When I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn , NY there was not a lot of flowers, shrubs or trees growing in our tenement neighborhood. However, one only had to get on the trolley car and ride out to Flushing or go into Forest Hills or Prospect Park and one could find lots of good stuff growing and I remember each spring, as early as February, being able to find Pussy Willows popping out regardless of how stark the rest of the landscape was in the last throes of winter.
There might even be some dirty snow on the ground, because snow never stayed white very long in the city or even stayed very long, but here were these Pussy Willows telling me that spring would soon be arriving.
Pussy Willows were one of the few branches that our teachers would bring into the class room that would be part of our "show and tell" programs and they did not need water in order to last a long time.
I remember learning there were male and female pussy willow trees and the furry buds on their branches are called "catkins". The male Pussy Willows were showier and furrier and we learned that these trees were natives of Canada and liked marshy wetland areas.
You can buy Pussy Willow trees, but the frugal gardener might want to know that you can root pussy willow branches quite easily during the summer by taking some cuttings from the new growth on the male pussy willows. Just cut a branch that is about as thick on the cut end as an ordinary pencil and make sure it is at least a foot long. Then stick the cut end into some moist soil for about three or four inches to ensure stability and the roots should develop within three to four weeks. They love water, so keep them moist.
You can also do the same thing during the winter providing you do it inside and then you can plant your rooted cuttings outside after the last frost has gone.
Make sure you plant them away from your septic tank as these trees have really evasive roots and will go directly to your tank, water lines and even sewer lines. Thus these are great plants to put in any watery area of your property such as a stream, pond or marsh. They like full sun, but will also flourish in partial shade.
Pussy Willows can grow to twenty feet high, so pruning them may be what you want if you want a bushy more compact tree. Also pruning them makes more branches grow and if you want to create a privacy screen then you can when you plant a whole row of them and keep pruning them watching them become denser each season.
You will be visited by many American Goldfinch who love nesting among the branches. However, you will also find deer, muskrat, red squirrel and ruffed grouse nibbling on the buds since Pussy Willows are rich in zinc and vitamin C.
"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime May your day be filled withPeace, Light and Love,
Author's note: This article was originally written for GreenThumbArticles.com
