Salix exigua - Coyote Willow

Salix exigua, the Coyote Willow or Coyote Bush, is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful deciduous shrubs with grey foliage. With an upright and slightly dishevelled crown formed by long, slender, and flexible branches that widen over time, it creates a light and silvery mass that plays with light and wind thanks to its long, fuzzy leaves. This wild species is not only one of the most elegant but also one of the most tolerant when it comes to soil, alongside the goat willow. It thrives equally well with its feet in the water by a body of water, as it does on a drier slope in summer, where it stabilises the soil.

Belonging to the willow family, Salix exigua is a deciduous botanical species native to the western part of North America, ranging from British Columbia in Canada to New Mexico in the United States. In its native habitat, this willow provides excellent cover for coyotes, hence its common name. It is a pioneering and ubiquitous species, a light-loving essence that is less exclusively associated with wetlands than most other species in the Salix genus. The coyote willow is a suckering shrub that tends to spread laterally over time. It has a characteristic habit, tall, slightly scruffy and irregular, supported by one or several trunk branches near the base. At maturity, this fast-growing willow will reach an average height of 4 metres with a 5-metre (16 feet) spread. The young branches are erect and have a reddish-brown colour. The foliage is deciduous, with slender, silky leaves measuring 10 cm (4in). The upper side of the leaves is grey-green, while the underside is bluish-grey and silvery. The inconspicuous flowering, partially hidden by the foliage, occurs in April-May on separate male and female individuals. The male catkins measure up to 10 cm in length, while the female catkins measure 8 cm (3in). The fruit is a capsule that opens to release seeds with long bristles.

Equally charming by a watercourse, in a mass planting, or in a country hedge, the coyote willow is highly resistant to severe frosts and very easy to grow in ordinary soil. Unlike most of its relatives, it does not require constantly moist or waterlogged soil throughout the year and can withstand periods of summer drought with occasional watering. In the United States, it is commonly used to stabilize riverbanks or slopes along watercourses. For example, it can be paired with the purple foliage of a smoke bush, hazel, or beech, and surrounded by Panicum, pampas grass, or Miscanthus for a scene that exudes lightness.