The magical properties of willow. The medicinal properties of willow (willow)

Willow, or willow, belongs to the willow family. This family includes, for example, poplar and aspen. They are wind-pollinated plants, that is, the pollen from their male flowers is carried and reaches the female flowers with the help of the wind. Usually, wind-pollinated plants bloom long before the leaves open, until the foliage obstructs the air flow and traps the pollen. Since they do not need to attract insects, they do not emit nectar and they do not need to take care of the beauty of the flowers: their flowers are usually small and inconspicuous, collected in earring inflorescences. But they form a huge amount of pollen - much more than insect pollinated ones. The pollen grains of wind-pollinated plants are light, therefore they are well tolerated by the wind. In some years, in spring, whole clouds of pollen can be observed in the air. different types iv.

However, willows are very unusual plants. Despite the fact that they have all the signs of wind-pollinated plants, they are still an exception to the rule. Although the processes of awakening in their flower buds begin at the end of January, and they bloom earlier than all other plants in our strip, willows are the most valuable melliferous plants! The willow is a real salvation for bees and bumblebees in early spring, when there are no other sources of nectar in nature yet. Insects are attracted, on the one hand, by aromatic nectar, and on the other - a large number of pollen, which densely sticks to the catkins during the flowering period.

Therefore, it is now believed that willows are secondarily adapted to pollination by insects, and this adaptation could have arisen relatively recently. This is indicated, by the way, big number species of insects visiting willow flowers. These are bumblebees, bees, butterflies and some flies. The fact is that the flowers of most insect pollinated plants are strictly adapted to a certain kind or a specific group of insects. And such a diverse assortment of pollinating insects suggests that willows have no special specialization in this direction.

In April and early May, on beautiful red-brown willow shoots (for which it is also popularly called redhead) a reddish thin film on flower buds bursts, and grayish-white fluffy lumps are born. These are male pussy willow flowers collected in earrings. When these flowers bloom, the stamens stretch out on long filaments, at the end of which there are yellow lumps - anthers. They form pollen. At this time, the fluffy lumps from grayish become yellow, similar to tiny chickens.

Why are pussy willow inflorescences fluffy? The structure of pussy willow flowers is also related to the timing of its flowering. Pussy-willow flowers do not have a perianth, that is, petals and sepals. They are covered with only one scale in the sinus, in which two stamens are located. The upper part of the scale is covered with long, numerous hairs, which give the still unburned earring its characteristic fluffy appearance. These hairs, like a fur coat, dress the bud and protect it from low temperatures and sudden temperature fluctuations at the time when the cap that covers it falls off.

Female pussy willow earrings, like other willow species, are grayish-green, oblong and are found on other pussy willow trees - not those that delight the eye with spring fluffs.

Plants in which male and female flowers are on different individuals are called dioecious.

The structure of female pussy willow flowers is similar to the structure of male flowers, except that instead of stamens, there is an oblong ovary thickened downwards. It resembles a bottle in shape. The ovary at the top passes into a column with a bipartite stigma. The sticky surface of the stigma catches pollen falling on it.

Seeds of red willow (Norway willow) ripen in May-June.

Unfortunately, the willows, and with them the insects that feed on their pollen and nectar, in the spring suffer greatly from the invasion of people on the eve of the great Christian holiday - Palm Sunday. Most of the branches are broken out in the vicinity of cities and villages, where there are so few pussy willows. Often only pitiful twigs are left of luxurious shrubs. Therefore, please, while preparing for the holiday, do not forget that the willow is not just a decoration of the holiday, it is a living tree, an important part of the ecosystem that needs to be preserved. Don't type too many branches. After the end of the holiday, take a couple of twigs from a jar of water and plant them in the ground - they take root perfectly! May the willows always delight us in the spring with their fluffy lambs!

No matter how warm the winter is, nature awakens only by mid-April, when spring is stepping more and more confidently on the earth. Snowdrops and bluebirds are the first to greet her approach in March, and later, in April, - primrose and mother-and-stepmother. With their delicate heads, directed to the sky or, conversely, inclined to the ground, they seem to ask for a warm time to come as soon as possible and everyone around is dressed in a magnificent dress.

