Salix babylonica

RHS Plant Profile

weeping willow

Other common names

Babylon weeping willow

Shrubs

Buy this from Plant Nurseries
8 Suppliers

A deciduous tree, to 12m high and wide, with a spreading crown of weeping branches. Leaves are long, narrow and finely toothed, green with blue-grey undersides. Slender catkins are produced alongside the new leaves in spring

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

8-12 metres

Max Spread

wider than 8 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 20–50 years
Max Spread: wider than 8 metres
Max Height: 8-12 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H6

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Salicaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Pendulous weeping
Genus: Salix are deciduous shrubs and trees of diverse habit, with simple leaves and tiny flowers in catkins, male and female usually on separate plants. Some are valued for their brightly coloured winter shoots, others for their foliage or showy male catkins
Name Status: Correct

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in any deep, moist soil in full sun. Avoid shallow chalk soil. Branches can be brittle and susceptible to wind damage

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in early summer or hardwood cuttings in winter

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural
Wildlife gardens

Pruning

Pruning group 1

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, caterpillars, willow leaf beetle, sawflies and willow scale insects

Diseases

May be susceptible to willow anthracnose, honey fungus and rust diseases