice every year.

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

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eriocephala ‘Russelliana’

Lisa — Sun, 03 Oct 2021 13:52:30 +0000

Woolly-head Willow

eriocephala = woolly head

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

Blooming Period

Late Spring

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Sex

Female

Potential Height

Unsure, possibly up to 40 ft

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Uses

Ornamental shrub, weaving

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Americana’ x ‘Angustifolia’ ‘Pink Delight’

Aric Vanselous — Sun, 03 Oct 2021 16:00:35 +0000

This male hybrid willow came to us from the generous folk at the Chicago Botanic Garden who received it from Czechoslovakia; in return I (Michael) gave CBG cuttings of willows they didn’t have. It looks like an enhanced version of the Rosemary Willow and is more vigorous; it has long narrow leaves and straight reddish brown stems. The ‘Americana’ parent provides the vigour plus the long straight red stems and reddish tips to the new growth. The abundant pink flower buds open in late April in Vermont and the anthers open in early May. The foliage is very attractive and has a reddish cast at first, as does ‘Americana’

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

‘Pink Delight’ has a complex heritage and exemplifies many of it’s parents’ strengths. Fine rods for weaving with a plethora of eye-catching pink catkins, this hybrid of hybrids has fully earned it’s name. Would do very well as an ornamental plant, for cut stems, and weaving projects.

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caprea

Lisa — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 20:27:55 +0000

A large shrub or small tree from 15-40ft that grows wild in Western Europe and all the way East to China and Japan. In Japan it is called Salix bakko, which translated means Big Momma Willow! Leaves are much broader than most willows. Flower buds are shiny chestnut brown and open to much-prized catkins that are soft, silky and silvery to 3in long; they are produced early in the year long before the leaves develop. Male flowers turn yellow with pollen, whereas the female catkins become green. A non-fussy shrub that will grow anywhere with dry to moist soil. This species has naturalized in parts of the Province of Quebec.

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

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caroliniana

Lisa — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 20:26:11 +0000

I nearly flipped when I saw this willow in flower for the first time in the Chicago Botanical Garden in May 2015, as I had no idea what I was looking at! It was so different than any other willow I had ever seen! It was labelled Salix sp? and I had taken cuttings the previous March so I knew what the foliage looked like and I had guessed it maybe the Carolina Willow, but until I saw the catkins I was not certain. I also knew the male catkins looked like those of the Black Willow (S. nigra), so once I calmed down, I was darned certain it was the Carolina Willow. I immediately thought to myself “why the heck isn’t this great ornamental willow grown in more gardens?” I have not seen this species in any Public Garden or nursery list (try Googling it!). Also, I have yet to have the pleasure of meeting it in the wild; although I looked for it in Arkansas and Virginia as I passed though in March, 2015. I realized afterwards that I was probably too early, it probably flowers in April there.

Anyway, take my word for it, this is a great plant; hardy in Northern Vermont where it survived temperatures dropping to –25°F for 30 straight days in the winter of 2014-2015 without a blemish! After flowering the long arching branches are clothed with attractive clean green leaves that are glaucous underneath. It also has prominent stipules at the base of the leaf petioles. It flowers the next year from cuttings stuck in spring—S. nigra hasn’t flowered in the nursery after years of growing it!

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

Click here to see what the USDA has to say about caroliniana.

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caprea Select

Lisa — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 18:51:22 +0000

This selection was supplied to us by Larry Smart of Cornell University and features stems that produce an extraordinary abundance of male flowers per stem (I counted 85 catkins on one stem in April 2, 2017), making it a wonderful cut stem producer! It was developed for the cut stem industry (I’d like to know by whom). It makes so many flowers that there aren’t many cuttings available on each stem, as the stems in the area of flower buds don’t always have vegetative buds. It is much hairier than the species so naturally we wonder what the female parent had been up to? Perhaps a cross with Salix cinerea? It is a non-fussy plant that will grow just about anywhere that is moist, not wet. Must be in full sun to produce the most flowers!

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

The Fact Sheet for this species can be found on the Willowpedia.

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gracilistyla

Lisa — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 18:46:07 +0000

Rose-gold Pussy Willow

gracilistyla = slender style

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

Blooming Period

Early-to-mid Spring

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Sex

Male

Potential Height/Width

We coppice ours, so we aren't exactly sure!

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Uses

Ornamental shrub, pollinator assistance, furry cut stems

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caprea ‘Lemoine’s Improved’

Lisa — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 18:41:03 +0000

The Lemoine family of Nancy in France introduced many fine shrubs from their nursery during the mid 19th to the early 20thC and are known especially for their hundreds of hybrid lilacs. We know nothing about how they selected this plant, but it’s a fine one. Perhaps someone with access to some of their old catalogues could fill us in? The European Goat Willow is the European equivalent of our native Pussy Willow S. discolor

(in fact this selection may be a hybrid between the two species). The foliage is quite distinct between the two species in that discolor is smooth-surfaced and glaucous underneath, where as caprea has a netted (reticulate) surface with wavy edges. For us, this selection is a very vigorous upright grower and produces masses of pussy willows in late winter. It has responded well to coppicing by producing abundant, vigorous stems with many flowers on them.

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

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