As if hearing the united call of primroses, the sun shines brighter every day, the air warms up, the sky becomes higher and brighter. And although the gardens have already awakened from a deep sleep, trees and shrubs still stand motionless, as if wanting to make sure that the cold is gone forever.

The good news about the beginning of a new life in nature is carried by the willow, a plant of the willow family. She, like many of her closest relatives, decorates her bare twigs with tiny, soft, like cotton wool, pads of future inflorescences on the eve of the exuberant growth of young greenery.

Such different willows

Every spring during Great Lent, the consecrated are distributed in churches for Palm Sunday branches of a red willow, which in the old days was called shelyuga. The plant, whose botanical name is "Norway willow", is a tall erect shrub or tree up to 10 m high with cherry twig-like shoots covered with a thin waxy bloom. His clothes in the fall have the same color, and before that they are dark green above and bluish below. In late March - early April, they release white silky claws, which later turn into luxurious yellow earrings on male specimens. Norway willow is drought-resistant and easily takes root in groups and hedges on poor sandy soils. The cultivated representative of the species, the "pendulifolia" variety, is six meters tall and, unfortunately, less durable.

The pussy willow's sister - willow, or white willow, with cascades of branches falling to the ground - blooms in April, and golden pendants appear in the crown before the development of leaves - narrow, pointed at the top and jagged along the edge, yellow-green above, and silvery below white due to dense pubescence. The willow is hygrophilous, grows rapidly in sunny areas with nutritious soil. In such conditions, it blooms profusely and from a distance it seems literally shrouded in a yellow haze.

"Tristis", aka "pendula", has a more pronounced weeping cap, and "argentea" is notable for a shiny silvery ground part, which turns green as it ripens, and remains light below. Outstanding qualities are possessed by the "vitelina" shape, which grows into a tree from a straight, strong trunk with short branches, dressed in bark as if made of red gold.

On the bare processes, innumerable large spherical earrings appear, at first silvery, and in full bloom - golden yellow at delirium or, scientifically, goat willow... The latter is charming in appearance, grows quickly, is undemanding to soil conditions and can be an excellent component of undergrowth or forest edges in free mixed groups. In single plantings "kilmarnock" is magnificent - a weeping form on a trunk, its height is usually about 1.5 m. It is very often recommended for arrangements. The standard Curly Lox with a wide crown of dashingly twisted hanging shoots and funny leaves invariably attracts attention - they are rough on top, wrinkled, and soft below, covered with silky pile.

Possesses excellent external data willow purple... Its crown is formed by many thin, fragile-looking purple-red twigs. Fast growth, undemanding (she is not afraid of either root flooding or drought), plus responsiveness to pruning - the advantages of this specimen rival in number only with the ways of using it in the garden. The variety "nana" (or "gracilis") is distinguished by the compactness of its light, transparent hat 1.5 m high and is considered one of the best options for creating low hedges and loose curbs.

Ash willow It branches strongly from the very base, and the "bouquet" of smooth-bordered gray stems, growing, forms a neat round or flat fungus. The plant is unpretentious, tolerates sandy, clay and peat soils. Speaking of variegated (green interspersed with white) types, it is impossible to ignore the so-called flaming tree - a variety of "hakuro-nishiki" willow, an amazing spherical small specimen with vertically directed branches and coral-red shoots. The cultivar is famous for its incredible color of young leaves - intense pink and bright white.

Thick and compact willow creeping harmoniously combined with stone compositions. The creeping "bergen" is curious with green layers tucked along the edge and light yellow peas of inflorescences. Interesting as a ground cover species is "nitida", a fast-growing open shrub no higher than half a meter, capable of reconciling with the shade and draping an area with moist soil.

Willows differ from many other trees and shrubs by their extraordinary plasticity - under the pruner of a skilled gardener, they are able to change their appearance beyond recognition.

Climatic conditions

All willows that can grow in our climatic conditions, are suitable for planting in a small garden, because any of them is grown in one of two ways: by allowing the specimen to develop in its natural form, or by limiting its size by pruning.

