Blue-stem Willow, Dewey-stem Willow
 

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

A large, dense, upright-spreading shrub, 10-15' tall and wide. Fast-growing. Willows tend to have a relatively short longevity due to various insect and disease problems, and weak branches that break in storms.

Native Range

U.S. Native — Native to Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming.

Flower and Fruit Details

Flowers are gray to yellow to purple in color. Flowers are beneficial, since they attract large numbers of native bees. Gray catkins with red anthers in early spring. Fruit is a capsule, not showy.

Leaf and Bark Features

Deciduous: Long, narrow leaves are alternate, simple. Glossy green on top and silvery-gray beneath. Yellow fall color. Notable Bark: New growth is reddish-brown. Very showy in the fall, when the stems change to a lavender-white from a waxy "bloom" on the purple stems later in the season, into the fall and winter.

Culture and Care

Needs full sun to part shade in moist to wet soils. Zone 5. Pruning back in spring will help maintain the purple color of the young stems when fall arrives. This may also be done to limit the height of the plant. Susceptible to numerous disease problems, including blights, powdery mildew, leaf spots, and cankers. Insect pests include aphids, scale, borers, willow beetles, lacebugs and caterpillars.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

Good wildlife value. 4-season interest: Spring, summer, fall, winter.

Suggested Uses

Often planted in front of evergreens, to show off the blue-lavender color of the autumn stems.

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA