Salix viminalis 'Bowhayes Strain' male
viminalis = of or belonging to osiers
Bowhayes is a tree nursery in England
Osier Willow
This was a total surprise to us when one cutting out of 20 S. viminalis 'Bowhayes Strain A' produced male catkins. Not a sport, but probably a mix-up at the source. As we don't know which Bowhayes selection it is and as it is otherwise identical to 'Strain A' we removed the "A" and added male! Apart from the catkins, it is the same as its sister!
USES: A great ornamental tree where you want vertical accents or a row of trees to line a driveway that look like Lombardy Poplars, but without their disease problems! Also would make a dense hedge and as far as I know deer don't like it as I have never seen damage on it. Also it is the ultimate willow for coarse basketry and living willow structures.
Here's one of our original unpruned plants we received as cuttings in 2010, the rest have been coppiced! This makes a really great specimen tree for a vertical accent!
Male catkins bursting out of the fuzz of the catkins showing off the brilliant yellow pollen!
Below is the clean, green foliage that flashes silver when the wind blows
from the undersides of the leaves.
WillowWorld
of Michael Dodge