I have a rather large one, want it? I have no idea the cost of postage, but you can have it for that. I am guessing it would be more than $20. If you email me directly, Axelsrose2001@aol.com, I will send you pictures. Let me know. Thanks! Susan

hey jeanne it would be best.. for you .... to start your own post.. so replies can come to your email.. rather than appending a 5 year old post .. though i do appreciate that you most likely used the search function to find this old thing ... RENOVATION PRUNING of shrubs is simple.. just remove 1/3 the largest.. oldest trunks [though you start by removing any damaged trunks] ... and with no insult to the root system.. the rest will explode in growth next year ... google that term for more info.. but the first i saw is at the link ... very simply put.. PW is one of those shrubs that you could run over with the truck.. and will probably be just as big next year.. have no fear.. just do it ... and that reinvigorated growth might become a future problem ... but that said... its a rather ugly bush for its size.. but for a two week show in spring.. if it really doesnt fit in you garden.. you might want to think about just getting rid of it.. and using the space for something that will make your toes curl.. rather than have to be hacked to heck every spring.. its wildly over-mature ... and probably should go .. your choice.. and good luck ken ps: PW is one of the easiest shrubs to root ... your best bet.. might be to root some spring cuttings.. get rid of the old.. and just start over .... perhaps the best of both worlds ... Here is a link that might be useful: link

Well, since the weeping willow part is grafted onto a straight stem of another willow at that short height, it might or it might not grow any higher. I am not sure what species (probably Kilmarnock willow, Salix caprea 'Pendula') was used for the weeping pussy - if its natural growth pattern is totally prostrate, then it won't grow a leader at some point and get any higher on its own. If it does grow a natural leader at some point, then it might, after a few years, get taller. Until then, it might also be a tangled mass of branches, and will need to be kept pruned and tidied. One thing you might try to do is to drive in a tall and sturdy stake next to it (it will have to last for several years), then select one of the stronger branches and tie it up to the stake, making as straight a continuation of the trunk as you can - this may have to be done over a month or so, so as not to break the selected branch. Keep inspecting the ties to be sure they aren't too tight. Eventually, the branch will be strong enough to stand on its own, and you can remove the ties and the stake, when it is at the height you want. Make sure you rub off any sprouts coming from the stem below the graft - it probably won't be a pussy willow. As the pussy grows, you can trim off the lower branches, over the years, until you have the size and shape you want. It's my understanding that these small pussy willows are grown to be spring-time "novelties", rather like buying a pot of flowering bulbs or a florist's azalea or cyclamen - once it stops being "pretty", it gets thrown away. Kudoes to you for trying to grow it, but it may not be easy. If you WANT to keep it at the height/size it is now, approximately, then prune it back very short (2") once the pussies are gone, and treat it like a topiary/standard - in an artificial shape that you maintain. If you have the room, you can let the branches run where they will, and have it more like a ground cover - it may well root where the branches touch the ground.

hey batgirl.. hows robin??? newbie huh??? ... many posts.. many worries ... gardening is supposed to be relaxing.. and you seem to be worrying to death ... if all your plants have a guarantee.. just freakin relax ... OK?? now.. yanking anything from a pot.. and sticking it in the ground .. disturbs its ability to pump water, because you messed with its roots ... make sense so far ... there is only one reaction .. it sacrifices leaves ... to which it could not pump enough water [especially if there was a heat wave immediately after planting] ... with me ... and here is the part you need to understand ... BEFORE YOU GO INSANE ... >>>>THIS IS NORMAL ... all the life in the plants.. are in the growth tips.. and even if it loses/sacrifices every single leaf.. if that growth tip thrives.. the plant will recover ... though it might look ugly for a while ... so just relax ... now.. could you have avoided this.. yes ... probably ... with the following: proper planting .... proper timing... a few weeks earlier would have made this all done when the plant had fewer leaves .. and the weather was cooler... leading to less problems pumping water ... proper mulching.. and proper watering ... if you read thru a few pages of back posts.. you ought to see many.. many posts about how to do it better ... and would be a great start to increasing your knowledge base ... but when all is said and done.. its nearly foolproof ... and me thinks you simply worry too much ... many say .. that you are not a true gardener.. until you have killed every plant in your garden 3 times.. and trust me... all of us have ... [and many years from now... like many of us.. you will wonder why you were so enthralled with a pussy willow.. lol] ... have a bat beer.. and relax.. odds are .. they will all recover.. the only issue is whether you will be certifiable before it happens... lol good luck .. we need more gardeners.. ken