Willow - what is a tree or shrub?

In Russia and Belarus, the word “willow” is often used as a common name for white willow. And willow bushes are also called willow shrubs, as well as powerful, tall, up to 30 meters tall, giants growing in flood meadows and in the floodplains of rivers and streams, at the very edge of the water - since this plant is extremely moisture-loving. Old specimens can reach 2-2.5 girths in circumference. Under favorable conditions, the tree can live up to 100 years. Willows that grow in water itself have one peculiarity: during severe floods, when the banks are washed away, or during strong hurricanes, these trees often fall. And this happens because the willow does not have a main, central root that goes vertically down and, as it were, anchors the tree trunk.

All its roots are equal and fan out at approximately the same angle. And the root system is weaker the closer the aquifers or simply any water feeding the roots is.

The tree has a spherical crown, which is formed by branches growing from the very bottom of the trunk. The tips of young branches sometimes hang down to the very ground, forming the unique appearance of this type of tree. And the qualifying name “white” is derived from the silvery color of young greenery, which at a certain angle reflects almost all the light falling on the surface of the leaf.

As they mature in summer, the foliage darkens, becoming dark green on the front and silvery-gray on the back. In autumn, the leaves acquire a lemon-yellow or yellow-ocher color and last until the first frost.

The leaves are narrow (101-15 mm), long (50-80 mm), lanceolate, pointed at the tips; in young willows they are covered with small silky hairs. Nectar-bearing bisexual flowers in the form of long earrings bloom in April-May. The male ones are long, falling off immediately after flowering, the female ones are shorter and thicker, remaining on the tree until the small seeds disperse at the height of summer.

The seeds fall from box-shaped bivalve fruits, have excellent germination, and shoots from them can grow up to 50 cm during the season. They are also propagated by cuttings.

The buds are pointed, and before the leaves bloom, they take on the appearance of fluffy “seals,” as they are called in Russia and Ukraine.

White willow retains its botanical characteristics regardless of the region of growth. Even on different continents (North America and Eurasia) the specimens are absolutely identical.

Botany

What is willow, according to this science? This is a typical species of deciduous trees from the Willow family or shrubs from the Willow genus. Willow has narrow, rather long leaves and flowers collected in earrings. For example, in literature we find: “Next to the gate, near the house, there stood an old willow tree and its leaves shone silver in the light of the moon.”

According to the data given in explanatory dictionaries about what willow is, some types of poplar, sedge and even aspen can be called this way. This is what people sometimes call willow, vine, willow, and willow.

Weeping willow in landscape design

If there is an artificial pond or small river on your site, then its main decoration can be a luxurious weeping willow. This plant looks most impressive near bodies of water, which is why landscape designers often use it in their work.

Dwarf and decorative varieties of such a crop can decorate not only a garden plot, but also a house.

The mighty and beautiful weeping willow is suitable for creating any design. It not only has a spectacular and rather unusual appearance, but also helps create comfortable conditions for the growth and development of other cultures.

Willow - species and varietal diversity

What is willow: where and how does it grow?

The tree is mostly bred as a cultivated tree, but quite often runs wild in places where it is planted. Willow grows along the banks of rivers and ponds, as well as other bodies of water. It can take root as a cultivated plant near houses and along the road. Willow is a light-loving tree, resistant to frost. It is undemanding to the soil in which it grows (but preference is for moist soils). Can tolerate urban conditions well when cultivated. Silver willow is durable. Lives up to a hundred years or more. Propagated by seeds or cuttings (in cultivation). Branches that fall to the ground can also take root.

Planting and care

Willow is propagated by self-sowing, but if orderly planting is needed, cuttings are used. They are planted in soil rich in moisture. Loams with their waterproofing properties are well suited. The sunlight mode is maximum. Planting is carried out either with the first stable warmth, or in mid-September, when active yellowing of the crowns of mature trees begins.

Holes are made in the soil in advance for the root system of the cuttings; a mixture of fertile soil with humus is placed in the holes, to which peat and a nitrogen-containing mineral complex are also added. If a group of willows is planted, then the distance between them should be at least 3 meters. Then after 10-12 years you will get a living solid wall of branches (which will also have to be thinned out in the future).

