In early spring, bits of fluff appear along the branches of some willow shrubs, silvery gray and as soft to the touch as a kitten’s paw. They may seem furry, but these are actually the flower buds of pussy willow (Salix discolor).
The hairs are insulation, protecting the flowers inside the buds against cold weather until they bloom in late March or early April.
“Pussy willow is a large shrub or small tree that can be part of a home landscape if you have a site with plenty of space, full sun and moist soil,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “Children love it.” Pussy willows can be seen in the Children’s Garden and the Willow Collection at the Arboretum.
By early April, the bunches of silvery hairs, called catkins, will become tiny yellow flowers. Rich in pollen and nectar, these blooms are an early-season feast for many kinds of pollinating insects, including several kinds of native bees. The shrubs also host the larvae of 18 kinds of butterflies and moths, including eastern tiger swallowtail and mourning cloak butterflies.
If you’d like to try growing pussy willow in your yard, check the tag to make sure you have chosen the native plant, Salix discolor. Several other non-native willow species have similar buds and are sometimes called pussy willow, but they don’t provide the same support for native insects, and some of them are invasive.
Most importantly, be sure to get a male plant. “There are male and female plants, and only male pussy willows develop the pretty, silvery catkins,” Campbell said.
Be aware that pussy willow has some requirements. “It’s not a small shrub,” Campbell said. “It can grow to 25 feet tall and wide.” When it’s not blooming, a pussy willow is unspectacular, but it is big enough to be a good privacy screen.
The size can be controlled somewhat by pruning. Regular pruning in winter to open up the plant and remove the oldest stems will also result in larger catkins.
A full-sun site with at least six hours of direct sunlight daily is essential. “The branches need lots of sunlight to develop catkins,” Campbell said. Avoid planting a pussy willow near sewer pipes, since its fast-growing roots will seek out moisture.
Pussy willow is a wetland plant and cannot tolerate drought. “The good news is that it doesn’t need well-drained soil, as long as there is plenty of organic matter,” he said. It might be a good choice for a low spot that always seems to be wet, or as the anchor and focal point of a rain garden.
When you prune a pussy willow in winter, you can enjoy the branches and buds indoors. Make a fresh cut at the base of each stem and immediately place it in water. Keep the branches in a cool place for a few weeks. When the buds open to show the silvery fur, you can preserve them at that stage by removing the branches from water so they dry out and do not go on to bloom.
Like many fast-growing trees and shrubs, pussy willows are relatively short-lived. “The willow is likely to live 20 to 25 years, long enough for the children to enjoy it,” Campbell said. “And in that time, it will feed a lot of bees and butterflies.”
For tree and plant advice, contact the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum (630-719-2424, mortonarb.org/plant-clinic, or plantclinic@mortonarb.org). Beth Botts is a staff writer at the Arboretum.
