A wonderful tree, widespread in our country, is a willow. She is unusually pretty: a powerful trunk, thin hanging branches, graceful elongated leaves of various shades of green, flowers in the form of fluffy catkins. Perhaps every inhabitant of the northern hemisphere is well acquainted with willow, and many grow it in their garden plots.

Among the people, willow is called willow, willow, willow, vine, willow, willow, sheluga, and the names differ depending on the area.

The tree has long served as an inspiration for poets, writers and artists. A. Fet, S. Yesenin, A. Akhmatova, F. Tyutchev and many other poets dedicated their lines to him, and G. Kh. Andersen wrote a fairy tale, which is called “Under the Willow”. The most famous painting depicting this plant is the “Weeping Willow” by C. Monet, however, the tree can be seen in so many landscapes.

Willow is also known in many religions. In Christianity, willow replaces palm branches on Palm Sunday. In Judaism, the tree plays the role of one of the symbols of the Sukkot holiday. According to Chinese mythology, the merciful goddess Guanyin holds a jug with a willow branch that exorcises demons. Willow trees are also often mentioned in folklore. A Japanese legend says that where the willow grows a ghost lives, and the British consider the willow an ominous plant that haunts travelers.

An unusual tree is famous not only for mystical, but also for quite mundane, practical properties. Willow is widely used in medicine, industry and production, agriculture.

• The medicine. Willow leaves and bark have been used to treat fevers since ancient Egypt and Greece, and willow decoctions were used by Native Americans as a pain reliever. Later, scientists discovered a number of useful substances in different parts of the plant: tannin, salidroside, salicin, flavonoids. And the well-known salicylic acid, from which aspirin was subsequently made, was first discovered in willow.
• Production. Thin flexible branches have been used since ancient times by the inhabitants of the northern hemisphere for weaving furniture, fish traps, fences and fences. Vine weaving has survived to this day. Now baskets, chairs, caskets, cradles are most often made from wicker rods. Wicker items are extraordinarily beautiful and fit perfectly into many interior styles. Willow wood is also suitable for the production of paper, rope and even fabric, and the sustainable fashion of recent years has revived interest in natural willow products.
• Agriculture and the environment. The weeping tree is also widely used in agriculture. Firstly, willow is an excellent honey plant, especially valuable for its early flowering. Secondly, the branches and leaves are good for livestock feed. Broom is often planted along sloping banks or slopes of ravines. Thanks to the long winding roots, the plant copes well with erosion. The vitality and durability of a tree sometimes even becomes an environmental problem, for example, in Australia, willow was widely used to strengthen the coast, planting huge areas with it. The willow took root well and replaced many local plants. In addition, the tree is used for wastewater treatment, the formation of protective forest belts, and the drainage of wetlands.
• Gardening and landscape design. Willow, and especially some of its varieties and types, is a magnificent decorative culture that can decorate any area. In addition, the tree is unusually unpretentious and grows quickly. Many eminent designers include willow in their compositions, creating gardens in a romantic style.

Botanists refer the genus willow (lat. Salix) to the willow family (lat. Saliceae). The genus includes woody plants and shrubs, which can be deciduous or, much less often, evergreen. Representatives of willows are very different: some of them are large trees with a powerful trunk, reaching 40 meters in height, others are dwarf creeping shrubs. Appearance is determined by the region of growth. Tall species are found in the temperate and subtropical zone of Europe, Asia and America, and dwarf willows grow mainly in the north.

Most often, willow has a large weeping crown, consisting of a large number of elongated branched stems covered with bark of various shades: from light green to dark purple. The bark of young shoots and trunk is usually smooth, with age begins to crack. The leaves, with rare exceptions, are arranged spirally and sit on a short petiole with two stipules. Their shape is very diverse: most often there are species with linear and narrow-lanceolate leaves, a little less often with elliptical and even rounded ones. The edge of the leaf blade is usually decorated with small or large teeth, although there are species with smooth edges.

Willow is a dioecious plant with small male and female flowers collected in dense inflorescences-earrings. Some willows bloom in early spring, before the leaves appear, others - a little later, in May-June. After flowering, the fruit ripens in the form of a box with a large number of small seeds with a thick white tuft. Seeds are dispersed by the wind over long distances and, having fallen into water or silt, retain their germination capacity for a long time.

Ornamental species, hybrids and varieties of willow

In total, there are at least 550 species of various willows in the genus. Such diversity is the result of natural mutations and human activity. Over a long period of study of the plant, many hybrids have been bred. Even botanists often find it difficult to classify one or another species, and what can we say about simple amateur gardeners.

And yet, it is possible to single out several, the most common species suitable for landscaping parks, squares and household plots.

Willow white or silver(lat. Salix alba) - a large (up to 30 m in height) tree with thick cracking bark and a spreading openwork crown. The plant is widespread in Russia and the former Soviet republics, as well as in Western Europe, China and Asia Minor. It occurs mainly along the banks of rivers and other bodies of water and often occupies vast areas. It is very unpretentious and grows quickly in favorable conditions; in the northern regions, young shoots may freeze slightly. It is durable (some specimens reach 100 or more years), tolerates both lack and excess of moisture well, undemanding to the soil. Excellent for landscaping large, including urban areas, can be used to obtain vines.

Distinctive features of the species are thin hanging branches, painted in silver-gray, with age, the shade of the shoots changes to brown. Bright green smooth leaves have a lanceolate shape and a finely serrated edge, the reverse side of the leaf is silvery, slightly pubescent. Round inflorescences-earrings develop in the spring, simultaneously with the leaves.

I. white

The widespread use of culture has led to the emergence of various forms, varieties and varieties.

Some varieties:

• Yellow (var. vitellina) - a large rounded crown and golden yellow or reddish shoots.
• Brilliant (var. sericea) - a medium-sized tree with elegant, emerald-gray foliage.
• Gray (var. caerulea) - the branches are directed upwards at a slight angle, bluish-gray leaves.

• Silver (f. argentea) - young leaves have a beautiful, silver-gray hue on both sides, later the front side of the leaf becomes rich green, the reverse side remains gray.
• Yellow weeping (f. vitellina pendula) - very thin and long shoots falling to the ground.
• Oval (f. ovalis) - leaves of an unusual elliptical shape.

Among the large number of varieties of white willow, the following can be distinguished:

• "Golden Ness" (Golden Cape) is a variety that has received an award from the Royal Horticultural Society. The plant is especially attractive in winter, when graceful golden yellow branches are exposed.
• "Tristis" (Tristis) - a fast-growing willow of a classic appearance: narrow silver-green leaves on thin drooping branches. It has high frost resistance and is recommended for areas with cold winters.
• "Yelverton" (Yelverton) - a low tree or shrub with bright red-orange shoots.
• "Aurea" (Aurea) - a large plant with unusual, yellow-green leaves.
• "Hutchinson's Yellow" (Yellow Hutchinson) - a shrub reaching 5 m in height, decorated with graceful shoots of a reddish-yellow hue.
• "Britzensis" (Britzenskaya) - shoots of a red-brown hue.
• "Chermesina Cardinalis" (Chermesina cardinalis) - a very showy variety with scarlet branches.

I. "Golden Ness", I. "Yelverton", I. "Aurea", I. "Chermesina Cardinalis"

Babylonian willow or weeping willow(lat. Salix babylonica) - a tree characterized by brittle yellowish-green drooping branches. Distributed in the subtropical zone - Central Asia, the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, the southern coast of Crimea. Contrary to the name, the birthplace of culture is China, from where it was transported to other regions. It reaches a height of 12 m, a crown diameter of about 6 m. In addition to long stems that reach the surface of the earth, it stands out with beautiful glossy, bright green above and silver below leaves. It is very decorative, as it has a short leafless period: the leaves fall off only in January, and already at the end of February they grow back. Babylon willow is especially good in early spring, when it is covered with fresh young greens.

I. babylonian

Unfortunately, the species is not hardy and cannot grow in regions with cold winters. Otherwise, the culture has no special preferences: it does not require special soils and easily puts up with short periods of drought.

Of the varieties, one is widely known:

• Beijing (var. pekinensis) - distributed mainly in China, Korea and Eastern Siberia. Also known as Matsuda's willow (lat. Salix matsudana).

How many more varieties of weeping willow:

• "Tortuosa" (Tortuosa) - a plant with interesting strongly curved, as if twisted, branches of a brown-green hue and bright fresh foliage.
• "Crispa" (Crispa) - this variety does not have twisted shoots, but leaves that form intricate curls on the branches.
• "Tortuosa Aurea" (Tortuosa Aurea) - twisted red-orange stems.

