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West Sussex, United Kingdom Gb

Weeping "pussy palm" willow.
A few years ago I gave my cousin a dwarf one of these and it was beautiful for a few years but now the branches reach the ground and spread over the grass. She has been cutting them back about a foot or so each year but the tree no longer blooms, so she is thinking of getting rid of it. I think she is cutting off any potential bloom.
Do you think the answer would be to pollard it right back to the trunk, and if so,when?




Answers

 

If you mean the Kilmarnock willow, they always get too long over time, and its quite usual to cut back to leave clearance between the ends of the branches and the ground. This shouldn't affect flowering, especially if its done in late spring, when the tree finishes flowering anyway.

25 Aug, 2018

 

Thanks Bamboo. I think I will have to try some judicious pollarding now and kill or cure, because my cousin is practically waving an axe at it already! I'm going over tomorrow to try and persuade her to give it another chance!

27 Aug, 2018

 

Remember, when pruning, that the graft is usually at the top of the standard stem - cutting back beyond that means all you'll get it is growth off the rootstock, which you certainly don't want. Even hard cutting back to the graft will likely encourage rootstock growth, both off the standard stem and from below ground.

27 Aug, 2018

 

Thanks Bamboo, I'll be careful. If it doesn't work the poor thing will be for the chop anyway, I fear.

31 Aug, 2018

How do I say thanks?

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