Salix alba var. vitellina - White Willow

 Salix alba var. vitellina, commonly known as the yellow willow, golden willow or goat willow, is part of our landscapes and culture. It has been cultivated along watercourses and in wet areas since ancient times, often pruned in pollard style during the harvest of its long, flexible branches of a beautiful golden-copper colour highly appreciated in basketry. Left to grow freely, this large and beautiful deciduous tree draws a wildly romantic silhouette under the winter sun, carried by an upright and gracefully trailing crown, almost flamboyant. In the summer, its wide crown adorned with silvery foliage captures the light in a unique way, making it easily visible from afar. A willow always brings a special atmosphere to the garden. This one, ideal for illuminating dark backgrounds, is best suited for a large garden, near vast expanses of water.

Originally from wet areas of the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in Europe, temperate Asia and North Africa, the Salix alba is a highly adaptable tree with very rapid growth, capable of reaching  20m (66ft) in height and 10-12m (33-39ft) in width. It belongs to the willow family (Salicaceae) and the genus Salix, which includes no less than 300 species distributed in the cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere. 'Vitellina' is considered a subspecies with yellow wood. Its habit is generally rounded, with the tree developing one or more trunks topped with a very broad crown. The long, flexible branches are yellow-copper and downy when young, then become more grey. They bear deciduous leaves, 10cm (4in) long, narrow and lanceolate in shape. Both sides of the leaf are silky, with the upper side being shiny and dark green, and the lower side silver-white. Before falling in autumn, they turn yellow. The flowering takes place in April-May, at the same time as the young leaves appear. The yellowish male catkins are slender, 3 to 5cm (1 to 2in) long, arched and spreading. The female catkins are smaller, denser and green. The bark of this tree takes on a brown-grey colour over the years, cracking lengthwise and becoming corky. Its powerful root system, both taproot and extensively spreading, is perfectly adapted to deep and unstable soils. For this reason, it is advisable to keep this willow away from drainage systems. The white willow is also a medicinal plant, with its bark being the first source of aspirin. Salix alba can reach the venerable age of 100 years.

The Vitellina willow can be planted as a specimen tree or on the edge of a body of water in large gardens. Regularly pruned and planted closely together, it can also form a beautiful windbreak hedge at the garden's boundary. Its silvery foliage is precious for bringing light to a darker scene, for example at the edges of the countryside. Among the plants that will accompany it near the water are horsetails, reeds, willowherbs, daylilies, bulrushes and Typha angustifolia, for example.

Tip: Collect the fallen leaves in autumn and burn them if the tree shows black spots (anthracnose) or yellow-orange spots (rust) during its growth. Once all the leaves have fallen, treat with Bordeaux mixture.