I. "Tortuosa", I. "Crispa", I. "Tortuosa Aurea"

purple willow(lat. Salix purpurea) - a plant whose popular name is yellowberry. This species is found throughout the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere. It is a medium-high (on average 3 m, maximum size - 5 m) deciduous shrub with dense purple or yellowish shoots directed upwards. Elongated, bright green on top and silvery green on the reverse side, the leaves are arranged in pairs, and not alternately, as in other species. The inflorescences appearing in early spring are purplish, hence the name of the taxon. Purple willow is often used for weaving, in ornamental gardening - as a hedge.

I. purple

The most famous forms:

• Graceful (f. gracilis) - a fast-growing shrub with elongated gray leaves.
• Hanging (f. pendula) - a shrub with a wide crown formed by thin hanging purple shoots.
• Dwarf (f. nana) - differs in compact size and neat spherical crown.

Among the varieties are the following:

• "Norbury" (Norbury) - an elegant undersized variety.
• "Goldstones" (Golden stones) - shoots of a beautiful golden hue.
• "Irette" (Irette) - a low shrub with narrow gray-green leaves.

goat willow(lat. Salix caprea) in the people is often called nonsense or rakita. The official name is associated with the eating of this plant by goats and sheep. Wild specimens are often found in the temperate zone of Europe and Russia, as well as in Siberia and the Far East. Unlike other species, it prefers to settle in dry places, however, if this is not possible, it can also grow along the banks of water bodies or in swamps.

This is a large (up to 13 m tall) tree or shrub with sprawling powerful branches and oval bright green leaves. In shape, the leaves differ from other types of willow and resemble, rather, bird cherry. Earring inflorescences appear in early spring, even before the leaves appear, and numerous seeds ripen in May.

I. goat

The plant is widely used in medicine, agriculture, construction and crafts. At the same time, a number of decorative forms and varieties have been obtained, the main application of which is the landscaping of various territories:

• "Kilmarnock" (Kilmanrock) - low shrub with long drooping branches, greenish oval leaves and yellow or gray inflorescences.
• "Weeping Sally" (Weeping Sally) - a variety similar to the previous one, but more compact in size.
• "Silberglanz" (Silver gloss) - elongated leaves with a silvery coating on the surface.
• "Gold Leaf" (Golden Leaf) - the leaves of this variety, on the contrary, have a golden hue.

(lat. Salix integra) is an East Asian species, most often found in Japan, China and Korea. Differs modest (no more than 3 m in height) size and compact shape. Some botanists consider the plant to be a variety of purple willow. Stands out sprawling. reddish or yellowish. branches and narrow leaves with almost no petioles.

Often found as an ornamental culture, the standard form is especially common. The most popular variety is 'Hakuro-nishiki' (Hakuro nishiki) or 'Nishiki Flamingo' (Nishiki Flamingo) known for its compact size and beautiful variegated leaves in cream, pink and green hues. These varieties are often grafted onto more frost-resistant goat willow and grown in the middle lane without shelter.

I. whole-leaved "Hakuro-nishiki"

Willow brittle(lat. Salix fragilis) is a species familiar to Russia, widespread in Europe and Western Asia. The plant was introduced to North America and Australia, where it became a weed, displacing native species.

It is a large (up to 20 m) deciduous tree with a long lifespan. The spreading crown consists of thin branches that break easily with a loud crack (hence the name of the species). Broken branches that fall into the water take root easily, and when the current carries them further, they form new colonies. On the shoots are elongated bright green leaves.

I. brittle

In culture, there are several varieties:

• Bubbly (var. bullata) - a beautiful crown with soft rounded hills, a bit like a giant broccoli.
• Basfordiana (var. basfordiana) - a hybrid with bright, yellow-orange branches.
• Russeliana (var. russelliana) is a tall, fast-growing variety.
• Reddish (var. furcata) - dwarf willow with bright red inflorescences.

Decorative varieties:

• "Rouge Ardennais" (Red Ardennes) - spectacular reddish-orange branches.
• "Bouton Aigu" (Thin bud) - shoots from olive green to purple hues.
• "Belgium Red" (Belgian red) - burgundy shoots and emerald green leaves.

willow(lat. Salix viminalis) is usually used for vines, but there are also decorative forms. This is a tall (up to 10 m) shrub or tree, distinguished by long flexible shoots, woody with age. Young branches are covered with a short silvery pile that disappears with time. Very narrow alternate leaves appear in April, along with golden yellow inflorescences.

willow(lat. Salix acutifolia), also called red willow, grows in most of Russia. This is a deciduous tree or shrub, the maximum height of which is 12 m. Most often, the plant is found along the banks of rivers and lakes, but it can also settle outside water bodies. Differs in thin long shoots of brown or reddish color and narrow two-color leaves: bright green above, grayish-silver below. The plant is especially beautiful in early spring, when fluffy catkins bloom, and this happens even before the leaves appear. The most famous variety - "Blue Streak" (Blue Stripe) is distinguished by graceful bluish-green leaves.

I. rod-shaped, I. holly

creeping willow(lat. Salix repens) - a very elegant undersized (no more than 1 m) species common in France. In other regions it is found very rarely and only as a cultivar. The main difference is a large number of branched stems, which are first covered with a silvery down, and then become bare. The leaves are oval-elliptical in shape and have different surfaces: a pubescent gray underside and a glossy dark green above. Fluffy inflorescences bloom in April or May. The plant is protected in many areas of France.

The most popular variety is creeping silver willow (var. argentea) - a valuable highly ornamental plant with densely pubescent grayish leaves and purple shoots.

Willow hairy or woolly(lat. Salix lanata) is a subarctic species that grows in Iceland, Northern Scandinavia, and northwestern Russia. It is a spherical undersized (no more than 1 m) shrub with dense branched shoots. Young shoots are covered with a short bluish down, with time the stems become brown and smooth. The leaves of the species are interesting - silvery in color, oval-ovoid in shape. The texture of the sheet is velvet, felt. The view is great for landscaping areas in the northern regions.

I. creeping, I. furry

spear willow(lat. Salix hastata) is another undersized shrub species, the average height of which is 1.5 m, and the maximum size is no more than 4 m. It grows on the slopes and banks of Arctic rivers, in the Alps and tundra. Wild-growing specimens are often found in Northern Europe and America, the Far East, Siberia, and Central Asia. The plant is distinguished by branched shoots growing upwards or flattened on the ground, as well as oval leaves, smooth on top and slightly pubescent on the reverse side.

Willow net(lat. Salix reticulata) is a low-growing ornamental plant native to Eastern Siberia and the Far East. In nature, it serves as food for deer. This is a branched low (up to 0.7 m) shrub, decorated with branched creeping stems and unusual leaves. The leaves are oval in shape and dark green in color with a textured silky surface. Due to its elegant appearance, mesh willow is often used in the design of parks, squares and home gardens in the northern regions.

I. spear-shaped, I. reticulate

Willow in landscape design

A variety of types of rakita allows you to choose a plant suitable for specific conditions. First of all, you need to focus on the size and location of the site.

In wide open spaces of a large area, large powerful trees will be appropriate - silver willow, goat, brittle in temperate climates, Babylon willow in the south. Tall cultivars are perfect for landscaping city parks and squares, as well as arranging a protective plant strip along roads. The ability of the above species to grow rapidly, smoke and gas resistance makes them indispensable for planting in areas of new buildings.

Willow, especially its water-loving varieties, is indispensable for decorating and strengthening the shores of various reservoirs. It thrives well in humid environments. The only problem is that the perennial grows very quickly, occupying free areas. The plant should be carefully monitored: young shoots should be cut down annually.

Medium-sized varieties of willow - purple, whole-leaved - are planted as tapeworms in open glades or lawns. They serve as the center of the landscape composition, around which lower cultures are located. Another option for using such willows is the organization of hedges.

Compact species and varieties (creeping, reticulate, hairy, spear-shaped) can be placed even in modest-sized areas, these plants do not take up much space. Such willows look good as the lower or middle tier of a landscape composition of different heights, made up of perennial shrubs. In addition, undersized willow is perfect for decorating the shores of miniature summer cottages: streams and ponds. Thus, an original imitation of river landscapes will be obtained.