The soil around the planted shoots is well compacted, and in the first 3-4 years it is advisable to tie the seedling to a stake driven nearby. If, for some reason, the planting was done far from a body of water or there is no large body of water nearby, watering the young shoots is done once a week using at least 2 buckets of water. With age, the volume increases, although it will be possible to water less often.

To avoid large losses of moisture by evaporation, it is better to mulch the tree trunk circle

Description of appearance

The height of the tree sometimes reaches thirty meters. The crown is wide, rounded, often weeping. The trunk is powerful, reaching three meters in diameter (or several trunks branching from the ground itself). The bark is dark gray, bitter in taste, with longitudinal cracks. The shoots are greenish-olive or brown with shades of red, the ends of the shoots are fluffy and silver in color. The lower branches often bend all the way to the ground. After cutting down, the willow can take the form of a bush.

Proper care of willow

The full development of willow depends on high-quality and regular care

During the first period after planting, trees require special attention and the implementation of all basic growing procedures. The moisture-loving willow requires frequent watering and periodic spraying.

Watering the plants after planting is carried out once a week in the morning or evening. From 2 to 4 buckets of water are poured onto the crown or under the root of the seedling.

In dry times, the procedure should be doubled, with constant spraying of the crowns of the seedlings. In the first years, young seedlings grow in height from 1 to 3 meters. Fertilizing helps preserve the decorative qualities of willow and saturates the soil with useful nutrients, which lead to abundant flowering. Complex fertilizers are applied after slight loosening throughout the season.

During 1 season, 2-3 feedings are carried out, the last one should be done in July. From mid-August, potassium sulfate and superphosphate are added to the soil. Fallen leaves, due to the tannin content they contain, should not be left under the tree. The formation of the crown is carried out in order to give the plants a beautiful decorative appearance, as well as for sanitary treatment.

The first pruning after 2-3 years is done when the shoots reach a length of 1 meter. The procedure begins after the trees bloom. The shoots are shortened by 20 cm above the nearest bud. Annual pruning of mature trees is to maintain the shape of the crown.

White willow on video:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=_LG8zI9j00Q

Shortening branches by pruning promotes the formation of lateral shoots from the remaining buds, giving the crown a special lushness and density. Proper planting technology helps willow grow quickly and delight with its beautiful appearance. Carrying out all maintenance procedures, including timely pruning, helps maintain the original decorative appearance of trees.

Buds, leaves and flowers

Willow buds are red-yellow, sharp, silky (length - up to 6 mm). They seem to be clinging to the escape. The leaves have a sharp tip, finely serrated, their edges are not curled down (length - from five to fifteen centimeters, width - up to three), whitish, with silvery hairs below, and dark green above. In autumn, the leaves do not fall for a long time and acquire a yellow-bronze color.

The flowers are collected in cylindrical earrings (length - up to five cm). Silver willow (or willow) blooms in April or May. The process occurs simultaneously with the blossoming of the tree's leaves. Willow seeds ripen by June.

Willow is one of the most common trees both in Russia and in other countries. The plant is unusually good-looking: a strong trunk, long hanging branches, leaves of all shades of green and flowers, like fluffy earrings, fascinate with their beauty and beckon to the world of nature and harmony. Many people grow willow in their gardens or near their homes.

The tree has been an inspiration for many writers, poets and artists for a long time. A. Fet, A. Akhmatova, S. Yesenin, F. Tyutchev and others wrote about him. The famous storyteller H.H. Andersen, who owns the fairy tale “Under the Willow,” did not stand aside. The painting “The Weeping Willow” by C. Monet is also known.

The tree is widely used in manufacturing, industry, agriculture and medicine.

Procurement of raw materials

Raw materials in the form of bark are removed from young branches, no younger than 2 and no older than 7 years, when the bark has not yet become covered with longitudinal deep cracks and folds, since in the old bark there is a sharp drop in the amount of salicin.
Dry in a ventilated area, having previously crushed the bark into small longitudinal fragments. Finished raw materials can be stored for up to 4 years, provided the correct humidity and temperature conditions. Store in paper bags without access to outside air or in thick linen bags. Prepared mixtures and infusions are consumed immediately.

Use of plants in everyday life

The bark and leaves of this plant were used to treat fever in Greece and Ancient Egypt, and in the United States of America, broom decoctions were used as an analgesic. Later, scientists found that the tree has many useful substances, including salidroside, tannin, flavonoids, salicin and salicylic acid.

