Goat willow is an unpretentious plant resistant to high soil moisture. In order to achieve decorativeness, it is inoculated on a standard. Ive is very good in gardens near small ponds. Long and straight, like fabulous hair of a mermaid, its branches are in good harmony with both the plane of the water and the green of the lawn. The goat willow of a weeping, drooping form is not obtained from every shoot. For effective reproduction of this particular species, a long selection is needed.
Most trees look like an ordinary bush, although in this case, the goat willow looks good. It is suitable for an experienced gardener, because he will have to carry out not the simplest procedures for forming a crown.
Goat willow. What you need to know when buying this tree
Special pruning is necessary for this plant. If the gardener takes pity on the tree and does not want to prune its branches, then this can only result in spoiling the goat willow. Subsequently, the plant will not be able to function normally. In some ways, it looks like a thoroughbred animal that needs special care, such as a haircut, ear cropping and so on.
The goat willow, left to itself, will simply creep on the ground, it will not keep its shape. Recall the universal rules that will help you correctly prune your plant. Shrubs form after they bloom. Most often in early summer. The weeping shape of the willow can be cut in the winter. But then it will not happen to see the flowering. Form the crown using a secateurs as follows: cut off all new shoots, leaving no more than twenty centimeters. Make sure that the kidney remains at the end of the knot. The top of it should be directed up and to the side. This will give the crown a beautiful umbrella shape.
There is another method. If you pinch all the buds on the top of the shoots throughout the summer, this activates those that are on the sides of the branches. This also symmetrically forms the crown of the tree. Goat willow (kilmarnock) is not the only weeping plant that may require a secateurs. But the crowns of other trees need to be trimmed, albeit in the same way, but only at the beginning of spring, before flowering.
Goat willow (pendula). Reproduction and properties
The weeping form, as already mentioned, is propagated by grafting it on a stump. A small stump remains in the vaccination area. To this point, part of the plant is called a stock. And what's on top - graft. Activation of the stock and the appearance of shoots that are genetically a wild tree are possible. They need to be deleted. If the scion dies, then the tree, unfortunately, will not have any qualities of a plant grafted onto the stem. Such trees are called wild animals.
The height of the willow will depend on the level at which the weeping form was vaccinated. Willow leaves are very fond of goats. Because of this, she got her name. Animals prefer this plant, because it is very useful and has healing properties. Traditional medicine uses willow (a decoction of its bark) for hypertension and other problems with pressure, as well as for chronic gastrointestinal and nervous diseases.