Cultivation and care

It is not difficult to grow a willow in your garden plot: the tree is very unpretentious and does not require complex care. However, the various types of willows often differ from each other and need different conditions: soil, amount of water and lighting. The way plants reproduce can also differ. That is why the first task of the gardener is to determine the type of willow and, depending on this, act in the future.

Location, soil, top dressing, watering

Almost all types of plants are considered photophilous. They easily withstand direct sunlight and prefer open spaces, however, a little shading will not hurt the tree. Willow can be planted both in the open sun and in partial shade.

The humidity of the site depends on the selected type. The vast majority of willows in nature prefer to settle along the banks of water bodies, so they should be placed as close to the water as possible.

[!] With the help of powerful roots, an adult willow consumes a large amount of water every day. This property of the tree is used to drain marshy soils and areas with near-surface groundwater.

Willow is not demanding on soil composition, although it prefers loose (water and breathable) and nutritious substrate containing a sufficient amount of sand with loam. Peat soils, in which moisture stagnates, the tree does not like, and only some willows (white and purple) are able to grow on peat bogs.

Feeding and watering need only young fragile specimens. In the future, the tree itself produces the necessary moisture through a powerful root system.

pruning

Willow perfectly tolerates decorative pruning, and its crown with the help of this procedure becomes even thicker and more decorative.

Low- and medium-sized willows with branches directed upwards can be formed in the form of a ball or an umbrella on a stem (stem); in drooping varieties, long shoots that reach the surface of the earth should simply be slightly shortened. It is not forbidden to adjust the height of the tree, restraining its growth.

Removal of extra branches is best done in early spring, before the start of the growing season, or in late autumn. You can slightly adjust the tree throughout the summer. To be trimmed:

• powerful leading shoots (this will restrain the growth of the tree and will encourage the emergence of young side shoots),
• excess shoots on the trunk (if the willow is formed on the trunk),
• branches growing inward and thickening the crown.

As for standard willows, there are two main forms: a fountain and a ball. To get a fountain on a stem-stem, the shoots should be shortened quite a bit at the edges, so that the length allows them to hang freely, forming a green likeness of water jets. The spherical shape requires more radical trimming in a circle.

[!] When pruning, always leave the outermost bud pointing upwards on the branch. In the future, a young shoot on such a branch will also grow correctly - up.

If an old tall willow grows in your garden, interfering with other crops and occupying a significant part of the site - do not get rid of it completely, but form a pretty green ball lying on the ground. Just cut the stem close to the soil surface. Thus, the trunk will stop growing upwards, and young shoots will soon appear from its lower part, which can be cut to the desired shape.

The trunks of young willows are often twisted or bent down to the ground. To fix this, you need to tie the trunk to a support, for example, a metal pipe dug into the ground and leave it for 2-3 years. During this time, the trunk should straighten up and acquire the desired shape.

Reproduction and planting of willow

In the wild, willows propagate by seeds, cuttings, and some species even by stakes. In cultivation, it is best to cut the tree, as the seeds quickly lose their germination capacity in the air and are well preserved only in water or silt.

Cuttings for planting should be cut from not too old and not too young branches. They should not be too thick or, on the contrary, thin - both of them are unlikely to give roots. The optimal length of a single cutting is about 25 cm. A young basal shoot broken out with a “heel” (a piece of root) is also suitable.

You can plant cuttings for rooting at the end of October, before the onset of frost or in mid-spring. Leaves are removed from the shoots in the lower part and stuck into the soil at a slight angle, they can first be soaked in the root for a day, although without this the percentage of rooting is quite high.

If several willows are planted at once, then the distance between them should be at least 70 cm for low-growing species, 1-3 m for medium-sized and 5-7 m for tall trees.

Pests and diseases

Willow is a food plant for many insects. The tree is attacked by more than 100 species of aphids, beetles, larvae of various butterflies, wood ants, and sometimes wasps build their nests on the willow. An adult plant usually easily withstands an attack of insects, but young specimens can suffer greatly. In order to protect immature willows, pests should be collected by hand or, in the case when the colony has grown too large, destroyed with the help of modern insecticides.

In the countryside, young willows are often eaten by grazing goats. These animals should not be allowed close to the planted trees. Of the rodents, mice are dangerous, undermining the succulent roots and green shoots.

The tree is attacked not only by pests, but also by various infections. One of the most common willow diseases is rust caused by the fungus Melampsora, the main symptoms of which are brown and orange spots on the leaves. Fungicides - antifungal drugs will help fight the disease.

Young seedlings can become infected with Fusarium. It can be recognized by the blackening branches and drying leaves of the plant. To get rid of the disease, infected shoots should be cut to healthy tissue, dried leaves removed and burned. Treat the rest of the tree liberally with fungicides.

Sometimes willow leaves suddenly turn yellow and fall off in summer. Usually this sign indicates a lack of moisture, it is enough just to water the plant abundantly.

Willow, without exaggeration, can be called a fabulous tree - it is so beautiful and spectacular. Plant a weeping beauty and on your site, the tree will give you many pleasant minutes.

“I sniff the willow: it smells bitterly - fragrant, forest bitterness alive, dense - dense spirit, it tickles my face with fluff, it's so pleasant. What soft fluffs, in golden pollen ... "
I.S. Shmelev "Summer of the Lord"

The willow is almost the first to bloom after the snow melts. Therefore, people considered it necessary to celebrate this event and welcome spring and new life!

Also, there is a folk legend about a woman who had so many children that she was ready to argue with Mother Earth herself about which of them is more prolific. Mother Earth got angry and turned the woman into a willow.

The willow blossomed - it means spring is coming soon, nature comes to life. In Russia, the willow has also become an important religious attribute, replacing the palm branches that were thrown at Christ's feet when he entered Jerusalem. For the holiday, the Orthodox decorate their houses with it: they attach a bunch to the icons in the “red corner”, put them in bouquets. In addition, earlier, on the right and left of the gates of each house, a flowering willow branch was attached.
Willow is a plant popular not only in medicine, but also in folklore. Moreover, in proverbs, the willow does not play the most benevolent role: “You will wait, like apples from a willow”, “Whoever plants a willow, prepares a spade for himself.” Willow reminded our ancestors of the other world. At the same time, the plant was a symbol of something frivolous and “easily adaptable” to the realities of life. It was not in vain that they said - "a German is like a willow: wherever you poke, then he began."
Perhaps the most vivid memory of the willow was formed in childhood, and not the most pleasant one either. Willow rods were used to punish disobedient children: “Willow whip, beat to tears”, “It’s not me who beats, willow beats” or “Red willow beats in vain; willow white beats for the cause "
In Slavic folklore and beliefs, Verba turns out to be involved in the sphere of the miraculous, compare, for example, the motifs of the "golden willow" ("won't turn around, golden willows will grow") and "pears on the willow" ("... we have girls in gold walk , we will give birth to willow pears"), known in Western Ukrainian folklore. In an East Slavic fairy tale - a fiction on a horse, Willow grows to the sky.

In the south of Poland and in Galicia, stories are known about a wonderful pipe that can be made from a willow growing in the very depths of the forest, where it has not been touched by a sunbeam and where it has never heard a rooster crow or the sound of running water. With the help of such a pipe, you can cheer up a sad person, make someone who has never done it dance, you can attract other people's bees to your hives, expose a villain and a murderer, etc.

Willow was a sacred plant not only for the Russian people, but for the entire Orthodox world. Previously, in Bosnia, girls girded themselves with willow that next year they would marry and give birth to offspring. In the Czech Republic and Poland, the guys lightly beat the girls with wicker rods, and the next day the young people changed roles.

In Slovenia and Croatia, children acted in a similar way - they slapped adults with rods, demanding gifts or money in return. And it was also customary for Western Slavs to burn willow on Palm Sunday: supposedly, until that moment, various evil spirits lived in it. By the way, children were whipped with willows for this very reason - the plant was credited with magical properties to expel evil spirits.

Willow is a remedy, according to adherents of traditional medicine, extremely useful in the treatment of a variety of diseases. Decoctions of the bark, leaves and inflorescences of willow are used as astringent, antipyretic, antirheumatic, choleretic, wound healing agents.

Previously, decoctions were even used to treat malaria. Palm buds were eaten by patients with fever and women who dreamed of being cured of infertility. It was even said that a consecrated willow branch can heal an unhealthy person if you touch it to his feet. In addition, the buds of the plant were even eaten - on Palm Sunday they baked pies and cooked porridge with them.

