Good post. I would also like to add that there are myriad varieties of bamboo
which will look wonderful in place of willow. However, the one willow I've seen
in a sort of large stand with no supplemental watering were Globe Willow's.
They are upright, not weeping. They do require a relatively deep soil, no less
than 3 feet...and would perform much better if irrigated, but it's one willow I
have seen doing well in a field.

Victoria


On Wed, 27 Nov 2002 10:04:25 -0600, "John T. Jarrett" wrote:

I think the fast-growers the site is advertising are going to require A LOT
of supplemental water in our normally almost desert-like summers. Willows,
Poplars, Sweetgums, Sycamores...if you get out of town and drive around, you
will find Black Willows and a few Sycamores growing naturally along wet
creeks and wet ponds. That is it, tho...not in fields.

You could just use locally available Black Willows for that matter. They
will grow 8' tall and 3" around in a single year, too...under the right
conditions...which for a willow is a creekbank. Weeping Willows are
prettier, less tough in our environment, and aren't as interested in growing
in a tall habit as it sounds like you want.

That said, the houses around me drain to the back of my yard and I just
planted a Black Willow (that I yanked out of a creekbed down the road) where
it stays wet about nine months out of the year. It will need watering in the
summer - but so does all the St Augustine around it. Hopefully, it will dry
the spot out the rest of the time.

And if you plant a Willow - any willow - keep it 30-60 feet from your home's
sewer lines...those roots will really spread out searching for water when it
gets dry and they will clog up your sewer lines with feeder roots. We used
to have to use the salt water in the bathtub trick to clean out our lines
every single month.