Types and varieties of willow

The beautiful willow tree is considered a romantic and picturesque looking plant that can be seen not only in its natural habitat, but also in gardens, parks and squares. The spreading willow crown can take up large spaces or, on the contrary, look compact and neat. In addition to decorative properties, this deciduous tree and shrub species has long been famous for its raw materials, which are used for weaving baskets, making burlap, rope, used in pulp production and for harvesting industrial wood.

Willow is also known as a valuable melliferous plant, as the plant blooms earlier than others. Often it is planted to strengthen gentle banks, and is also used to secure loose rocks near ravines and on embankments.

The willow breed can be wild or decorative, and depending on the species, the plant looks like a shrub (bush form) or as a full-fledged tree (tree-like form). Hand today at least 350 species of willow are known, differing from each other in size, crown shape, and leaf structure. For example, according to the shape of the leaf plate, there are such types of willows as small-leaved, narrow-leaved, with wide leaves, pear-shaped (pear-shaped), filiform (lanceolate). Leaf color is also important for varietal plants. So, woolly willow (it is also called woolly willow), which looks like a short bush, got its name because one side of its leaves is slightly fluffy. In addition, there are varieties in which the leaf plate is yellow, blue, gray.

In size, willow can be a tall shrub, reaching up to 6 m. For example, willow willow, which is also called blackening. A shorter option is the spear-shaped willow, which raises its branches to a height of 2 meters. Often the plant looks like a tall tree, reaching a height of 20 m - such a representative is the yellow-brown willow, whose bark is yellow. A similar weeping giant is the dewy species. Among the miniatures not exceeding 1.5 m, it is worth noting such species as the Lapp, Sakhalin, thin-columnar, Lapland or squat Bebb willow. Let's consider in more detail the most interesting varieties of plants from the willow genus.

This variety is presented in two forms.

• Silvery - This is a tall plant, reaches a height of 12 m. It is an unpretentious decorative species, which got its name because the color of the leaves resembles silver. This willow always attracts attention and stands out effectively against the background of its green counterparts in the park among lindens, elms, chestnuts, pines.

• Weeping - grows no more than 7 m, but the shape of the crown looks like a falling cascade of thin and long branches reaching a length of 2-3 meters. The plant needs sufficient moisture in the soil, but it tolerates shading well, although with a lack of sunlight, its crown loses its splendor. The plant looks impressive in a single planting and in combination with other trees.

The crown has a spherical shape, which is sometimes compared to a dome. The branches are tightly packed, giving a thick feeling. A brittle willow looks like a small, well-branching tree up to 6-7 m high. It tolerates winter frosts well. The plant looks beautiful in a single or group planting. The fragile willow looks especially picturesque on the banks of reservoirs, and sometimes it is used as a hedge.

It has long and flexible shoots, which are spherically attached to the crown of a small standard tree. Such a willow looks extremely decorative and attractive, and it gains its popularity thanks to the planting material supplied from Europe. The shoots of the plant hang down to the ground. In the spring, inflorescences are located on them, which puff, and the tree becomes like a large dandelion. The standard trunk practically does not stretch upward, the maximum expected increase can be 35-40 cm. Most often, goat willow is planted in groups.

This variety comes in two forms.

• Iva Matsuda - has spiral-shaped shoots, which are covered with a bark of a golden hue. The leaf plates have slightly spirally twisted shapes. This is a European variety that loves warmth and reacts poorly to Russian harsh winters, requiring shelter from snow and frost. The best place to plant a plant will be one that has reliable protection from drafts and gusty winds. The willow grows no more than 3.5 m.

• Ural winding - This form has spiral shoots with a grayish-green bark, and in sunlight they look brown. This ornamental varietal plant does not exceed 3.5 m, but it is firmly capable of withstanding any winter frosts. The leaf plates have a slightly spiral shape, the plant tolerates frequent pruning and crown formation. Willow is used in single and group plantings.

A striking representative of this type of willow is variety "Hakuro Nishiki", bred in Japan. A whole-leaved willow grows in the range from 2.5 to 6 m. When grafted onto a stem, the plant can form a compact bush 1.5-2 m in size. The beauty of this variety lies in its leaves, which have a snow-white hue. The plant looks very impressive, but its disadvantage is its weak winter hardiness. Therefore, in central Russia, such a willow needs to be sheltered for the winter.

