I have had Black Pussy willows for 6 years now. It took a couple years to flower. They are very easy to root. I just place a couple foot cut into my pond water after they bloom. By June they have a great root system and I plant them. The leaves are a nice green colour and produce a good screen. The stems also have unique colors to them. They aren't boring. Nice red hues. I first thought the black Calkins were the true flower... BUT, soon I was amazed at what the black Calkins turned into. I have a pic of these in the optional link. Don't forget to check out the 7 additional pages too. My Michigan garden surely shines during the summer. I've also included some great pics of my garden in a calendar. Take a look too. http://www.cafepress.com/tommyseaisland Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of my Summer World

Looks like crown gall. If that is what it is, tree should be removed and burnt or bagged up and placed in trash. Soil around it will also be liable to be infested by the bacteria causing crown gall. If you are in the US nearest Cooperative Extension office may be able to help with diagnosis and treatment. For contact information type name of your state followed by the word extension into a search engine dialog box.

Yesterday I checked on my French Willow, [first one to push] some are about half way's out. Had several trees planted but found out that no honeybees attracts them, so now most I got rid of. Our native willow, [allot smarter] haven't pushed out yet, all native willow attract bees.

Thanks for the reply, brandon7. A 3-foot-section sprouted and we trimmed all but three, which all then grew into trees. We could do anything from small traditional cuttings to trying to replant the large intact tree if it could last til spring (another snow storm on the way tomorrow). Whatever would produce the most catkins next year and into the future.