Willow & Poplar
Natural plant breeding techniques have produced our hybrid Willow and Poplar trees. The result has led to the propagation of our selection of very vigorous clones that will grow approximately two meters per year - 6 to 8 feet. They are very hardy and will cope with the poorest of soils and very exposed sites, making them suitable for screens, hedges, windbreaks, fuel, game cover, logs, timber, and 'nurse trees' around slower-growing species. They are also very effective for rapidly improving new and developing golf courses and general landscaping.
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Hybrid Willow
Listed here are the varieties of willow we sell as our hybridised, fast-growing willow. These have been carefully selected to produce plants that are great candidates for windbreaks, screens, hedges (both woven & unwoven), coppice fuel, logs, biomass supply, riverbank stabilisation, woodland regeneration, game cover, and to encourage wildlife.
They support a wide range of insect species (second only to Oak) and are attractive to birds and other wildlife. Willow is very early to flower and is an excellent boost to bees at the start of the year.
When you place an order for Hybrid Willow, one of the following varieties will be selected based on suitability for the time of purchase (i.e. point in the season) and planting location. If you have a particular preference or are trying to match something you already have, please let us know at the time of your order.
Willow Variety Name | Parentage |
|---|---|
Bowhayes Hybrid “A” | Salix. viminalis |
Bowhayes Hybrd “C” | S. viminalis |
Stott | S. viminalis x S. burjatica |
Tora | S. viminals x S. schwerinnii |
Bebbiana | S. bebbiana |
Spiretti | S. spaethii |
Q83 | S. triandra x S. viminalis |
Coloured / Common Willow
In addition to the hybrid willow, we also stock a range of coloured and more decorative willow, including the following. These can be found in the Native Trees section of the website.
Common Name | Latin Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
Violet Willow | Salix daphnoides | A hardy tree with purple young stems and narrow, toothed dark green leaves. Produces silky grey catkins in late winter and early spring, with the leaves. Max height 8m. Max spread 6m. Flowers March to May. Likes full sun. |
Grey Willow | Salix cinerea | Very similar to Goat Willow, also known as Common Sallow. An ideal plant for reclamation work due to its ability to tolerate tough conditions. It has oval, not narrow leaves and has silky grey female flowers. The grey-brown bark can develop diamond shaped fissures with age. Max Height 10m. Max Spread 4m. Flowers March. Full sun. Hardy. |
Goat Willow | Salix caprea | Also known as Pussy Willow or Great Sallow. A British native tree with yellow or silver catkins in spring, before the oval leaves appear. Glossy oblate green leaves. Max height 10m. Max spread 4m. Flowers March to May. Best in full sun. |
White Willow | Salix alba | Fast-growing colourful shrub with slender glossy green leaves and reddish, purple stems. |
Purple Willow | Salix purpurea | Fast-growing colourful shrub with slender glossy green leaves and reddish, purple stems. |
Golden Willow | Salix alba vitellina | Bright, deep yellow stems with slender mid green leaves and yellowish catkins in early spring. Grown best as a bushy multi-stemmed shrub. |
Red Willow | Salix alba britzensis | A spreading tree which provides great winter colour with its bright orange-scarlet stems. Produces yellow-green catkins in spring. Can grow to 25m or be coppiced to remain a bushy multi-stemmed shrub. |
Hybrid Poplar
Our Hybrid Poplars will produce large handsome trees with stout trunks. They make excellent high screens and windbreaks. They are also used to lift game birds and for timber. They can also be coppiced like willows and will regenerate when cut.
Poplar is the fastest growing hardwood in the UK and is in demand for furniture, interior joinery, floorboard and pallet making.
When you place an order for Hybrid Poplar, we will select one of the following varieties based upon suitability for the time of purchase (i.e. point in the season) and planting location. If you have a particular preference or are trying to match something that you have been previously supplied with, please let us know at the time of your order.
Poplar Variety Name | Parentage |
|---|---|
Scott | P. trichocarpa |
Columbia River | P. trichocarpa |
Fritzi Pauley | P. trichocarpa |
Ghoy | P. deltoides x P. nigra |
Gaver | P. deltoides x P. nigra |
Beaupre | P. trichocarpa x P. deltoides |
Trichobel (Californian Poplar) | Populus trichocarpa |
Common Poplar
In addition to the hybrid poplar, we also stock a range of common poplar, including the following. These can be found in the Native Trees section of the website.
Common Name | Latin name | Description |
|---|---|---|
Variegated Poplar | Populus candicans ‘Aurora’ | A clone of the Balsam Poplar, this poplar has attractive variegated leaves that are marbled and tinged pink in Summer. Can reach 20m with a narrow cylindrical head. |
Lombardy Poplar | Populus nigra ‘Italica’ | A vigorous, narrow columnar tree that makes a striking appearance on the landscape. Its glossy dark green leaves, turn yellow in autumn. Part of the cottonwood species of poplar, the male catkins are the more ornamental, female ones can be a nuisance from the cottony, wind-blown seeds. Max height 30m but with a max spread of 5m. |
Grey Poplar | Populus x canescens | A striking tree with glossy dark green leaves, woolly grey beneath.Medium-sized deciduous tree, grows up to 30 m, with a broad rounded crown. The bark is smooth and greenish-white to greyish-white with characteristic diamond-shaped dark marks on young trees, becoming blackish and fissured at the base of old trees.
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White Poplar | Populus alba | A spreading tree with dark green leaves, white beneath, turning yellow in autumn. Good in coastal areas. Max height up to 20m. Pale grey bark with white twigs. |
Black Poplar | Populus nigra | A species of cottonwood poplars, mature trees can grow up to 30m and live for 200 years. The bark is dark brown but can appear black. Leaves are heart shaped, shiny and green. Grows best in wet, almost boggy conditions. |
