How to Grow and Care for Weeping Willows

28.07.2023 - 16:11 / gardenerspath.com / Kristine Lofgren

My grandparents’ neighbor had a corkscrew weeping willow tree, and I was convinced it was something out of a fantasy world.

How else do you explain the long, weeping, twisted branches that were equally as useful as a whip to ward off an imaginary charging bull or for imagining you’re walking through an enchanted forest as they drape down from the canopy and over your shoulders?

Only a magical tree could be seemingly immune to the limitations of winter, leafing out when the snow was still a foot deep on the ground. And the gnarled trunk was obviously crafted for a fairytale family of elves.

We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.

I spent hours up in its branches reading books and marveling at how the leaves, so seemingly insignificant individually, combined to make a display that looked like a graceful giant wearing a coat made of green feathers. I’m not the only one captivated by them.

Napoleon took comfort in the shade of a weeping willow while he was exiled, Shakespeare’s Desdemona sings her “Willow Song,” and Claude Monet did a whole series of paintings focused on them.

They appear in works of art, from tombstones to photographs, around the globe and throughout history, and just about everyone I know can paint a fantastical image in their minds when you ask them to picture one.

If you’re captivated by the willow spirit and want to bring one to life in your garden, you’ve come to the right place. Learn more about growing willows in general here.

In this guide, we’ll help you select a weeping willow, plant it, and nurture it into your dream tree.

Here’s what we’re going to go over:

I have