Pussy Willow Blooms
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White or maybe soft pink pussy willow branches now in bloom. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
Pussy Willow Branches
Every once in awhile I come across articles and posts about cutting tree and shrub branches for home decor. The idea is enticing, especially mid-winter when I’m getting tired of the cold weather and starting to pine for spring. It certainly is an easy way to bring a piece of nature into a room.
This year, we’ve barely had winter in mid-Missouri. It has been more of an extended fall, short cold periods dotted with temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Which has me a little worried about what is happening to my plants, I have iris leaves up and fruit trees budding. But I’m still expecting cold weather, at least off and off over the next couple of months.
In between, I have been doing some work in the garden, primarily mulching. Some others have also been out in their gardens trimming bushes. In particular, pussy willow bushes, one of the plants I’ve had on my list to add to my garden. In addition to the charm and versatility of the unusual-looking plant, it also happens to be an excellent source of pollen for bees.
This is how I originally found the pussy willow branches, cut and discarded.
This is how they started, discarded pussy willow branches. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
I found a similar stash of cut pussy willow branches late November, now rooting in pots in my basement. Those gave me a delightful surprise, burgundy-colored flowers that reminded me of Magnolia blooms. They are now springing new leaves, which hopefully will become new plants later this year I can move out into my hillside garden.
The new pussy willow branches have been carefully cut. Some are in soil; another collection is in water in a vase in my kitchen. These are now starting to bloom and may be a different pussy willow variety. These latest ones have a lighter flower bud than the darker, burgundy ones that bloom before Christmas.
After four days in water, the pussy willows are starting to bloom. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
I love having the branches in water in my kitchen and office. What’s even more fun is walking in every morning to see something new popping out, in this case flowers.
White pussy willow blooms from cut branches blooming in my kitchen. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
Other cut winter tree branches that easily produce flowers in water inside include yellow Forsythia, Witch Hazel, Magnolia, Eastern Redbuds, Crab Apple, flowering Quince and flowering Cherry.
Charlotte
