Pussy Willow Growing?

[indie_chick5]

First please forgive my ignorance, I know very little about plants and gardening. I bought some branches of pussy willow (with the lovely furry bits) and put them in a vase with water. I have had them about 2 weeks now I think, and I was suprised to some see fine, white straight roots coming from the branches under water. There is also new growth (a short green stem) on one of the branches. I assume of course this means it is alive, but can I keep them going or will they still die in a few more days/weeks? I have never had the real thing before but I think it's a nice feature in the house. If I can look after them and make them last it would be great. Does anyone have any advice please? Thank you.

[shoota]

If you stick a plain piece of willow into damp ground it will root and grow. As yours has rooted already and if you wish to keep them I would suggest leaving them where they are until the roots are a little stronger and then transplanting them into damp compost in a large pot/bucket, taking care not to break the roots off, and then leave them in a light place until the frosty weather is over, making sure they are kept moist without actually drowning them.
Then they could be transplanted again, hopefully with a strong rootball, into the garden.

[SlackAlice]

Willow are one of the easiest trees to propagate, you often only need to push offcuts into wet soil to see them take in a few weeks.

Your next step is to transfer the 'rooted' cutting to a pot and keep well watered in a frost free environment. They may well last a bit longer in the vase but without adequate feeding will eventually die.

[giveup]

Do be careful if you plant them out,don't put them anywhere near drains or water pipes as the roots go to any water supply and can cause damage. Also I have dried pussy willow by leaving them out of water in a dry place and they dried without dropping and I kept them for over a year until I got tired of them.

[indie_chick5]

Lots of really helpful stuff there, thank you! I think I will try drying some out and will also try planting some.

[heathfield]

As Giveup says... Willow roots have been known to travel over 40 feet to reach, and break their way into, a drain.

[indie_chick5]

Crikey! We only have a small garden, might re-think that one!

[corylus]

We have several beautiful pussy willow trees here, they are VERY LARGE! perhaps best to contain your rooting branches in large planters to contain their growth.

[Clanad]

Willows (of any kind, here in the U.S.) are, as already suggested, very easy to grow from cuttings. I'd suggest, based on our experience, putting them n a largish container of plain sand into which you've mixed just a little (a small palmful will do) of ordinary plant fertilizer. If you use, say, a 5 gallon pail, the sand will hold moisture for the willow cuttings and you can move it about until you decide on what to do with it. I'd suggest using an old but clean metal pail that has little value and cut or puncture some holes in the bottom and put in a layer of larger gravel before the sand so it doesn't become waterlogged in rain.
If and when you decide to transplant it simply dig it up and move the rootball to the new location...

[boxtops]

...also, if you plant them, mind where you do. We had a lovely twisted willow growing in our garden, until our neighbour built a huge shed with a large concrete platform, which seemed to draw all the moisture out of the nearest part of our garden - goodbye, twisted willow :-(

[Chipchopper]

I'd recommend that you enjoy them in the vase, in your home.
This is a tradition thats been going on for centuries every Palm Sunday in Churches in the UK in the early spring, the willow representing the palm.
Contorted/corkscrew willow also make an interesting focal point.
You may also like to try Horse Chestnut twigs in a vase of water, then watch the large sticky buds burst into life, as the fluffy palmate leaves unfurl. Forsythia is another good one.

[Chipchopper]

Walking past a neighbors garden today, it suddenly dawned on me that there is a small type of grafted willow available, that is suitable for growing in a large planter/pot or small garden.
This is a type of pussy willow that has an attractive weeping habit, which is grafted onto a stem at about 2-3 foot. it,s known as the 'Kilmarock willow' and once established it should be able to give you a good supply of twigs with those little fury catkins, each spring for years to come. The one I saw was in a large, blue glazed earthen ware pot.

[RATTER15]

I have sometimes seen willow stakes knocked into the ground for fencing stakes and they will often grow.
I once had a load of willow sticks thrown behind an old shed on damp dark ground, they all all grew and survived, I knocked the shed down and had a lovely willow screen.

[tamborine]

make a basket or 100s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyfvK1IDaWk

[modeller]

My neighbour once laid a 15' willow branch across the end of his garden.
It sent down roots all along its length and he ended up with a 15' long hedge.