Willow bonsai

[JosephCooper]

I've been looking at willows (specifically weeping willows) as bonsai as their leaves are small and their trunks are incredible.

They grow like crazy here, and root from cuttings very easily. Weeping Willows also have little red fruits, so I'm wondering why they aren't seen as bonsai often.

There is a "weeping" style out there, but it requires constant wiring on most trees.

Is it the compound leaves? The downward growth? I'd like someone to tell me.

Please post any Weeping Willows you have as well, I'd appreciate it

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

To the best of my knowledge, willows, genus Salix, have simple leaves, not compound leaves. They also do not have red fruits. Their seed is a dry capsule which opens and releases dry seed with cottony fuzz that lets the seed drift a short distance on the wind, and or float on water. Are you talking about genus Salix?

Weeping willow (Salix) is occasionally used, I don't have one now, I did find pictures of other's trees. Not my work. The wonderful weeping of a large tree does not happen in small scale, one has to wire every branch to get the weeping effect. It isn't until the tree has some size that the weeping will happen naturally. The intensive wiring requirement is the reason they are not often seen as a style. Probably best for medium to larger size bonsai. Leaves and internodes don't reduce as dramatically as one might think, though they do reduce.

Personally I love the rough dark bark of black willow contrasting with the bright yellow twigs. Black willow is not a weeping willow. However if you are fanatical about wiring you can shape it like a weeping willow. Black willow is exceptionally winter hardy, no need to do much beyond set it on the ground anywhere in North America., except maybe far northern Canada, or very high elevation.

Sun & plentiful water and they will grow rapidly. Slender branch cuttings can be 4 inches in diameter in less than 5 years if ground grown. The rapid growth can become a issue for an tree approaching refinement. Possibly another reason you don't see many, difficult to stay on top of.

But it is a great look, no reason not to try.

Willow by Simon Tremblett - Nolander's 2012


Willow by Joseph Pompa 2013

 

[JosephCooper]

To the best of my knowledge, willows, genus Salix, have simple leaves, not compound leaves. They also do not have red fruits. Their seed is a dry capsule which opens and releases dry seed with cottony fuzz that lets the seed drift a short distance on the wind, and or float on water. Are you talking about genus Salix?

Weeping willow (Salix) is occasionally used, I don't have one now, I did find pictures of other's trees. Not my work. The wonderful weeping of a large tree does not happen in small scale, one has to wire every branch to get the weeping effect. It isn't until the tree has some size that the weeping will happen naturally. The intensive wiring requirement is the reason they are not often seen as a style. Probably best for medium to larger size bonsai. Leaves and internodes don't reduce as dramatically as one might think, though they do reduce.

Personally I love the rough dark bark of black willow contrasting with the bright yellow twigs. Black willow is not a weeping willow. However if you are fanatical about wiring you can shape it like a weeping willow. Black willow is exceptionally winter hardy, no need to do much beyond set it on the ground anywhere in North America., except maybe far northern Canada, or very high elevation.

Sun & plentiful water and they will grow rapidly. Slender branch cuttings can be 4 inches in diameter in less than 5 years if ground grown. The rapid growth can become a issue for an tree approaching refinement. Possibly another reason you don't see many, difficult to stay on top of.

But it is a great look, no reason not to try.

Willow by Simon Tremblett - Nolander's 2012

Thanks, leo.

First off, (evergreen) willows here are a bit different here. They grow flowers like any tree, not the flowers you'd think a willow would have. You are right, I've noticed that they do not have the best branching for bonsai. the trunks are all pretty thin as well.


But there are some good examples out there.

I'll try one this year and see if I can fight its rapid growth.

 

[Underdog]

I've been playing with Corkscrew Willow for a few years for fun and learning. I was discoraged by the knowlegables here and rightfully so.
Corkscrew willow Salix matsudana Koidzumi
I"ve rooted over 3 inch cuttings in water and screwed to a board. They are invasive here and not long lived I've read but forgiving and take a lot of rookie abuse. Fast grower allowing multiple pruning and wiring per season. Probably nothing you want to get attached to. They die back and drop branches regularly but, grow like the invacive weed they are around here.. Still good fun and learning trees. Water lover and one usually lives in my pond.
https://www.nps.gov/cue/epmt/products/Salix matsudana 2012 NCREPMT.pdf

 

[JosephCooper]

I've been playing with Corkscrew Willow for a few years for fun and learning.

