Streambank Restoration | Vermont Willow Nursery

salix ssp

Aric Vanselous — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 18:47:59 +0000

What the heck is a salix ssp? Well, salix is the genus name for willow that’s easy. Ssp, on the other hand means subspecies. A subspecies of salix is…everything we offer! This product will include a mix of the following willows, sourced from stands throughout our surrounding area:

All of which are NATIVE! Does your contract call for salix ssp? Does it call for natives? We’ve got your back!

The post salix ssp first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

salix ssp

Aric Vanselous — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 16:04:34 +0000

All of which are NATIVE! Does you contract call for salix ssp? Does it call for natives? We’ve got your back!

The post salix ssp first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

purpurea ‘Lambertiana’

Aric Vanselous — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 17:56:00 +0000

‘Lambertiana’ has broad leaves that provide ample privacy throughout most of the year while sharing the same deer resistant trait common among purpurea. It’s also been observed to have resistance to insects. This would be an ideal candidate for diversity in streambank restoration efforts. We hope to offer this as stakes in the future so check back!

See the Plants for a Future Profile for ‘Lambertiana’ here.

The first cuttings we received as ‘Lambertiana’ were not true to name and looking at the photos of all the other North American growers that offer this cultivar no-one has the true selection. However, in 2017 we were allowed to take cuttings from the amazing woody plant collection of the Arnold Arboretum in Greater Boston. They were labelled Salix purpurea AA 1045-79-D. We have been growing and selling it under that name, but in 2017 we found out that the Arboretum had received this plant as Salix purpurea ssp lambertiana, but had chosen not to list it as that selection. After reading European Public Garden and nursery descriptions of ‘Lambertiana’, I realized that this AA selection is identical to what is grown in Europe.

This selection has been around since at least 1804 and below is how it it described in the Checklist for Cultivars of Salix by Dr. Julia Kuzovkina: This epithet most likely corresponds to S. purpurea f. lambertiana (Sm.) Wimm. (1866); syn. S. lambertiana Smith (1804), S. woolgariana Borrer ex Hooker (1830), S. purpurea var. lambertiana (Sm.) D. Koch (1837), S. purpurea var. latifolia Kerner (1860), S. purpurea ssp. lambertiana A. Neumann ex Rechinger f. ). A cultivar with stout purple stems and broad obovate-oblong leaves (Rehder, 1927). Leaves are serrate for almost entire length (Bailey & Bailey, 1976). According to Stott (2001), a basket cultivar with green stem.

So what is special about this male cultivar, apart from botanical differences? It is very robust and is the most pest resistant selection of all purpureas we have grown (25). It produces a large spreading shrub unless it is coppiced; this can be done every 1-3 years to limit its growth and to produce lots of long rods for structures and sculptures. It is by far the best willow for streambank, riverbank, pondbank and lake shore remediation because of it’s vigour, pest resistance and deer resistance (like all purpureas)!. Far better than the USDA developed ‘Streamco’ that is much less vigorous!

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

The post purpurea ‘Lambertiana’ 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 ‘Streamco’

Aric Vanselous — Sun, 03 Oct 2021 19:01:38 +0000

‘Streamco’ is a male clone selected by the USDA in Big Flats, NY from a naturalized stand of Salix purpurea. It was chosen for the purpose of protecting and renovating streambanks. It is a densely stemmed bush that does not sucker, but will self-layer. It will grow 6-8ft tall if left unpruned. The fine stems are purple at first and mature to gray; the leaves are bluish green and silver-gray underneath.

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERIALS/publications/nypmcrb12328.pdf

Thank you, USDA-NRCS and Big Flats for your important work!

The post purpurea ‘Streamco’ 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.

purpurea ‘Light Dicks’

Aric Vanselous — Sun, 03 Oct 2021 17:53:37 +0000

This cultivar originated in England around 1908. It is a male selection with gray bark when mature. The leaves are 2.5-5in long, light green in color with a yellowish central vein; the top section of the leaves have fine saw-tooth edges. The fine rods are purplish on the sunny side and olive-green on the shady side. This willow is grown for medium to fine willow basketry work. The one-year old stems of ‘Light Dicks’ are a very attractive pale reddish brown and they grow to a length of 6-8ft long once established. ‘LD’ seems to be resistant to pests that cause branching. If left to mature, this willow variety will grow into a spreading shrub up to 15ft tall.

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

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

interior

Lisa — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 22:44:43 +0000

Warning! Can be invasive!

Interior is one of the best willows we offer for streambank restoration! It is very definition of “Plant and Forget” when it comes to streams that are in dire need of vegetation. It’s superior root network is also why we consider it invasive. It is one of the few willows that sends new growth up shallow roots called rhizomes. We’ve got one stool that has managed to travel under a four foot wide walking path to reach an adjacent field – any time a rod grows in the path it gets mowed – and yet it thrives. Interior can be managed, however, if proper steps are taken

The rods are pliable and well-suited for weaving too! Like all willows, the more you coppice (or mow) the more new growth you encourage. More new growth means more catkins. More catkins means more happy pollinators! Or you could let it age to provide a little shade for streams and habitat for birds. Willows fill a vital role in the ecosystem at every stage in it’s lifecycle.

We’ve seen some pretty great studies that show interior also cleanses the area in which it’s planted – a process called “phytoremediation”. Stay tuned to the Salix Garden for more information.

Click Here To See Interior's USDA Fact Sheet

The post interior first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

purpurea ‘Green Dicks’

Aric Vanselous — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 19:37:54 +0000

A male selection with bright green stems that are produced in great abundance. The catkins start almost black, then turns rosy-red before the pollen matures when it turns yellow. It produces a fine long slender rod that is red during the summer months, but turns a pale apple-green in winter—hence it’s name! The leaves are in pairs or single on the stem and are 2-3in long and 0.5in wide. The stems of this variety are so fine that in Europe they are used as straw or even twine! It can grow to 12ft if left uncoppiced! Will tolerate a range of soil types, but full sun is a must as with most willows in order to get the best color and form. We have now grown it for three years and are very impressed with the stem production of this selection.

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

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

purpurea ‘Dark Dicks’

Aric Vanselous — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 19:04:25 +0000

Purple Willow

[section label="Section with arrow" bg_color="#446084" bg_overlay="rgba(255,255,255,.5)" dark="true" mask="arrow" padding="59px" height="300px" border="1px 0px 0px 0px" border_color="rgb(235, 235, 235)"]

[row]

[col span__sm="12" text_depth="2"]

Willow AT A GLANCE

[/col]

[/row]
[row]

[col span="6" span__sm="12" text_depth="2"]

USDA Hardiness Zone

Blooming Period

Mid Spring

[/col]
[col span="6" span__sm="12" text_depth="2"]

Sex

Female

Potential Height/Width

Unsure exactly, though likely similar to other purpureas, so around 15 ft.

[/col]
[col span__sm="12" text_depth="2"]

Uses

Weaving, fedges

[/col]

[/row]

[/section]

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