Flexible thin branches have long been used for weaving furniture, fences and enclosures, and fish traps. Today, chairs, baskets, boxes and cradles are made from willow twigs. In agriculture, it is an excellent honey plant, valuable because of its early flowering and a protector against erosion, easily coping with it thanks to its long and twisting roots.

Most species of the “willow” family are a separate ornamental crop that can decorate a park area or a personal plot. Many designers include plants in their compositions and create gardens in an original style.

Popularly, this tree has several names: willow, willow, willow, vine, lozinka, etc. Until now, scientists have not come to a consensus: willow is a tree or shrub. After all, the “willow” family has about 600 species, differing in size and external characteristics. Experienced gardeners know that it is a shrub and deciduous tree, but for amateurs it is not always clear where the willow grows, why it is called a weeping willow and what the willow looks like.

The willow root system is just as varied as the willow species. It may be:

formed compact vertical main root system;
tiered, prostrate main root system;
a system formed due to existing adventitious roots or vegetative propagation by cuttings.

In general, the root system of this tree is deep and powerful, but it is a little picky about the condition of the soil: the roots do not like too much moisture, despite the fact that the tree grows mainly on the banks of lakes, rivers, ponds and streams. Willows often form large “willow” groves that can stretch along the shore for a long time - the seeds are carried by the wind and when they fall into silt or water, they remain viable for a long time.

Application and contraindications

White willow has been actively used in pharmacology, folk medicine and cosmetology for many years. This is due to its healing properties and wide range of effects on the body. However, products based on bark, leaves and catkins have a number of contraindications that you should be aware of.

Application in pharmacology

Quite often, white willow is added to preparations intended for treatment:

fever;
diarrhea;
neurosis;
gout;
hemorrhoids;
ODS.

White willow extract can often be found in medications for treating the digestive system.

Use in folk medicine

There are many recipes based on this tree, passed down from generation to generation. Decoctions and tinctures are prepared from the bark, leaves and catkins of willow to relieve diarrhea, fever, fever, and a number of other ailments.

Application in cosmetology

White willow bark is included in creams and lotions for the care of problem skin of the face and body. It contains salicin, which helps improve metabolic processes in the upper layer of the epidermis, as well as normalizes the function of the sebaceous glands.

In addition, shampoos, masks and hair balms are created based on willow bark. They improve the structure of curls, enhancing their growth.

Contraindications

Like any plant with medicinal properties, white willow has a number of contraindications. It should be abandoned in the following cases:

chronic constipation or bradycardia;
allergies;
during pregnancy (large amounts of salicylic acid can cause fetal pathology);
presence of diabetes mellitus;
for liver diseases;
exacerbation of gastritis.

Also, drugs, decoctions and tinctures are not recommended to be given to children under 16 years of age, as well as to people with high sensitivity to aspirin.

Tree species diversity

Trees of the willow family are distinguished by a transparent, see-through crown, thin and flexible shoots and narrow, pointed, oblong leaves. Willow fruits are small flowers. There are dwarf and shrub willows, many species reach up to 15 m in height, and the tallest - up to 40 m.

The diversity of species of this plant is the result of mutations occurring in nature, as well as human activity. During the study of the tree, a large number of hybrids were bred, even botanists found it difficult to classify. And today, thanks to their work, we can distinguish the most common types of willow, various forms, varieties and varieties, including decorative ones:

Medicinal and beneficial properties of white willow

White willow has long been widely used in everyday life:

The tanning properties of the bark were used in the manufacture of fishing gear and leather.
Boats, troughs, and wells were made from wood.
The bark was used to dye fabrics and products made from them brownish-red.
The rods are used for the construction of outbuildings, in particular, cattle pens. They serve as a good basis for hedges.
Pulp is obtained from wood and paper is produced.
Young branches are fed to domestic animals, and infusions of the bark are used in veterinary medicine (they treat kidney diseases).
Willow honey is valued for its taste and medicinal properties. This is one of the earliest honey plants. From a hectare of willow plantings, about one and a half hundred kilograms of medicinal product are obtained per season. It is also a source of pollen and bee glue.

Evolution and distribution[edit | edit code]

Willows appeared on Earth quite early; imprints of their leaves are found in the sediments of the Cretaceous formation.

