Tree · Salicaceae
Weeping Willow
Salix babylonica
Plant it by water, give it room to spread, and watch the weeping willow sweep its long branches to the ground.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
USDA 6–8
30–50 ft · 9.1–15.2 m
Overview
Little transforms a waterside like a weeping willow in full swing. Its long, slender branches spill nearly to the ground and dance at the faintest breeze, which is exactly why the tree crowds the banks of so many ponds and streams. It joins the willow family under the name Salix babylonica, a name it kept long after its true home traced back to China.
Here is where it gets exciting, since this fast-growing tree rockets to full size, hitting 30 to 50 feet (9 to 15 m) tall and just as wide in only a few years. All that speed does come with a catch. The wood turns brittle and the roots race shallow and far after water, so the willow craves open ground well clear of drains, paving, and foundations.
Hand it sun and damp soil and it practically grows itself, which makes it a joy to raise. The trade is a bit of upkeep, since it drops litter, loses limbs in storms, and lives a short life for something so grand. Plant it where it has room and water close by, and few trees deliver a graceful, drooping form quite like it.
Care
The short version: plant it in full sun and damp ground near water, hand it wide-open space far from pipes and pavement, and prune the brittle wood in late winter to keep storms from snapping it.
Light
Weeping willow thrives in full sun and shrugs off partial shade. Pour on the light and the canopy fills out denser and healthier, and it dries the leaves faster too, which shuts fungal trouble down.
Water
This tree loves wet feet and rewards you for it. It flourishes beside ponds and streams, laughs off standing water and the odd flood, and wants soil kept consistently moist. It can push through a short dry spell, though a drought without water sends it dropping leaves to cope.
Soil
Soil hardly slows it down. Weeping willow digs into clay, loam, or sand and thrives in acidic or alkaline ground alike, and unlike most trees it powers through poor drainage and soggy, wet sites.
Temperature
It is tough across a huge range, powering through from -9°F to 100°F (-23°C to 38°C). That grit makes it a winner in most temperate gardens, standing up to hard winters and hot summers alike.
Humidity
Everyday outdoor air is all it wants, so skip the humidity readings. Air movement does the heavy lifting, since a still, crowded canopy is where leaf diseases jump to life.
Feeding
A balanced general-purpose tree fertilizer in early spring gives a young tree a strong push. Once it settles onto a moist site it rarely needs feeding at all, racing ahead on its own.
Pruning
Reach for the pruners in late winter to early spring, before the leaves break, and clear out dead, weak, and storm-damaged wood. The wood is brittle and snaps under ice and snow, so tackling weak crotches now heads off far bigger breakage later.
Repotting
This one lives out in the open ground, not a pot, so forget about repotting. Starting from nursery stock, get it planted before the roots circle the container or lift and girdle at the base.
Size & spacing
Gear up for a big tree that shoots to 30 to 50 feet (9 to 15 m) tall and just as wide. Clear that full 30 to 50 feet (9 to 15 m) of open ground so the roots and sweeping crown stretch out well away from buildings and pipes.
When to plant
Get a weeping willow into the ground in spring or fall, the moment the soil turns workable and the deep cold breaks. Then watch for the catkins early, in April and May, bursting open with or just ahead of the new leaves to announce the season has turned.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Spring or fall, after the ground is workable
- Harvest: Catkins appear in early spring (April to May), before or with the leaves
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 6–8
Temperature: down to -23°C
Troubleshooting
Most willow trouble shows up on the leaves, the shoots, or those brittle limbs, and a tree growing this fast can carry a problem a while before it spreads. So catch the early signs below and jump on them while it counts. Match what you spot, then get to work.
Woody galls at the crown and a fading tree
Tumor-like galls swelling at the crown and roots flag crown gall, a bacterium with no cure once it grabs hold. In soggy, airless soil the roots can rot and darken as well. Dig out and destroy a badly galled tree, fix the drainage where rot is the culprit, and never wound the roots or lower trunk as you work.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy severely galled plants
- Avoid wounding roots and crown during cultivation
- Improve drainage where root rot is suspected
Blackened shoots and scabby leaves in spring
Team willow scab with black canker on one tree and you get willow blight, which blackens the new shoots and kills them back fast. Move quickly: cut out and burn the blighted, cankered growth, rake up every fallen leaf, and open the canopy so air rushes through. A labeled fungicide earns its keep only in a rough year, and only on top of that cleanup.
