How to properly plant and care for globular willow. Planting globular and weeping willow, caring for them Planting globular willow

When hearing the word “willow”, many people have a picture of a tree with long thin branches bending towards the water itself. In fact, there are many representatives of the willow family that have a completely different appearance. One of them is brittle willow, called among people broom, and in Latin Salix fragilis, that is, brittle spherical. This tree is remarkable in that it has adapted to reproduce itself, and not by seeds, as thousands of plants do, but by whole branches. In general, brittle willow has many interesting and useful features for humans, thanks to which this tree enjoys love and popularity.

Brittle willow, description of the species

The plant in question has a green, very thick and lush crown, which in natural conditions quite often takes on a chic tent-like appearance. Only very old brittle willows look somewhat disheveled.
They live up to 50 years (according to some sources up to 80), growing during this time by 20 meters in height and 15 in diameter. The bark of these willows is all cracked, its color is gray-brown. Sometimes you can see brittle willow growing with three or more trunks emerging from almost one point. The photo captured one of these phenomena.

The branches of the brittle willow are not weeping, but straight, only slightly drooping, smooth, without growths or pubescence. Their color can be light brown with yellow or olive. The leaves are oblong, narrow, pointed at the ends, up to 10 cm long and up to 2 cm wide. They are smooth and dense to the touch, only the young leaves are a little more tender and slightly sticky. Their color remains green well into autumn. Yellowing during leaf fall is only partially observed. Brittle willow blooms in April, less often in May. Earring flowers are thrown out almost simultaneously with the foliage. The color of the earrings is greenish with yellow due to the numerous stamens. They may not look very charming, but they are very popular with bees.

Reproduction

Brittle willow, as mentioned above, reproduces itself with whole branches. The wind helps her in this, easily breaking off shoots that have reached 4 years of age at the base. Having fallen on damp ground, they quickly take root and give birth to new trees. In nature, where willows are left to their own devices, you can often observe entire impenetrable thickets of these plants. The brittle willow got its name because its branches break off easily. This is beneficial for gardeners, since brittle willow is extremely easy to grow in garden plots. Propagating it by cuttings does not cause any trouble at all. They take a branch, place it in moist soil in the place where they want to see a willow, and after a couple of weeks it takes root. Brittle willow grows very quickly. By the age of three, its height reaches 3-4 meters, and the crown grows in width by 2.5 meters. By the age of five, it stretches up to 10 meters. The crown of brittle willow at this age without pruning can spread up to 5-8 meters in width. This species is not propagated in other ways, as there is no point.

Choosing a landing site

In order for brittle willow to grow well and not get sick, it is advisable to plant it in places where a source of water is close. It also grows in wetlands, and in the spring it survives floods without problems. Willow loves light, so it is better to choose a planting site in the sun or partial shade. Any soil is suitable for this tree. These can be sandstones, loams, fertile black soil, gravelly. Only when planting brittle willow on heavy clays, you need to lighten them a little with a 30 cm thick layer of sand. It is advisable to maintain the soil pH not lower than 5 and not higher than 7.5. When planting a willow, you don’t have to worry if its root collar is buried in the ground. The main thing that needs to be provided to the young seedling is abundant watering. It should be noted that the older the willow, the worse it tolerates transplantation. It is better not to disturb trees older than three years at all by digging them out of the ground and moving them to a new place.

Care

The brittle willow tree is very easy to grow. Caring for it is no more difficult than reproduction. The main thing this plant needs at any age is moisture, which is why they try to plant willows closer to water. If it grows there, it cannot provide itself with moisture; it needs to be watered frequently and abundantly, and on very hot days, add a water shower for the crown. Mulching helps to retain moisture well. Willows are rarely fertilized, and only if there is no good growth of shoots. Over the course of a year, they should stretch by about half a meter. If less, the tree can be fed with nitroammophoska. Loosening of the soil near the trunk is also not carried out. Only around young seedlings in the spring can you slightly dig up the ground to a depth of about half a shovel. The process of caring for willow also includes spring pruning of dry, diseased and damaged shoots. To give the tree a beautiful appearance, you can trim the crown regularly. Willows tolerate this operation easily. It is advisable to tie young trees to a stake. This will give them stability in the wind. In harsh winters, one- or two-year-old willows are insulated by tying the trunk at the bottom with straw or rags.

