Japanese Pussy Willow, Giant Pussywillow

Give it lots of room as it grows very quickly. Beautiful in late winter/early spring, otherwise, nothing spectacular.

Looks great, grows great, BUT it seems to be a favorite food of Japanese beetles which I have to knock off daily (sometimes twice a day).

Possibly the favorite plant in my garden. After just over two years, mine has grown from a twiggy little thing to around 13 feet tall, wi...Read Moreth a wide, woody trunk. My husband regularly wonders why it isn't called a tree, as we have no idea when it will stop growing, and it is as hardy as or even hardier than the trees on our property!

The branches are strong (only pruning has removed them; not even wind or our terrible ice storms here in Zone 6 touch it). It maintains that graceful willow look, although it is upright rather than weeping.

The catkins remain for weeks in early spring, and mine attract honeybees like crazy & are rather fragrant. The leaves aren't anything special, but they are thick on the branches, completely disease-resistant, & nothing kills them, not even the annoying Japanese beetles we get in mid/late summer here.

We spray the pussy willow to kill the beetles, but the plant itself acts like either way, nothing happened. It loves water, but if you forget for a few weeks--eh, whatever. An incredibly hardy, fast-growing "shrub."

New leaf growth is reddish brown that matures to a dark blue-green. Can reach a height of 15', but is often considered a shrub. Flower ...Read Morebuds are a pinkish purple that have a silvery cast to them.