Weeping Golden Willow

If there is one tree that is instantly recognizable across the world, it has to be the weeping willow. This iconic tree is an eternal favorite with everyone, gardener or not. Its romantic outline and graceful hanging branches have a special and unique charm that no other tree offers, and this is a tree that we could all gaze on for hours. Sadly often mis-planted, without sufficient room, it has a bad reputation with some people, but if you have room, and preferably a body of water too, then nothing can match it for rapid growth, incredible beauty in all seasons, and a look that nothing else can come near. There are actually several ‘weeping willows’, but without doubt the Golden Weeping Willow is the very best of them all. Growing into a large tree in a short time, and a very large tree sometime later, it should be planted in a large garden or wild area, well away from buildings and underground services. If you have that space, then you will never regret planting this beautiful tree. If not, grow it in a large tub or planter to enjoy its grace and beauty in a smaller garden or even a courtyard.

Growing the Weeping Golden Willow

Size and Appearance

The Weeping Golden Willow is a large deciduous tree that will grow very rapidly to easily be over 75 feet tall and 50 feet wide, or even larger. Since it will add at least 2 feet a year, and often more, to its size, within a decade it will be pushing up towards 30 feet tall and wide. It has a thick trunk, often divided into several major limbs, and the bark is deeply fissured and gray-brown, giving a rugged look to this beautiful tree. The smaller branches hang vertically from the main limbs, in a curtain that can reach the ground, even from a mature tree. The young stems are golden-yellow, which looks beautiful in winter and early spring. It is this feature that give the tree its name ‘golden willow’. As the stems age over a few years they become olive-green, but new growth maintains the golden look.

The leaves are slightly curving elongated ovals, up to 4 inches long, and about ½ inch wide. Young leaves in spring – which develop very early in the season compared to most other trees – are pale green, and a newly-sprouted tree simply glows with beauty in that first haze of young leaves on the golden stems. As the leaves mature they turn dark green, and then, in fall, they turn clear yellow, making a striking fall specimen.

The flowers are soft catkins that stand upright, opening among the new leaves and adding to the haze effect. It takes closer examination of your tree to see them, and this tree is unique among willows in having both male and female parts on each catkin, while other willows have separate male and female catkins.

Using the Weeping Golden Willow in Your Garden

This tree is a large specimen for a larger garden, and sadly it is unsuitable for small gardens – unless you grow it for a time in a large planter, where it will look great as a small tree, and well-worth growing for several years of beauty. In the ground this fast-growing tree is perfect on a large lawn, or on a slope. It looks excellent beside water, where it is completely at home. Do not plant within 100 feet of buildings, water pipes. sewage pipes or septic systems.

Hardiness

The Weeping Golden Willow is incredibly hardy, growing well even in zone 2, and throughout the country right into zone 8 – truly a tree for anywhere.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun is best for your Weeping Golden Willow. It will tolerate a few hours of shade each day, although growth will be a little slower. It grows well in any moist soil, and even in flooded ground, so it is easy to grow beside a stream, lake or river. It grows in clay soils, and both alkaline and acid conditions, but not in dry, sandy soils.

Maintenance and Pruning

No significant maintenance is needed for the Weeping Golden Willow, but some formative pruning, to develop a few major limbs, is helpful. If you are growing this tree in ordinary garden conditions, use mulch, especially when young, and water frequently. It can suffer from several pests or diseases, but these are not usually major problems. Some storm damage may occur – another reason not to plant close to buildings or anywhere it could become a hazard.

History and Origin of the Weeping Golden Willow

The original weeping willow was the Peking willow, Salix babylonica, which occurred first in northern China. A distinctive form with hanging branches, called ‘Pendula’, was traded along the Silk Road, and for centuries it was planted in many areas through central and western Asia. That tree was found to be difficult to grow well in Europe because it is not sufficiently cold resistant. A related species, the white willow, Salix alba, grows throughout Europe. That tree has a form with yellow branches, called ‘Vitellina’, and this is the original golden willow. In the late 19th century, at the Späth Nursery in Berlin, Germany, a cross was made between these two species, which had the yellow twigs and cold resistance of the golden willow, and the weeping habit of the Peking willow. It was first released by the nursery in 1888, and this is the plant we know today as the Weeping Golden Willow. The basic cross between Peking willow and white willow is today called Salix x sepulcralis (the cross has been made several times), and this particular tree is called variety chrysocoma. It is also sometimes listed as Salix alba ‘Tristis’.

Buying the Weeping Golden Willow at The Tree Center

Planted in the right place the Weeping Golden Willow is so beautiful it will have you weeping too. A tree this close to the heart of so many people is always in high demand, so stock is always scarce. Order now while we still have plants available.