Diseases and pests

Perhaps the only problem that brittle willow can present to gardeners is the abundance of insects feasting on its foliage. For many of them this plant is a food source. On willow you can find up to two dozen pests, for example, poplar hawk moth, willow moth, wood borers, and a large army of hymenoptera and coleoptera. They get rid of them using insecticides.

In addition to pests that are visible to the naked eye, willows suffer from microscopic living creatures - various fungi. Some of them affect the leaves, others the bark, trunk, and branches. The latter are the most dangerous, since they penetrate into the internal system of the tree and are almost impossible to remove from there. Such fungal diseases manifest themselves as necrosis of branches and bark. Sometimes tubercles with dark tops form on it, and sometimes in the spring you can notice frozen droplets of yellow or red color on the branches. The cause of the disease can be mechanical damage to the cortex. Prevention is autumn and spring treatment with antifungal drugs.

Fungal diseases of leaves include white powdery mildew, rust, and various types of spots. It is easier to deal with them; you just need to spray the tree with appropriate preparations. It should be said that fungal diseases can appear not only on willow, but also on any other tree.

Using willow in landscape design

Brittle willow is not yet often used by designers. The size of the tree, as well as its rapid growth, make it difficult to plant willow in group compositions. She is more suited to the role of a landmark on wide, well-lit lawns. It is also used to decorate natural and artificial reservoirs. They are happy to plant brittle willows where summer cafes are installed. Under the canopy of the thick openwork crown of these trees there will always be shade and coolness. For the same purpose, brittle willows are planted in parks to create shady alleys. Willow is considered an excellent honey plant. Thanks to this, it is successfully planted around apiaries to obtain early honey harvests.

Other uses of willow

This beautiful tree is actively used in construction. The main criteria for this are durable wood and rapid growth of wood mass. Brittle willow is also used for making handicrafts. But it is not particularly suitable for the production of wickerwork due to the fragility of its branches. Brittle willow is highly valued in folk medicine. From its bark and leaves, preparations are prepared for the treatment of rheumatism, osteochondrosis, whooping cough, fever, stomatitis, gastric and uterine bleeding, as an anthelmintic, diuretic, choleretic, and antimalarial. All this is due to the content of tannins, flavonoids, salicin and other useful substances in the bark and leaves.

Varietal diversity

Breeders have long been interested in brittle willow. The varieties of this species do not have much variety, but there are many forms. Hybridization under natural conditions occurs if other species, especially white willow, grow near brittle willow. Scientists also study hybrids. The works of Sverdlovsk breeders are especially famous. The varieties of brittle willow can be called the following:

Salix fragilis f. Bullata (bubbly). This is a tree with dark foliage. When new shoots form, swellings similar to bubbles appear on the branches.

Salix fragilis f. Decipiens. Trees with bark of branches of red-brown color.

Salix fragilis f. Roxensis. The bark of the branches is pale yellow.

Salix fragilis f. Latifolia. This species has particularly large leaves, up to 15 cm long and up to 2.5 cm wide.

Living willow weaving

The rapid growth of brittle willow and the ease of cultivation gave impetus to the development of an unusual art - the creation of various structures from living trees. These can be fences, tents, arches, gazebos, canopies, whatever your imagination dictates. They look incredibly impressive. These designs are made like this. Willow twigs are planted at a certain distance from each other and, as they grow, they are woven or tied with wire or braid into cells. Excess side shoots are removed, forcing the trunk to stretch in the desired direction. Over time, after the first cell, the next ones are made. The result is quite beautiful living structures.

Since ancient times, willow has gained fame as a universal and decorative tree. The variety of forms and types includes about six hundred names, and this allows this plant to be used in many types of landscape design: from growing a hedge or arch to creating unusual shapes using pruning.The relevance of our research lies in the fact that few trees and shrubs are planted on our school plot, because planting material for trees and shrubs is much more expensive than annual seeds, adult plants take root poorly, and seed propagation of trees is a rather slow process.Vegetative propagation is more effective than seed propagation. Shrubs and trees can be propagated vegetatively by layering, dividing the bush, grafting, or cuttings. We chose cuttings because this propagation method is best suited for use in our school environment.Practical significance: the results of the experiments can be used in landscaping the school site. By working on this topic, we will broaden our horizons.

