I think they are beautiful but they tend to be weak-wooded and lose limbs easily and often in wind storms. I've always wanted to plant one on the banks of one of our 4 ponds that are nowhere near the house, and by nowhere near the house, I mean hundreds of feet away. I've never gotten around to planting one though, and now I'm glad, since the recurring droughts we've had, particularly since 2005/06, have apparently dried up the springs that fed the ponds and all we have now are big bare holes where ponds used to be. We have a neighbor up the road a couple of miles who had one right in their front yard, not too far from the house itself, when we moved here, but I don't remember seeing it lately so I guess they removed it. Sorie, the problem with trees like willows, commonly referred to as trash trees, is that they grow fast and have weak wood so about they time they start looking really nice and the resident is happy that they planted them, then they start developing diseases and losing limbs every time the wind blows very hard. Then an ice storm comes along and brings down the tree onto buildings, cars, etc. If you really want one and are determined to plant it, just do so with the knowledge that it generally is not a long-lived tree. We also had a neighbor who had a large one in their front yard in the 1960s. I loved that tree. It was beautiful and it was older than I was at the time. One summer day they hired someone to come in, cut it down and haul away the wood. I was probably at least 10 years old at the time and mourned the loss of my favorite tree. The tree service also ground out the stump. It turned out that the tree's roots had invaded their water lines, and my dad said "this is why you don't plant willows". I've still always wanted one but likely never will plant one. We have native willows on the edges of our creek and on the edges of our dry ponds and they drop limbs right and left year round. Cutting them down is on Tim's April/May "to do" list. They also occasionally have their foliage devoured by willow beetles (and in the years when those beetles show up there are thousands of then and they devour every single leaf) and some sort of really ugly larger Asian beetle feasts on their wood. Having seen all the problems those willows have has made me reign in my desire to plant a weeping willow. Dawn

Does anyone have a tree that I can get some cuttings? I have a swampy area that needs some 'dressing up'.......they need to be hardy for zone 3 Will do a trade or pay postage-what sounds good to you. LMK. thanks

use the PHOTO button below where you type ... and load them directly from your hard drive ... we need to know if this is a 100 foot willow... or a bush type ... but basically.. it sounds like the trunk is rotting from the inside out .... and it has to go ... on on site inspection by a certified arborist is highly recommended... and that is not any monkey with a chainsaw ... if its overhanging your house.. or anything of value.. you can probably just deal with the insured monkey with the chainsaw ... really.. really need a pic .. to be any more specific ... ken

first... weeping willow is a nice park or golf course tree .. most of us would suggest no closer than 50 feet to a structure ... of course you dont say what kind ... so i generalize ... second .... you dont mention size .... and i am sure.. 5 feet is way over the top... maybe a foot for every inch caliper ... once extablished.. in a year for a willow .... you should never have to water it again ... first link is a plnating guide ... second link is a pictorial on what i call a moat for watering ... its a good idea for the short period a transplant will need water.. but most likely way over the top ... ken guide https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub pictorial ... but i cant see the pix... and hoping they will show later ... http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1827881/how-to-transpalnt-a-conifer-tree-huge-pix-post