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06-09-2003, 07:12 PM

emon (Rhiannon S) wrote in message ...
Subject: kilamrnock willow
From: "Seven"
Date: 05/09/2003 20:57 GMT Daylight Time
Message-id:

Hello all,

I saw this willow on a website recently and really wanted one, I live in the
north east of Scotland and get a lot of snow in the winter and wondered if
anyone had this tree that lived in a similar climate.

I find a lot of plants don't survive the winter here

(

Ah the Killie Willie, tough as old boots really. It should survive just about
anywhere really.

Agreed: they're a variety of the hedgerow goat willow ("pussy willow")
which is so annoying if you want to make a good thorn hedge, and very
hardy. (Note that birches, "birks" in Scots, are very hardy: in the
wild they're about the highest trees on mountains, and they must be
among the most beautiful trees on earth; there is a lovely weeping
form your nurseryman will get for you if he hasn't got it in stock.)

Why not keep your eyes open and see if you can see some around? --
it's quite hard to judge just from a website. You may not like it as
much in the flesh, as it really is a strange thing. If you do like it,
remember that it will never make a tall tree -- which may be an
advantage for you.

My ex has one in her front garden which is perhaps twenty years old,
and no more than about eight feet high at the most. Weeping trees make
height very slowly, of course, but I think this may be about the
maximum for this one. I've always itched to get into it with the
secateurs and pruning saw, as I theorize that it would make a
wonderful den for children if pruned from the *inside* to keep the
inner space free. Not that our children, aged from 18 to 27, would be
all that interested (but I suppose it might be a good place for
students to smoke whacky baccy); but -- who knows? -- there could be
grandchildren one day!

I'd also be tempted to grow a good hardy clematis over it; but am not
perfectly confident that the clematis would let enough light in for
the willow's leaves to thrive, and unless tediously tidied it could
look an awful mess in winter.

Note. We've been discussing willows as a menace to houses and drains
recently: maybe somebody can contradict me, but I don't think this
kind of willow is a problem.

Mike.