Subject Our research is cuttings as one of the simplest ways to grow trees.

An object research: cuttings of globular willow.

Target our work: to plant and grow globular willow.

Tasks:

Find and analyze literature on the tree planting process.

Conduct experiments that prove the possibility of growing trees without special and professional help.

Summarize the results obtained and draw conclusions.

Hypothesis our research: as a result of experiments, we will prove that trees can be grown by cuttings without professional help.

Research methods: empirical, observations, experiment.

Stages of work on the study

Preparatory stage.

Studying literature on growing plants.

Preparing the soil for planting cuttings.

Preparation of willow cuttings.

Main stage.

Rooting willow cuttings.

Pre-planting cuttings in soft soil.

Observation and care (watering, measuring and comparison).

Planting willow in open ground in a permanent place.

Summing up, conclusions.

Observation of plants.

Solving a problem situation: “Can we grow a tree from its cuttings in the classroom on our own?”

Chapter 1. Willow globulus

“The garden is an attempt to create an ideal world

relationship between man and nature.

Therefore, the garden seems...

heaven on earth, Eden"

(D. S. Likhachev “Poetry of Gardens”)

From the lessons of the surrounding world, visiting the library, asking our mothers and teachers, we learned that the willow genus includes almost 600 species of plants. In this case, these can be both trees and shrubs. Most members of the willow genus grow in the cool part of the northern hemisphere, in Eurasia and North America. The closer to cold regions, the smaller the size of plants that have mastered the climate. The smallest representatives of the species are found in the northern regions, and they are so small that their height does not exceed the height of moss.

In most species, the shoots are flexible and thin, the leaves are narrow and long, pointed both on the outer edge and at the petiole. Willow blooms in the spring, before the first leaves appear; their small flowers are collected in earrings. Some species bloom after the leaves bloom. After flowering ends, a fruit is formed in the form of a capsule with seeds. Small, light seeds are carried by the wind over vast distances. In the open air they remain viable for a short time, but if they get into water they can wait for favorable conditions for several years.

Types of willows

Among the willows you can find tall trees, shrubs and creeping species. They all grow quickly and adapt well to their environment, and can be trimmed and shaped. Here are some types of willows from all this diversity:

Iwa Matsudana– a tall tree, up to 10-12 m, grows in its natural environment in Korea and China. More often, its decorative form is used for cultivation, which grows in the form of a bush, its branches are curved, the crown is highly decorative, openwork. For planting, a sunny, well-lit place is required.

Willow whole leaf- tall spreading shrub. The leaves are oblong, oval, the shoots are red or yellowish. The shape of the bush and its leaves resemble a fern. It blooms with dark red earrings, emitting a pleasant aroma. In nature it grows in damp meadows.

Willow or willow– a shrub or tree with strong growth force, grows in nature near a body of water, prefers sandy soil. The branches are thin, flexible, young shoots are red, with a waxy coating. The leaves are long, pointed, bluish on the underside. Unpretentious species, easily propagated by cuttings.

Brittle willow, or broom, differs from its relatives in the shape of leaf branches. Its shoots are fragile, olive-green, the leaves are elongated, pointed, with a serrated edge, with a blue tint on the underside. The crown of its natural appearance is round, asymmetrical, openwork. As a decorative species, the spherical shape of the willow variety Bullata is used, which has a thick, even, rounded shape. It was the cuttings of willow of this variety that we used in our experience and observations.

Babylonian willow- a tall tree with a luxurious weeping crown. It grows up to 15 m, the crown diameter reaches 9 m. It is successfully used in landscaping parks and reservoirs. The leaves are long, narrow, serrated, blooms after the leaves open.

