Willows in the vase
Results

7 & 10 days

7 days

S. chaenomeloides (above left) and S. sacchalinensis 'Fantail' (above right) were the most showy of the willows that we tested. The catkins on S. miyabeana (below left) elongated more than those on other species, but because they were female they were not as colorful as other species. S. gilgeana (below center) catkins remained small but stamens did develop. S. 'Golden curls' produced a few catkins but the main interest was the light colored foliage that it produced. S. schwerinii (not shown) catkins did not alter from their initial appearance. On S. pentandra (not shown) most buds did not open except for a few near the base of the stem.

7 days

14 days

Conclusions

S. chaenomeloides and S. sacchalinensis 'Fantail' seem to be the species with the greatest ornamental potential. If male plants of S. miyabeana were available they could also be decorative. Floral preservative does not seem to be beneficial for willows in the long term, probably because of the toxicity of the biocide (hydroxyquinoline) included in the formulation. However, a few days in floral preservative after cutting might improve bud opening by providing a sugar supply to the twigs. At the beginning of this project it was thought that special treatments might be necessary to promote bud opening. However, it seems that the buds of most species had broken dormancy by the time that they were gathered (early February). Their bud scales were already abscising, and in the case of S. chaenomeloides bud opening was not affected by light, GA or ethylene. S. pentandra was exceptional in that most of its buds did not open under the standard conditions or with any of the additional treatments.