The weeping willow is a total showstopper with its lush canopy and that iconic, sweeping silhouette. To make sure those graceful, hanging branches really reach their full potential, you can actually use pruning to either boost their growth or keep them from taking over your yard. Here’s the lowdown on how to handle your willow like a pro.
Strategic Pruning Kickstarts New Growth
The weeping willow is an incredibly fast grower. Even if you give it a pretty radical haircut, this tree will bounce back in the spring, pushing out countless new shoots and practically exploding with life. Pruning doesn’t hold it back; in fact, it actually encourages the tree to grow even more vigorously. To give your tree the best boost, you just need to follow a few simple steps.
Keep these tips in mind:
- Trim the branches back by about two-thirds of their length.
- Aim to make your cuts just above a “dormant eye” (a small bud node).
- Completely remove any dead or brittle wood.
- You can do a heavy structural prune in the fall and then a light “shape-up” in the spring.
Regular pruning is key to keeping your tree healthy. If a willow gets too bushy and wide, it can act like a giant sail during a storm, making it prone to wind damage. Trees that go years without a trim face another risk, too: the ends of the branches can get so heavy that the tree literally splits under its own weight.
Growth Patterns and Keeping Things Manageable
Weeping willows do most of their heavy lifting in the early years, shooting up quickly. As they mature, their upward growth slows down to just a few inches a year. Still, a full-grown willow can reach over 60 feet tall and 50 feet wide! That’s a lot of tree for a standard backyard. Luckily, there are ways to keep your willow small if you’re short on space.
One option is to plant your tree in a large container and prune it regularly to your desired height. Since the roots are confined and have less soil to work with, the tree naturally stays smaller. And if you’re really into the look but don’t have the acreage, you can even grow a weeping willow as a bonsai, keeping that majestic look in the size of a houseplant!