Goat willow- the most common type in landscaping. This is a tree up to 10 m with a dense crown and wide oval leaves. Young leaves are pubescent; over time, the upper part becomes smooth. It blooms with large earrings, decorative forms are propagated by cuttings, and in nature – by seeds. (Appendix 2, table No. 1)

1.2 Description of willow globulus

Brittle globular willow (Salixfragolis)- This is a tree from four to seven meters high. The crown is spherical, widely spreading. The branches are brittle and bend, giving the crown a spherical shape. The bark is light, gray-brown with deep cracks. Its leaves are grayish-green in summer and turn yellowish in autumn. Unpretentious - any garden soil, sunny or partial shade is suitable. The best soils for growth are deep, clayey and moist; they do not tolerate waterlogged or excessively dry soils. Groundwater should be no closer than 2.5 m from the surface. Brittle willow grows quite quickly, it is resistant to frost and drought, and also tolerates dust, gas contamination and soil salinity. This willow suffers little from spring winds when its branches are brittle, but crosses with other willow species may be more wind-resistant.

It propagates well by cuttings and stakes, and in natural conditions it spreads itself thanks to the rooting of its branches, which are easily broken off by the wind. To maintain a rounded shape, it is necessary to regularly remove growth and trim. Brittle willow is a good honey plant. Sometimes it is planted around apiaries because it is an early honey plant. In landscape design, spherical willows play an important role. Such trees look great alone or in a group with other trees, such as spruce or birch.

The beautiful dome-shaped crown, thanks to which all spherical willows are named, gives the tree a sophisticated and unusual appearance. Such plants will fit perfectly into rock gardens and will help decorate the shore of a small pond. It is quite common to use willow to shade children's playgrounds or benches; it is often planted to form hedges. Due to the fact that willows can easily tolerate pruning, they are used to create unusual geometric shapes or figures. Its lifespan is up to 75 years.

Willow: interesting facts

Willow appeared on the earth quite early; imprints of its leaves are found in the deposits of the Cretaceous formation. In all ethnic cultures, willow is considered a “female” tree, a symbol of endless life and tenderness; according to Scandinavian mythology, the first woman was created from this tree. For the Slavs, the willow was a sacred tree, a symbol of rapid success. And only among the ancient Jewish people willow symbolizes sadness.

The globular willow not only has a beautiful decorative appearance, but is known for its many beneficial properties. In ancient times, a decoction of it was used to treat fever. Aspirin was obtained from the bark, without which it is impossible to imagine the life of modern man. The bark and flexible branches of the tree have been used for household needs since ancient times, and to this day wicker furniture is made from willow vines, and the wood is used as a building material. The willow is the first to bloom in the spring, so the branches with their blossoming buds are used on Palm Sunday.

Thanks to its beauty and unpretentiousness, willow will become an exquisite decoration of any park or garden and will delight you with its impeccable appearance all year round. In the spring, this plant will delight you with lush and beautiful flowering, and in the summer it will provide shade. In winter, the beauty of the shiny dark brown bark and the bizarre silhouette under the snow cap will not leave you indifferent. (Appendix 1, photo No. 7,8)

Chapter 2. Willow propagation

Wild species of willows reproduce by seeds; for cultural use by gardeners, the plant is most often propagated by cuttings or layering. A plant grown from a cutting retains all its varietal characteristics of the mother species.

Methods for rooting cuttings

From a cutting you can grow a very tall and large seedling within one year. To grow seedlings, you can use both lignified and green cuttings. However, lignified ones take root better.

The upper cut is made as close to the bud as possible, and the lower one 2.5-4 cm from the upper cut; there can, of course, be taller cuttings. There should not be more than one leaf on the cutting. If you leave more leaves on the cuttings, then there is a chance that the extra leaves in the water will dry out the cuttings, which can cause them to die.

First way: Rooting green cuttings under a jar. This method is simple and effective, and does not require special equipment, special care or time. In order for the cuttings to take root, the pot is filled with wet sand. Prepared cuttings are planted, but not one, but at least three in one pot, as a third of the cuttings usually die. The sand is compacted around the cuttings and covered with a jar on top.

Second way: Rooting lignified cuttings under a jar. The method is the same as the first method of rooting green cuttings. The only difference is that the cuttings are harvested during the winter dormancy period or in early spring.

