weeping willow trees  

I know they grow fast & you have to know how to trim them correctly to get the 'weeping willow' effect..The best thing to do my sister who has 3 of them] said to do is go to the library & get a book on weeping willow trees on how to groom them. That way you can't go wrong...Good luck & great idea...Lori

Congrats on the anniversary!!

I dont know a whole lot about willow trees. I do love them though. I do know that they like water and dont plant them near water pipes. The roots will work there way into the pipes to get water and then you will have a big problem. I know the root system on them can get huge and spread a great distance.

They can grow 7-10 feet a year and can grow just about anywhere. They are the first trees in the spring to get leaves and the last in the fall to loose them.

Here are a couple sites I found that might help you out:

http://www.arborday.org/t...

http://www.fast-growing-t...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow



~May The Kisses Of An Angel Cover And Protect You Always~ Copper

I have Weeping Willows too, but they're not coming up so nice as i thought. I'm with you not knowing what to do to make them prosper. But i did some research and here is what i found out:

Planting weeping willow

The best way to propagate weeping willows is first to find a mature tree that you like the look of and then go and ask the owner if you could take a small branch from it in the winter (most are happy to oblige and will tell you about their tree in great detail!).

Once a source has been identified then look to prepare the ground. Make sure that the site is not near the house and not near any old water pipes etc - it would be a shame to have to cut it down just when it's getting a good size. A site near water is good, willows like moist soil but do not do well in soil that is waterlogged for long periods. Dig a square pit say 18 inches wide and deep. Break up the soil and add some compost if the soil structure needs it.

Now is the time to take a cutting. The best time of year is whenever the leaves are off the tree with the optimum being Feb/early March - so long as there is not a hard frost on the ground. The branch should be between 1 and 2 inches at the base and not more than 6 ft tall. Plant it in the hole that you've made, firming up the soil so that you can't pull the branch out. If you are in a windy site it may be worth staking the tree and a rabbit guard will protect it from grazing in the first year or so.

Maintenance

In the first year you will get best results if you water your tree but only when there is a long dry period (especially early on in the season). If there has not been any rain then once a week or so give the site a watering can full of water. Keep the area around the base weed free with a mulch or by chopping back any weeds that come up. Do not mow around the base - mown grass uses up more water than long grass and the tree can get easily damaged.

At the end of the first year carefully remove any side branches that have appeared to half way up the stem - the aim is to have a clean trunk up to 6 feet (unless you want to use it for climbing in which case you could leave one lower down). From then on it should be able to look after itself - the only pruning I recommend is cutting off dead or diseased branches.

Pruning

Don't would be my advice - the shape is never quite the same afterwards. The only exception would be to cut off dead or damaged branches. If you need to cut off more then really it's in the wrong place and I would think about replacing it with something more suitable - you could always take a cutting and plant another one somewhere else! For major pruning consult a professional who will be able give you advice specific to your tree.

Congratulations on your 12th anniversary! Why weeping willows to mark your wedding anniversary?!! Maybe I shouldn't ask! *LOL*

Anyway, we have one in our garden and we haven't done a thing to it since we moved in here over 20 years ago - I think they must be quite hardy. I found a link on google where you can get some great advice - but I can't post it here 'cos I don't have 500 posts yet! But if you type in the words: 'how to care for weeping willow trees' into google (I didn't use the quotes) then the second link on the page looked quite good!