According to The Plant List website, the genus Willow has more than 550 [4] species, distributed mainly in cool regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where willow extends beyond the Arctic Circle. Several taxa are native to the tropics. There are more than 65 species in North America, of which only 25 reach tree size.

Usually these are trees up to 15 m high or shrubs, but among some species of willow there are specimens up to 40 m high and with a trunk diameter of more than 0.5 m.

In cold countries, willows grow far in the north, such as the very low-growing dwarf willows Salix retusa, Salix reticulata, Salix herbacea, Salix polaris. In the mountains grow low-growing willows Salix herbacea and others, which reach the very snowy border. Polar and alpine willows are low-growing creeping shrubs - up to several centimeters in height (Polar willow ( Salix polaris

), grass willow (
Salix herbacea
) and others).

Their interspecific hybrids are often found.

Various types of willow are called: willow, willow, shelyuga, willow (large trees and shrubs, mainly in the western regions of the European part of Russia); vine, willow (shrub species); tal, talnik (mostly shrub species, in the eastern regions of the European part, in Siberia and Central Asia).

Thanks to the ability to produce adventitious roots, willows can easily be propagated by cuttings and even stakes (with the exception of Salix caprea - goat's willow, or goat's willow). Seeds lose their viability within a few days; only in the five-stamen willow ( Salix pentandra

) the seeds remain viable until next spring.

Features of cultivation

This unpretentious plant is found almost everywhere in nature. The choice of willow planting site is determined based on the characteristics of the area. Willow is not particularly demanding on soil; it can grow in any area, even on crushed stone. However, sandy-silty sediments are the most optimal for it.

It mainly grows in damp places, located near rivers, lakes, ponds, ditches, and on the edges of damp forests. It also gets along well in urban environments. Good lighting, sun and light partial shade helps trees develop and grow better. Places near groundwater are recommended for planting willow.

The time for planting is chosen in the spring before the buds open, or in the autumn - after the leaves fall. Seedlings are selected one year old with developed roots, without defects and dry shoots.

A hole is dug with a diameter and depth of the same size - 50 cm
A nutrient mixture of peat, compost and soil is poured into the bottom, with the addition of 200 grams of azofoska. For heavy soil, especially clayey soil, add drainage with a 10-15 cm layer of crushed stone or sand.
A seedling is lowered into the middle of the hole and covered with soil with the roots evenly distributed
The soil around the tree is compacted and watered with water at the rate of 2 buckets of water per 1 seedling.
Mulching with sawdust or tree chips is carried out

Botanical description [edit | edit code ]

The foliage of some species of willows is dense, curly, green, while others have sparse, see-through, gray-green or gray-white foliage.

Leaves are alternate, petiolate; The leaf blade in some species is wide and elliptical, in others it is quite narrow and long; The edge of the plate is entire in only a few species, while in the majority it is finely or coarsely serrated. The plate is either shiny, bright green on both surfaces, or only on the top; The lower surface of such willows is gray or bluish due to hairs and a bluish coating. The cylindrical petiole is rather short; at its base there are two stipules, mostly jagged, wide or narrow; they persist either only until the leaf is fully developed, or all summer. Stipules serve as a good indicator for distinguishing between different types of willows; one species called long-eared willow ( Salix aurita

) has large stipules protruding in the form of ears. It is very interesting that stipules develop most on young shoots growing from the trunk or from the roots.

The stem is branched; the branches are thin, twig-like, flexible, brittle, with matte or shiny bark, purple, green and other colors. The buds are also of different colors, dark brown, red-yellow, etc.; their outer integumentary scales grow together with their edges into a solid cap, or sheath, which separates at its base when the buds grow and then falls off entirely. The apical bud on the branches usually dies, and the lateral one adjacent to it gives the strongest shoot and, so to speak, replaces the dead apical bud.

Some willows bloom in early spring before the leaves bloom (for example, Salix daphnoides), others - in early summer, simultaneously with the appearance of leaves or even later (for example, Salix pentandra).

The flowers are dioecious, very small and hardly noticeable in themselves; Only due to the fact that they are collected in dense inflorescences (catkins), it is not difficult to find them, and in willows that bloom before the leaves bloom, the inflorescences are clearly visible. Earrings are unisexual, or with only male or only female flowers; male and female catkins appear on different individuals: willow is a dioecious plant in the full sense of the word. The structure of flowers is generally the same: male flowers have two stamens, female flowers have one pistil, and both have nectaries.

