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Shrubs

Salix discolor

American glaucous willow

A large, vigorous deciduous shrub, to around 5m high, with downy, red-brown new shoots and scaly grey mature bark. Leaves are elliptic, toothed, dark green and often glossy on top with greyish felting underneath. Catkins appear before the leaves in spring; male catkins begin white and silky and turn yellow when ripe, while female catkins are green

Other common names

pussy willow

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Ultimate height

4–8 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

2.5–4 metres

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Salicaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Salix are deciduous shrubs and trees of diverse habit, with simple leaves and tiny flowers in catkins, male and female usually on separate plants. Some are valued for their brightly coloured winter shoots, others for their foliage or showy male catkins
Name status: Correct
Plant range: N America

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in any deep, moist but well-drained soil in full sun. Avoid shallow chalk soil

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in early summer or hardwood cuttings in winter

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens
Cut flowers
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Pruning group 7, every two or three years in March, for best show of catkins

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, caterpillars, willow leaf beetle, sawflies and willow scale insects

Diseases

May be susceptible to willow anthracnose, honey fungus and rust diseases

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