Any pictures?

 

[Underdog]

Dormant now but here is sawzall collection in 2016 and some 2017 pics

 

[RKatzin]

I have been working with some of the dwarf varieties, Salix purpura nana and Salix polaris, dwarf Arctic willow. I also have some Salix purpura pendula, a weeping form of the Purple Dwarf Willow.
I have played with corkscrew willow for several years, concluding that they make great yard trees. Did you know you can sell the twigs? Florists use them.

 

[JosephCooper]

Dormant now but here is sawzall collection in 2016 and some 2017 pics

Those are some wild leaves!

 

[Melospiza]

Hey, weeping willows neither have compound leaves nor red berries. I suspect you are talking about the weeping form of the Yaupon Holly, or maybe the Bottlebrush tree, which has long downward-hanging branches, and willow-like leaves. It is more suited for your climate and does not do well in the Eastern US north of Florida.

Edit: it seems that you could be talking about Desert Willow, but that does not produce red fruit either, and is not a willow technically.

 

[JosephCooper]

Hey, weeping willows neither have compound leaves nor red berries. I suspect you are talking about the weeping form of the Yaupon Holly, or maybe the Bottlebrush tree, which has long downward-hanging branches, and willow-like leaves. It is more suited for your climate and does not do well in the Eastern US north of Florida.

Edit: it seems that you could be talking about Desert Willow, but that does not produce red fruit either, and is not a willow technically.

Possibly, I'm terrible at identifying trees

 

[Mike Corazzi]

I had very good luck with a weeping willow when I had my clawfoot bathtub with goldfish in it.
I put the pot on a cinder block with about a third of the pot below the water surface.
Automatic water...automatic feed.
Worked fine til I had to get rid of the tub.

 

[Manmountain526]

Here are my willows in training right now. They were just sticks in the dirt when I took the cuttings from my brother's tree last year. They are growing like crazy now. Roots are already coming out the bottom and sides of the pond baskets.

 

[discusmike]

My experience with them is they suffer branch dieback in winter,there roots grow crazy fast,you may have to repot twice s year,training branches was not easy,a larger tree would have worked better,and large cuts during the growing season causes them to bleed like crazy!i ended up planting mine in the garden,it now has a massive trunk,was thinking about giving her another try.

 

[JoeH]

In Fla they don't suffer branch dieback, just defoliate, I have one water willow that rode out the 26 degree freeze outdoors just fine. I thought the green branches would turn but did not.

 

[JosephCooper]

you may have to repot twice s year,

Willows are one of the only trees that need 2 repots a year

 

[Dorstenia]

Could you be looking at Loxostylis, known as tarwood or wild pepper tree?

Tons of those from the Bay Area through So Cal.

 

[JosephCooper]

Could you be looking at Loxostylis, known as tarwood or wild pepper tree?

Tons of those from the Bay Area through So Cal.

Yes, I found the culprit. The California Pepper Tree. It looks a lot like a willow but the leaves are compound and serrated.

 

[Hyn Patty]

Great thread. I have willow cuttings I was playing around with - they didn't die back at all but I did bring them into the garage when we had single digit temps up here. I twisted them all together to work on a thicker single trunk and wired it up like some wind blown fairy tale tree. I figured - what the hell? Why not have fun with it. Mostly I just grow it to have cuttings for willow water to aid in rooting other things.

 

[BonsaiNaga13]

When I started about 2 years ago I was taking cuttings from any Willow species I could find. All but my white willows died after winter. I have them in a tub growing out and last year noticed they attract a lot of butterflies

 

[cheap_walmart_art]

Its not the best quality pic, but this is a local "yatsuba" weeping willow I've liked since Ive seen it (its not mine).