White willow, which with age reaches a height of 20-25 m, and a width of 15 m and seems simply gigantic for a modest area personal plot, can be turned into a small tree. To do this, the trunk is shortened to the desired height and the growing branches are periodically pruned, maintaining the desired crown shape. Without a trunk (part of a tree trunk from the root collar to the first skeletal branch of the lower tier of the crown), cut off at the very base, or, as they say, "planted on a stump", the same representative of the flora quickly turns into a dense ball lying, for example, on a lawn ...

In the latter case, the options for using the plant are practically unlimited: in single and group plantings of a regular or landscape style, in rocky gardens, in container gardening, as a green sculpture and even architecture. In free compositions, specimens by the water are considered classics. However, not everyone will allow himself to do this - not only do the pond and the tree on its shore have to be proportionate, but also the pool itself requires a certain size so as not to look like a puddle. However, in order to present the shrub in a favorable light, it is not at all necessary to dig a pit under the lake for the sake of it. Willows are extremely expressive, they look great next to sod, birch, bird cherry, alder, spruce, fir.

In particular, the flexible golden branches of the white " tristis"Or holly" pendulifolia"Stand out against the background of a bluish cone of a single-color fir" violacea». « Vitelina"- excellent material for a hedge or arch. " Tricolor"- an excellent specimen (single planting) and no less successful focus group, for example, paired with bird cherry" chrysocarp ". Creeping species are good for decorating cascades, terraces and quick landscaping of undeveloped waterlogged patches of land. On well-groomed soils, ground covers look great among other trees and shrubs. For example, the silvery tones of “bergen” echo the light trunk of Jung's birch and contrast with the glossy foliage of the holly Mahonia.

Even the most popular varieties cost no more than 1,000 rubles. per seedling up to 2 m tall. Whatever the choice, the site will certainly benefit with the appearance of willow on it. Blooming earlier than others, with a generous decoration of crowns, she wakes up the representatives of the flora sleeping around other representatives of the flora and promises that very soon the leaves will bloom and the garden, resurrected in the spring, will appear in all its splendor.

Willow has many types - white willow, rakita, willow, weeping willow other. The people call it krasnotalnik, willow, willow, witchcraft tree, witchcraft aspirin, rustling tree, white willow, delirium (from the word "ford").

An important distinguishing feature suitable for any willow is that they are all perennial. deciduous trees with a height of 6-8 m and from one to three trunks, some species can be tree-like shrubs. Willow grows near water. Willow inflorescences are catkins, these are unisexual flowers that bloom until the leaves bloom, and sometimes even at the same time. The bark of the willow is smooth, greenish-gray, in old trunks it can be brown with longitudinal cracks. In the spring, during flowering, when the juices rise up, the bark of the trunks and branches is easily separated. Baskets and even furniture are woven from flexible and durable willow twigs. Willow is also used in medicinal purposes... Basically, bark is used for this, which is stripped from branches of medium thickness in spring and dried in the air.

What does willow heal?

The bark of young willow branches is used as an external treatment for calluses and warts to improve hair growth. Willow bark has an antifebrile and antipyretic effect. A powder is made from it, which is used as decoctions, as a hemostatic and anthelmintic effect. A decoction of willow bark is also used to rinse the mouth and throat for inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. Acetylsalicylic acid (acpyrine) is obtained from willow bark.

The willow is a symbol of the Christian faith

The willow (one of the types of willow) is a symbol of Christian Easter, the Sunday preceding this most important holiday, is called the willow. The willow branches, consecrated in the church, are kept at home until next year... They must protect the house and owners from troubles, various diseases and accidents. For the Slavs, it is a sacred tree, a symbol of the continuity of life. In ancient times, it symbolized the pagan god Yapily. Some of his admirers even now on the night of Ivan Kupala decorate the willow with flowers and burn bonfires near it. In the folklore of the Slavs, the willow is considered a symbol of rapid growth, giving vitality. Childless women should pray by the willow, turning to God, and give them children. In Russia, they slightly beat disobedient children with willow twigs, saying: "I am not hitting, the willow beats," believing that in this way God will give them obedience. The verboks brought into the house help the evil spirits move away from the walls. The willow consecrated in the church was kept in the red corner on the shrine for the icon until next year.

Fortune telling and love spells on willow

To find out who a girl will marry, she needs to take in left hand willow twig, secretly go out with it and run around the willow three times. At the same time, they say: "You, the one who will be my faithful, come, take the other end." At the end of the third circle, the ghost of her betrothed should appear to her, which will hold onto the other end of the rod.

