[wipednwired]

Hi All,

Just moved into a new place in the Dublin city centre, and there is a large willow in the back garden. I would be inclined to call it a 'tree with pussy willows' because of its size, but perhaps it's just a very overgrown bush. It does not appear to be weeping.

I am new to Ireland, and am just learning about native species, so forgive me if any of this is obvious. I am looking for help with two things:

1. Identifying which species I have; and
2. How aggressively I can prune this tree.

I've pruned all of the dead wood, cross-over branches, as well as the branches that hung over into the laneway, but now I want to cut it back in size. During the past month's winds, it seemed like it might topple over from being so top-heavy.

My impulse is to prune it just *below* the clump of shoots coming out of where I *think* the last pruning took place (I;ve drawn a red line on the pic). But is this too much? It would mean taking about 2/5th of the tree's height away. The tree is about 20-25 feet tall right now, but I think it's been neglected. I am posting pics in the hopes that they will help with identification.

Thanks for any advice!

[phelim_d]

looks like a goats willow to me... there are many (many) types of willow in ireland and i suspect they vary slightly only from region to region...

willow are very hardy and will take a good cutting back- below what you recommended anyhow... I've heard of people using their branches as stakes and the stakes taking root and growing into trees...

chop chop!