Whether it's snowing, whether the sun shines brightly, painting the sparkling sparks of snow in all the colors of the rainbow, and it's winter outside, despite the calendar spring...

In past years, when the Volga was not yet so polluted and poisoned with all kinds of chemicals, the water in the river froze to a considerable depth, withstanding not only crowds of people, but also heavy trucks. Even herds of elephants and bison released onto the ice at the same time would not have broken it. Every weekend people - some on skis, some on foot - moved in an avalanche towards the embankment. Some went to the other side of the river and walked in the forest, others only got to the sandy spit where the willow grew.

Therefore, on the eve of spring, a police cordon was established on the embankment, which vigilantly guarded whether one of those returning to the city hid broken willow branches in a bag or in his bosom. If any were found, then the willow was immediately confiscated, and the violators were fined. Now no one guards the willow. And she still opens her soft white buds every year in late February - early March ...

More about willow

Willow (holly willow) - Salix acutifolia Willd - is also popularly called red willow, red husk, red willow, verbose. Willow is a deciduous tree or tall shrub with dark bark and a spreading crown from the willow family. Willow branches are rather thin and flexible, young shoots are reddish-brown in color with a slight wax coating. If this plaque is rubbed with a hand or a cloth, it will quickly be erased. The leaves are long, pointed, light green or slightly silvery, shiny above, darker below, often with a bluish tint.

The willow has large flower buds, when the reddish thin film bursts, a grayish-white fluffy lump appears. Then it is covered with greenish-yellow small flowers. And it starts to resemble a tiny chicken.

Willow is the first tree that blooms in Central Russia. The fruit is a box. Ripens in May-June.
Willow grows almost throughout Russia, both in its European part and in Siberia, in the Urals, preferring sandy floodplains, spits and river banks.

Willow, like all willow trees, has long roots, they grow into the soil to a depth of 15 meters, thereby strengthening the banks and preventing water from washing away the sandy soil. In addition to the fact that believers use willow branches on Palm Sunday, decorating their homes with them, willow is used for weaving and is a valuable medicinal plant.

Health Benefits of Willow

Willow bark contains vitamin C, carbohydrates, cellulose, glycoside salicin, lignin, anthocyanins, flavones, catechins, tannins... Willow bark is harvested on the eve of spring or at the very beginning of March before flowering and during sap flow. The tree should not be old or too young. Trees 6-8 years old are considered the most healing. The bark is removed carefully, cut into pieces, dried in the sun, and then dried in a dryer or oven at a temperature of 50-60 degrees until it breaks easily. The shelf life of the bark is 4 years.

Willow treatment

For medicinal purposes, male earrings are also collected during flowering. Willow decoctions have hemostatic, disinfectant, astringent, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic properties.

A decoction of willow bark prevents blood clots from forming, because it thins the blood.

In folk medicine, willow preparations are used for sore throat, fever, malaria, internal bleeding, dysentery, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and colon, gynecological diseases, rheumatism ...

With inflammation of the mouth and throat, decoctions are used for rinsing.

For varicose veins and skin diseases, decoction baths are used.

Decoction for diseases of the stomach and gastrointestinal tract: 2 tbsp. spoons of dry chopped willow bark brew with 1 liter of boiling water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and hold for 5 minutes on low heat. Strain. Take ½ cup 3-4 times a day.

With pulmonary tuberculosis and jaundice, drink 2 cups of decoction per day.

For rheumatism: 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of chopped willow bark with 1 cup of boiling water and leave for half an hour under the lid in an enameled saucepan. Strain and take 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day half an hour before meals.

For women's diseases, 2 teaspoons are brewed with 2 cups of boiling water, infused until cool and drunk throughout the day in equal portions.

With diarrhea 1 tbsp. a spoonful of bark is brewed with 2 cups of boiling water, boiled for 10 minutes, filtered and drunk in small sips throughout the day.

Willow bark powder is sprinkled on wounds, eczema, poured gently into the nostrils for nosebleeds.

For pain in the legs 2 tbsp. spoons of the bark are poured with two liters of boiling water, boiled for 10-15 minutes, filtered, poured into a basin, boiled water is added so that it is not hot, and foot baths are taken for half an hour. Then the feet get wet and put on cotton stockings. Foot baths are also useful for people recovering from a serious illness. And also for those whose legs hurt after a long walk.

Willow is a tree that absorbs negative energy, so it relieves pain well if you lean against the tree with a sore spot. In case of depression, neurosis, hysteria, they press against the willow trunk either with the spine or hug the tree with their hands. You need to cuddle with a willow no more than 10-15 minutes a day. If it is not possible to go to a tree growing in nature, then small pieces of willow trunk can be used at home. In the old days, toothache, headache, rheumatism, furunculosis, tonsillitis were treated in this way. But it is not recommended to keep pieces of a willow trunk on a sore spot for more than half an hour, since you can lose a lot of energy.

A bit of history

Our ancestors believed that if you go to the deepest part of the forest, where the rays of the sun do not penetrate even on the clearest day, find a willow there, make a pipe out of it, then its sound can amuse any princess Nesmeyana. And our ancestors also brought their disease to willow. To do this, the sufferer girded himself with a straw belt, and then late in the evening, hiding from human eyes, he went to a young willow and girded it with a straw belt removed from himself.

Willow and Palm Sunday

The willow consecrated in the church is kept until the next Palm Sunday, as protection from evil spirits and diseases.

Many folk omens are also associated with willow. They looked at the arable harvest: “If there are thick lambs on the top of the willow, then the first sowing will give a good harvest, and if there are thick lambs at the bottom of the willow, then the last sowing will be better than the first.”

But, probably, most grateful people love willow because it awakens spring in their souls and fills them with joy, despite the snow and morning frosts. After all, if the willow blossomed, then soon the displeased grunting old woman winter will throw her modest bundle over her shoulders and go to distant lands, and a young and beautiful Spring will come to us! And the willow is the first to tell us about it.

It is customary in Russia to call the last Sunday of Great Lent. Two thousand years ago, the inhabitants of Jerusalem met Christ, who entered the city through the Golden Gate, with candles and date palm branches in his hands. In memory of this, believing Russians to this day come to the temple for a holiday with willow branches, since in our area it gives a kidney earlier than other tree branches.

The holiday is celebrated a week before Easter, and these days everywhere in the city you can buy twigs with silver-white fluffy inflorescences - "lambs". The majority of the population, far from the intricacies of Orthodox rituals, perceives willow on this day as nothing more than a tribute to a beautiful tradition. Decorating your home with willow branches is like painting eggs for Easter.

Willow is often found in the folklore of the Slavs as a symbol of rapid growth, health, vitality, fertility - childless women prayed at the willow, made sacrifices to it, asking to give them children. Consecrated on Palm Sunday, it was considered a healing tool. She fumigated the premises, pounded into powder, drank along with juniper from various diseases, applied in lotions. Willow branches were supposed to lightly whip each other, saying: "It's not me who beats, the willow beats, in a week Great day - be healthy like water, be rich like earth." The sick, hoping for a cure, whipped themselves: "Willow whip, beats to tears." There were other sayings: "The willow is red - it beats in vain", "The willow is white - it beats for the cause." The villagers also believed in a sign associated with willow: “Where there is water, there is willow, where there is willow, there is water!” And it was also believed that from the willows brought into the house, all evil spirits leave the walls. The consecrated willow was kept on the goddess behind the icon as a family amulet from illness, evil spirits, natural disasters. The Slavs believed that a consecrated willow thrown into the fire would pacify it, and thrown against the wind would drive away the storm.

Willow or willow?

"This is not a willow, but a willow," - I recently heard such a statement. This statement is absolutely incorrect, since willow is just one of dozens of willow species. Trees, shrubs, shrubs and creeping plants. Flowering before leafing and mid-summer. The variety is huge.

The confusion arises from the variety of local names for different species. Willow, willow, sheluga, willow, vine, willow, tal, willow and so on. According to some sources, the common Slavic word "willow" came from the Indo-European stem, which meant "to bend, twist." Its original meaning is "some kind of bending object", and later - "rod, branch". The noun "willow" is derived from the same root as the verb "twirl", and at first literally meant "branch", or "winding part of a tree."

Some Internet sources suggest that several early-flowering willow species are considered willow. I think it is more correct to attribute the name willow to a very specific plant - holly willow.

Thin graceful reddish shoots with a bluish bloom, silvery inflorescences (earrings) become bright yellow during flowering.