Another fortune-telling, for those who are afraid of ghosts. To do this, you need to spend the whole day in silence, and in the evening, when the moon appears, take a new cup and go to the river. Pick two leaves from a willow, put water in a cup and throw everything into the water. If the leaves fall into the water next to the cup, then the girl will soon get married.

Wreaths are weaved from thin willow twigs in order to bewitch a young man. A girl must leave a wreath on the road along which her chosen one will go and, thus, bewitch him. To keep your husband, you can discreetly sew a willow twig into the seam of your clothes. For this, some twine the legs of the bed with willow twigs.

For a love spell, you can make a decoction of willow leaves and mix it in a drink, but you should know that it is very bitter.

Magic willow

Witches bandage their pomelo with willow twigs. They make graceful, flexible wands from willow, which are used in rituals of healing magic. When composing a spell, a knot was tied on a thin willow branch. If it was performed, then the knot was untied, and the branch was used for the following spells. If someone is haunted by the fear of death, such a person should always have willow twigs with him. Willow is endowed with properties, to increase any magical actions, it does not matter whether you want to protect yourself from damage or induce it. Willow can take away from a person negative energy... Amulets are made from willow to develop the gift of eloquence. A person who wears such an amulet acquires the mystical ability to master the word. Willow is a moon tree and therefore, those people who want to get rid of excessive hot temper and aggressiveness can purchase an amulet from it. Willow, with its cold energy, balances such people. This tree helps to relieve stress, psychological stress... But you have to be careful with her, taking away all the negative energy, the willow will not stop there and will start positive.

What is the difference between willow and willow? Rarely did anyone think about this question, since it seemed to everyone that these were just two names of the same plant. However, it is worth learning more about this than you know.

Willow family

Each is beautiful in its own way and is somewhat similar to willow and willow. There is still a difference between them.

Willow is a deciduous plant (shrub or tree). Its types differ from each other mainly in outward signs... In general, there are about 600 species of plants of this genus in the world.

The entire willow family on the territory of Russia has more than 120 species: blackotal, rakita, whitetal, molokita, willow, shelyuga, goat willow and many others.

This plant has an unimaginable desire for life: any shoot, twig or stump, stuck into the ground, rather quickly becomes covered with numerous young shoots.

How to distinguish a willow from a willow? Talking about these two plants, many people think that we are talking about one plant, but this is not so. They belong to the same genus (family) - willow. They have differences.

Some species of willow plants are called willow. For example: holly willow, goat willow, wolf willow, etc.

Signs associated with willow. What do people believe in?

People have pinned many hopes and are still associating them with willow:

A branch thrown against the wind will help calm the storm, and thrown into the flames of a fire will calm the fire.

Willow branches attached to the gate will drive away all evil spirits.

Even a treasure can be found with the help of a willow branch.

Previously, the very first cattle were driven out with the help of a willow.

Ancient and other beliefs

1. The ancient Slavs called the willow the perun vine.
2. Children used to be bathed for health in a broth of willow twigs.
3. A real old Slavic rite is a wedding around a rakita.
4. Lithuanian peasant women used to pray for a willow tree in the old days to help them - to give them a child.
5. Also in ancient times, it was believed that the willow helps in eloquence. In this regard, it was called the tree of poets and singers.
6. In China, willow is a symbol of spring and feminine beauty, suppleness and gentleness.
7. And the Jews in ancient times called the willow a symbol of misfortune, sadness, sorrow, death, funeral (namely the weeping willow).
8. In Japan, this plant also carries sadness and weakness. However, it carries both tenderness and grace, and calmness, and constancy.

Pussy-willow (red) is a Sunday-palm tree. This is a Christian spring holiday commemorating the entry of Christ into Jerusalem. The Jews greeted him with vai - the branches of the Jerusalem willow - or the branches of the date palm.

In the spring, when the buds are just beginning to appear on the trees, there is still not a single leaf; the willow is the first to respond to the spring rays of the sun. She pleases everyone with her tender, surprisingly soft and fluffy buds. white... And the willow begins to bloom along with the rest of the plants. And unlike the pussy willow, it has small yellowish-green buds.

