Shrub of the Month - March 2009
Tagged as: shrubs, Shrub of the Month
Pussy Willow
(Salix discolor )
March’s Shrub of the Month, the pussy willow, produces its distinctive silky pearl gray catkins in late winter, before its leaves emerge, giving rise to the Latin name "discolor," meaning "more than one color." The short-lived and fast-growing pussy willow might be a one-season wonder, but so many people enjoy the cheer it brings to a garden in late winter and early spring that it has become the best known, and possibly most beloved, of all willows. Park in Parking Lot 33 and walk across the Godshalk Meadow Bridge to find this shrub.
There are many legends explaining how the pussy willow got its name. In one, a sleepy cottontail rabbits awakens from a winter nap in a willow to find the snow has melted and he must jump to the ground. As he jumps, his furry tail catches on the branches, leaving him with only a stubby tail but giving the branches many fuzzy buds. In another, a cluster of willow shrubs rescue drowning kittens by dipping their branches in a river. From then on, fuzzy catkins appear each year at the spots where the kittens had clung.
Mature height: 8 to 27 feet tall and 4 to 12 feet wide
Rate of growth: Fast
Visit this shrub in all seasons to see its changing features!
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Pussy willow fuzzy catkins |
Pussy willow branch |
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