Third way: Rooting lignified cuttings in water. This method involves rooting cuttings in a jar. In our opinion, it is the easiest to use, which we can do independently in the classroom and even at home, and it is this that we will use in our research work. In this method, root formation in cuttings without leaves occurs better in the dark. To do this, it is best to close the jar of water from direct sunlight. The cuttings can be left in the light.

Conducting the experiment

Before starting the experiment, we studied the biological characteristics of globular willow using literature and Internet resources, and learned that spring cuttings are more reasonable than autumn ones, since there is no need for winter storage of cuttings.

In early spring in March, we began harvesting willow cuttings from our school plot. We selected and cut suitable cuttings immediately before starting our rooting work, up to approximately 30 centimeters long and about 10 cuttings, because we did not know how many of them would give roots. There were at least 5 - 7 buds along the length of the cutting. We cut the upper cut straight, and the lower one “obliquely”, directly under the bud itself. (Appendix 1, photo No. 1)

After that, they were placed in a jar of water, knowing that the cuttings take root in the dark; we covered the jar from the sun and placed it in the shade. We changed the water once a week. (Appendix 1, photo No. 2)

After two weeks, the buds of our cuttings swelled. Then the first leaves appeared on them. And after a few more weeks, leaves bloomed on them. We regularly continued to change the water in the jar, and roots appeared on the cuttings. (Appendix 1, photos No. 3,4)

In order for the willow to begin to grow lateral branches, we shortened them a little. And then we planted the cuttings, which had roots, in a pot with pre-prepared soil about 1/3 of the length of the entire cutting. Water the soil daily to keep the soil constantly moist. (Appendix 1, photo No. 5)

Planting and caring for willow

At the end of May, we planted the plant that we grew from a cutting of the globular willow on the school plot. We planted the seedlings together with a lump of earth from a planting container; we dug a hole according to the size of the earthen lump. In order for our plants to take root well, we filled the planting hole a third with soil prepared in advance and only then placed the seedling in it. The seedling was filled in, the soil was compacted so that a pit was formed around the seedling to facilitate watering. 2 buckets of water were poured under each seedling. All summer we monitored the seedlings, watered them, loosened the soil, and weeded.

We planted globular willow seedlings behind the stage and near the benches of our school site, since willow is commonly used to shade children's playgrounds or benches. We hope that the trees we planted, when they grow up, will delight the eye with their greenery, and on hot summer days under them spreading crowns will provide shelter from the sun. (Appendix 1, photo No. 6)

Conclusion

When conducting our research on the propagation of globular willow by cuttings, we accomplished all the assigned tasks and goals, namely, in practice, we examined the cuttings of willow as its method of propagation.

In a classroom setting, we traced the entire mechanism of root formation of stem cuttings of globular willow and kept diaries of plant observations.

From a small twig you can grow an adult plant and a whole garden on your own, which will delight you with its beauty from spring to winter!

Due to its beauty and unusual appearance, globular willow is very popular in parks and gardens in our country. Even by planting only this decorative species, you can create very original compositions and entire gardens. Such trees lend themselves well to trimming; they are traditionally used in single or group plantings and as a tree.

Willow globular in landscape design

Some people strive to purchase only exotic ornamental plants for landscape design. And they completely forget about the simplest, unpretentious trees, which are in no way inferior in beauty to their southern brothers. These trees include brittle globular willow, which grows throughout Russia.

To decorate your site, just find this tree in the spring. Cut a couple of twigs from it and plant them in the ground. And next season you will have a spherical decorative masterpiece growing. For better clarity, we attach a photo of globular willow in the landscape design of a garden plot.

Brittle willow grows up to 15 - 20 m. Its branches with leaves are concentrated at the top of the crown and give the tree a very attractive appearance. It has large lanceolate leaves with finely serrated edges, the upper side is green and the lower side is bluish. In autumn, the foliage turns yellow-green. The flowering of the globe willow begins in May and coincides with the opening of the buds. The glossy shoots are olive in color and take root very well when planted.

The tree is unpretentious, frost-resistant and tolerates pruning well. This type of willow looks very picturesque in single and group plantings of 3 - 4 pieces. It also looks impressive in combination with birch and spruce trees in large areas.

