skip to main content

What to do with this weeping willow

pittsfordnygardener

11 years ago

We have a weeping willow which we have let go for a couple of years (i.e. have not pruned). 10 years ago the tree was at most only 7-10 feet high, with the branches bending down as they should. You can see in the attached picture the lower branches do exhibit the "weeping" look. But above that it looks like a regular tree.

If we were to cut the top branches will the tree eventually take on the look of a weeping willow? Or would we be best serve not doing this and treat it like any regular tree?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

wisconsitom
11 years ago
It doesn't look like a weeping willow as I know that tree. In any case, if it is in fact a full-sized willow-one which will get large, even I think it's too close to the house. If it's some smaller willow species, it could be okay there.

Don't "cut the top branches". While I'm not even sure what you mean by that, it conjures up images of topping and other horrid practices.

I think you need to get us some leaf/branch close-up shots. Then we can begin to unravel this by identifying what that tree really is.

+oM
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
11 years ago
Maybe a weeping birch?
Related Discussions
What to pair with Weeping Pussy Willow?
Q
Comments (1)
All may grow at least 10' wide in time. Having a compact, upright habit the magnolia does not really go with the other two, drooping types - branches of specimen plants seen near one another that point in opposing directions produces a visual tension. If you had another weeper or a horizontally branching specimen with the two weepers it would be far more harmonious. Plant spring bulbs in front of the willow that bloom early, when the willow is also blooming.
...See More
Weeping Weeping willow planting distance from a septic system?
Q
Comments (2)
All I can say is, dont plant them in your yard. Admire them in public spaces instead. We had two in our one acre yard, and they were so messy, huge knees poked out of the ground, making it hard to mow, altho grass barely grew there anyway. Pondy
...See More
What's wrong with my dwarf weeping willow?
Q
Comments (4)
it looks like it was grafted where the green trunk changes to the brown weeping part ... that means what is sprouting below is not a weeping variety... in most cases ... otherwise.. why graft up top ... first.. do a scratch test down near the sprouts.. between the wood and the bark you will see a green layer.. this is the cambian layer .... lets say the blood vessels of the tree ... water goes up.. food goes down ... then take one of the weeping branches.. and do a small scratch test... if no green.. its dead .... if there is green.. there is a small chance it will recover .. frankly .. and i am sure you don't want to here it.. the odds are low ... if you got it from bigboxstore... find the receipt and return it .. and get a replacement in fall .. i personally wouldn't buy stock that has been on the blacktop since may ... but most stores bring in fresh stock in the fall ... being on both the sprinkler and a drip line.. perhaps you drowned the thing... willow generally like water.. but the roots do need air ... any chance this is all complicated by clay soil??? did you amend the planting hole??? ken
...See More
What to do under weeping willow tree
Q
Comments (1)
It sounds like you have goldenrod under the tree. It blooms at the same time as ragweed & gets the blame for making people sneeze, but really it's the ragweed's fault. I don't disturb goldenrod in my garden. It makes a beautiful, brilliant yellow punctuation mark when everything else is ho-hum boring. I wouldn't bet on anything voluntarily spreading toward shade & away from sun; most plants would migrate toward the sun, out from under the tree canopy. Beneath & around my weeping willow right now, there's some tough coastal bermuda grass (the stuff they bale here in Texas to make hay!) & a few Mexican Primroses. Little by little, I'm weeding out the bermuda & leaving the wildflowers. Once every summer, I cut them back, & they always bloom the following spring. Any area not colonized by the Mexican primrose can remain bare, covered with a thin layer of mulch. If you don't like the look of mulch, & you don't want Mexican primrose, you might use English ivy, vinca, or some other low-maintenance, shallow-rooted groundcover. Coleus is beautiful & colorful, but this is the first year I've used it: I'm *thinking* it freezes in the winter & you have to take cuttings & keep them on a sunny windowsill all winter & then re-plant it in the spring. Best luck! sylvia (ps:I think we gardeners fret ourselves silly over what'll grow under a tree: the tree doesn't want anything under there drinking up its water, & most plants don't want to be under the tree, anyway.)
...See More
greenthumbzdude
11 years ago
thats looks like a cherry. I am 99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999% sure though that is not a weeping willow based on the bark and the general habit.The weeping habit of this tree could just be a mutation. Best to just leave it as it is.
Ruffles78
11 years ago
That is not a weeping willow. 100 percent sure. It doesn't look like any form of "weeping" plant. It will never weep. Lol
pittsfordnygardener
Original Author
11 years ago
Actually now that I think about it - probably isn't in the Willow family but instead the Birch.

