Living Structures
& furniture (dried)
daphnoides varieties
x fragilis all varieties
gmelinii (xdasyclados)
purpurea (all exept: ‘Gracilis’, 'Leicestershire Dicks', sericea or 'Vermont Red')
viminalis 'Bowhayes Strain male'
Fedges (live) &
Woven Fences (dried)
all the above varieties plus:
alba varieties (all)
x fragilis varieties (all)
meyeriana (all)
miyabeana (all)
purpurea (all but ‘Gracilis’, 'Leicestershire Dicks', 'Nancy Saunders', sericea, 'Vermont Red')
x rubra varieties (all)
Deerproof
purpurea varieties (all)
triandra varieties (all)
Most willows are deer resistant.
They may nibble a little, but rarely do serious damage.
Erosion Control
purpurea varieties (all)
North American Natives
'Americana' (eriocephala x petiolaris)
Best Willows For....
Hedges, Screens & Windbreaks H/S/W
alba varieties (all) S/W
xerythroflexuosa S/W
xfragilis varieties (all S/W)
integra ‘Flamingo’ H N/A
koriyanagi H/S
miyabeana S/W
pierotii H/W/S
purpurea ‘Gracilis’ (Nana) H
(so dense deer can’t go through)
(so dense deer can’t go through)
purpurea vars. (all others) H/S
x rubra varieties (all) S/W
x smithiana S/W
triandra varieties (all) H
viminalis 'Bowhayes Strain A' S/W
viminalis 'Bowhayes Strain male'
'Winter Glory' S/W
Pussy Willows with
the showiest Catkins
B=black BR = Brown G=gold P=pink R = red S=silver Y=yellow
caprea S
caprea x cinerea S365 'Showtime' S
cinerea S
daphnoides ‘Continental Purple’ S
discolor S
glabra p/y
gracilistyla P/Y
gracilistyla ‘Melanostachys’ B
humilis p/y
‘Licorice Whip’ BR N/A
'Pink Delight' p/y
pyrifolia p/y
'Rabbit's Foot' S>Y
reinii p/y
rorida S>Y
xsmithiana S>Y
TIP: Cut stems, bring in to room temperature and place in water. As soon as catkins have fully expanded take out of water and they’ll keep for months!
Showiest Colored Stems
for Cutting & Winter Gardens
B=black, GN=green GY = gray O=orange R=red
W=white Y=yellow
acutifolia ‘Blue Streak’ W N/A
babylonica 'Caradoc' Y/GN
babylonica ‘Swizzle Stick’ GN N/A
daphnoides ‘Continental Purple’ B
‘Flame' red O/R
x fragilis ‘Farndon Red’ R N/A
x fragilis ‘Fransgeel Rood’ R/Y
x fragilis ‘Hutchinsons Yellow’ Y
x fragilis ‘Jaune de Falaise’ Y
x fragilis ‘Rouge Ardennais’ R
‘Licorice Whip’ B N/A
miyabeana select Y/GN
x meyeriana (all) GN
rorida W/GN
Curly Stems for Cutting
babylonica ‘Swizzle Stick’ N/A
Biofuel Willows
gmelinii (xdasyclados)
miyabeana all
Weeping Willows
T = trees S= shrubs
Basketry
F = fine C = coarse
alba varieties (all) C
eriocephala 'American Mackay' F
xfragilis varieties (all) C
gmelinii C
integra F
integra ‘Flamingo’ F N/A
‘Licorice Whip’ F N/A
miyabeana (all) C
purpurea varieties (all) F
x rubra varieties (all) C
triandra varieties (all) F
viminalis 'Bowhayes Strain A' C
viminalis 'Bowhayes Strain male' C
Small Gardens
The smaller the garden, the more and harder you prune; P = prune immediately after flowering.
caprea ‘Ogon’ P N/A
glabra P
gracilistyla ‘Melanostachys’ P
integra ‘Flamingo’ P N/A
purpurea ‘Gracilis’ (Nana)
purpurea 'Leicestershire Dicks'
reinii P
Showiest Foliage
GY=gray GN = Green P=pink S=silver V=variegated Y=yellow W=white
candida S
caprea ‘Ogon’ Y N/A
cordata G
myrsinifolia 'Blackskin’ shiny darkest green
lucida glossy GN
x meyeriana all glossy GN
pellita white undersides and stems
pyrifolia shiny dark green
reinii glossy GN
Tree Willows for Fodder
gmelinii (x dasclados)
please note: we are just learning about this use of Willows and would appreciate it if you can let us know of other willows used for fodder or just eaten by farm animals.
For more information read:
Willow silage - an alternative to winter fodder (6p).pdf
[If this link doesn't work do a search using this title.]
This work was done in Bhutan; and there has been some excellent research done in New Zealand also.
WillowWorld
of Michael Dodge
WillowWorld
of Michael Dodge
WillowWorld
of Michael Dodge