The willow belongs to the plant genus Salix. While their synonyms "Chinese willow" or "Babylonian weeping willow" refer to the same tree, what many people don't know is that the deciduous tree occurs in numerous species. If you were only familiar with the weeping willow, you can find out interesting facts about the different varieties here.
The Salix × sepulcralis can grow very tall
How are the different weeping willow species formed?
Crossing two different species of a plant is called a hybrid. The weeping willow (Salix babylonica) breeds with the following two willow species:
- Silver willow (Salix alba)
- and breakage willow (Salix fragilis)
From this arise in each case the pasture types with the Latin name
- Salix x pendulina Wenderoth
- and Salix x sepulcralis Simonk
In addition, there are many other hybrids whose exact lineage is not yet fully known.
Perfectly customized
The weeping willow originally comes from Asia. Unfortunately, the real, imported trees are sensitive to frost. With the possibility of creating hybrids, breeders managed to create hardy specimens that can now be found all over Germany. Of course, it is also these breeds that are mainly offered in the trade.
Weeping willows for the small garden
If you want to plant a weeping willow in your own garden, you must plan enough space. Calculate with a diameter of around 20 meters, in which there should be no houses, fences or other trees. If this space is not available to you, you do not have to do without a weeping willow. Just grow the deciduous tree in a bucket, maybe even as a bonsai. A regular cut is actually all you need to consider when it comes to grooming. However, since the weeping willow is very tolerant of pruning, frequent radical pruning does not pose any problems. In this form, you can keep the weeping willow yourself on the balcony.