Last year I purchased a type of small weeping pussy willow tree from
Morrisons, but unfortunately the specimen I purchased wasn't brilliant. I
thought perhaps it would send out new growth this year, but sadly hasn't
done so. Any advice please : I know the tree will not grow any taller, but
will the cascading part of the plant fill out? Is this the type of plant
that suitable for pruning, and if so, when? How far do I prune back etc.
Will pruning encourage new shoots etc. and will they cascade down? Very
much in the dark about this, please can someone help me. Thanks

"janet.bennett" wrote:

Hello janet.bennett

jb Last year I purchased a type of small weeping pussy willow
jb tree from Morrisons, but unfortunately the specimen I
jb purchased wasn't brilliant. I thought perhaps it would send
jb out new growth this year, but sadly hasn't done so.

Um, might be worth waiting a bit? Willow's one of the first trees to
show life after the winter, but at least here none of the Willows are
yet showing.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/

I have one of these, too (salix kaprea kilmarnock). It hasn't shown much
growth yet but it usually grows like crazy in May and I have to trim back
its branches as they get too long. However, last week I cut mine right back
as it was looking incredibly ugly - an umbrella shape rather than weeping.
I trust it will start new growth soon.





"Simon Avery" wrote in message
...
"janet.bennett" wrote:

Hello janet.bennett

jb Last year I purchased a type of small weeping pussy willow
jb tree from Morrisons, but unfortunately the specimen I
jb purchased wasn't brilliant. I thought perhaps it would send
jb out new growth this year, but sadly hasn't done so.

Um, might be worth waiting a bit? Willow's one of the first trees to
show life after the winter, but at least here none of the Willows are
yet showing.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/

In article , Jack
writes
I have one of these, too (salix kaprea kilmarnock). It hasn't shown much
growth yet but it usually grows like crazy in May and I have to trim back
its branches as they get too long. However, last week I cut mine right back
as it was looking incredibly ugly - an umbrella shape rather than weeping.
I trust it will start new growth soon.

Unfortunately, since they're grafted, you can't cut them right back to
ground level, so you're still left with the knob on a stick. I reckon
the only way to keep them weeping would be to tie down the new growths
with black cotton.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/

Sorry, I should have been clearer -- I cut back the branches only, not the
trunk itself. I left about 12 inches of branches, so it's not quite a knob
on a stick (oooerr!!) Branches had sprung out all over the place,
untidy-like, and were shaped like the spokes of an umbrella -- almost took
my eye out every time I passed by. So I cut off the sticking-out branches,
to leave just the graceful weepy branches. Whether the branches will once
again shoot off into umbrella spokes, I don't know. If they do, I think
I'll just get rid of the tree as it's more trouble than it's worth -- it's
usually full of greenflies, mildew and rust and it doesn't even give me
catkins. I might plant a grafted cherry or cotoneaster in its place. I
just need a bit of height to fill a small raised corner.

Regards,




"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
Unfortunately, since they're grafted, you can't cut them right back to
ground level, so you're still left with the knob on a stick. I reckon
the only way to keep them weeping would be to tie down the new growths
with black cotton.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/

"Jack" wrote in message
...
Sorry, I should have been clearer -- I cut back the branches only, not the
trunk itself. I left about 12 inches of branches, so it's not quite a
knob
on a stick (oooerr!!) Branches had sprung out all over the place,
untidy-like, and were shaped like the spokes of an umbrella -- almost took
my eye out every time I passed by. So I cut off the sticking-out
branches,
to leave just the graceful weepy branches. Whether the branches will once
again shoot off into umbrella spokes, I don't know. If they do, I think
I'll just get rid of the tree as it's more trouble than it's worth -- it's
usually full of greenflies, mildew and rust and it doesn't even give me
catkins. I might plant a grafted cherry or cotoneaster in its place. I
just need a bit of height to fill a small raised corner.


I too had one of these in my small garden. During the summer it looked like
a 'bad hair day' so I moved it to grounds of the school I work where it has
much more room.. It is now in bud. I've decided that if continues to look
messy I might plait the branches to keep it in order ;-)

My suggestion to you is just remove any branches that offend.

Regards
Natalie

In article , Jack
writes
Sorry, I should have been clearer -- I cut back the branches only, not the
trunk itself.

I was warning anyone else who might be tempted!

I left about 12 inches of branches, so it's not quite a knob
on a stick (oooerr!!) Branches had sprung out all over the place,
untidy-like, and were shaped like the spokes of an umbrella -- almost took
my eye out every time I passed by. So I cut off the sticking-out branches,
to leave just the graceful weepy branches. Whether the branches will once
again shoot off into umbrella spokes, I don't know. If they do, I think
I'll just get rid of the tree as it's more trouble than it's worth -- it's
usually full of greenflies, mildew and rust and it doesn't even give me
catkins.

Yes, I'd agree with that assessment! In my case it's caterpillars. I
spoke to it severely last autumn and told it I'd be binnng it if it
didn't produce catkins, and this year it did - only about a dozen, but
very big and fluffy, so it has a reprieve.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/

On Fri, 28 Mar 2003 23:10:27 +0000, Kay Easton
wrotc:

Yes, I'd agree with that assessment! In my case it's caterpillars. I
spoke to it severely last autumn and told it I'd be binnng it if it
didn't produce catkins, and this year it did - only about a dozen, but
very big and fluffy, so it has a reprieve.

I looked up Salix in the RHS pruning book and funnily enough some
species are best suited to pollarding where the new growth takes off
very much upward in a cluster. The opposite in fact of weeping - more
a jumping for joy.

I'm sure it will produce catkins if treated in the right way.

Have you tried, when you prune, always cutting back to a leaf axil
which faces downwards? I find, with many shrubs/trees, one quite
nifty method of pruning is to simply rub off shoots as they emerge
from the leaf axil - if they are not the ones you want to grow.

As for your Salix, for most plants the shoots on the sunny side of a
stem are more stimulated to grow than those on the shady side. So,
having cut back to a downward pointing leaf axil, you could check any
of the intermediate (upward facing leaf axils?) by rubbing them out.

That way the last axil, pointing downwards, will most definitely get
dominance and grow - downward?

Just a thought.

Huss
Grow a little garden