The fruit is a capsule that opens with two doors. The seed is very small, covered with white fluff, quite light, freely transported by the wind over long distances. In the air, willow seeds remain viable for only a few days; Once in the water, at the bottom of water pools, they retain their viability for several years. This is the reason that dry ditches, ponds, and silty mud scooped out when cleaning a pond or river are sometimes abundantly covered with willow shoots in a relatively short time. The young willow sprout is very weak and is easily drowned out by grass, but it grows very quickly; Woody willows generally grow unusually quickly in the first years of their life. In nature, willows reproduce by seeds, but in culture, mainly by cuttings and layering; a live willow branch or a stake driven into the ground quickly take root.

Diseases and pests [edit | edit code]

Diseases and pests

The greatest harm to willow can be caused by flower flies, leaf rollers and various types of aphids. Adult caterpillar larvae are collected by hand and shaken off. Insecticides Karbofos, Decis, Akarin, Actellik are also used, diluting them according to the instructions and spraying the crowns weekly until the final result is achieved. The procedure is done in dry weather at dawn or sunset.

White and brown scatterings on the foliage, thickening on it can be a sign of infection with rust, powdery mildew, and scab. For treatment, it is necessary to cut and destroy branches that are too affected, and treat the crowns with fungicides Fundazol, Fundazim, Topaz.

History of the study of willow [edit | edit code]

The botanical history of willow begins in the 1st century. Pliny the Elder, author of the famous “Natural History” in 37 books, was the first scientist to describe eight species of willow.

Since the 18th century, scientists have been attempting to develop a unified classification of willows. The famous botanist Carl Linnaeus identified twenty-nine species of willows. At first they agreed with him, but a few years later the scientist Scopoli disputed Linnaeus's conclusions.

We find the beginning of the study of willows in Russia in the works of Gmelin. In “Flora Sibirica”, of the 15 species of willows described by Gmelin (1747), Linnaeus cited only seven - those that are common in Europe: in notes to some species, Linnaeus (1753) indicated the use of specimens and materials sent to him by I. G. Gmelin .

Subsequently, instructions on the species composition of the genus for the territory of Russia are given by P. S. Pallas. Pallas's Flora Rossica lists 35 species of the genus Salix.

The authors of British Flora proposed forty-five species of willows. Karl Ludwig Wildenow - 116 species. Wilhelm Koch describes 182 species. The furthest is Michel Gandozhe, who identified 1,600 species. Works of European researchers Smith (1804), Wildenow (1806), Schleicher (1807, 1821), Wade (1811), Wahlenberg (1812, 1826), Seringe (1815), Fries ( Fries, 1825, 1828, 1832, 1840), Koch (1828), Host (1828), Forbes (1829), Sadler (1831), Hooker (1835) were distinguished by a tendency to describe narrow species. The mistake of many scientists was to isolate numerous willow hybrids as independent species.

V. L. Komarov for the flora of Manchuria (1903) provided data on the distribution, morphology, ecology for 16 species of the genus Salix - of which for one of the subgenus Chamaetia: S. myrtilloides. He described a species new to science: endemic to the Kamchatka Peninsula - S. erythrocarpa (Novitates Asiae Orientalis, 1914).

E. L. Wolf made significant contributions (regarding the subgenera Salix and Vetrix) to the study of willows. He described (Wolf, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1929) 18 species of willows; Of these, five species now remain, the rest are reduced to synonyms or classified as hybrids. After the publication of Flora of the USSR (1936), data on the morphology, ecology, and distribution of willows was enriched through scientific research in various regions of Russia.

A. I. Tolmachev (1956) made a certain contribution to the study of Sakhalin willows, as well as all shrub and woody plants of the island.

In 1951, L. F. Pravdin published the work “Trees and Shrubs of the USSR.”

The taxonomy of willows was most fully outlined by the Russian scientist Alexey Konstantinovich Skvortsov in his book “Willows of the USSR,” published in 1968. He carried out a critical revision of all the accumulated data. The species composition in the flora of the USSR has been clarified. The nomenclature of all taxa described from the territory of Russia was studied, typification was carried out, and priority names were selected. The diagnostic characteristics of the species were clarified, subspecies were identified, and identification keys were compiled.

