Howdy,
A friend and I saw Weeping Pussy Willow trees at a local nursery in Arlington yesterday. What an interesting tree! Will these trees thrive in the DFW area? I searched online and most of the info was from states north of Texas, so I'm wondering if our hotter than heck summers are too much for them to do well here. The trees were so interesting, I would love to grow one, but I don't have any desire to waste my money if they are not suited to Texas life.
Anybody out there grow a weeping Pussy Willow tree? What can you tell me about it?
Thank you,
Cathy
Weeping Pussy Willow Tree
I haven't grown one, but do think they are fascinating. Parks has a picture of one in the current gardens issue; the description says zones 5-8. Not that it tells us much...parts of the Pacific Northwest are zone 8! Another example where the use of the AHS heat zone map would be helpful. And at $49.95 per specimen, caution is certainly wise! You might question the people at the nursery; do they know of any planted in the area that have flourished for any length of time? Yuska
Yuska,
Heat zone tolerance is my primary concern. I've searched and searched online and can't find that info regarding weeping pussy willows. I guess gardeners are often attracted to those plants that we don't see around us everyday. BUT there's usually a good reason we don't see them.
I look forward to the day that heat zone tolerance range is provided along with the cold tolerance range on all plant tags. Reckon that day will come?
Thank you for your reply.
Cathy
I couldn't find it either, exactly. I finally turned to Sunset's National Garden Book. Sunset developed a different sort of zoning map, and used both hardiness and heat in the evaluations, along with rainfall and elevation. Arlington is in Sunset's zone 33. (San Antonio is on the south edge of zone 30.) Then I went to the plant description section and learned that Salix caprea pendula can be grown in zones 30-41.
"Pendula" is a prostrate form. When grown as a tree, it has been grafted onto an upright trunk (which probably added to the pricing.)
I, too, wish more plant tags showed heat zones. I thought I had read that Monrovia had adopted the practice, but found no evidence of it on their website. We customers need to press the nursery industry about the matter every time we consider a purchase.
I also checked the DG plant files but didn't find much. You might check with your nearest Master Gardeners chapter also. Yuska
Wow! You are a godsend with information. Thank you, Yuska. Thank you for thinking to check on the Sunset zone system. I had forgotten it existed.
Monrovia is adding the heat zone ratings on their tags. I've seen it on many of their plants, but don't know if it applies to all of their plants yet. This is a good reason for me to purchase Monrovia's plants instead of other vendors. I want to reinforce this step in the right direction.
Thank you again for looking up the information on the weeping Pussy Willow tree. Yes, it is grafted, and that does add to the price.
I'll need to invest in a Sunset National Gardening book so I'll have that heat zone info at hand.
Cathy
Well, here is one source that says their stock can be trained upward by staking rather than grafting. Too bad they're sold out - at the price it would be worth experimenting. http://www.svnursery.com/willows.htm
I also looked for info at TAMU but didn't find any. Some email inquiries do get answered there. Yuska
Cathy, I have this tree in my yard for 2 years. I've had no problem with the heat. I'll get a pic for ya in the next couple of days. I know I'm further north than you are, but 100's aren't uncommon in July and August.
Debbie