

Many birds, including goldfinches and yellow warblers, make their homes in pussy willow thickets, while ruby-throated hummingbirds will visit to pluck the fuzz for their nests. One of the few examples we have of this group are the little Ruby-tail wasps. They’re also great for attracting wildlife to your yard. The beautiful Musk-beetle, which usually rests upon the leaves of willows. Pussy willows can be grown as specimen plants, hedges or privacy screens. If your plant is very tall or misshapen, you can rejuvenate it with a severe pruning by cutting it to just above the ground every 2 to 3 years. Most gardeners prefer to grow pussy willows as gently rounded shrubs. Repeat these pruning steps each year to keep your plant compact and in shape. Next, cut the other branches-the ones that have already flowered-to make them the same height as new growth coming from the lower, main stems.

Now cut back one-third of the oldest, thickest stems to the ground. If you cut into diseased wood, use rubbing alcohol to clean your blades between cuts. As new shoots appear, they’ll grow away from the center of the shrub, so they won’t cross over and rub against each other. Use clean, sharp anvil pruners to cut above outward-facing nodes. Your goal is to keep the size and shape you want without shearing your shrub and making it look unnatural. Unless your plant is unhealthy it should recover nicely after being pruned, with lots of new shoots coming up from the roots. Don't wait too long after flowering or you'll remove the shoots that will bear the next year's catkins. The best time to prune is in late winter after the flowers have faded. Pruning also helps control for height, since Salix discolor can top out at 20 to 30 feet tall, becoming a multi-branched tree. Add the stems to the compost heap when the flowers are finished.Īn annual pruning will encourage these plants to keep producing nice, straight stems to harvest for indoor arrangements. If you need to pound the cutting deeper into the ground, put a flat piece of wood on top of it to keep the stem from splitting.Įven if you don’t want to add more plants to your garden, it's fun to bring pussy willow stems indoors and put them in water to force for flowers. Then insert the angled end of the cutting. Whether they need extra play in the play area or walks in the paddocks. We ensure they all receive the attention that they deserve. Our Kennels and Cattery has become a haven for all of our visitors, with excitable anticipation when owners tell them where they are going. First, use a rod to make a hole in the ground. At Wandering Willows we understand the difficulty of leaving your pets.

If you prefer, plant your cutting directly in the garden or landscape. If rainfall is scarce, keep the cutting watered until it becomes established and puts out new growth. Put the cutting in the hole and gently firm the soil around it. When the cutting has plenty of roots, dig a hole in a sunny spot and amend the soil with compost or peat. Refill the glass with more water as it evaporates. To root in water, simply drop the cut end into a glass of clean water. Root the cutting in water or directly in moist soil. Start by making a cutting 12 inches long, about the diameter of a pencil, in early spring. Many gardeners don’t bother to buy pussy willows since they’re so easy to root from cuttings. Female pussy willows have smaller, less showy catkins. Male plants produce the most ornamental catkins, which may be white, silvery-gray or yellowish. Pussy willow plants can be male or female. Because the catkins appear so early, they’re considered one of the first signs of spring. Because pussy willows like moisture, they’re a good choice for planting near a pond, lake or stream in a rain garden or to help control soil erosion.
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Salix discolor can thrive in full sun to part shade, although less light means the plants won’t produce as many fuzzy catkins. Flowers and leaves emerge after the catkins.Įasy-to-grow pussy willows are happy in average to wet soils. Grown as deciduous shrubs or small trees, they’re valued for the soft, furry catkins they bear in late winter, often while other plants are still dormant. Charlie Parr * Sierra Ferrell * Adam Greuel and Russell Pedersen * Farewell Milwaukee * Land at Last * King Pari * Mae Simpson * Black Market Brass * Ignite * Golpe Tierra * Karate Chop, Silence * Queen Drea * Lydia Liza and Big Cats * People Brothers Band * Three Star Revival * General B and the Wiz * Ghostland Radio * The Minks * Brothers Burn Mountain * Swashbuckler * Rogue the Wolf * Dr.As you’d guess from the name, pussy willows (Salix discolor) are members of the willow family.
