Black Pussy Willow 'Melanostachys'

It astounds me that this cultivar is planted so much more often than the species, which is vastly showier. This just shows the power of t...Read Morehe horticultural press, where this cultivar is highly oversold. In fine gardening circles, this is a Currently Fashionable Plant. If you want it for its beauty in the landscape and not just for its novelty value in arrangements, plant the species and not this cultivar.

Blooming begins in mid-January and continues for over a month in Boston Z6. The catkins open black with hints of red before the stamens emerge---the black color is transitory. At this stage, the flowering stems are interesting in indoor arrangements, but the catkins of this cultivar are nearly invisible in the landscape. The catkins are also a fraction of the size of those of the species, which are much showier and silvery-pink.

This makes a large shrub to ten feet tall and wide, but it does not turn into a tree, even if left unpruned. Responds well to pruning in late winter. Can be renewal pruned as necessary.

Has a serious root system so decide where you want it to stay before you plant.