Eared willow

Eared willow: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, densely branched shrub of 1–3 m and about 2 m across.

Leaf

Alternate, 2–5 cm, obovate with a short, twisted tip and a wavy edge; upper side dull and strongly wrinkled, underside grey-hairy. At the base, large, kidney-shaped stipules that stay on for a long time.

Twigs

Thin, reddish-brown twigs that become hairless and spread widely; under the bark of two- or three-year-old twigs the wood has distinct lengthwise ridges.

Flower

Small catkins in April, before the leaves; male and female on separate shrubs.

Fruit

Fluffy seeds in May–June.

Difference from grey willow and goat willow

Grey willow has larger, less wrinkled leaves and felted twigs, and grows much bigger; goat willow is a small tree with larger, broadly oval leaves and twigs without ridges under the bark.

Flowering: April–May · Pruning: April–May

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Grey willow Salix cinerea: larger, less wrinkled leaves and felted twigs; grows much bigger. Difference from grey willow
• Goat willow Salix caprea: a small tree with larger, broadly oval leaves and twigs without ridges under the bark. Difference from goat willow

Why grow it?

• A willow that stays small: 1–3 m, even for an ordinary garden.
• Early catkins in April for bees and bumblebees.
• Food plant for dozens of kinds of caterpillar, and therefore food for birds.
• Grows where little else will: wet, acid, poor soil.

Eared willow: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade.
• Wet to moist, acid, poor soil: sand or peat, beside a pond, heathland pool or ditch. It does not like chalky soil.
• Allow 1–3 m height and about 2 m width: a spot in a heather garden, a damp hedgerow or at the edge of a pond.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Acid soil

Moisture

Moist to wet

Size

2 m tall, 2 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Bog-myrtle: A low, fragrant shrub of the same wet, acid heath.
• Cross-leaved heath: Pink bells in summer on wet, acid soil, at the foot of the willow.
• Alder buckthorn: A native shrub for wet ground, with flowers into autumn for bees and berries for birds.
• Downy birch: A light, airy tree of wet, acid soil that gives the willow some dappled shade.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Suits the woodland edge or the light shade of: english oak, sessile oak, pin oak, turkey oak
• Like acid soil, just like this plant: heather, rhododendron, japanese skimmia, raspberry, highbush blueberry, witch hazel, broom, gorse

Eared willow: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March, when the ground is not frozen.
2. Buy it from a nursery that sells native planting stock, and never dig up a shrub from the wild.
3. Don’t enrich the planting hole: on rich soil it loses its compact shape and other plants crowd it out.
4. Water after planting if the soil is dry; in a wet spot it won’t need watering after that.

Care

Watering

Never needed on wet ground; in a drier spot, during dry spells in the first year.

Feeding

Never: it belongs on poor soil.

Coppicing

If it gets too big, cut it back low down every few years after flowering; it will regrow.

Catkins

Leave the catkin-bearing twigs for the bees; pick a few for a vase at most.

Tip: Got a wet, acid corner where nothing will grow? Turn it into a patch of wet heath with eared willow, bog-myrtle and cross-leaved heath: all three small, native and good for insects.

Eared willow: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April–May.

When: After flowering (April–May), so that bees can make use of the catkins.

How:

• Needs little pruning: remove dead wood and thin out congested parts.
• A shrub that has grown too big can be cut back low down every few years.

Caution: In spring, check first that no birds are nesting in the shrub.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

In winter, push 20–30 cm twigs deep into wet soil; some of them will root.

Sowing

The seed only stays viable for a short time: sow the fluff straight away in May–June on wet soil, without covering it.

Eared willow: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy.
• It tolerates wet feet and even standing in water for a while in winter.

Diseases and pests

• Willow rust: Yellow to orange pustules on the leaves in summer; unsightly rather than harmful.
• Willow leaf beetles: Small blue or green beetles and their larvae eat the leaves in summer. A healthy shrub easily grows through it.
• Drying out: In a spot that is too dry it struggles and drops its leaves early. Choose a wet spot, or water during dry spells.

Through the year

• March: Buds swell; last month for planting.
• April: Flowering: catkins for bees and bumblebees; then prune or coppice.
• May: Last month for pruning; fluffy seeds: sow straight away.
• June: Caterpillars on the leaves: food for young birds, leave them be.
• July: Willow rust and leaf beetles: usually no action needed.
• November: Planting season begins.
• December: Take cuttings and plant in mild weather.

What can you use it for?

For wildlife

Early catkins for bees and bumblebees; food plant for dozens of kinds of caterpillar.

Garden and landscape

Native shrub for a wet, acid spot: beside a pond, in a heather garden or a damp hedgerow.

Did you know?

• Eared willow and grey willow hybridise readily: on wet heaths and in bogs you find many intermediate forms.
• The name refers to the large, kidney-shaped stipules at the leaf base, the ‘ears’; the scientific name aurita also means ‘eared’.
• Its catkins are among the early pollen sources for bees on the heath.