Of the other types of willows most commonly identified by people, there are several:

• goat willow - nonsense (it is often confused with willow, but nonsense is distinguished by more massive greenish shoots and larger buds);
• white willow - willow (usually a large tree that blooms in early summer);
• brittle willow - willow.

The church feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem in Russia always falls in the spring. At the beginning of flowering willow. Therefore, it is the willow that replaces the palm branches for Christians, with which the Jews met Christ at the time of his entry into Jerusalem.

According to tradition, willow branches are plucked on the eve of Palm Sunday or a few days before it. The consecration of the branches takes place on Saturday evening during the festive service - the All-Night Vigil. The priest reads a special prayer, sprinkles them with holy water. Sometimes the willow is also consecrated on Sunday morning - during the Liturgy or at the end of the service, but it is better to do it the day before. Those who did not bring their willows to the temple can pick up the consecrated branches after the service. So if you haven't prepared them ahead of time, don't worry.

Parishioners bring consecrated willow bouquets home and keep them throughout the year as a kind of reminder that we must always be ready to meet the Savior.

In ancient Egypt and ancient Greece, the palm branch was a symbol of victory, glory, health and longevity. To notify the people of the victory, the Greek soldiers sent a messenger with a palm branch.

The palm branch was awarded to the winners of the Olympic Games. In ancient Rome, a palm branch served as a sign of a person who won a lawsuit. The Romans decorated their homes with them during the Saturnalia* festival, as well as the tombstones of glorious warriors and worthy people.

Palm branches were also symbols of reverence. For example, it was the custom of the people of Israel to greet war heroes or royalty entering Jerusalem with palm branches and shouts of welcome.

In the Middle Ages, palm branches began to be associated with martyrdom. Palm branches are often present in the images of the holy martyrs who suffered for the faith. The Renaissance began to portray the palm branch as a symbol of peace, goodness and justice.

It was the palm tree that gave the name to those who visit the holy places: once a pilgrim was called the one who on Palm Sunday went in procession from Bethany to Jerusalem.

The believers keep willow branches consecrated in the temple at home for a year: they put them in a vase, put them or attach them to the icons.

​Related Articles​ How useful was the information for you? (​

- unpretentious to soils, the main condition is a sufficient amount of moisture; Willow wave

Medium-sized shrub, up to 2–2.5 m high, with a dense, almost spherical crown and glossy reddish shoots. In recent years, this species has become increasingly popular in Russia. Shade-tolerant, but not very hardy. After freezing, it grows easily, it is not necessary to cover for the winter. It is better to plant in places protected from the wind. Silvery shape

Babylon willow. © sjgbloom), Willow rod-shaped (​

Another belief said that if the weather is inclement for a long time, you need to throw a willow branch into the yard, then the rain will stop. This also caused tears in the sensitive tree. White willow is widespread in Europe, Western Siberia, Asia Minor and Iran. In central Russia, cultural forms of a tree are planted, which gradually run wild at the planting site.

The color of the leaves is dark green, the lower part is light green and bluish. The buds may be dark brown or red-yellow. The flowers are dioecious, small, inconspicuous, collected in earrings. Willow blooms in early spring, before the leaves bloom. Botanical name:

​2​ - minimum need for fertilizers.

. Butterfly 20-25 mm long with white wings. The caterpillars are hairy, yellow-blue in color with red specks. Willow purple, or yellowberry, variety `Nana Gracilis`. © sadevalja​

Description of the white weeping willow tree and photo

. The tallest (up to 10–12 m) and the most unpretentious of the ornamental willows. The name was given due to the spectacular silver color of the leaves. It is magnificent in parks - against the background of dense dark green foliage of large trees: horse chestnut, elm, linden. And planted in the background (along the hedge), these willows with their silvery foliage emphasize the beauty of red-leaved maples, plums, barberries or dark needles of mountain pine and yew.

Thanks to the ability to give adventitious roots, willows are easily propagated by cuttings and even stakes (with the exception of

Salix viminalis

On Ivan Kupala, they made madder from willow, decorated it with wreaths and ribbons. The girls swam to the middle of the river and left the madder there, but she could not swim to the shore and take root, so she cried.

White willow grows along the banks of rivers, ponds and other bodies of water. Found along roadsides and near houses. Lives up to 100 years. Propagated by seeds. Cultural forms are propagated by cuttings. The plant is photophilous and frost-resistant. Photos of white willow can be seen in the gallery below.​

Reproduction of weeping willow

The fruit is a box. The seed is small, with a white fluff, light, carried by winds over long distances. Willow tree. Photo​

willow cultivation

Weeping willow, Babylonian (Salix), a genus of the Willow family.

Thus, having planted energy willow plantations with seedlings, plantings will remain productive for 25 years. Up to 30 tons of dry matter are collected from one hectare. And one ton of dry willow (moisture content 15%) is capable of producing 2 Gcal of heat.​

Mouse rodents

Pests and diseases of white weeping willow

Spreading three-meter shrub with thin long shoots of pale yellow color and narrow hard leaves. Shade-tolerant, but not very hardy. After freezing, it grows easily, it is not necessary to cover for the winter. It is better to plant in places protected from the wind.

The use of white willow and its bark

weeping shape

Salix caprea

There are many other interesting ancient legends associated with this plant.

A small tree 5-7 m high. It has a beautiful crown falling down and long branches stretching to the very ground. To soils it is not exacting, it is frost-resistant, moisture-loving. Shade-tolerant, but in the shade the crown does not become as dense as when planted in a well-lit place.

The weeping willow tree is common in the Northern Hemisphere, the tropics, North America. Dwarf willows grow in the mountains. Willow species such as willow, willow, sheluga, willow and others are found in the European part of Russia. Shrub species grow in Siberia and Central Asia.​

Weeping willow homeland:

Weeping white willow

-energy willow

Decorative white willow in the photo (click on the picture to enlarge):

growing conditions

- harm the roots and gnaw the planted cuttings.

Thickets of Caspian willow. © Ilya Smelansky​

White willow: weeping form

. A tree 5–7 m high, with a very beautiful crown, falling in cascades, and long (up to 2–3 m) branches descending almost to the ground. It is undemanding to the soil, winter-hardy, moisture-loving. It tolerates shade, but in the absence of sun, the crown is not as dense and not as decorative. Weeping willow is good both on its own and in a small group of trees, especially along the banks of water bodies. Ideally combined with flowering and decorative deciduous shrubs and low conifers: thuja, juniper, cypress.

- nonsense, or goat willow). Seeds lose their germination within a few days; only at Iva Pyattychinkova (​

weeping willow

The genus includes at least 350 species of willows, distributed mainly in the cool regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where the willow goes beyond the Arctic Circle. Several species grow in the tropics. There are more than 65 species in North America, of which only 25 reach the size of a tree.​

In oral folk art, you can find many signs, proverbs and sayings about willow. After all, once the life of the people was closely connected with this tree. Willow was used in the household, in everyday life and in folk medicine. She was worshiped and deified, endowed with unique properties.

White weeping willow is used in group and single plantings. It is combined with ornamental shrubs, deciduous and coniferous trees: thuja, juniper, cypress and others.

Under natural conditions, the plant reproduces by seeds. Light seeds are carried by the wind over long distances. Germination of willow seeds in the air lasts for several days. In water, germination can last up to several years. A young willow sprout develops and grows very quickly, but can be drowned out by grasses and other plants.

Tree history. The magical properties of willow

Iran, Western China.

Not surprisingly, many countries have long appreciated the benefits of growing energy willow for green energy purposes. Germany, Denmark, Norway, Great Britain, Poland, Canada, the USA and many other countries have such experience. Sweden can be called the most successful in this regard: the Swedes gave more than 20 thousand hectares for energy willow. Unfortunately, only the first steps in this direction are being taken in our country. But the resources and potential are colossal.​

Babylon willow. © Roni Tree

White willow, or silver willow, Vetla. © Willow

Why is the willow called weeping?

Salix pentandra

Most willows are small trees 10-15 m or shrubs, however, there are willows 30-40 m high and more than 0.5 m in diameter.

“The willow was covered with frost early - by the long winter.”

A beautiful crown, the shape and color of the leaves make it possible to attribute this tree to ornamental plants used to decorate garden plots, alleys, parks and squares. Some types of willows attract attention with their originality and quirkiness.

