Willows in landscape design: planting and care
Not so long ago, they began to use willows in landscape design to decorate personal plots. Unpretentious, twisting and weeping varieties of medium-sized, tall or dwarf species with a bush or standard shape are able to take their rightful place in the garden. Dwarf willows are especially popular when decorating garden plots for their peculiar external beauty.
Dwarf willow is a name that unites a large number of varieties of a stunted tree. Their distinctive characteristic is considered to be small foliage, which is unusually beautiful in the summer, as well as compact miniature forms. The willow reaches a height of no more than 2 meters and grows rapidly, capable of filling the free space on the site in a short time.
Willows began to be used in landscape design not so long ago, but they quickly gained popularity.
When choosing a mini willow for decorating a personal plot, it is worth stopping at the following types of wood:
Arctic – a creeping, unpretentious shrub, grows to a height of 1,5 meters, has long, meter-long brown shoots. The crown of the bush is narrowed and rounded, long catkins with light yellow stamens hang from the leaves widened at the base. Resistant to disease and severe frost.
Mesh is one of the most beautiful ornamental varieties, with small shoots up to 30−35 cm covered with wrinkled, attractive leaves and small catkins. Roots well, undemanding to care, has high winter hardiness.
Creeping is a creeping shrub with slightly raised shoots up to 50 cm. The leaves are ovoid with narrow, slightly oval stipules. A distinctive characteristic is considered to be its long flowering, growth on any soil.
Breeders have recently bred many varieties of mini-willow, distinguished by their decorative appearance and foliage of different colors.
Correct planting and caring for dwarf willow
Miniature willows propagate by obtaining a young shoot from the rhizome or by cuttings. Cuttings root well in a container with moist coarse sand or water. Two weeks later, small roots appear, and the cutting is safely transplanted into a hole prepared up to 20 cm deep. You can pin the lower branch to the ground and, after the formation of young roots, separate the seedling from the mother bush.
The tree is picky about the soil, but to improve its decorative qualities, it is necessary to fertilize with complex fertilizers 2-3 times over the summer. For the winter period, it does not need insulation, it is capable of withstanding frosts up to 35 degrees without consequences
Dwarf willow is absolutely unpretentious and is able to grow and feel comfortable in any, even arid and stony, areas with poor soil. With its original and attractive appearance, the mini-tree will fill the garden with beauty and harmony.