Salix gracilistyla (Rose-Gold Pussy Willow)

Salix gracilistyla (Rose-Gold Pussy Willow) is a bushy deciduous shrub boasting plump, furry, gray catkins, 1 in. long (2.5 cm), adorned with many stamens sporting rose and gold anthers. Produced by male plants, they are on display in early spring before the foliage emerges. The narrow, oval leaves, 2-4 in. long (5-10 cm), unfold a soft blue-gray, then turn deep green, and finally turn yellow in the fall. This mounded, wide-spreading willow is grown to protect embankments, for weaving wicker baskets and as an ornamental plant, thanks to its arching habit and remarkable display of large catkins. In early spring, its flowering branches are in high demand.

• Grows up to 6-10 ft. tall (2-3 m) and 6-12 ft. wide (2-4 m). May be cut to the ground every 3-5 years to keep a smaller shrub size.
• Performs best in full sun in moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soils.
• Easy to grow and easy to care for. Keep an eye out for aphids, caterpillars, leaf beetles, sawflies, willow anthracnose diseases and a rust.
• Propagate by root softwood cuttings in early summer or hardwood cuttings in winter.
• Prune every 1-3 years in March for colored winter shoots.
• Native to Japan, Korea, and Northeast China.