At home, willow is propagated by cuttings. Lignified cuttings, cut before bud break, quickly take root. Before the formation of roots, they can be put in water, and then planted in the ground. Due to the fact that the willow is not whimsical and takes root in the shortest possible time, its cuttings are stuck into the ground of the greenhouse, so that 2-3 buds remain on the soil surface.

​Lighting:​

Willow color

As a rule, fuel granules and pellets are made from energy willow. For the environment, this is already a "plus" - environmentally friendly organic raw materials for the production of biofuels. In addition, such willow chips can be burned directly in solid fuel boilers. And the energy obtained from burning solid biofuels is about two times cheaper than from burning gas.​

Willow bark has long been used as an antipyretic and anti-inflammatory agent. But the beneficial properties of the plant do not end there. Suffice it to mention that salicylic acid - the active substance of aspirin - takes its name from the Latin word salix - willow.

Poplar leaf beetle

Photo gallery: white weeping willow (click on the picture to enlarge):

spherical shape

) The seeds remain viable until next spring. In cold countries, willows grow far to the north, such are very undersized dwarf willows: Willow obtuse (​“Where there is water, there is a willow, where there is a willow, there is water.” For example, the Matsudana willow has unusual, twisted branches and, as it were, crumpled leaves. Some ornamental willows are small in size, including woolly, reticulated, blunt, full-leaved, and purple willows. Propagated willow and green cuttings. To do this, make an oblique cut at the bottom, remove the apical soil and shorten the leaf plates. Then the cuttings are placed in a greenhouse or under a jar.

light-loving.

Verby may be of great value for the bjilnitstva, but early in the spring, immediately after the installation of the vuliki, give nectar and saws, as if to sprout the growth of the fruit and, hence, the strength of the bdzholina sim "ї. Verbi lamka, rod-shaped, purple and triticinkova, also garnished with spring honey-bearing and saw-bearing plants, but may be less important, especially the merits of the front. Bjoli collect nectar, nail files, glue from it. During the flowering period (six days), skin bjolin sim "I can collect up to 13.5 kg of honey from it. Honey productivity її up to 150 kg per 1 ha. There is a price for this team, that you are doing bribes to the shoroku.

Energy willow is not only a valuable source of biomass for alternative energy. It has a number of other undeniable advantages: In addition, willow is an excellent honey plant, its fluffy gray flowers with yellow stamens are unusually rich in nectar. And from flexible shoots of willow weave strong baskets and make light furniture. Looking forward to your advice!​. The beetle is 10-12 mm long, with reddish elytra and a bluish-green pronotum and underside of the body. At the top of the elytra, one black spot. . The crown is very dense, regular spherical or dome-shaped. The tree is multi-stemmed, sometimes reaching a height of 7 m. It does not freeze even in cold winters. Gorgeous in both single and group plantings, can serve as a good background for other ornamental plants. A small curtain or string of such willows is especially picturesque on the shore of a reservoir. Rakita is also used as a hedge. Willow is very unpretentious to soils. However, it grows best on light to medium loam, especially if it is remembered to feed it with organic matter. It easily tolerates the close occurrence of groundwater. Salix retusa Without requiring special attention to itself, the willow fully responds to the care shown - with a lush crown, a graceful bend of weeping branches and a light silver haze of leaves.

Dwarf trees reach a height of no more than 20 cm. Low-growing willows are usually planted in flower beds, next to flowers, and such compositions look very impressive.

When planting shrubs, willows dig small holes 50X50 cm for each seedling. The recess is filled with a soil mixture consisting of soil, compost, peat and manure. Mineral fertilizers are added. The plant is not demanding on the soil, but prefers light and medium loams. Growing willow is best done in a well-lit, sunny place. These trees do not grow in the shade. Special care for willow is required in the first weeks of planting.

Soil: Zvichaynu bіlu bjoli is observed intensively (honey productivity up to 100 kg per 1 ha), but weeping is not observed. From the willows of the strongest willows, they take 10-15 kg of honey. . On the willows you can see the fall of the river, see the popelica and the Afrophora willow. Bjoli take in gloomy weather up to 2 kg of honeydew honey per day. The folk medical vicorista bark of Verbi, lamps, Komiacho, Popelikovo Yak Godigaryachkiy, in "Yazhny, Zadreznaya, Pogol -Lymatic Vyb, for Likuvannya RAS, DRIVIVIT, for stripeshaw, yak. .​- energy willow - a source of carbon-neutral energy ​Please rate this article in our rating: Total:​ Aspen leaf beetle Brittle willow, or Rakita variety ‘Bullata’. © Kymi To plant a seedling of shrub willows, you need to dig a hole 50x50 cm, for tall trees of slightly larger sizes - 60x60 cm and a depth of 40 cm. -40 cm more). Fill it with soil mixture (from 1/3 to 1/2 of the volume of the pit), which will consist of soil, compost or quail manure and peat (1: 1: 1). If the soil is heavy, sand is added to the soil (up to 20%). In addition, it is necessary to apply complex mineral fertilizers, for example, azofoska (150–200 g). Mix the soil mixture in the pit well. When planting a hedge or a dense alley, it is advisable to dig a trench 40–50 cm wide and 40 cm deep. ), Willow mesh (​ willow (​

Decorative forms of weeping willow look good both in group and single plantations. Some species can be grown in a small garden. Willow crown is easily formed into a ball. Young seedlings need constant watering and fertilizing with fertilizers. During the drought period, they are watered once a week (20-50 liters of water for each plant). In the spring, the soil is loosened and mulched. Dry branches are cut, form a crown. Long shoots on the bottom of the trunk are removed. Light and medium loams.

Bіlu, goat, lamka that willow willow willow for landscaping, and from bіlu і lamka yak phytomeliorative breed for flooding shore with water and a river.

. That is, when such a willow is burned, the balance of carbon in the atmosphere is not disturbed.​

​206​. The appearance and biology of the aspen leaf beetle are similar to those of the poplar. The beetle is slightly smaller than the poplar one (7-10 mm long) and does not have black spots on the elytra. weeping shape Willow with a closed root system easily takes root at any time - from April to October (the main thing is that the clod and roots are not overdried). But plants with open roots are best planted in early spring, before bud break, or in September, with the beginning of leaf fall. When planting in autumn, the leaves of the seedling must be removed. Low-hardy species and varieties should not be planted in the winter, as their immature roots and shoots can die from frost before they have time to develop. Salix reticulata

Care

This beautiful, flexible, graceful tree has been valued since ancient times. In ancient Greece, the willow was a symbol of the goddesses Hecate and Hera. Roman poets sang this tree in their works. In ancient Egypt, it was considered a symbol of the power and wisdom of the deceased, so its branches were burned on funeral pyres. In ancient Rome, willow twigs were first used.

The willow tree is rarely affected by diseases, but is sometimes damaged by fungal diseases that provoke frequent rains and excessive watering. With the onset of sunny weather, fungal diseases disappear. However, if dark gray spots appear on willow leaves, it is necessary to treat the tree with copper-containing preparations. If the leaves are damaged by insects, insecticides are sprayed.

Watering:

Mustache willows show deak value as food for creatures. Leaves and young pagons of greater її seeing good are eaten by horned thinness, especially by goats. Great horned thinness is also good, but it is enough to eat the chicks and willow leaves. It is important that salicin, which can be found in leaves and measles, is friendly to healthy creatures. Leaves of willow avenge protein (20-29%), cellular tissue (7-25%), fat (2.6-8.5%) .​

- energy willow protects soils from erosion, favorably affects the development of soil fauna, contributes to the accumulation of humus

How to decorate a willow garden

Willow silkworm

. Very effective, with weeping shoots, located in a “tent” on the top of a small, usually one and a half meter stem-stem. Recently, it has become popular thanks to foreign planting material that has appeared in our country. In good light, the tree forms a narrow tent-shaped crown with shoots hanging vertically down, sometimes to the very ground. In spring, they are densely covered with fluffy flowers, turning the trees into large dandelions. It almost does not grow upwards, exceeding the height of the stem by only 30–40 cm. It is planted in groups. But one tree is also beautiful against the background of plants with a different shade of foliage or at the turns of garden paths. Goat willow is cared for in the same way as any standard grafted plant. First of all, it is necessary to timely remove the wild shoots that form on the stem under the grafting site (below the bases of weeping shoots at the top of the trunk), otherwise the grafted part may die. Since this type of willow is not very winter-hardy, it should be planted in well-lit and wind-protected areas. In the northern suburbs, it is better to cover the grafted part of the seedling for the winter by wrapping it with several layers of non-woven. When planting, standard plants must be tied to three stakes to maintain verticality.