The debate about the taxonomy of willows is still not over. Many countries have their own schools of willow specialists.

The largest willow herbariums are the US State Herbarium, the Herbarium of the Royal Botanical Garden in England, exhibits of the Natural History Museum in Paris, and dozens of university botanical collections.

Classification

Genus willow, family Willow, order Malpighiaceae. The species can be divided into deciduous tree and shrub forms. Common names: white willow or silver willow, white willow, white willow.

As a result of the work of breeders, many hybrid forms have been developed that are used in parks and landscape design. Most often, the weeping willow Varvittelina or its opposite in appearance, the pyramidal willow with ascending shoots, having a crown in the form of an overturned cone Vitellina piramidalis, is grown for this purpose. There is also a broad pyramidal form with silvery leaves, Kosterii.

Willow silviculture [edit | edit code]

Of the numerous species and varieties of willows in forestry, the following deserve attention:

white, willow, willow, broom ( Salix alba
L., with the variety
Salix alba
var.
vitellina
);
brittle, willow, blackthroat ( Salix fragilis
L., with the variety
Salix russeliana
Sm.);
basketweed, basketwort, kuzovitsa, belotal, verbolosis, vine, small-wine, talazhchanik ( Salix viminalis
L., with the variety
Salix molissima
);
almond leaf, willow, redvine, tala, willow grass ( Salix amygdalina
L.,
Salix triandra
L.);
yellowberry, vine, willowweed ( Salix purpurea
L.,
Salix helix
Koch, with varieties
Salix lambertiana
and
Salix uralensis
);
shelyuga, verboz (Khark.), red grass ( Salix acutifolia
Wild.,
Salix caspica
);
pucker ( Salix hyppofaefolia
,
Salix viminalis
×
Salix amygdalina
);
Roman ( Salix smithiana
,
Salix capraea
×
Salix viminalis
)
cross: Salix purpurea
×
Salix viminalis
.

Although willows grow on all soils, deep loam or sandy loam, loose and moderately moist, are more suitable for them. Salix viminalis is the most demanding on soil.

;
Salix purpurea
and
Salix alba
grow successfully on peat soil ; Stagnation of water in the soil has a detrimental effect on the growth of willows. When establishing “willow thickets” or “willow thickets”, the soil is cultivated in the fall to a depth of 30-80 cm, depending on its fertility and dryness, so that the top plant layer is turned down, which is achieved by manual cultivation of 1-3 shovels, or making furrows with two plows running one after the other, with a subsoiler. Planting is done in the spring by cuttings - parts of one-year-old twigs, 25-30 cm long, cut in the fall and preserved in the cellar until spring. Cuttings are placed in rows running from southeast to northwest, with a distance between them of 30-40 cm and in a row of 10-20 cm, which will be from 125,000 to 333,333 cuttings per hectare, while on loose soil they are stuck straight hand, and on a dense one - into a hole made with an iron rod, flush with the surface of the soil, without leaving the tip of the cutting outside. But when breeding some willows, for example, when laying “shelyuzhniks” on loose sand, the branches of the shelyugi are directly placed in the plow furrows, one after another, covering them with a layer of sand raised when making the adjacent furrow. In the same way, for topless farming, willows are planted with stakes - 2-3 arshins in length and 1-3 arshins in thickness, stuck into the soil 1/3 of the length.

In accordance with the distribution of willow trees in a given area, plantings are distinguished:

continuous, or field, when the entire area is allocated for it, except for ditches and roads;
ordinary, of very different types: a) alternating
- stripes 1-3 m wide, alternating with fields or vineyards;
b) ridge
- on bogs and peat bogs, when willows are grown on ridges formed between ditches with earth taken from the latter;
c) ditch
- in which rods bent in a ring stick their ends into the walls of the ditch, etc.
nesting, used for strengthening slopes, slopes, river banks, etc., consisting of planting several cuttings on an area of pricked soil, in a group, or laying them out along the walls of a pit, then covered with earth, or in the placement of two rods, bent in arcs and intersecting between themselves into a hole made by a stake, etc.

