Salix alba Strachowo - White Willow

Salix alba 'Strachowo' is a cultivar of white willow or silver willow. Left to grow freely, this tall and beautiful tree reaches a height of 20 to 30 m and has an upright and trailing habit that is very elegant. The overall appearance of the tree is very airy. In spring and summer, the leaves have a silver-green colour, while in autumn, they turn yellow-brown. After the leaves fall, orange shoots emerge during winter, which is very decorative. A willow always brings a romantic atmosphere to the garden. This one, ideal for brightening up dark backgrounds, is best suited for a large garden, to enhance the surroundings of large bodies of water.

Native to wet areas of the Northern Hemisphere, especially Europe, temperate Asia, and North Africa, Salix alba is a highly adaptable and fast-growing tree, reaching 20m in height with a 10m spread. It belongs to the Salicaceae family and the Salix genus, which has no less than 300 species distributed in the cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Its habit is generally rounded, with the tree developing one or several trunks topped with a wide crown. The long, flexible branches are grey-pink and hairy when young. They bear deciduous to semi-evergreen, 10 cm long, narrow leaves, lanceolate in shape. Both sides of the leaf are silky, with the upper side being shiny and dark green, and the lower side white-silvery. Flowering occurs in April-May, at the same time as the young leaves appear. The male catkins are thin, 3 to 5 cm long, arched, and spreading, with a yellowish colour. The female catkins are smaller, denser, and green. The bark of this tree becomes brown-grey and longitudinally fissured with age. Its powerful root system, both taproot and spreading, is perfectly adapted to deep and unstable soils. For this reason, it is advisable to keep this willow away from drains and pipes. White willow is also a medicinal plant, with its bark being the original source of aspirin. Salix alba can reach the venerable age of 100 years.

The 'Strachowo' white willow will eventually reach a height of 20 to 30 m and a width of 15 m if left to grow freely, but it is easily contained by pollarding, which promotes the formation of its coloured wood.

The 'Strachowo' white willow can be planted as a specimen tree or along the edge of a water feature in large gardens. Its silver foliage is valuable for bringing light to a darker setting, such as on the outskirts of the countryside. Among the plants that can accompany it near the water, you can find horsetails, reeds, purple loosestrife, daylilies, Scirpus, and Typha angustifolia, for example.

Tips: Collect fallen leaves in autumn and burn them if the tree shows black spots (anthracnose) or yellow-orange spots (rust) during its growth. Once all the leaves have fallen, treat with Bordeaux mixture.