Planting weeping willows in honor of Earth Day

This year, in honor of Earth Day, I decided to add a grove of 25 weeping willow trees to my property.  There is a marshy area in one of the lower fields and I thought this would be the perfect spot for the willows to grow.  Unlike many other trees, weeping willows don’t mind wet conditions.  In fact, they like wet feet, as they say in the plant world.  Because of their strong and extensive root systems, willows are often planted on the banks of streams and rivers to prevent erosion.  They’re also very fast growing, which is another highly desirable trait.  And I just love the way they look with their long, hanging branches and their light and feathery leaves, gently swaying in the wind.  Weeping willows are rather softwood trees and their branches are easily bent and used to make furniture and also woven into baskets.  And who knows - with so many willows growing, perhaps I’ll take up basket weaving myself!

This is a common variety of weeping willow.

Our garden intern, George, worked hard with Wilmer and Chewwang from the ground’s crew to get all the holes dug and the trees planted.

This willow sits nicely in its hole.

Once the burlap was removed from the root ball and the white trunk protection unwrapped, Wilmer feeds the tree with Bio Tone Starter Plus – All Natural Plant Food.  This helps transplants establish faster by increasing root mass and shoot growth.

George checks once more to make sure the tree is standing straight before filling the hole with soil.

One week after planting, the weeping willows are growing nicely alongside the marsh.

Look how green the new leaves look against the bright blue sky!

More ideas for being green:

25 Eco-Chic Tips

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/eco-chic-on-the-cheap

 

Healthy Home: Our Favorite Green Cleaners and More

http://www.marthastewart.com/healthy-home

 

Weekly Green Living Updates from our newest section on Marthastewart.com, Whole Living

http://www.marthastewart.com/green-living

Comments

[ShopLittleGifts]

Beautiful. Love seeing new green leaves. My new hydrangea also is budding with little leaves and my strawberry plants are growing little buds. Spring is such an exciting time!

[Jon]

The weeping willow is one of the most beautiful tree species, in my opinion. I love the way they dance in the wind, like ladies at a Cotillion. A very fine choice in honor of Earth Day.
Martha, Cantitoe Corners seems to become more beautiful daily.

[Jennifer Fancher]

That blue sky is amazing! What day was that taken? Your planting weeping willows brings back memories of my great grandmothers yard. Thanks for the info. on this tree. We should plant them all over our wet state! You don't need to take up basketweaving Martha, just visit my basket website and order your basket. LOL!

[Nan Ashby]

Great idea for Earth Day! I love trees and the weeping willows are beautiful and elegant. Hope they do well and thanks for remembering Earth Day in such a worthy way. Nan

[Kathy]

Hi, Martha,
What a wonderful way to honor Earth Day! Your grove of 25 weeping willow trees, planted by George, Wilmer, and Chewwang, are beautiful. I'm glad to hear about the Bio Tone Starter Plus.
Kathy

[KellySchwark.com]

Martha, your posts are always such a wonderful journey; like watching a painter layout a composition, slowing building color, texture and patters. At the end, you share with us a treat that I most often respond with "What a great idea! I want one!"

Thanks for allowing us to travel along with you just watching your works in progress!

[mathew]

In Southern Vermont, where I live, weeping willows are becoming a rare sight due to occasional high winds - it seems that the willows don't have the strongest roots and as they grow in mass they tend to topple over easily. It's a shame as I find the trees to be particularly pleasing, especially in the spring when their pale lime green leaves begin to shoot.

[Trish]

To have 25 weeping willows would be like a dream come true for me! I prefer those over palm trees any day but I think I'm out of luck here in south Florida. They plant them further north although I assume there are some in the wetlands. I'm glad they grow fast so maybe you could keep us posted with pictures periodically. Thanks again for all of your great blogs! Trish

[Annekaz]

Great work for green world is perfect idea

[Lori Stewart]

I have 2 favorite trees. The palm tree and the weeping willow. Love your idea of planting the trees for Earth Day.

[Jan Erickson]

Hi Martha, Your photos of the planting of the weeping willows are beautiful, especially the one with the brilliant blue sky. I remember as kids, my brother and I used to cut branches from weeping willows and make whistles out of them. For some reason, your blogs seem to bring back lots of neat memories for me. Thanks so much for sharing. Jan

[Rowaida]

Hi Martha!
I'm Nour and I'm 17 and I love the environment too and love helping and preserving it.
I really love what you did and that your helping make a difference,so I hope people will be inspired to do the same.
Thank you for being a great role model.
Best wishes always
Nour Flayhan

[Mary]

Just an FYI for those folks interested in locating Golden Weeping Willows like Martha's -- the correct botanical name is Salix alba 'Tristis'.

[Joseph Brennan]

Martha:

I really enjoyed today's blog about weeping willows. They have always been one of my favorite trees, especially when planted along the water's edge.

You must be enjoying all the abundant acreage you have in Bedford as compared to the 5 or so acres on Turkey Hill Road; although you certainly did make the most of those 5 acres (I still wish I could see that garden in person). I hope the current owners have kept it up as you did.

Martha, do you have any plans for a water garden in Bedford? What a beautiful addition that would be! Water lilies, water hyacinths, lotus, iris, a japanese bridge, perhaps and of couse, willows.

[Hulya Ak]

Martha, you are great..Always watching you..And learning everything from you..Best regards.. Ret.Dentist
Soke/Aydin/Turkiye (not Turkey)

[Sasha Libby]

The town where I live had many weeping willow trees until a few short years ago. They were all affected with a disease and had to be cut down. It made an awful dent on our landscape to lose that many trees.

[Andrea and the Weimaraners]

Hi Martha,

Massachusetts State Forester Joe Perry and I have been working together for a dozen or more years to preserve and conserve a historic forest which I own.

In my blog, currently featuring your commitments to 'good' and 'living' things, we mention a new national preservation effort going on within that forest.

THE FOREST . . . a national pet memorial park, grows its own vast array of natural memorials to honor endless numbers of pets who have returned to this very nature, a nature that we are not only honoring them with, but are striving to save.

A national park with a rich hand grown structure memorializing our honored animals is putting nature to its best use. And as for going green . . . creating 'crown space' through scheduled harvests, compounds lighting and nourishment for new seedlings from ironwood to beech, from Indian pipes to tea berries.

If you and yours are interested in a national project with a multitude of earth kindnesses surrounding our pet nation, please see http://andreajetspencer.blogspot.com/, Massachusetts State Forestry, Chapter 61 and 61A or call 508-622-0415.

Our growing seedlings here in Massachusetts need every state to call in and help us "Grow 'Em Green."

THE FOREST
. . . a national pet memorial park

Andrea and the Animals
GROW GREEN CHAIRPERSON
Andeee@comcast.net

[Jan Erickson]

Hi Martha, As I was enjoying your weeping willow planting blog again, I enlarged the 2nd picture and there was sweet little Francesca watching George, Wilmer And Chewwang planting a tree. What a great little foreperson on the job! I'll bet good old Sharkey was out herding the donkeys again! Your little girls are so great. I love seeing them in these photos. Jan

[patti moore]

Hi Martha,

I love willows and have a few in my uard, but I think they might be sick.

They have very few leaf's on them and a little bit of foam coming from one of the main branches. Do you know if that is normal for this time of year?

Thanks

Patti Moore