Shrub | Vermont Willow Nursery

purpurea ‘Pendula’

Aric Vanselous — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 18:26:29 +0000

Weeping Purple Willow

purpurea - purple

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USDA Hardiness Zone

Blooming Period

Mid-to-late Spring

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Sex

Female

Potential Height/Width

6 ft / 6 ft

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Uses

Ornamental weeping shrub

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The post purpurea ‘Pendula’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

purpurea ‘Leicestershire Dicks’

Aric Vanselous — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 18:21:32 +0000

This clone has very slender dark red stems, small leaves and male flowers. The slender rods make it a really good variety for fine basketry. It has been grown in our nursery since April 2014, introduced by the Chicago Botanical Garden.

Another selection that was new to us and this one came from the Chicago Botanic Garden from the side of one of their many parking areas! This clone has very slender dark red stems, small leaves and male flowers. Leicestershire, of course, is a County in the UK and used to be an important willow rod growing area. We have only grown this since April ’14 and it has not made much size yet, so we know little about it. It appears to be slower growing than other clones; the slender rods make it a really good variety for fine basketry. It is said to produce 6-7ft rods in England, however willows tend to grow taller in North America because of the hotter weather! We will coppice it this spring and see how it responds to that! More information will come as we observe it this year!

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

Aric’s Update: Takes super well to coppicing! Grows just as fine, and responds just as well, as the rest of the purpurea – weave away!

The post purpurea ‘Leicestershire Dicks’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

purpurea var. sericea

Aric Vanselous — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 19:40:39 +0000

This unique purpurea variety is distinguished by having silky hairs on the young growth; no other purpurea has this feature (there may have been some hanky-panky with another species somewhere back in time). It has been suggested that it is a hybrid with Salix viminalis or a selection of S. gilgiana! Stems are orange-brown in the first winter and age to gray in future years. Ours is a female selection with lots of catkins that start gray and mature green. It makes a dense bush similar to Salix purpurea ‘Gracilis’ but grows larger and more erect (6-7ft after six years) so it makes a great fence for deer protection. The leaves and stems are similar to ‘Gracilis’ in size and shape. Think of it as a ‘Gracilis’ on steroids.

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

The post purpurea var. sericea first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

triandra ‘Black Maul’ x ‘Grisette Noire’

Aric Vanselous — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 16:32:42 +0000

triandra = three stamens

Grisette = a French working-class girl or young woman

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

Blooming Period

Late Spring

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Sex

Male

Potential Height/Width

Unknown as of yet

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Uses

Weaving, hedging

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The post triandra ‘Black Maul’ x ‘Grisette Noire’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

triandra ‘Black Maul’

Aric Vanselous — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 16:28:04 +0000

Almond-leaf Willow

triandra = three stamens

maul = malleable

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

Blooming Period

Early Summer

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Sex

Female

Potential Height/Width

Low estimate-high estimate ft high, low-high estimate ft wide

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Uses

Uses go here

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The post triandra ‘Black Maul’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

triandra ‘Black Hollander’

Aric Vanselous — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 16:04:05 +0000

Almond-leaf Willow

triandra = three stamens

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

Blooming Period

Mid Spring

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Sex

Male

Potential Height

30 ft

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Uses

Weaving, ornamental riparian species

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The post triandra ‘Black Hollander’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

myricoides ‘Bronze Beauty’

Aric Vanselous — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 19:44:50 +0000

Bayberry or Blueleaf Willow

myricoides = myrica like

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

Possibly as low as 2+, but unconfirmed

Blooming Period

Mid Spring

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Sex

Female

Potential Height/Width

Unsure...stay tuned!

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Uses

Fantastic ornamental

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The post myricoides ‘Bronze Beauty’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

‘Bankers’

Lisa — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 19:27:47 +0000

‘Bankers’, was released by the USDA Quicksand, Kentucky Plant Materials Center in 1983 as Salix xcottetii ‘Bankers’ (see below the ‘Bankers’ photos). Unfortunately a Government mix-up must have happened as this plant selection was said to be a “dwarf willow” from the alpine region of Western Germany.

At first I thought that was a selection of Salix myricoides, but that species is a pussy willow–catkins appear before the leaves. A Russian Salicologist examined the number of ovules the the female catkins and proved that it had no Salix myricoides in its history. He asserted that it is probably a hybrid of Salix eriocephala and another native species, but didn’t know which one. Regardless of its history, it is a cool selection. It is more compact and denser than other forms Salix eriocephala. This is a female selection with green catkins about 2in long on short leafy stems. In summer 2017 I saw a plant of Bankers about 10ft high and 10ft wide, but it is much more attractive if coppiced regularly.

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

The post ‘Bankers’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

pellita

Aric Vanselous — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 00:19:13 +0000

Shrub of northern beaches and riverbanks that grows from 2-18ft depending on location; the Satiny Willow is a distinctive shrub or small tree, found mainly in eastern Canada and bordering States. It takes its name from the lustrous, velvety leaves. The leaves are long, narrow and pointed, with straight, wavy, or slightly notched margins, that roll inwards. They are green above and densely silky-hairy beneath with a grayish, bluish, or whitish waxy coating on the underside. The hairs are whitish or sometimes rusty in colour–ours are pure white. In contrast, the upper surface of the leaves is glossy and hairless, or has only a sparse covering of fine hairs. The branches of the satiny willow are extremely brittle at the base and are reddish-brown or yellow-brown, with a grayish waxy or powdery coating. Flower buds appear in late summer and have reddish brown bud-scales and are pointed at the tip. Catkins appear in early Spring before the leaves and grow 1–1.5in long. The anthers (pollen sacs) appear on long white filaments (stalks) somewhat reminiscent of a pincushion! George Argus, the pre-eminent Salix taxonomist in North America, kindly shared cuttings of this truly beautiful plant with me. Can easily be confused with the non-native S. viminalis that has naturalized in some areas, but the leaves of S. pellita are shinier and whiter underneath; also the twigs of the Satiny Willow are much more brittle at the base.

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

The post pellita first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

purpurea

Aric Vanselous — Sun, 03 Oct 2021 23:03:49 +0000

This is a male form of the species that is responsible for producing so many variations;

we were generously allowed to take cuttings of this plant from the Arnold Arboretum in 2014 (their accession number AA1045-79-D). This forms a vigorous upright shrub with somewhat arching branches when mature. The leaves and stems are very bitter as it contains large amount of Salicylic acid; too bitter for most animals to eat! However, we have recently learned that cows will eat Salix purpurea varieties. What is so amazing about this selection it that it is the most rust resistant purpurea I have in my collection of 26+ varieties! Rust is not usually a problem in most willows, but in exceptionally rainy springs and summers, several may be infected—as are many other types of plants.

It has showy male flowers typical of the species that appear before the bluish-gray leaves, typical of the species, appear. It is a European and Western Russian native that has naturalized widely over Northeastern North America (including Fairfield VT) and the NW Pacific Coast. One such plant, a wildling in a ditch by the side of the road I had admired for many years for it’s very slender growth, was removed to build a driveway last year. Luckily I had taken cuttings of it the previous year.

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

The post purpurea first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.