Brittle willow has a variety called Willow Bulata globulus. The tree is of medium height, approximately 7 m, although sometimes it grows up to 15 m. And the width of its crown can reach 8 m. The crown of the tree is very thick, beautiful, regular spherical, sometimes dome-shaped. Elongated, pointed dark green leaves are concentrated at the top of the crown. The shoots are olive green in color.

Bulat is unpretentious and wind-resistant. It does not freeze even in severe frosts and can withstand up to -50 degrees.

The main advantage of this willow is that it is ideal for shaping. With the help of pruning, you can make any shape or height of the plant. Most often used to create compositions together with large, tall decorative trees. One or two willows or several of these trees look especially picturesque on the shore of a pond; they can also be used for hedges.

As a result of the work of the Ural breeder Shaburov, another decorative frost-resistant variety was bred - dwarf globular willow. This ball can reach up to 3 m in diameter, and with frequent pruning it becomes denser. Annual shoots are reddish in color. The leaves are small, 5 - 10 mm, with fine serrations along the edges and slight pubescence on both sides.

It is characterized by high winter hardiness, resistance to pests and infections, and tolerates pruning well. Excellent for forming hedges and gardens.

Features of planting globular willow

The globular willow is completely unpretentious in planting and care. But be sure to take into account the general recommendations.

The planting area must be completely open. The tree can grow in almost all types of soil, except dry sandy soil. But fertile clay soil with a lot of moisture is best suited for it.

It is advisable to plant in the spring (April-May), when the soil is still moist. Moreover, this time coincides with pruning, so cut branches can be used for propagation.

Ball willow is easily propagated by cuttings. Let's figure out what needs to be done for this.

1. In the spring, you need to select annual shoots on the tree, which are easily recognized by the presence of buds.
2. The shoots must be cut into cuttings of 20 - 30 cm, making sure to leave 5 - 7 buds at the top.
3. Then select the thickest cuttings and plant them in the ground at half their length.
4. The soil should be moist and in close contact with the cuttings, so after planting they are watered thoroughly.
5. After about a couple of weeks, the plant will take strong roots. All this time it needs good watering.

Shoots should be cut in early spring, before the buds open. Otherwise, rooting will be much worse or will not happen at all. While timely cut shoots take root well even without special stimulants.

Selected varieties, such as dwarf globular willow Shaburova, are immersed in the ground along with the substrate. In this case, the seedlings must be carefully removed from the containers and planted in a trench at a distance of 50 cm between the bushes.

It is advisable to root cuttings not in water, but immediately in the soil. Despite the fact that cuttings take root faster in a glass of water, problems may arise with them during planting in the ground. Often this simple procedure can lead to their death.

Ball willow care and pruning

For trees to grow well, they need proper care, watering and nutrition.

This plant loves moisture very much, so the first year after planting, globular willow needs abundant watering. And in the hot summer, an adult tree requires additional irrigation of the crown.

Every year, in early spring, the soil around young plants must be loosened and added. At the end of summer, it is advisable to fertilize the soil with superphosphate and potassium sulfate.

The globular willow in the landscape design of the site necessarily requires shaping. It is better not to trim the tree for the first years after planting. And when it reaches a height of 1 m, you need to start pruning.

What is this procedure? In early spring, young shoots should be pruned by 15-20 cm, and be sure to leave buds at the ends of the branches. The shoots must be cut at an angle so that water does not stagnate on the cut surface. It can cause wood to rot.

It is necessary to maintain the optimal distance between the cut and the nearest bud. If you cut close to a bud, there is a risk that it will dry out or freeze. If the distance is too great, a stump will form where infection can penetrate.

Some novice gardeners are afraid to trim shoots so as not to harm them. However, without pruning, the decorative species will not have a thick and beautiful crown.

Video about globose willow

Willow has long acquired the status of a decorative crop. Today, many gardeners and landscape designers use this mysterious tree in their garden landscaping. It is suitable for creating hedges, a wide variety of arches and silhouettes.

