Decorative willow for the garden: varieties and photos, names, description

Content

1 Description of decorative willow
2 Types of decorative willow with photos
3 The best varieties of decorative willow for the garden
4 Features of cultivation
5 How to propagate decorative willow
6 Decorative willows in landscape design
7 Conclusion

Decorative willow is valued for its eye-catching, eye-catching crown shape, therefore, based on several species, varieties were created specifically for decorating an urban area, a personal plot or a garden. The genus contains more than 400 species, many of which are difficult to classify due to the ability of interspecific cross-pollination. Several representatives of the genus are used in the design.

An attractive plant will be appropriate in any design idea.

Description of decorative willow

Decorative willow, shrubby or tree-shaped, is represented by large, medium-height and dwarf species. Plants differ from each other not only in size, but also in the shape of the crown, the color of the inflorescences and leaves.

All representatives are fast-growing, with high frost resistance, suitable for planting in the fourth climate zone. The willow varieties presented are stress-resistant and do not react to urban air pollution.

General characteristics of decorative types:

The height of the tree is 6-15 m, the height of the bush is 1-5 m.
The shape of the crown is wide-pyramidal, round, spherical, weeping, creeping.
The branches are arranged horizontally or at an angle, smooth dark gray, pale ash, red-brown.
The shoots are thin, long, waxy, green, dark yellow, silvery, erect, drooping, smooth or curved.
The alternate leaves are small, lanceolate, long, narrow, straight, and spiral-shaped. The surface is glossy or with a fine edge.
Sessile inflorescences are round or ovoid, dense, and form on the tips of the shoots. The color is yellow, gray or with a dark burgundy tint.

The plant is dioecious. Only male inflorescences have a decorative appearance; female inflorescences are small, gray-green.

Willow blooms before the leaves bloom; it is considered one of the earliest honey plants.

Types of decorative willow with photos

Only a few representatives of the genus are suitable for the climatic conditions of Russia, which can grow both in temperate (temperate continental) and subtropical zones. A review of popular decorative species will allow you to choose the right specimen for your garden.

Goat willow (Salix caprea)

Goat willow is a tree up to 5 m tall with a wide pyramidal crown. The stems are gray-green, young ones have a yellow tint, smooth bark, drooping. The leaves are ovate with wavy edges, glossy, dark green. Earrings are large (up to 6 cm), yellow.

The crown is formed by trimming the crown

Brittle globular willow (Salix fragilis)

Brittle globular willow is a tall (up to 10 m), slow-growing, multi-stemmed tree, with a spherical spreading and dense crown. The branches are bright olive in color, the growth is dark red. The leaves are long, narrow, with smooth edges, green.Inflorescences are elliptical dark gray.

To create the correct spherical shape, it is necessary to adjust the length of the seasonal growth

Willow (Salix integra)

All-leaved willow is a shrub 1-2.5 m with a uniform length of spreading, thin branches. The bark is smooth, yellow-red with a waxy coating. The leaves are thin, narrow - 5-7 cm, two-colored, the lower part is dark gray, the upper part is light silver with a slight pink tint. The inflorescences are dense, curved, narrow, yellow.

Suitable for growing on a trunk

Creeping willow (Salix repens)

The creeping variety is a low-growing shrub plant up to 1.5 m high. The branches grow horizontally, the lower ones lie on the soil surface. The shoots are thin and brown. The leaves are elliptical in shape with sharp tips, glossy, dark green, often arranged oppositely.

In gardens it is often used as a ground cover or border plant.

Babylonian willow (Salix babylonica)

Babylonian willow is one of the tall decorative species of weeping form. Grows up to 15 m and higher. A tree with a spreading, wide crown. The branches are thin, long, drooping, olive-colored. The leaves are light green above, silver below, long and narrow.

Used for landscaping urban landscapes, also suitable for large garden plots

Matsudana willow (Salix matsudana)

Matsudana is a tree 8-10 m high or a shrub with an openwork, dense, irregular pyramidal crown. Willow with pinkish or burgundy biennial stems and bright yellow growth; diversified curved branches add decorativeness. Leaves are up to 10 cm long, lanceolate-narrow, light green, spiral-shaped in varieties.

Each representative of this species has its own unique, bizarre crown shape

Purple (Salix purpurea)

Purple willow grows in the form of a shrub; it is considered the most striking representative of ornamental species. The dense crown is formed by numerous, upright growing stems with a smooth, waxy bark, scarlet or purple in color. The leaves are long, large, gray-green. Height up to 3 m.

In mass planting, shrubs form impenetrable thickets, so they are used as hedges

Slender willow (Salix gracilistyla)

Thin columnar willow is a shrub with erect branches. The tallest of them reach 3.5 m. The stems are light brown, the leaves are narrow, long, with a pronounced central vein, light green with a bluish-gray tint.

The species is valued for the unusual color of the inflorescences; at the beginning of growth they are pale pink, then darken and become black

White willow (Salix alba)

White willow is a weeping tree with an irregular, voluminous, spreading crown or a tall shrub up to 5 m, with drooping stem tips. The branches are gray, young ones are light olive. The leaves are large, lanceolate-elongated. The upper part is silver with a green tint, the inner part is closer to white.