I was shown 10 year old pictures of it, and it definitely exhibited "weeping" traits (i.e. it looked like an umbrella).

Sounds like the consensus is to leave it alone.

Thanks all.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
get a pic of the trunk.. and a leaf..

looks like cherry to me also .. pinky white flowers in spring????

if so.. it was grafted onto a 4 to 6 foot standard.. at the top ...

you know the weeping part..

the upward part.. is a sucker from the standard ... it will never weep ...

get rid of it.. its planted too close to the house.. even for the weeper ... plant a new one out at about the rock line..

and while you are removing things.. get rid of that burning bush.. which is invasive in many areas.. and again.. planted too close to the house ...

good luck!!!

ken
botann
11 years ago
It looks like a Weeping Cherry that has sprouted below the graft and the more vigorous understock is taking over.
You can cut it off, but it will leave a large stub that will be difficult for the tree to deal with in the future. The understock should have been cut off as soon as it sprouted. You waited too long.
I would remove the tree and start over.
Mike
salicaceae
11 years ago
Agree with Botann - it is a weeping cherry that still has the weeping scion, but the rootstock has sprouted from below to create a typical cherry canopy.
flora_uk
11 years ago
You can pretty much discern the two parts of the tree from the differing rate at which they have coloured in Autumn, as well as the difference in habit.
famartin
11 years ago
botann is right. Its a weeping cherry that sprouted below the graft and the non-weeping rootstock has taken over.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
i like the way i say it a weeping cherry.. with a trunk sucker.. and removal is probably best .... botann agrees..

and you all slap him on the back and tell him he's a genius..

whats that all about.. lol

rotflmbo ...

ken

ps: he's such a garden neophyte.. that i am glad you are encouraging him.. lol ..
botann
11 years ago
LOl Ken. I need all the help and encouragement I can get.

Oh! And enablement too. I wasn't a collector until I got on the Web with you guys.

Mike

Related Stories

OUTBUILDINGS My Houzz: Simply Escapist in Santa Cruz

By Shannon Malone

Thrifty furnishings and a romantic willow tree turn a backyard cabin into a comfy, unpretentious hideaway

LANDSCAPE DESIGN The Weepers and the Creepers: 10 Intriguing Trees for Your Garden

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Bring something a little different to your landscape with a tree that dives, twists or crawls

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Grow a Lush Privacy Screen

By Christine Tusher

No need to wait forever for patio privacy the green way. These 10 ideas will get your screening up and running in no time

LANDSCAPE DESIGN For Garden Drama, Consider the Lowly Boulder

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

A boulder can be a thing of beauty in the landscape. Here are 10 ways to display them to full effect

LANDSCAPE DESIGN The 7 Best Plant Types for Creating Privacy and How to Use Them

By Falon Mihalic

Follow these tips for using different kinds of plants as living privacy screens

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Ditch the Ordinary Ditch: Create a Realistic Dry Creek Bed

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Here’s how to turn your water runoff system into an eye-catching accent for your landscape

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Palo Blanco Softens Sharp Desert Angles

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Willowy foliage and creamy white bark give this tree a delicate beauty, but its constitution is tough

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Tree: Australian Tea Tree

By Annie Thornton

A living sculpture with an unmistakable appearance, this coastal native creates an intriguing landscape scene

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Mertensia Virginica

By Curtis Adams

Virginia bluebells provides relief from winter with a big display of color

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Garden Designer Chooses the Timeless Over the Trendy

By Emily Hutchinson

This lush and restful garden provides a place for a family to retreat from their busy lives

Sponsored

More Discussions

Huge black maple in Michigan

4

Pruning of young Chinkapin Oak

4

Is it normal for new trees to have 8"of solid clay in the root ball?

6

Sassafras Foliar Peculiarity

15

Acer carpinifolium

0