There are more than 500 varieties of this tree. In decorating parks and areas, a type of crop such as globular willow is more often used. It is distinguished by the shape of its crown, which is dome-shaped and consists of numerous branches covered with narrow and long leaves.

Description and nuances

The globular willow perfectly adapts to a variety of climatic conditions; it is suitable for growing in central Russia and is characterized by rapid growth. It also goes well with other trees, shrubs and flowering crops, so it will definitely find its place in the garden.

Depending on the variety, willow can have different heights. The tree can be dwarf in size, or can grow up to 20 meters in height! An exceptional feature of the globular willow is the dome-shaped shape of the crown. The leaves grow quite densely, so the crown of the tree becomes like a hat. In this case, the lower branches remain bare.

The culture grows in its natural environment in Russia, as well as in many regions of Eurasia, Australia and Africa.

The most popular varieties of globular willow:

The spherical willow is decorative throughout the year, so it has become a real find for landscape design. In winter, it acquires a yellowish color with a slight reddish tint, which effectively makes it stand out against the background of snow.

Willow leaves are green in color. Their upper surface is smooth and shiny. The lower surface is rough. In spring, the plant is covered with small, pretty flowers.

Features of planting globular willow

The peculiarity of the culture is that it prefers to grow in places with high groundwater levels. Therefore, gardeners often use shrubs to decorate areas where other plants cannot grow.

The culture prefers plenty of moisture. If planted on other soil, frequent watering is required to prevent the soil from drying out.

It is better to plant the crop in a sunny area, but partial shade is also suitable. However, willow grows much better in the sun. Since the leaves are quite firmly attached to the shoots, globe willow can be planted in areas exposed to strong gusts of wind.

Please note the following:

Seedlings of the crop can be purchased at a specialized store or at a nursery. If the seedling was purchased in a peat pot, then planting must be done directly with it.

If you are planting an alley of willows, then you need to dig a trench, the width and depth of which should be about 40 cm.

Rules of care

Caring for globular willow is simple. Even a beginner can cope with growing this wonderful crop.

The most important rule of care is regular watering. It is recommended to water the spherical beauty in the morning or evening. Evening watering is most preferable. For irrigation you will need about 11 liters of water.

It is recommended that adult specimens be sprayed regularly, but this should not be done in direct sunlight.

If the soil is nutritious, then fertilizing is not necessary. Otherwise, it is recommended to apply soluble fertilizers several times a season. It is very important to fertilize the planting hole when planting the plant.

If you planted globular willow in a low-lying area where the groundwater level is too high, then summer watering can be omitted. This will make caring for the crop easier.

To prevent pests, it is recommended to periodically (once a week or a little less often) spray willow leaves with insecticidal preparations. Disease prevention is also equally important: it is recommended to collect fallen leaves and regularly loosen the soil around the trunk.

Signs of pests:

• the appearance of thin films between the branches;
• on the lower branches there are accumulations of small insects;
• the presence of small spots on the leaves. They can be black, brown or bluish in color;
• drooping branches;
• presence of damage to the trunk bark.

In the spring, when the buds have not yet bloomed, it is recommended to prune. The globular willow tolerates this procedure well. The result of pruning is a denser and more lush crown.

If there are no restrictions on the height and shape of the crown, then the pruning procedure is optional. In this case, it is enough just to remove the damaged shoots.

If the willow is dwarf or standard, then pruning is required. Moreover, you can trim off the entire crown. Ball willow is excellent at growing new shoots.

When growing a spherical variety of crop, a number of rules must be followed:

1. Water the tree regularly and abundantly.
2. Spray the crown periodically.
3. Protect the crop from pests and diseases by carrying out preventive measures.
4. Treat the crop against pests in a timely manner using insecticidal preparations.
5. Carry out sanitary and anti-aging pruning.

There is no need to cover the globular willow for the winter. This plant variety is highly resistant to frost.

However, it is advisable to cover young, newly planted trees with dry leaves for the winter.

Culture propagates:

• seeds;
• cuttings.

The second method is the most preferable, since the seeds complete their ripening in inflorescences. They easily fall off at the slightest breath of wind, without having time to fully ripen. Even if you collect fully ripe seeds, there is little chance of seeing the first shoots, since their suitability remains only during the first days.

