Hi, I can send you cuttings from my three different types of willow trees that I have. I have Corkscrew or Curly willow, Weeping willow, and Hybrid willow that grows upright to form a graceful, lacy canopy. I also have saplings of Silver maples and Green Japanese maples. I would love several of the Ponderosa Pines! PLMK Thanks, Elly

Even if they were hardy which according to everything I read about them, they are not, they would turn brown the first sign of typical zone 5 winter temps. I am just to the north of atlanta, what people refer to as z7, and those trees which are very common here brown out by mid winter. Had I known how dissatisfied I would eventually be with this brown period I would have planted something that stays green. I'm not saying not to just that I wouldn't put them in a real high profile area. That is because the trees look like they have died. I thnk keeping them indoors is a particularly bad idea as well and will set you up for failure with this tree in your climate.

if zone appropriate.. the issue of freeze should be mute ... your problem last year.. might be that black pots in winter sun .. on mild days.. can thaw ... repeated freeze/thaw can lead to death ... of nearly all kinds of stock ... pots buried COMPLETELY are you best bet.. presuming there is drainage ... in heavy clay .. a pot buried in a cauldron might freeze into an ice cube.. which is again.. counter productive ... i grow conifers and trees.. in pots.. in my sandy soil ... with the plant lifted to the very top of the pot ... and the pot completely hidden under the soil ... the earth has a way of tempering the wild fluctuations of winter ... but an edge.. above the soil.. on a mild day.. can lead to repeated freeze/thaw ... ken

they are not attractive to me at all unless in bloom, which is about two weeks. ron's description of the summer habit with long tentacles going in all directions is spot-on as well as the ground hugging cables that require seriously sharp pruning equipment (not all seem to do this unless you remove too much from the top). the shoots reach a stage that becomes sinewy and don't cut easily. i am still working to eradicate one that i trained as a standard and decided to take out. after i cut the trunk, sprouts started coming up everywhere, running just beneath the surface from the base to 15' away. it may behave well for you in your colder zone and i can certainly see the attractiveness of it but it behaves badly here and is one of the worst exotic invasives we have. the white-flowered form is much more uncommon in natural areas. having said that, here is a photo i took of one at a friends house that he planted after digging it up along a roadside. this one is probably chinese wisteria with the lighter bark and april flowers. should be about 9-10 years old.