They also differ in the color of their bark. In the willow it is reddish-brown, and in the willow it is grayish-green.

How to distinguish willow from willow in other ways? In the willow, thin and flexible twigs are covered with elongated sharp leaves. And in the willow, rigid and thick branches have wide and semicircular leaves.

They also have excellent habitats. The willow can grow almost everywhere, and the willow - mainly near lakes, rivers, swamps, ditches, i.e. where there is water.

Types and varieties of willow

We continue to talk about how to distinguish a willow from a willow. Willows have a transparent, transparent crown, with flexible, thin and delicate branches, on which narrow, pointed, elongated leaves bloom. For the most part, these plants are up to 15 m high, but they can be even higher - up to 40 m. There are also dwarf, small willows.

Some varieties of willows:

1. Willow brittle - a tree up to 15 meters in height and 8 meters in width. Sometimes it has a slightly curved shape and even with two trunks. It grows in areas from Europe to Asia.

2. Goat willow is a rather large shrub or tree up to 12 m high and up to 6 m wide with a short trunk and round crown. Grows mainly in Central Asia and in Europe.

3. Purple willow is a large 10-meter tree. Grows naturally in and in central Europe.

4. Creeping willow. The inflorescences of this adorable willow have pink, silvery and downy (woolly) scales. It can be grown both in the garden and in a container or in a container - on the balcony.

5. White willow is a large tree up to 25 meters in height and up to 15 meters in width. Found throughout Europe. This plant has not only an unusually beautiful crown, but also the original color of the shoots: in summer - brown-red, in spring - bright yellow.

6. The willow of Babylon is a wonderful weeping tree. One of the most beautiful jewelry gardens and parks in the south of Russia. This willow comes from North and Central China. Height - no more than 15 meters, width - 9 meters.

Norway willow - willow

This willow, like several other types of willows (named above), is called a willow. Norway willow is a shrub or tree up to 8 meters high with a crown oval... Pussy willow shoots are tender and flexible, with a pleasant bluish bloom.

Its leaves are linear-lanceolate, longish and pointed. They are shiny, green at the top, gray-gray at the bottom.

This type of plant is one of the most unpretentious to any growing conditions. Propagated by cuttings and even twigs.

The answer to the question of how to distinguish a willow from a willow is given. But this plant not only looks great in nature, but also useful.

It is convenient to weave beautiful baskets, furniture, mats, and various decorations from willow branches for decorating home and garden designs. Willow used to be used to make hoops for barrels and those magnificent arches for horses, on which silver bells sounded beautifully ...

Willow - deciduous tree or shrub growing mainly in temperate climates... There are some species in the tropics and even beyond the Arctic Circle. Archaeologists have found prints of willow leaves on chalk deposits more than tens of millions of years old.

Willow has long been used as ornamental plant, we will consider the most famous willows of the genus in this article.

White willow, or silvery willow, is a powerful tree that reaches 25 meters in height at maturity. The tree has a lush crown, consisting of long, gently flowing stems with green, silvery foliage. In April, the willow bloom with yellow flowers, popularly called seals, flowers, indeed, look like pieces of fur.

White willow is in demand in landscape design. It grows quickly, tolerates a frosty climate, develops on almost any soil, tolerates a haircut painlessly. Willow is not afraid of moisture, even in excess, loves sunlight. Mature trees have a crown up to 20 meters in diameter.
The most popular decorative forms of white willow:

• Argentea- tree with cascading shoots, up to 25 meters high, glossy upper side of the leaf is dark Green colour, the lower one is whitish, during flowering the crown is literally covered with bright yellow catkins.
• Limpde- the tree is 20-40 meters high, differs yellow stems. Lush cone-shaped crown about 12 meters in diameter. Honey plant, blooms in April, frost-resistant variety.
• Tristis- height up to 20 meters, with a spreading crown, wide up to 20 meters in diameter, yellow bark and branches. Willow is a honey plant, blooms in April, almost simultaneously with foliage blooming.

