Bay willow
Salix pentandra · Salicaceae
📷 MPF · CC BY 2.5
The gardener's calendar
In autumn, ease off feeding and take the chance to clean up around bay willow and prepare for winter.
ID card
- Scientific name
- Salix pentandra
- Family
- Salicaceae
- Type
- Deciduous shrub
- Adult height
- Up to 20 m
- Flowering
- April-May, golden catkins
- Foliage
- Deciduous, glossy and lance-shaped leaves
- Hardiness
- Very hardy, down to -20°C
- Origin
- Northern and central Europe
✓ Taxonomy verifiedSource: AI estimate · hardiness: reliability high.
Expert tips
The key tip
This willow loves consistent moisture like its cousin but tolerates short dry spells once established (2-3 years). Its foliage persisting longer into fall makes it useful for extending landscape effect.
The common mistake
In ordinary soil that's too dry, it exhausts itself and becomes skeletal despite an initial bounce-back.
The pro's trick
Plant it on a slightly raised bank of a pond or ditch: an accessible water table without stagnation maximizes growth without root rot.
Care
Watering
Bay willow appreciates moist to cool soils and even tolerates periods of waterlogging. Water regularly during the growing season, especially in the first few months after planting. In dry climates, keep the soil constantly moist. In normal rainy years, watering is usually sufficient for this very tolerant shrub.
Light exposure
Install your bay willow in full sun for optimal growth and abundant flowering. It also accepts partial shade, but vigour will be slightly reduced. Avoid overly sheltered locations, as the plant resists wind well.
Soil
This willow adapts to a wide range of soils: clay, loamy, acidic or neutral. It prefers moist and deep soils. Improve poor soil with compost or well-decomposed manure at planting time. Compacted or very chalky soil will not pose major problems.
Pruning and training
Prune lightly after flowering (May-June) to maintain a harmonious shape. Remove dead, diseased or crossing branches. Bay willow takes well to pruning and can be maintained as a shrub or trained as a small tree according to your preference.
Fertilizing
No fertilizer is necessary under normal conditions. Good compost incorporated at planting time is more than sufficient. In very poor soil, a moderate annual compost application in spring can support growth.
Diseases and pests
Bay willow is generally robust. Watch for willow cankers and anthracnose during prolonged humid weather: improve aeration and remove affected branches. Aphids may occasionally affect young shoots, but rarely to the point of requiring treatment.
Did you know?
Bay willow gets its common name from its glossy, smooth and lance-shaped leaves that resemble those of laurel, although it is not related to it. Its golden catkins exceptionally emerge in autumn under certain conditions, in addition to the usual spring flowering, making it sometimes bloom twice a year in regions with mild winters.
Where to buy it
Best planted in autumn so the roots settle in before summer, or in early spring once the frost has passed. Pick a plant with healthy foliage and roots that are not exposed. Best time: March, October, November.
Add this plant to my garden →Plants from the same family
- AspenPopulus tremula
- Goat willowSalix caprea
- Grey willowSalix cinerea
- White willowSalix alba
- Eared willowSalix aurita
- Creeping willowSalix repens
Tips generated and checked by Viridia — adapt them to your local climate.