[I love Trees!!!]

Hi,

I am eager to grow a weeping willow in my back garden, i wonder is is still too early to take cuttings? I know they are fairly easy to propagate, I just wonder how early can i take a cutting.

Any advice would be gratefully appreciated!

[Greengage]

go for it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRZM8a3J9j8

[medieval knievel]

just remember that kilmarnock willows are generally grafts - so a cutting from this will not grow into a tree which is the same shape as the one it came from.

[honeybunny]

this is very true, i took a few cuttings from mine a couple of years ago and none of them weep at all! do they have to reach a certain size before they start to hang down?

[Greengage]

If your looking for a weeping willow you need Salix babylonica
Salix caprea 'Kilmarnock' is a stiffly pendulous small tree.
The willow genus, Salix, contains hundreds of species found all over the world o This species Salix caprea is known as goat willow and named from the Latin for these animals. It is native to Europe and this weeping form is considered superior to the standard upright growing species. It first appeared in the middle 19th century and classified by British horticulturist, Thomas Lang.
The Kilmarnock willow was found growing wild in Scotland, where it formed an arching bush less than 3m (10ft) high and has since become popular in gardens as a trained or grafted standard. 'Kilmarnock' is a male form with silver catkins that appear sometimes as early as December, but in March develop golden tips as the anthers appear.

[tippben]

A weeping willow is a mutation. If you take a cutting and try to grow it, you'll end up with a more or less prostrate plant. This is why they are grafted onto a parent rootstock. Salix babylonica is the green form, and S. sepulchralis "Chrisocoma" is the yellow form, both grafted on to S. alba. They are seriously big trees. Cuttings can work where there is a natural fall in the land, and the plant reaches out for the light, such as on the banks of a river or lake, or a steep bank. As an ornamental garden plant, they are not so successful.

S. caprea "Kilmarnock" is grafted onto S. caprea, or sallow/sally/pussy willow, and is therefore a much less vigorous tree. The ultimate height of the tree depends on how high the graft point is: usually 4-6 feet, though I have seen them grafted at ten feet and used to construct a living willow arbour.

One thing to consider is that these plants are clones. Lack of genetic diversity results in them being prone to a kind of canker: it isn't terminal, but can look unsightly, and is best pruned out regularly, especially in the case of S. alba cultivars, as a large cankerous branch can be dangerous!

[Greengage]

Think your talking about Antracnose.
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=575
The above mentioned Salix x sepulchralis "Chrysocoma" is not grafted but a hybrid of Salix alba and Salix babylonica producing a fast growing pendulas tree it has been around since 1888 it is only in recent years that it has suffered from leaf cast and canker making it unpopular to grow. There are several disease resistant weeping willows Salix X pendulina (babylonica xfragilis) cultivers blanda and elegantissima often wrongly named as babylonica in the nursery trade the advantage of Elegantissima is its disease resistance but the disadvantage is its large size and moisture seeking roots..