It is a compact, medium-sized bush, reaching 2.5 m in height. The crown has a spherical structure and consists of shoots with a glossy reddish-brown bark. The purple willow has become very common in Russia. This variety grows well even in shaded areas, but it does not tolerate winter well, so the plant needs to be covered. However, even after winter freezing in the spring, the willow actively begins to grow fresh shoots.

It looks like a sprawling shrub that grows up to 3 meters in size. Its shoots are thin and long, covered with straw-colored bark, leaves are small, narrow, rather hard to the touch. The willow of this variety is not capricious, grows well even in shaded areas, but requires shelter for the winter, since it does not tolerate frost well. This variety is best planted in areas protected from wind and drafts.

This variety looks like a medium-sized tree, which can grow up to 10 m. Willow shoots are thin, flexible, covered with reddish-red bark. The sheet plates have an elongated shape with a pointed end. The outer side of the leaf is dark green in color, and the back is gray. The leaves are large, reaching 12-13 cm in size, serration is poorly expressed at the edges. The plant looks impressive in single and group planting, flowering begins in the second decade of May.

It is a plant that tolerates frost well. Willow loves abundant sunlight and is considered an excellent honey plant with early flowering. It can grow on loam and is used to strengthen the banks of reservoirs, as well as to equip hedges. The wolf willow grows up to 15 m tall, its crown structure is pyramidal. Mature shoots are dark olive in color. The leaves are oblong, their length is 8-10 cm, the edges of the leaf may curl slightly.

The vein of green leaves is yellowish in color. Young leaves have a slight hairiness, adult leaves have hairs only in the region of the central vein. The plant is undemanding to growing conditions, winters well. Looks impressive both in group and in single landings.

This natural variety is the smallest tree of the willow family, and, perhaps, among other trees, because the plant height is several centimeters. You can see such a willow in the tundra or in the latitudes of the Arctic, Alps and Pyrenees. It grows among mosses and lichens, and through this cover near the willow only leaves make their way to the light. The maximum plant size is 6-7 cm. Flowering begins late, in June, and lasts until August. The herbaceous willow bears little resemblance to a tree in the usual sense, but for botanists, the plant belongs to the willow genus and is the smallest tree on the planet. Specialists grow bonsai from such a plant.

Low, up to 1 m tall, plant. In rare cases, this shrub can reach 3 meters. The blueberry willow got its name from the foliage, similar to the leaf blades of blueberries. The shoots of this type of willow are brown in color, and the color of the leaves is greenish-gray, light. It is due to the unusual shape of the leaves and their light color that this variety has a spectacular decorative appearance. The plant perfectly tolerates even the most severe winters, but only if it is covered.

A dwarf-type shrub with a branched creeping system of brownish-red shoots, the length of which is 60-80 cm. The leaf plates are elliptical with a pointed end, they are leathery, dense to the touch. Adult leaves have no hairs, while young leaves are slightly pubescent. The outer side of the leaf has a dark green color, and on the reverse side, the leaves are whitish-gray, like blue. The shoots of the netted willow are very strong and resilient, they root well and intertwine with each other, so the plant is most often used for arranging hedges.

A variety of willow that is most suitable for harvesting vines used for weaving. It is a tall shrub or branched tree, growing up to 10 m. The branches of the willow are thin and long, straight. Fresh shoots are grayish and slightly pubescent, while adult branches are usually bare or short-haired. The leaves are long, have a lanceolate structure. Their length is 15-20 cm, and their width is only 1-2 cm. The edges of the leaf plates have a slight waviness. The upper side of the leaf has a dark green tint, and on the back, the leaf blade is densely covered with silvery hairs. The willow blooms in March, and the flowering period lasts until May.

In addition to those listed, the willow family has other representatives that are no less attractive and interesting for cultivation.

• Woolly (furry) - the plant is quite compact, and in central Russia it does not grow more than 1 m. The leaf plates have a rounded structure and dense white pubescence with felt hairs, therefore, from a distance, the willow bush looks fluffy, and the leaves are blue. The growth process of shaggy willow is long; it does not tolerate gusty cold winds, strong waterlogging of the soil and prolonged periods of drought.

• Swiss - is a dwarf undersized shrub up to 1 m, with spreading shoots. This variety grows very slowly and prefers well-lit places. For rooting, the plant needs fertile and well-loosened soil. The structure of the leaf plates of the willow is elliptical. Leaflets are covered with silvery hairs. Shoots with leaves form a beautiful dome-shaped crown, the diameter of which does not exceed 1.5 m. The plant is effectively combined with contrasting neighbors - evergreen coniferous trees.

