Salix x tetrapla - Willow

Salix x tetrapla is a hybrid willow with a small size that is perfect for small gardens, alpine rockeries, and terrace decoration. Naturally compact, and adorned with small green-gray leaves, it can be pruned to form a ball-shaped, very vibrant bush. It produces yellow catkins in spring and reveals its beautiful yellow to golden brown branches in winter. This bush thrives in the sun, in any well-drained soil, even limestone, but not too dry.

Salix x tetrapla belongs, like all willows, to the Salicaceae family. It is the result of cross-breeding between the Salix phylicifolia, the Arctic willow, which is very low and exceptionally hardy, and S.myrsinifolia, a species better known as the blackening willow. The tetrapla willow is a bush with a compact, dense, and bushy habit, with fairly slow growth. At maturity, it will reach approximately 1 m (3 ft) in all directions. The young branches are yellow, then turn grey-brown over time. Its foliage is deciduous, it falls in winter. It consists of small oval leaves arranged alternately on the branches, about 4-5 cm (2 in) long. The leaf surface is bright green on the upper side, while the underside is more glaucous, covered with grey fuzz. Flowering usually occurs from March to May, often before the appearance of leaves, sometimes simultaneously depending on the climate. Male and female subjects are separate individuals, as with all willows. In this hybrid, the small, oval, and dense catkins are about 1.5 cm (1in) long and greyish-yellow in colour.

This small willow is ideal for mountain gardens due to its excellent hardiness. It can be placed in a bed or rockery, as a low hedge, or even in a container on the terrace. Regularly prune it after flowering to encourage it to thicken and produce many colourful branches. For example, it can be combined with dogwoods (Cornus sanguinea, Cornus sericea), miscanthus, a Prunus cistena, a Prunus triloba Multiplex or a Japanese quince.

There is such a diversity of forms, sizes, and cultivation requirements among willows that it is impossible not to find a subject that will thrive in your garden. A willow always brings a rustic and natural touch, sometimes very unique depending on the variety.