The culture fits perfectly into the garden design. Willow is especially good for decorating artificial and natural reservoirs. The plant is also suitable for creating hedges. In this case, regular pruning of the crown is necessary to maintain the beauty of the hedge.

Ball willow is good in both single and group plantings.

Spherical willow is a spectacular crop for decorating garden plots, park areas, and city alleys. It fits perfectly into any garden design. This sets it apart from most others. Willow is a frost-resistant, easy-to-grow crop. The most important rule is regular watering.

In contact with

As a rule, the willow is, its height on average reaches 10-15 m, with the exception of giants 35-40 m and dwarf creeping species only a few centimeters in height.

Baskets and furniture are woven from willow vines and used in children's art classes. In landscape design, willow is used to decorate a pond, in group and single plantings, near a gazebo or playground, so that the large crown forms a good shadow; by propagating willow, you can create a beautiful hedge of shrub species (purple, Caspian) or plant it simply to strengthen the slope. Fallen healthy leaves can improve the composition of the soil.

Among the most popular, we can distinguish silver willow with a height of 10-12 m, weeping willow - 5-7 m, spherical - up to 7 m, Ural twisted - up to 3.5 m, Hakuro-Nishiki 1-1.5 m, purple - 2-2, 5 m.

Willow is planted and propagated by cuttings taken from annual shoots (this is the easiest way), since the germination rate of seeds is not high.

Planting a cutting

In spring, cut cuttings 3-5 cm in length in the part closest to the trunk. Plant the cuttings in a box with sand so that no more than 1 cm is visible on the surface. Moisten, cover with transparent glass or film and place for rooting in a warm place (+20°C) for 3-4 weeks. Moisten and ventilate the plantings during this period. Next, transplant the cuttings into peat-humus pots for 1.5 months.

Transplanting a willow cutting to a permanent place

Willow cuttings can be transplanted to a permanent location at any time before October; they will easily tolerate this procedure.

Dig a hole 50x50 cm deep and wide, mix the soil with rotted compost and peat in equal quantities and fill the hole 2/3 full with the resulting soil. Willow prefers light loams. Plant the cutting without removing it from the pot if it is peat-humus and with an earthen lump if it is a plastic cup. Fill with soil and water. Now, throughout the year, the willow needs to be watered at the rate of 20 liters of water per plant once every 10-14 days. During drought, you can do it more often. If you plant a willow near a pond, well or spring, this problem will be partially solved.

To create a hedge along a garden path, plant willow trees on both sides, keeping a distance between planting holes of 1.5-2 m, and at a height of 2.5-3 m, intertwine the branches with each other, thus making a living tunnel or just an arch .

Care

Willow is a drought-resistant tree, so it needs to be watered sparingly. As a top dressing, use organic matter together with complex mineral fertilizer when digging the trunk circle. For one plant, a bucket of organic fertilizer and 30-40 g of mineral fertilizer. This type of feeding is enough once in spring or autumn.

You can begin to form a willow from the age of 3-4 years, when the tree has already grown the ground part. There is no point in giving up pruning altogether, as the plant runs wild and the branches become sparse. All shoots are pruned in the spring by an average of 20-30 cm, then the crown becomes denser and takes on a beautiful shape.

Often during the rainy season, willow will show spots on the foliage; this can be corrected by spraying with Oxychom or HOM.

For the winter (October-November), wild shoots are removed and covered.

Willow propagation

The easiest way to propagate willow is from cuttings, and it is best to do this in the spring so that you don’t have to think about storing the cuttings. This is a plant about which they say “Stick a branch and it will take root,” the main thing is that it is about 30 cm long with 5-7 buds. Make the lower cut obliquely, under the bud and deepen it by 1/3.

If there is somewhere to store the cuttings, then the shoots can be harvested in the fall, after the leaves fall. In the spring, cut the cuttings, treat them in a growth stimulator and plant, leaving 2 buds above the soil surface. Five-stamen and ash willow respond poorly to cuttings.

Willow can be propagated by seeds, which ripen a month after flowering and remain viable for just a few days, which is not entirely convenient and rational.