Willow of babylon

The Babylonian willow is a short tree up to 15 meters, with a spreading weeping crown 10 meters in diameter. Willow branches, in addition to green, can have both yellow and red shades, the branches are almost naked, with glossy bark, hanging right down to the ground. Oblong green leaves they have small teeth along the edge, they begin to turn yellow closer to January. After the leaves bloom, the willow is covered with thin flowers-earrings of white-yellow color. Willow has good winter hardiness and is not capricious in cultivation.

This is a shrub two meters high, interesting feature varieties - twisted branches of a yellowish-golden color, which look spectacular against the background of bright green foliage. This variety is afraid of the cold, but quickly recovers if it freezes. A lot of light is needed to grow Tortuose.
Willow of Babylon Crispus. It is a dwarf variety, no more than two meters in height. The shrub is decorative thanks to its unusual foliage: leaf plates of rich green color are twisted in the shape of a flower, covered with gloss.

Willow kanginskaya

Iva Kanginskaya - a variety of special selection, Latin name willow - Salix Kangensis Nakai. The variety is presented in two varieties: a tree and a shrub. Both the one and the other form of the plant grows up to 10 meters in height. The leaves differ in size from each other: on sprout stems, the length is up to 20 cm, on fertile stems, the leaves are half as large. Lanceolate leaf plates, covered with pile. The willow blooms in early spring and is distinguished by its lush flowering. It prefers to grow on the banks of rivers and other bodies of water, loves good lighting, winter-hardy, this willow is a honey plant. In nature, it is distributed in the Primorsky Territory, in Korea and in the northeastern regions of China.

Did you know? The ancient Slavs revered the willow as a sacred tree of life, the tree was a symbol of the god Yarila. Followers of Buddhism believe that the willow tree is a symbol of the spring rebirth of nature. The Taoists called the willow a symbol of the manifestation of strength in weakness due to bending, but not breaking stems. The ancient peoples of Mexico and the North American Indians had willow as a sacred tree, near which prayers were offered to the gods.

The Caspian willow variety grows as a shrub, a branchy bush with a fan-shaped crown, long thin stems. Willow bark is gray-green, leaves are glossy, bright green, elongated. The length of the leaves is 10 centimeters, the height of the bush is three meters, the crown is almost two meters in diameter. The willow blooms in May and blooms for only three days. Winter hardy, but severe frosts does not love. In landscape design, it is used to decorate artificial reservoirs or natural streams and ponds, its root system, expanding, strengthens the banks well.

The goat willow, or delirium, is a small tree with falling branches. Goat willow is absolutely unpretentious: it is not afraid of shade, moist soil, grows on any soil, winter-hardy. The plant is often planted near water bodies. The willow blooms from April to May with yellow fur seal flowers. The shape of the crown of the goat willow is weeping. The most popular types of wood:

• willow goat pendula- a tree with a weeping crown, silvery-green leaves and golden seals. Hardy, loves lighted areas, grows well in partial shade. Willow Pendula is no higher than two meters, the crown diameter is up to one and a half meters.
• Silberglyants- tree up to eight meters high, stems - gently falling down, crown diameter - about five meters. The tree blooms in April.
• willow goat mac- a tree or shrub, the height of the tree is up to 10 meters, the diameter of the spreading crown is up to six meters. In the lower part of the trunk, the bark is in small cracks, above it becomes smooth, gray-green in color. Beautiful bluish-green leaves have a pleasant aroma.

Interesting! People say that the heart of a willow first dies: it rots from the core of the trunk. Interestingly, because of this, it was believed that if a child was whipped with a willow twig, it would not grow, moreover, in those days, it was whipped with willow rods for disobedience. Apparently, therefore, in ancient times there were more short people.

Willow brittle

Brittle willow, rakita, as it is also called, - average size tree (up to 20 meters) or shrub. Her crown is in the form of a tent, the stems are not very flexible, breaking, which gave rise to this name of willow. Stems not pubescent, green, glossy, sticky at the beginning of plant development. The leaves are large, 15 cm long, lanceolate, with a serrated edge, a sharp tip. The tree blooms when the leaves bloom - in May-April, with long yellow-green catkins.
The brittle willow Bullata is a well-known and popular variety. It has a spherical, gently rounded crown. The structure and development of a tree is somewhat reminiscent of a jellyfish. The sphere of the crown consists of branching stems arranged in a dome, and below the shoots growing upwards seem to support this dome. The foliage grows so densely that the tree appears to be covered with a green velvet cape.