• Babylonian - an elegant tree, it has thin and long shoots forming a spreading crown. Young twigs are reddish, yellow or greenish in color. The plant is considered frost-resistant, it is unpretentious to the soil composition and growing conditions. Looks beautiful in both single and group plantings.

For a long time, willow was considered a weed, and gardeners in every possible way fought against its appearance on the site. Today the situation has changed - the willow has become a welcome plant and the pride of its owners. Consider examples that are interesting from the point of view of placement in the garden.

• Willow "In Memory of Shaburov" - weeping variety with silvery-green foliage. Grows up to 10-15 m. Light-loving plant growing on light fertile soils with good drainage.

• "Ideal" - hybrid plant for landscaping. The crown resembles a wide oval, which consists of thin branches, delicately intertwined and hanging to the ground. The plant is unpretentious to the composition of the soil and is resistant to dry periods.

• "American giant" - a natural natural hybrid found in the forest. This is a tall tree with a branch that has a characteristic bend at the end. The flexibility and strength of the shoots of this tree are qualities that are used as a material for weaving.

• "Tent" - a tall plant up to 10 m with a spherical crown and shoots hanging to the ground. Near the trunk of the tree there is a significant space under the spreading branches, where you can comfortably arrange a place to rest. The leaves of the willow are oblong, medium-sized, green.

• "Fantasy" - a small openwork willow with small skeletal branches and long flexible shoots covered with small green leaves. It grows up to 9 m, growth is fast, active, has a spreading openwork crown.

• Golden Sunshine - Sakhalin willow is a deciduous shrub with a spherical crown up to 2.5 m in diameter and thin flexible shoots. It grows up to 2 meters and attracts attention with its unusual yellowish-green foliage. The plant is frost-resistant and undemanding to care for.

The variety of willow species is great, most of the representatives of this genus look like short trees or shrubs, and some species grow up to 15-20 m. There are also super-tall willows, which can grow up to 40 m, and their trunk diameter is at least half a meter. Hybrid interspecific variants are also common. In Russia, especially in its European part, willow is widespread, popularly called willow, willow, willow, willow, willow or shelyuga. Shrub species can most often be found in Siberia and the Urals, and willow is also common in Central Asia. The wide area is explained by the fact that the plant is unpretentious to the composition of soils, it grows well on loamy substrates and light organic-rich soil mixtures. For willow, the close occurrence of groundwater does not matter, it perfectly tolerates such a neighborhood.

Traditionally, willows are planted in parks and squares near water bodies; this plant is used to strengthen the coastal slopes and to create an attractive landscape design. Silvery and weeping willows look especially impressive, descending their thin and flexible branches to the very edge of the water. An example of this type is a variety called goat willow. The “Shater” variety will look no less attractive in this case. Such plants will decorate not only the edge of water bodies, but also any open area of ​​the garden, and the spreading crowns of openwork branches will be an excellent protection from the summer sun.

If the willow planting is done in 2 rows, then you get a kind of shady alley. For such plantations, you can use the Ural winding or Matsuda willow. When arranging an alley, flexible branches of plants can be intertwined, forming living arches from them - this design looks unusual and attractive, however, shoots can be braided only in plants that are already 3-4 years old, because the arches should be at a distance of 3-3, 5 m from ground level. In the case when there is not enough space in the garden for the formation of an alley or an arch, it can be made from two small willow trees by connecting their crowns together. To fuse the shoots and give them an impetus to growth, the ablation method is used, when special grafts are made on the branches.

To decorate rocky gardens of rockeries, alpine hills or ordinary flower beds, low-growing shrubs or low standard trees are used. For this purpose, you can use willow of such varieties as Swiss, Babylonian, "Fantasy", "Golden Sunshine".

Often, willow plants are planted at short intervals from each other in order to create a hedge. For these purposes, sinuous, purple, Caspian varieties are well suited. The abundant shoots of these shrubs can decorate the free space and protect other plants from the scorching sun. Willow bushes look original if they are planted sequentially along the garden path. A bold design solution would be to place decorative sculptures or small fountains near the plantings.

If you want to decorate a spacious lawn, then in its center you can plant a sprawling brittle willow, whose crown will look like a dome. At the foot of this tree, which will eventually grow tall, you can place flower plantings that are in harmony with the color of willow foliage in color.