Salix Boydii - Willow

Salix ‘Boydii’, commonly known as Boyd's willow, is a deciduous shrub with very slow growth and low and dense vegetation, not exceeding 0.60 m in height. Extremely elegant with its beautiful silver-grey leaves, it forms a magnificent little miniature shrub. This willow is appreciated for its picturesque habit that will bring a unique touch to your garden. However, its catkins are discreet and few. It grows slowly but steadily in almost all soils but performs better in wet and moist soil.

Salix, more commonly known as Willow, is a genus of trees, shrubs, and bushes in the Salicaceae family. It includes about 360 species found in temperate and cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Its name comes from Latin and Frankish, derived from a Celtic root meaning "close to water." Its leaves are deciduous, alternate, oval or lanceolate. As a dioecious plant, the flowers are grouped in erect, male or female catkins carried by different plants. Once fertilised, the female flowers transform into capsules with two valves that release cottony seeds. They are pollinated by wind or insects. Willows, like birches, are the first trees to colonise fallow land, especially riverbanks. They prefer sunny locations and light, moist soils with a pH between 5.5 and 7.5.

The variety ‘Boydii’ was discovered around 1870 in the Angus Mountains in Scotland by William Boyd (1831-1918), a figure well-known for his collection of many alpine garden plants. He brought it to his garden in Upper Faldonside, Melrose (a town in the north of the United Kingdom). This variety is believed to be the result of natural hybridisation between Salix reticulata and Salix lanata or lapponica. In 1913, Reverend Edward Francis Linton described it, and the name was validly published. It forms a small shrub with a dwarf habit that will not exceed 0.50 to 0.60 m in height and spread at maturity. Its growth is very slow, about 3 to 5 cm per year, but this little willow can live a very long time. Numerous twisted branches bear dense, deciduous foliage, composed of tough, obovate, 2 to 3 cm long leaves with rough and downy epidermis. The leaves, with very short petioles, are initially silver-grey and covered with fuzz. They then become glaucous green, and the veins are clearly visible on the surface. On the underside, they are always covered with fine white wool, and the midrib is prominent. Unlike many willows, the 'Boydii' variety produces few female catkins with yellow flowers in early spring before the leaves.

In the category of willows, there is a great diversity of varieties, each as original as the next. Salix ‘Boydii’, stands out for the aesthetics of its small size, compact habit, and silver-reflecting foliage. It is easy to grow and very hardy and thrives in full sun or partial shade. It adapts to most cool and moist soils and requires no maintenance. It excels as a perfect plant for pond edges, moist rockeries, or in a miniature garden. To highlight its architectural habit, it can be accompanied, for example, by long-flowering ground cover perennials (Ajugas, Tradescantias), perennials with graphic and colourful foliage (Dwarf Hostas, Houttuynia cordata Chameleon), grasses (Acorus, Carex morrowii), or evergreen shrubs like Nandina domestica Fire Power or Dwarf Bamboos. Finally, a few bulbs like Snowdrops, with their white bells announcing spring, can perfect the composition.