Caring for willow trees consists of manually loosening the soil between the rows, removing weeds, hilling the stumps with soil, and even fertilizing the soil with Peruvian guano, Strassfurt salts, or year-old compost. The following adverse effects on farming in willow forests include hail, late spring frosts, and livestock grazing.

Properties and treatment of white willow (video)

The medicinal properties of willow, containing salicin, flavonoids, resins, ascorbic acid and others, are used in the following cases:

For rinsing with inflammation of the throat and gums.
To treat skin inflammation and reduce sweating of the feet.
Its drugs, which have analgesic, antipyretic, diaphoretic, hemostatic, antithrombotic, diuretic properties, are useful in the treatment of:

Gastritis – as improving digestion.
Gynecological diseases - to relieve inflammation and stop bleeding.
Tuberculosis and fever.
Rheumatism, headaches, gout - as a pain reliever.
Diarrhea - as an astringent.
Hypotension – to raise the tone of the body, etc.

Selection [edit | edit code]

Weeping willows, especially those created by man, are one of the most confusing groups of plants. The weeping willows most adapted to harsh conditions are hybrids between the Babylonian willow ( Salix babylonica

), white (
Salix alba
), brittle (
Salix fragilis
) and lovely (
Salix x blanda)
. Many of these hybrids also suffer from low temperatures. But it is impossible to establish which ones based on the name, since their nomenclature is hopelessly confused. There can be different hybrids under the same name, and vice versa. In addition, there are no reliable signs by which they can be identified. There are wishes to abandon the old names of cultivars and give new, well-documented ones. In Russia, Shaburov V.I. was engaged in the selection of frost-resistant willows. He is the author of more than two dozen interesting and promising tortuous, low-growing and weeping varieties [11].

How to decorate a willow garden?

In gardens and parks, willows are most often traditionally planted on the banks of a reservoir. And this is understandable - a natural landscape, a familiar image. But, of course, such a plastic and unusually impressive tree will decorate any corner of the garden, and its crown will protect from the sun.

Willows, planted at intervals of 1.5-2 m, form a high hedge, and in two rows - a shady alley. The alley of white weeping willow is especially beautiful when the trees close their crowns. To do this, already in the second or third year after planting, branches directed towards each other are intertwined at a height of 2.5-3 m or connected using ablation. Ablation is a grafting method used to connect shoots of one or different plants without cutting them.

True, this method requires special skills, so the easiest way is to braid the branches, securing both tops with thin plastic tape. After the closure of the willow branches, a green openwork tunnel is obtained. And if there is no room in the garden for an alley, then you can limit yourself to a green arch at the entrance - just two trees.

Shrub willows (crimped, purple, Caspian) are an excellent material for hedges. They will shade and at the same time decorate a children's or sports ground. But no less picturesque are the bushes, simply planted in a row or in several clumps along the garden path. And how interesting dwarf or weeping willows look in a rock garden, especially if a stream flows nearby or a small fountain gushes.

However, a lone willow on a wide lawn surrounded by flowering ornamental shrubs or in the company of coniferous plants, whose prickly beauty only benefits from such a contrast, is also impressive.

Folk signs associated with willow tree

Many beliefs, superstitions and signs are associated with this tree. Many of them contradict each other.

Among the Slavs, willow in the pre-Christian era was considered a symbol of constancy and the god of the Sun - Yarila. The Greeks associated the will to live with the tree. In Japan, it symbolized the power of perseverance and patience. One of the first to bloom, this plant was used in many religious rituals.

In Rus', keeping a broom made of willow twigs at the doorstep of a house was considered a good omen - the plant protected household members from the evil eye and helped sweep away evil spirits from the room. However, it was not recommended to plant a tree near the porch or generally close to the house - it could attract misfortune: the death or serious illness of one of the relatives.

To protect against ill-wishers and envious people, planting willows was considered useful near the gate, away from the walls. The tree neutralized all bad thoughts, slander and damage, the negative consequences were returned to the offender himself.

It was recommended to stand near the willow in case of severe sadness, anger, anxiety or melancholy - it took away all the bad things that surrounded the person. But they still did not advise staying for long - having removed the negative, the tree began to draw vitality from it.

Healers and healers recommend always having several branches of willow at home and placing them in different secluded corners. They perfectly reflect damage, help restore peace of mind, reduce aggression, help come to terms with inevitable losses, and console.