Ready for a Foliage Friday update? I hope so! Here is your friendly plant post, where I talk about a plant I love and hopefully convince you to either plant it or just be more knowledgeable about it.
Plant: Salix babylonica 'Pendula', Weeping willow
Why: Did you read last week's update? Probably not because I didn't write one. ;) But the one before that I asked what sort of plant you wanted to learn about next time. And my wonderful father asked to hear more information about the willow tree. This makes me laugh because I really believe that he knows enough about them, but I will humor him and post about willow trees! Because the willow genus is huge, I picked the weeping willow since its relatively common and my mom loves them!
Landscape uses: This popular tree grows between 70-80 feet tall and is a relatively fast grower. However, it is has a short lifespan. In spring the leaves are a silvery green and in fall turn to a golden yellow. This cultivar is known for being a little bit stronger than other willow trees and is overall more disease resistant than others. This helps offset the short lifespan! The flowers are pretty small yellow spikes. The trees are either male or female, so cultivation is a little trickier to establish. They prefer very moist soils and can be found naturally near ponds, lakes, streams, etc. This is not very ideal for landscape uses because of its short lifespan and need for constant water.
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| Fall color |
Other uses: The bark has been used in ancient Egypt as remedy for fevers and aches associated with it. There is a compound called salicin that resembles aspirin and can relieve headaches and stomachaches temporarily. Bark can be used for baskets, wicker, brooms, etc. In natural circumstances, willow branches are used for decorative fences in gardens, etc.
Fun facts: There are over 400 species of willow trees! Cut branches of the willow tree almost always take root into the ground if the conditions are right. That is fascinating to a plant nerd. :) If you google willow trees, you will find a ton of legends about its uses and benefits. I won't
bore you too much here, as a lot of it is scientific-y biological-y. :)
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| Pendulous leaves of the willow tree. |
Thanks for joining me this week! What do you want to learn about next week?
1 comment:
Very interesting! I want to learn about those pretty trees with pink flowers in the spring that I want.
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