Prairie Willow

Hardy natives with touchably soft fuzzy spring catkins, the Prairie Willow Tree (Salix humilis) provides some of the greatest benefits to wildlife offered by any plant! Graceful and fluffy, these upright shrubby trees are not like their tall, weeping cousins, and go against the family grain by tolerating drier sites instead of wetland ones!

The male trees form tiny white, fuzzy bottlebrushes, and bees use the nectar to produce quality honey! Female trees form long catkins with fluffy seeds that birds use to line nests or eat. Wide oval-shaped vibrant green foliage has a slight ripple to the edge and fills out these compact, spreading plants. Prune into a multi-stemmed tree form to elevate it to front garden status.

Turning briefly yellow in fall, Willow is one of the last to lose its leaves before winter. Grow it in a mulched area to enjoy zero fall cleanup! Smaller sized, these are versatile, low-maintenance additions! Cold-hardy smaller plants throughout USDA hardiness zones 4 to 6, these plants grow no more than 5-10 feet in height and 4-8 feet wide.

Planting and Application:

Prairie Willows thrive in open prairies, along roadsides, and disturbed sandy soil. These are great back-of-the-border property divisions, hedgerows, and screening! These sun-loving trees and shrubs thrive as an understory that attracts birds and insects to your wildlife landscape. You can prune these large shrubs into small into a multi-stemmed tree form to elevate it to front garden status and create a fluffy upright accent!

Fast-growing and fluffy rather than weeping and elegant, Prairie Willow is perfectly happy being garden structure and xeric workhorses instead of standing in the spotlight. Feeding birds and their chicks, the dense form are ideal shelter for nesting and roosting! Plant in hedgerows and windbreaks, foraging for food in these vital wildlife thickets.

• Soft Green Foliage & Fine Texture
• Shrubby Fluffy Upright Form
• Fuzzy Spring Catkins On Male & Female Plants
• Bird & Pollinator Friendly Shrubs
• Xeric & Harsh Conditions, Hedges & Screening

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Willows do great in full sun and partial sun, and Prairie Willows handle poor conditions and drier sites, these are tough species in any average well-drained soil. Water young trees regularly while establishing, but after, these deer-resistant trees are adaptable to very moist conditions and occasional drought. Prune in late winter to remove crossing and damaged limbs and mulch the root zone to hold in moisture and insulate the roots.

• Full Sun to Partial Sun
• Tolerates Dry Sandy Soil & Occasional Drought
• Prune for a Formal Effect, Cut to Ground or Into a Tree Form
• Xeric & Great Erosion Control
• Fast-Growing Shrubby Deciduous Natives

The hardy native Prairie Willow adds adaptability and habitat to your landscape in one fantastic package! Order your landscape workhorses from NatureHills.com today before they're gone!