The design harmonizes well with tall dark conifers

The best varieties of decorative willow for the garden

Garden or cultivated willow is similar in shape to the species plant at its base, but with enhanced decorative qualities. If the original representative has a wide pyramidal crown, then the variety will have clearer boundaries. In cultivars based on the weeping species, the drooping shoots are longer and thinner. Willow with gray branches and silvery leaves has endowed its cultivated forms with a lighter crown color.

Popular decorative garden varieties in design, indicating the species:

Hakuro Nishiki and Flamingo – Whole leaf;
Kilmarnock - Goat;
Vitellina – White;
Bulat – Brittle;
Nana – Purple;
Tortuosa - Matsudana;
Argentea and Nitida - Creeping;
Mount Aso – Thin-columnar.

The above varieties of ornamental willow are suitable for growing in the Urals, Siberia, the Middle Zone, the South and the Moscow region.

Golden Ness is the only variety based on White willow, and differs in appearance from the original species: it has a bright yellow or orange vine

Features of cultivation

Willow of all ornamental varieties is characterized by the same biological requirements. The plant is grown for design purposes, so it is important that it develops well and looks healthy. Willow in the wild is more often found near bodies of water, in open meadow areas, edges or clearings of mixed forests. When growing, it is recommended to create conditions as close to natural as possible.

Important! Willow of all varieties is light-loving, loses its attractiveness in the shade, often gets sick, and is attacked by pests.

Decorative varieties are undemanding to the soil, but develop better on light, breathable, fertile sandy loam soil. The acid-base indicator does not play a role. They can grow in areas with nearby groundwater, but at the same time do not tolerate constantly waterlogged soil.

Ornamental willow species are distinguished by the early onset of sap flow, so the plant is planted in the fall so that at least 1.5 months remain before the temperature drops. This is necessary for rooting.

How to plant it correctly:

Make a hole 60 cm deep and 50 cm wide.
A drainage layer of large pebbles is placed on the bottom.
Make a mixture of peat, compost and sand in equal quantities with the addition of nitrogen, potassium and superphosphate. ½ part is poured onto the bottom.
If the decorative willow has a closed root, it is placed in a recess along with a lump of earth. Exposed roots are distributed over the substrate.
Decorative bush willow does not require fixation; a standard stake is driven in for subsequent garter.
Pour out the remaining nutrient mixture and fill the hole with turf soil and water it.

To prevent the young willow from losing moisture, the root circle is mulched.

Important! Decorative varieties up to six years old take root without problems after transplantation. Older plants get sick or die for a long time, so the place is allocated so that they don’t have to be moved.

How to properly care for decorative varieties:

An adult willow does not require watering. Young seedlings are constantly maintained with soil moisture in the root circle, preventing drying out and stagnation of water.
In the first two years, decorative willow grows without fertilizing. In the future, if development is normal, it does not need fertilizers. For a weak plant, complex fertilizer is applied in the spring, and superphosphate is used in late autumn.
Formative pruning is carried out from the age of five. Sanitary - every spring before sap flow. Remove mechanically damaged, frozen or dried shoots.

An adult decorative willow overwinters without shelter; in the first two years, seedlings are insulated along with the crown. Protect the root system with a layer of mulch and straw for up to five years.

Cuttings germinate quickly in water and then take root more easily in the soil.

How to propagate decorative willow

All species can be propagated by seeds, but this is very problematic.The material is small, ripens from the end of May to June, unripe seeds will not sprout, while those ready for sowing retain the ability to germinate for no more than two weeks. If you manage to obtain seedlings, at least three years will pass before they can be planted on the site. Decorative willow at home is not well suited for generative propagation; this method is used in laboratories of nurseries or research centers.

Important! The seeds of the varieties do not retain the characteristics of the mother plant.

All decorative willows are propagated by cuttings; they quickly form root shoots. Harvested in early spring before flowering or late autumn, when sap flow slows down. The material is taken from the middle of a two-year-old vine, at the end of the season it is immediately placed in a container with fertile substrate, and in the spring - first in water, then in a greenhouse. In the fall, the containers are removed from the site indoors, and the mother liquor is carefully insulated for the winter.

Decorative willows in landscape design

Species and varieties are used for landscaping urban areas. They are planted in squares, parks, children's playgrounds, areas adjacent to administrative buildings and shopping centers. Decorative willow is an ideal option for decorating areas of bases and holiday homes. She can often be found at sanatoriums.

In the garden, decorative willow goes well with dark conifers. Planted solo on lawns, shrub varieties create a hedge. Decorative willows decorate the banks of artificial reservoirs. Include rockeries or rock gardens in the composition. Tall representatives shade gazebos or garden benches.

Rock garden design option

Conclusion

Decorative willow is valued for its attractive crown shape or color and is widely used in landscape design.The plant is frost-resistant, unpretentious, and does not require watering or shelter for the winter. Due to the rapid formation of adventitious roots, it propagates well by cuttings.