Sprawling Willow

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Willow is called differently: willow, willow, willow, and in a number of Russian regions it was called “talnik”. This amazing tree is perfect for both coastal areas and water bodies. You can meet him in the Russian open spaces almost everywhere - there is no willow except in the Far North. Yes, and on the European territory, it is quite widespread. By the way, this tree is quite ancient - imprints of willow leaves are found in numerous deposits of the distant Cretaceous formation. And the lifespan of a willow can reach hundreds of years

Getting to know the plant

Willow is a woody plant belonging to the Willow family, numbering over three hundred species. Different types of willow can be very different from each other. And yet they also have common features: often these beautiful trees are endowed with very transparent crowns and very flexible narrow shoots. Slightly elongated narrow willow leaves are pointed at the ends, and the flowers of these trees are rather small. At the same time, in some varieties of willow, the foliage is very dense, green and curly, while in others it is transparent and more rare, of a grayish-white or grayish-greenish hue.

As for the stems, they are rather thin and branched in the willow. These rod-shaped stems are brittle and flexible and have a shiny or matte bark, which can be completely different in color: from green to purple. And the buds of this peculiar tree are distinguished by a variety of shades - they are reddish-yellow, dark brown, etc. subsequently falls off entirely.

Willow fruits are capsules that open with two flaps. Its seeds, covered with a white tender fluff, are rather light and small - the wind easily transfers them over very long distances. Seed germination in air lasts only a few days, but in water its duration increases to several years.

Willow can be either high (up to fifteen meters in height), or rather squat (about thirty to forty centimeters high), and relatively small. There are also creeping varieties of it, and in the upland areas, high mountains and in the polar countries you can often find dwarf willows, the height of which does not exceed the height of the mosses, among which these bizarre creatures grow. The height of such dwarf trees is no more than two and a half centimeters.

How to grow

The vast majority of willow varieties prefer moist areas and therefore grows best in damp areas. However, some species, of which there are relatively few, also thrive in swamps and in various dry places (on sands, slopes, and so on).

Willow should be grown in partial shade or in the sun. As for the soil, it can be either quite fertile or not very. However, if the willow grows in heavy soils, care must be taken to ensure proper drainage. And when growing very young willows in the spring, you need to additionally loosen the soil and mulch it with high-quality peat.

Willow propagates both vegetatively (cuttings and layering) and seeds. As a rule, no difficulties arise in this case, since the willow is characterized by excellent germination. Even with ordinary contact with the ground, its shoots can easily take root. But it is best to transplant willow before it reaches the age of four. It is ideal to transplant in the spring, when the buds have not yet begun to bloom.

This luxurious plant does not require special care. However, when dry weather is established, moisture-loving species need to ensure good watering and regular spraying. Also, willow has excellent resistance to both wind and winter cold. She also tolerates pruning, which allows her to shape her crowns to her liking. Moreover, for some species of willow, such a procedure is extremely necessary.

In order for the development of the willow to be as favorable as possible, the branches that are too long below, as well as the dying branches, should be cut off in time.