PlantFiles: Pussy-willow, American Pussy-willow
Salix discolor

February in Massachusetts can be quite bleak. Once a sunny day comes along, I snip some new stems from our pussy willow and bring them inside (along with some forsythia) to cheer us all up! Once catkins appear, I remove most stems from the water for us to enjoy. The remainder stay in water, rooting rather quickly, ready to be planted by friends and family in late March. This experience delighted my own two children and the first graders I taught as well. The pussy willows always popped! I found this poem to match their experience,
"Pussy willow soft and gray, made her first spring call today. It was soooo cold, she wore her furs! Pretty pussy willow!"

We have two very large PW plants in our yard, over 10 feet high. They already have their gray catskins and are turning green and yellow, getting ready to bloom. My mother wants some starts from ours but I'm not sure how to go about that. Could anyone tell me, in detail how and when to cut a start from a PW tree?

When my son was a little boy, we lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, where pussy willows grow wild in the woods. He called them Pussy Pillows. I think that's rather logical! Now, I live in Southern California, just received a probably one-year cutting, going into the ground today. Keeping fingers crossed it will grow in my sandy soil with 24-hour per day sun. Since it's a willow, know it needs ample water. Will post pos or neg.

Would be decent if I had the room, but it was too greedy and took over everything. I cut it down before it got too big.

I have recently purchased a pussy willow/salix discolor. I would like to see either a full grown photo or at least one that is more than a few years old to better know where to place it in my landscape. Any info would be welcomed!

A few notes on Salix discolor - Pussy Willow

#1
They are small weak wooded trees which can be a danger!

#2
In order for them to get the fuzzy catkins they should be
pruned yearly after flowering in the early spring. If they do
not flower prune them early also!

#3
When you buy these as a dried flower or if you cut them
yourself, do not put them in water or they will continue to
grow & lose the dried fussy catkins you desire most.

My pussy willow grew out of the rootstock of a girards azalea. Four years ago my azalea put out what I thought was water sprout, and I cut it off. second year I let it grow and prunned it in the fall. Third and fourth years I just let it grow, and this spring I got rewarded with the grey catkins. This fall the PW is nearly 9 feet tall. The plant is attrative and fast growing. The obvious attraction are the grey catkins in early spring. For people coming out of winter any sign of spring coming is a welcome sight.

I bought this plant, last spring 2004, bare root, at Wal Mart, it only had one twig and was about 6 inches.. Now it is almost as tall as my two story house with 3 branches, it has been growing like crazy, and i havent fertalized it at all. Last year it had a lot of spider mites, so watch out for them! Other than that, it is a nice plant, well tree. :O)

Our local nursery has a maturing specimen of this shrub/tree, perhaps 20' or more tall. They were giving out cuttings last year, and we took two, but only one of them rooted.
We used a well draining mix. According to our nursery, only the current season's growth is suitable for making cuttings. Any branch that has turned brown and woody is not likely to do well. Cuttings should only be taken from the softwood. Also, the twisting branches that hold all the catkins do not seem to root well either.

Our biggest problem with propagating this willow is the deep taproot that it sends out. The plant immediately started showing severe signs of stress when the root hit the bottom of the pot. (Loss of leaves and color.) It rebounded quickly when planted in the ground. I think this may be typical for many Salix varieties. Two years later, ours is at least 2 feet tall and wide, grown from a single 8" whip.

I think this is the one in our back yard- didn't realize it was a pussy willow till I saw the fuzzy branches! The tree branches out very close to the bottom- many branches, hardly a trunk. The branches look quite random too.
I gave my mother two clippings and not a single one took.
We used to have on there before we got a pool... of course it and many other trees were removed to make room. Now she wants it back, and it won't cooperate. Perhaps someone could help? They did have to survive a 2 hour car ride in a plastic cup w/ water, with a clipping of crab apple blooms as well.