Fix:
- Prune out and destroy blighted and cankered shoots
- Rake and remove fallen infected leaves
- Improve air circulation and avoid overhead wetting
- Apply a labeled fungicide in severe cases following extension guidance
Sticky curled leaves or sawdust on the bark
Curling leaves under a sticky honeydew film usually flag aphids or scale feeding away, while sawdust and entry holes on the trunk call out borers. Blast aphids with a hose or hit scale with horticultural oil, and keep the tree well watered so borers meet a tougher target. Then cut out and destroy any branch the borers have already tunneled.
Fix:
- Hose off or treat aphids; horticultural oil for scale
- Maintain vigor with adequate water to limit borer attack
- Remove and destroy borer-infested branches
- Use labeled insecticides only when infestations are severe
Limbs that split and break in storms
Willow wood runs brittle by nature, and limbs tear at narrow crotches the moment ice, snow, or wind piles on. Prune out broken and weak branches the second you spot them, and shorten any overlong limb so storms grab less. Shaping the tree while it is young forges stronger attachments that hold strong for years.
Fix:
- Prune out broken and weak limbs promptly
- Reduce overextended branches to lessen storm loading
- Remove deadwood regularly
Toxicity
Great news for pet owners: the weeping willow is not a poisonous tree. Its leaves and twigs stay safe around cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, livestock, and birds, and rabbits happily tuck into willow as a browse. The single thing to watch is that the bark packs salicylates, the natural source of aspirin, so it should not be eaten in quantity.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
A nibble of willow leaf will not poison a cat. Like any greenery, it might leave an unaccustomed stomach briefly upset, so steer a determined chewer toward a better snack.
Dogs None
Weeping willow stays safe around dogs, and a curious mouthful of leaves does no real harm. Just keep a dog from stripping bark by the mouthful, since it holds the salicylates behind aspirin.
Horses None
Horses browse willow with no trouble, and the foliage has long counted as harmless to them.
Rabbits Safe
Willow leaves and twigs make a familiar safe browse for rabbits, often handed over as a gnawing treat.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep graze willow without a hitch, and the leaves pose no poisoning risk to a grazing herd.
Birds Safe
Birds nest and forage in willows freely, and neither the foliage nor the catkins threaten them.
People Safe
Weeping willow is no poisonous tree, so the leaves are no danger to people. Just know that the bark carries salicylates, the natural source of aspirin, so it should not be eaten in any quantity.
No special toxicity handling required; as with any plant, discourage pets from chewing large quantities of foliage or bark.
Varieties
A handful of named willows really stand out for the form or color of their growth, and these are the ones worth chasing down.
Tortuosa (Corkscrew / Contorted Willow, Dragon's Claw Willow)
Its branches, shoots, and leaves twist into a corkscrew that pops on new growth and turns downright dramatic once the tree sheds its leaves for winter.
Golden Weeping Willow (Salix × sepulcralis 'Chrysocoma')
A vigorous hybrid firing off bright golden-yellow branches that light up the bare winter landscape.
Aurea
A selection chased for the warm golden tone of its young stems.
How to propagate
Willows rank among the most rewarding of all trees to multiply, and one parent will hand you plenty of young plants from cuttings or a branch pinned to the soil.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Late winter to early spring (hardwood) or summer (softwood) · Several weeks to root; rapid establishment thereafter
Few trees root as eagerly as a willow. Take hardwood cuttings in late winter or early spring, or softwood ones in summer, and even a bare length shoved into moist soil will strike roots within a few weeks and then take off fast. This is the go-to way to raise the tree.
LayeringEasy
Spring to summer · One season
Low branches practically root themselves. Pin one against moist ground from spring through summer and it strikes right where it touches, handing you a brand-new plant in a single season.
Myths
Weeping willow poisons dogs and cats, so keep it away from pets.
Willows never turn up on the ASPCA toxic-plant lists, and the closely related purpleosier willow is listed as non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. The real hazards are aggressive roots and brittle wood, not poison. The bark does pack salicylates, the natural aspirin compound, so it should not be eaten in quantity.
Weeping willows are tough, long-lived shade trees that suit a small yard.
They grow fast but live short and demand constant upkeep. The wood is brittle and the roots charge after water, clogging drains and sewers and heaving pavement, which rules the tree out for a tight or built-up spot.