myricoides

Formerly known as S. glaucophylla (blue-leaf), the Bayberry Willow has been recorded to grow to a height of 18ft, but rarely exceeds 5ft in New England. Native to eastern Canada, Maine, around the Great Lakes and James Bay, this is one tough shrub. In the wild it sometimes hybridizes with other native species such as S. bebbiana and S. discolor. Our stock originated in Wisconsin via Forest Farm Nursery and for us it is a well-behaved compact shrub with single or few stems. The young twigs are typically reddish-brown, but has been found with yellow-green variants, ours are the former. The handsome shiny, relatively thick leaves are its best feature and appear densely on the stems; in cultivation they grow to 5in long by 2in wide. The undersides are densely glaucous and appear almost white. When the wind blows (as it usually does on our ridge) the undersides of the leaves flash like summer snowbirds. Our plants are a female selection with catkins that are attractive and abundant. After a several year search we located a male form of the species through the kindess of the great staff at the very special Morton Arboretum in Chicago in 2016. We always like to compare the catkins (often males are showier than the females, especially when pollen is evident). Catkins appear before or as the leaves are opening.