Prune when growth starts late winter/early spring. Was it a standard (lollipop) when you bought it?

it was about 3 feet tall when i bought it and had a central trunk with several branches at the top that weeped. it now has growth all the way up and down the trunk with lots of weeping branches at the top. i just want to really shape it up the way it is supposed to be. i was curious as to what i could trim off or down.

I would certainly clear the trunk of sprouts. You can also cut the top back quite a bit if you want to tidy it up. In fact, it would be better in this instance to cut it back hard than nibble at the outside. Vigorous, established willows can be cut back to short pieces and still grow back up/out quite a ways the following summer. After doing this once you will see how your particular specimen responds. If only part comes back or it does not get as big as you expected after pruning then you will know you can't cut it back hard every year.

I suspect you have Salix purpurea 'Pendula', if you want to look for more information. If that's not it, another common one is S. caprea 'Kilmarnock', often sold rather loosely as S. c. 'Pendula' (probably all "Pendula" are actually either 'Weeping Sally' or 'Kilmarnock', with this last one prevailing in commerce at present).

we have a weeping pussy that we planted a year ago last month. the tree has gone crazy with growth but unfortunatly its lobsided to the point of falling over in any kind of storm. to what extent can i prune it (to balence it) without doing serious damage. i believe this is a standard lollipop. if i kill this tree the boss says i'll be talking with a real high voice. this is not a good option...

Does anyone know where I can purchase a Weeping Pussy Willow tree near Ceres or Modesto, CA?

Hi,
I bought home a weeping pussy willow from the super market. The directions that came with it say's to cut back up to 2 inches after flowering. It still hasn't stopped flowering and in many other places on the branches are growing green sprouts!!

What happens if I don't cut it back like the directions say?

And If I do have to cut back, when should I do this? It is still flowering at the same time as these green shoots are growing out of the branches.

Is it too late?

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Lisa

I love the look of the weeping pussy willow...but I know that large willow trees are problematic because the roots grow towards and into the water pipes. I would like this tree to be close to my house in my flower garden area. Has anyone had problems with this tree? Are they hard to upkeep? Please let me know any information that I need to know about this willow.
Thank you so much!

Don't cut back a new, small one. Wait until it has grown for some years and started to build up old shaded out stems (becomes junky looking).

Weeping pussy willow is a small dense tree - after many years. Not anything like dealing with a full-sized willow and its large, questing root system.

I have had a weeping pussy willow for about 10 years. It hardly ever produces any of the furry buds in the spring anymore. I am wondering if I am supposed to be cutting the branches back. Do these buds only appear on new branches? Otherwise it is very healthy. It sits in full sun.

I have an 8 y/o Kilmarnock that I got from Lowe's clearance rack as an indoor flowering plant. It's around the size of a VW....looks like one of the fry-guys from McDonald's! LOL

I pruned it one time to an "umbrella" shape and all it did was shoot up annoying branches in random fashion. Made it crazy.

This fella has a trunk around 5" thick but it's only 24" tall. LOL It's a hoot.

I was misinformed when I bought it (yes, there is a point to this post LOL) thinking that the trunk would get taller. Because it's grafted, it is what it is height-wise. Just something to keep in mind when you are purchasing!

I have wanted to move it but I think it's too late for that....I would hate to kill it.

Andrea

My husband bought a Pussy Willow Weeping Sally at a local nursery 2 years ago. It is about 3 1/2' tall and the umbrella is very well shaped and proportioned. About a year ago the trunk split right at the soil level. We tied it up and waited to see if the trunk would mend. About 2 months ago I finally dug out around the base and rendered first aid wrapping the trunk with cloth and splinting the trunk at the base. The bark was coming off the trunk in several other places so I sprayed those areas with the tar as well. A few weeks later the catkins came out wonderfully. So far however we have seen very few leaves and no flowering at all. I dug down today and the trunk has a chunk missing just below the soil level. On the side of the trunk that is intact there are numerous sprouts. Normally I would cut the spouts off. Any suggestions on further rescue efforts? If we end up loosing the "top" of the tree will the sprouts on the bottom every grow to replace the existing trunk? We live in Carpinteria, on the coast in Southern California just south of Santa Barbara. The weather is always mild. Temp ranges from low of 40 to the high that rarely exceeds 80. The tree is in a 25+ gal pot.

this pussy willow is about 15-20 feet tall, yes great shade but I would like to get it down to a manageable size for me who is 5 feet. it looks like at some point in its life it was a shrub? not sure and it doesn't weep?? pussy willow tree????? help

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

I planted this tree (from Trader Joe's) two years ago and this Spring it looks it's best. I dont understand when exactly i'm supposed to cut the stems back to 2 inches though. And all of them? And right now it has green leaves all over it. Have i waited too long in letting them develop?

Thanks!

I bought a weeping pussy willow last week. It's still in the pot because I've been deciding where to put it. I live in zone 8 (Texas), and I'm afraid our summer sun may be too much. Does anyone in zone 8 have experience with it? Also, how much water do they need. I've kept the pot moist, but the tree isn't thriving. I need to plant it right away.

I read these things sty the size they are purchased as far as height goes, so leaving the roots and new buds to be the focus areas of growth while the rest just ages and thickens up. Perfect bonsai, all the work is done, nothing to do with it but let it root out for a couple years and branch natural to see what one gets aesthetically as it grows. Perfect plant,just add water occasionally repot.