Weeping form of Salix × sepulcralis. © Jdforrester

), Willow herbaceous (​

Types, varieties and forms of willow

) - trees and shrubs of the willow family (​

White willow (willow)

• In the Middle Ages, decoctions and infusions of willow bark, leaves and seeds were used to heal wounds and stop bleeding. White willow bark, rich in tannins, glucose, flavonoids, ascorbic acid and resins, was widely used in folk medicine. Willow bark has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic effects. Infusion of white willow bark is used for colitis, gout, female diseases, gastritis, internal bleeding, diseases of the liver, spleen and other diseases. A decoction of the leaves of the tree is used for severe bleeding in the intestines and for colds. Pregnant women and nursing mothers are not recommended to use medicines that include this plant.
• moderate. All see the willows - good tanidonic growths. Vmist tanidiv in bark willow kolivaetsya vіd 5 to 15%. The bark of willows is popelyasto, goat, triticinco, white, lamkoi, vushkatoi, twig-shaped є one of the cores of the possession of the best tanning extract, which serves as a standard for evaluating tanning extracts of the light market.

. And all due to the fact that the land given over to the plantations of this plant is “not touched” for 20 or even 25 years. In other words, the use of energy willow is also possible for the reclamation of lands - unproductive, polluted, poor in minerals.​

Brittle willow (willow)

• - energy willow. Most often it affects the willow. Leafworm caterpillars roll the tops of the leaves into a dense cocoon and eat the top of the shoot. The shoot bushes, which is why it loses its technical qualities.

Goat willow, cultivar ‘Pendula’. © baumschule

goat willow

• Willow in the first season after planting needs abundant watering: 20-50 liters of water (depending on the size of the plant) every two weeks and every week during the dry season. Then moderate irrigation will be enough for her. Shrub species that form a hedge should be cut once or twice a season (spring and mid-summer). Salix herbacea

Salicaceae

willow

• The weeping willow tree has long been considered feminine and dedicated to lunar goddesses, the moon and fertility. It was endowed with magical properties. Slavic pagans decorated altars with the rods of this tree before performing rituals. Wreaths woven from wicker were well-known love spells. A decoction of willow leaves was mixed into the beloved's drink, such a drink also served for a love spell. Amulets were made from this tree for good luck in love affairs. Such an ornament was carried with them by unfortunate lovers. The Slavs called willow willow, willow and willow. These names are still used today. Abundantly branched willow roots serve to strengthen loose soils and sands. Willow plantations can often be found around mountain streams. Trees are used to secure the banks of rivers, canals, slopes, dams, slopes and cliffs.
• ​Max tree height:​ Especially valuable tanidiferous growth is goat willow. Slid means the same willow willow; її zapashny bark go to tanned dribnyh skins for mittens, sap "I'm skinny, moreover, the skin swells with the smell of measles.

On the one hand, willow "sucks" nutrients from the ground, like any culture. However, willow takes three times less from the soil than, for example, winter wheat. And willow leaves fall in autumn and return up to 80% of nutrients to the soil.

willow

• Common willow aphid

Matsuda form

purple willow

• As for top dressing, during the spring and summer, complex fertilizers are applied two or three times, and at the end of August - superphosphate and potassium sulfate. In rainy years, gray and black spots often appear on willow leaves, similar to a dirty coating. To return the tree to its original beauty, it is necessary to spray it with copper oxychloride (HOM) or oxychome.

), Polar willow (​

willow caspian

• ). Popular name: willow, willow, sheluga, willow, vine, willow, tal, willow.

Today, willow is considered a calming and relaxing tree. Contact with it has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, puts thoughts in order, eliminates headaches and improves mood.

The main pests of willows and measures to combat them

From thick willow twigs they make sheds for sheep, pens for livestock. The bark of the trunk and branches is used as a natural dye, which dyes wool, skin and silk red, brown and yellow.

• 25m. Deyaki see the willows to give the indecent tree. The willow had a m "yak, light, in" a tongue, a gnushka, a prote of smallness and a low quality. The wood of the willow was victorious at everyday life, for the preparation of chovniv, nights, arches, shovels, chicks to go to the wattle net, fence. The dominance of the village willow willow and її zastosuvannya so themselves, like willows were white.
• Energy Willow Cleaning Literally over a decade, the topic of greening production, alternative energy, green energy has become so relevant that special state programs are being introduced to introduce biofuels. However, very few people know what energy willow is.
• . It sucks juice from leaves, buds, young shoots. Gives 10 generations a year.. Golden spiral shoots with slightly twisted leaves give it a special charm. Like any beauty, Matsuda's willow is very capricious. A foreigner, she does not tolerate Russian frosts: in the Moscow region and more northern regions, in severe winters, it freezes up to the level of snow, so she needs to be covered. This willow is planted only in lighted places, well protected from the wind. But even under ideal conditions in the Moscow region, plant height rarely exceeds 3–3.5 m.
• In autumn, it is desirable to remove fallen leaves from the site. Grafted trees in summer or autumn must be freed from wild growth. We must not forget about the shelter of non-hardy varieties. They do this in October - early November. Salix polaris
• Very common and very famous plants in the middle part of Russia. Most species of willows love moisture and settle in damp places, while relatively few species grow in dry places (on slopes, sands, etc.) and in swamps. Willow is also found in forests, as a mixture with other trees. Folk signs and superstitions are associated with this tree. It is believed that if you knock on the willow trunk, it will bring good luck. If you put her leaves under the pillow, you will have a good dream.
• Quite soft and pliable wood quickly rots and is used for making handicrafts. The branches are fed to livestock, especially goats and sheep. Willow bark is used for tanning leather. On Orthodox Palm Sunday, according to a long tradition, the branches of a young tree are used instead of palm leaves. Average life expectancy of a tree:
• The wood of the old species of willows, the bark of those used for the preparation of tanning extracts, can be vikoristan for cellulose and paper industry. Willow willow and goat can be used as a tree for pulp and paper industry. Almost the entire root system of the energy willow is located at a depth of up to 0.4 meters, that is, in the upper layers of the earth. Due to the fact that the "harvest" of the energy vine is harvested regularly (in winter, when the leaves have already fallen, but the vegetation has not yet begun), the root system of the culture cannot develop fully. After the last collection of the vine, the willow is allowed to grow up to 20 cm, then the shoots are sprayed with an agent that causes the death of the vegetative organs. After that, the quality of pastures and hayfields improves significantly on the plantations, and other crops can be grown here.​
• Along with the usual sources of biomass in our country (timber industry waste, corn stalks, straw, sunflower husks), more and more areas of unclaimed agricultural land are planted with energy willow plantations.
• Ural twisted In gardens and parks, willows are most often traditionally planted on the shore of a reservoir. And this is understandable - a natural landscape, a familiar image. But, of course, such a plastic and unusually spectacular tree will decorate any corner of the garden, and its crown will protect from the sun.

​).​

White willow, or silver willow, Vetla. © white willow

By its nature, the willow is quite sensitive, therefore, when contacting it, you need to be extremely sincere, especially the willow does not like liars, therefore it can have a negative impact on the health or fate of an insincere person.

Willow bark juice is part of some cosmetic preparations that smooth fine wrinkles and relieve redness, cleansing the skin. 100 years. Deyakі see willows give good-quality material for a thin lash. The best of them are willow-like, purple and tritichinkova.

-energy willow | AtmWood Wood-industrial messenger

-energy willow is a kind of filter for cleaning soils from pesticides and other agricultural waste

- energy willow - plantation

. Appears on the underside of the leaf and sucks the juice. With severe damage, the leaves turn brown and fall off. In summer, the mite is greenish-yellow, turning reddish-orange in autumn. Winters under the bark, fallen leaves and in the soil (at the stage of an adult female).

-energy willow as an alternative source of energy

. No less attractive than Matsuda, but better adapted to the Russian climate. The tree is low (up to 3.5 m), but very decorative, and at any time of the year. Its spiral greenish-gray shoots look glossy brown in the sun. Regardless of the season, it tolerates pruning and shearing, therefore it is suitable for hedges. Thanks to twisted shoots and twisted “curly” leaves, this willow is a delight both on its own and surrounded by other willow trees.

Weeping willow. © Darren Larson

Low-growing willows grow in the mountains. Willow herbaceous (​

Willow appeared on earth quite early, its prints are already found in the Cretaceous formation, and even the present species lived in the Quaternary era: Ash willow (​

There are three versions of this name: scientific, folklore and poetic.