This tree in natural environment lives in Korea and China. The tree grows up to 13 meters tall, has a slender, straight trunk, a pyramid-shaped crown. Long, slender, ascending stems in young age fleecy, painted in olive color with a yellowish tint. Castings are narrow, elongated up to 10 cm in length. Fluffy catkins bloom along with the blooming of the leaves. Iva Matsuda loves good lighting, warmth, does not tolerate temperature changes, grows on nutritious soils.

Important! Most varieties and species of willow grow quickly, so they need to be pruned regularly, if this is not done, the tree or shrub will grow in a shapeless mass. A tree or bush that has reached 80 cm in height begins to shear.

The holly willow has many names - the shelyuga is red, krasnotal, willow. This is a tree or tall shrub with a reddish tinge of branches, which is reflected in the name. In addition to color, the stems are distinguished by a waxy coating on the bark. It is found naturally in the regions of the Ciscaucasia, throughout the European part of Russia. It grows in forest-tundra, on sandstones and near water bodies. The willow grows up to 10 meters high, its crown is spreading, oval, the leaves are long and narrow, dark green, petioles at sheet plates red-yellow. Blooms before leaves bloom. In the landscape, it is used in plantings near water bodies, in parks, as a hedge. Among the people, cat earrings are used in a religious ceremony on Palm Sunday. Willow twigs are used to make furniture, baskets and other household items.
The most decorative form of the willow is the Tatar willow. This plant with a weeping crown is covered with white catkins during the flowering period.

Attention! If you are growing eared or brittle willow, consider– in the heat, provided that there is no reservoir next to the tree, it needs to be watered and sprayed frequently. White willow is more resistant to drought.

Armando's creeping willow is a standard variety, a low shrub with thin, flexible stems. The bush has a wide crown up to three meters in diameter, the height of the bush is no more than a meter. The foliage is dull, the upper part of the leaf is green, the lower is grayish, pubescent. It blooms with fluffy gray-pink catkins. Willow is resistant to low temperatures, likes good lighting and moisture. This variety can also be grown indoors in a tub. On the site, it is used in the design of stone gardens, decorating slides, rockeries, reservoirs.

The rod-shaped willow, or hemp willow, inhabits most of Russia and the Baltic states. She loves river banks, forests and forest-steppe. This is a tall shrub up to eight meters, with a spreading crown, long shoots-twigs, covered with pile, as it grows, the pile disappears. The leaves are long and narrow with a curved edge, the bottom plate with a pile. The willow got its second name for the shape and arrangement of the leaves: they look like hemp leaves. The willow blooms before the leaves bloom, it has long earrings (6 cm) in the shape of a cylinder, blooms for only two weeks.
This type of willow is well suited for weaving baskets, hedges. The bush grows quickly, tolerates frost well, is not picky about the soil and conditions.

This willow species is unusual due to the red color of the stems. It is a shrub with a ball-shaped crown, thin and long shoots and silvery-green leaves. The bush grows up to five meters in height, the crown is also about five meters in diameter. The purple willow blooms in May, the flowers have a purple hue.

• Variety Mayak. An ornamental shrub with pink branches, resistant to low temperatures. Prefers lighted areas and moderate humidity. The height of the bush is three meters, and the diameter of the spherical crown is the same.
• Variety Nana. A shrub that grows no more than one and a half meters, lushly blooming, not capricious to the soil and growing conditions. Resistant to frost. But from strong wind need to be covered. The bush has a rounded crown and brownish shoots, blooms with greenish flowers.
• Pendula. Shrub no more than three meters high, lush crown, weeping, green foliage with a blue tint, purple flowers. Frost-resistant, moisture-loving, light-loving, drought may not tolerate. Looks good and grows near water bodies.

Rosemary willow is also called Siberian willow, netala and nicelosis. This is a meter-long shrub with a voluminous crown, purple shoots. The bush has fluffy leaves, dark green above and gray below. The willow blooms with yellow or red catkins in May; the catkins have a delicate aroma. The variety is frost-resistant and unpretentious to grow, grows slowly, on any soil.