Salix arctica Yalta - Willow

Salix artica 'Yalta' is a variety of Willow that is absolutely delightful. With its miniature size and small green leaves, it goes unnoticed for most of the year but when its catkins appear, they attract all the attention. Red and pink and clearly visible among the emerging young shoots, they provoke astonishment and admiration. Growing slowly, it reaches about 1 m (3ft) in 10 years, making it easy to cultivate in a container. In the garden, it can be placed at the edge of a flower bed, exposed to the sun. Hardy and easy to grow in most soils.

Salix artica belongs to the family Salicaceae, which historically included only Willows and Poplars, but now, according to botanical classification, comprises 55 genera, most of which are completely unknown, except perhaps Azara, Idesia (I. polycarpa) with its beautiful heart-shaped leaves) and Poliothyrsis (editor's note: more interesting for its rarity than its ornamental interest, from what I have seen in my own garden). There are many species of Willows (over 350) as well as numerous ornamental cultivars with decorative leaves, flowers, or wood. Salix artica is a deciduous botanical species native to the area surrounding the Arctic Ocean, hence its species name. It is a miniature plant (15-20 cm (6-8in)), extremely cold-resistant, and very slow-growing. However, it has a good lifespan for a Willow.

The cultivar Yalta is slightly more vigorous than the species, while remaining very compact, reaching a maximum of 1 m (3ft) in all directions in 10 years. It is therefore a slow-growing plant that can easily be kept in a container even without pruning! In March, when the leaves are just beginning to appear, it forms magnificent catkins about 3 cm (1in) long, clearly visible on the still almost bare wood and with the young leaves, which are a beautiful tender green. These elongated red catkins are adorned with pink stamens with yellow markings, each resembling a precious and intricate jewel. Yalta is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful Willows with decorative catkins, along with the Salix chaenomeloides Mount Aso and one or two others. It even has the luxury of flowering again in some summers, producing reddish-brown catkins that are slightly less aesthetic, but quite surprising for this time of year.
This miniature Willow has well-proportioned leaves in relation to its size. Small and egg-shaped, they measure only 2.5 cm (1in) long and 1 cm (1/2 in) wide. They are a beautiful, healthy, bright green.
Easy to grow, it is very hardy and grows in full sun in most ordinary, rather moist soils. It requires no maintenance, unless you want to shape it into a perfect ball like a topiary (in fact, this variety is also available on the market as a half-standard, giving it a somewhat artificial appearance, although its overall look allows it to blend into a natural garden...).

This small, easy-to-grow bush will be perfect planted in a container on a terrace. You can create a miniature scene by mixing different types of plants alongside it. Hellebores will provide winter or early blooms that will beautifully complement Yalta's catkins, with so many varieties available in a wide range of colours... You can also plant a lovely dwarf conifer in its company. A dwarf Spruce like the Picea abies Little Gem, which forms a very low cushion with green foliage and light green young shoots, will provide greenery in winter. And why not add some bulbs like charming Snowdrops with their white bell-shaped flowers, heralding the arrival of spring?