Brian Minter: Willows a constant source of enjoyment, even in the dreary winter months

When you look out a window at your deck or patio at this time of the year, what do you see?

I’m able to enjoy the unique beauty of two corkscrew willows, Salix Tortuosa. They’re planted in containers and, on sunny days, their contorted branches look magnificent as their many twists and curls are beautifully accentuated. At night, we illuminate them with mini LED lights. With our longer and darker evenings, they look absolutely magical. 

On warm summer days, they provide great shade and make a nice screen. Throughout the year, birds love to rest on the branches, and hummingbirds sit on them often between drinking nectar of nearby pollinator pots. 

Salix trees are excellent sources of interesting cut stems for accenting containers. Hardy to zone 3, they require very little care and withstand our coldest winters. In summer, all they really need is a daily drink and a little slow-release nutrient to keep them in great shape. 

We have the green stemmed variety, but for an even more dramatic winter look, you may want to choose a bright yellow- or a scarlet-stemmed variety. 

In the garden, most salix plants need to be root pruned or cut back hard on a regular basis to keep them in check, because they can reach 32 feet (10 metres) in height in just a few years. When containerized, however, they are well behaved and are a constant source of enjoyment, but you must not let them dry out. 

At this time of the year, the willow family has much to offer. At the flower auction in Burnaby, the earliest blooming pussy willows, Salix discolor, are being showcased and sold as cut stems. Local cut flower growers are producing a series of varieties that bloom in sequence and can be harvested from January until early March. Stems of pussy willows are very much in demand as they look so good combined with early spring flowers, such as daffodils, tulips and iris. Many folks are using them as dried flowers in a vase as they can last well over a year. There are lots with unique catkins that have been collected and propagated over the past several years.

A few years ago, at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle, growers were selling salix branches that had black catkins. They were incredibly popular; throughout the show I saw dozens of folks carrying bouquets of them. They are available as ornamental plants, but remember, they are fast growing and need to be contained. 

Another interesting variety is the fascinating contorted pussy willow, Salix Sekka or Japanese Fantail Willow. Its branches change from natural, round stems to flat, twisted stems with catkins spaced irregularly along the sides. It, too, should be planted in a container. 

My new favourite is a Japanese variety, called Salix Mount Aso. It has bright pink catkins. I gave one to a friend, and he mentioned that he had gone hiking on that particular mountain range. These catkins open with a touch of silver, then turn a bright pink. It’s a gorgeous salix, and its cut stems are sold in February. Many growers are now producing this variety for late winter colour. 

Willows are growing fast, and they can be grafted into many forms. I love a standard tree form, which makes a beautiful garden specimen. There is also a stunning weeping form of pussy willow called the Kilmarnock tree. It needs to be pruned hard when the catkins finish in early March, thereby allowing many new branches to form for a much fuller tree the next season. 

By far, the most popular willow is the standard grafted form of the dappled willow, Salix Hakuro-nishiki. It has attractive red winter stems, but the true beauty happens in May when the variegated white and green leaves turn a vibrant pink. This wonderful colour lasts for weeks, and it is spectacular. To achieve a stronger, bushier plant overall, prune your Hakuro-nishiki back hard in late summer each year. For willows that produce catkins, the time to prune is just after the catkins finish and before the leaves begin to develop. This will ensure there is enough time for the new wood to produce buds that will open as catkins the following year. 

Because of their aggressive roots, contorted willows and pussy willows tend to be an underused garden plant. When containerized or root pruned, they are deserving of a spot in our gardens or on our patios. 

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