Previously, willow twigs and the bark of this tree were used to make wicker dishes, furniture, baskets and other products.

Landing:

The willow is rod-like, one of the largest willows, which are vicorated for weaving thin veils, for making stitches. Її the rod is good to prick. With a small amount of a rod, building up cracks with a trivial saving. In "the viscosity of the rod is already high.

. Willow plantations can act as buffer zones where farm waste accumulates, where there is sewage, landfills, sewers, and the like.​

It is far from the only fast-growing plant that is grown for biomass for use in bioenergy. In the world there are plantings of eucalyptus, miscanthus, poplar, Jerusalem artichoke, schavnat, sid, annual cereals (millet, sorghum). However, for our climatic conditions, the cultivation of energy willow (Salix Viminalis) is the most appropriate. Why? Let's get acquainted with the characteristics of this plant:

Bindweed

Branches of Willow Matsuda, cultivar ‘Tortuosa’. © baumschule

-energy willow: benefits

Willows planted at intervals of 1.5-2 m form a high hedge, and in two rows - a shady alley. The alley of white weeping willow is especially beautiful when the trees close their crowns. To do this, already in the second or third year after planting, the branches directed towards each other are intertwined at a height of 2.5–3 m or connected using ablation. Ablactation is a method of grafting used to connect the shoots of one or different plants without cutting them. True, this method requires special skills, so it is easiest to braid the branches by fixing both tops with a thin plastic tape. After closing the branches, a green openwork tunnel is obtained. And if there is no place for an alley in the garden, then you can limit yourself to a green arch at the entrance - only two trees.

• Salix herbacea Salix cinerea
• ​According to the scientific version, willow is a tree that emits small drops of water. This is because the roots of the plant absorb a lot of moisture, much more than what the leaves evaporate. In addition, weeping willow has a peculiar shape. Its long, curved branches stretch down to the ground, hence the feeling of "weeping" of the tree. A weeping willow grows near water bodies, its roots are immersed in water. White willow is often used in landscape design. Planted in parks and forest parks. The rapid growth of the tree allows it to be used for planting roads and landscaping as soon as possible.​

Seeds, cuttings and layering.

The rod with willow tree is thin, gnuchky, thin, in a "viscous, white color, widely vikoristovuetsya in an unbarked look for the preparation of fishing tackle, and in a barked one - koshikiv.

A person can use willow for more mundane needs than biofuel. Given that the energy vine is a natural protection from the sun and wind, it can be used to create a natural microclimate for the convenience of human habitation. We are talking about hedges, decorative fences, elements of landscape design. - something will favorably affect the biodiversity of the area.​

• - annual growth - up to 2 meters;. A weed that harms willow plantations, especially in the first year of life. Bindweed wraps around the rod, leaving traces of spirals on the bark and even on wood, which is why the rods break during work. Shoot growth stops.
• Variety ‘Hakuro-Nishiki’​

Shrub willows (twisted, purple, Caspian) are excellent material for hedges. They will shade and at the same time decorate a children's or sports ground. But no less picturesque are the bushes, simply planted in a row or in several curtains along the garden path. And how interesting dwarf or weeping willows look in rockeries, especially if a stream flows nearby or a small fountain beats. However, a lone willow on a wide lawn, surrounded by flowering ornamental shrubs or in company with conifers, whose prickly beauty only benefits from such a contrast, is also impressive.

And if we take into account that the state strongly supports the "green" policy, we can say with confidence that energy willow is one of the most promising areas of bioenergy.

) and others that reach the very snowy border. Polar and alpine willows - undersized creeping shrubs - up to several centimeters in height.

), White willow (The poetic version is based on the observations of poets who tend to notice every detail of nature and admire it. In the early morning, sparkling dew drops can be seen on the thin leaves of the willow, which begin to fall off with a slight breeze of the wind. This picture gives the impression that the tree sheds tears or cries. White willow bark is used for tanning skins. The shoots serve as fodder for livestock. In addition, willow is considered a valuable honey plant. Bees take nectar, pollen and bee glue from the tree. When crystallized, white willow honey becomes fine-grained, different cream shade, has a pleasant taste and fragrant aroma.Weeping willow is a deciduous tree, with a transparent, see-through crown up to 25 m high.The trunk is powerful, the bark is gray.The crown is narrow columnar, later sprawling, wide, round. thin, gnuchka, straight, smooth and shiny rods. fry unfurnished shkіri, vіn kindly pіddaєtsya pіddaєtsya pіdnaєtsya in different colors, goodly lakuєtsya and navіt polіruєtsya.​

Verba - Wikipedia.

Vigilance

Finally, I would like to mention the economic benefits of growing energy willow. Firstly, the technological costs - mechanization, agrochemistry - for growing this crop are minimal. Secondly, the culture is unpretentious to the quality of the land, which translates into a low cost of land resources. Thirdly, the solid biomass of the energy willow has a high energy intensity, and the logistics of such an alternative energy source will not cause problems.​

- harvesting - every 3 (sometimes - 2) years;

European dodder

. A very interesting form with snow-white leaves at the end of the shoots and variegated in the middle and closer to the base of the branches. It grows as a low bush (up to 1.5 m) or a low tree - when grafted onto a trunk. The disadvantage is low winter hardiness. In the middle lane, it is better to plant non-standard seedlings and cover plants for the winter.

Stern value

There are more than 350 species of willows in the world of various shapes and sizes - from mighty twenty-meter giants to creeping shrubs several centimeters high. More than a hundred of them are in our country (only in the middle lane there are about 20 species).

Tanidi

Often there are their interspecific hybrids. Various types of willow, as already noted, are called: willow, willow, shelyuga, willow (large trees and shrubs, mainly in the western regions of the European part of Russia); vine, vine (shrub species); tal, willow (mostly shrub species, in the eastern regions of the European part, in Siberia and Central Asia).

Salix alba

tree

The folklore version was created on the basis of folk beliefs and legends. According to one belief, illuminated willow twigs were placed in the house for a talisman against evil spirits, the smallest of them were burned, and this tree was crying from that.

One of the forms of willow - white willow - is a deciduous tree, 20-30 m high with a wide-round, weeping crown. The trunk is powerful, up to 3 m in diameter. The bark is dark gray, longitudinally fissured in old trees. Young shoots are olive green or reddish brown. The lower branches lean towards the ground. Kidneys are reddish-yellow, flattened, sharp, 6 mm long, 1.5 mm wide. The leaves are narrow, alternate, with a pointed apex, 5-15 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, dark green, yellow in autumn, bronze. They stay on the branches for a long time. Flowers are thick, cylindrical catkins, 3-5 cm long. Fruits are capsules, 4-6 mm long. White willow blooms in April-May, simultaneously with the blooming of leaves.

Pletivo

The branches are thin, flexible, with matte, purple and light green bark, directed upwards, side shoots hang down. Leaves petiolate, arranged alternately. The leaf plate is wide, elliptical, in some species narrow, long.

With measles, fiber is used, an accessory for the preparation of hanks and sackcloths. The bark, taken from one-sided pagons of willow willow and triticinc, is a garniture "linguistic material for budding, more strings from it are wide, elastic, fit the wounds well, at the same time they are not in" given at the stovbur pіdshep. Before vikoristannya їh volozhuyut. From measles verbi bіloї slacken ropes.

​Tatyana Kuzmenko, member of the editorial board of the Sobcorrespondent of the online publication "AtmWood. Wood-Industrial Bulletin"​

- 7-8 planting cycles can be carried out on one plantation;

Fiber

uk.wikipedia.org

Whole-leaved willow, cultivar ‘Hakuro Nishiki’. © plantenbestel

Willow is a fairly common tree in Russia. Here the willow is called willow. The tree belongs to the willow family. In appearance, it is a tree that can grow up to 30 meters tall, but when young, has the shape of a shrub. There are dwarf willows, they are found in upland areas. The bark of the willow is gray and smooth. The branches are thin, flexible in structure, and up to 2.5 meters long. The crown is loose. The tree can bloom from mid-spring to late spring. Flowering is popularly called earrings.

Willow Description

There are about 170 varieties of wood. The most common species that can be found in the cities of Russia, Iraq, Iran and in Europe is white willow. Since this tree loves moisture, it can be found in areas of rivers, lakes and reservoirs, but can also be found in parks, alleys, along roads.

Willow not only serves to green the environment, but also serves to produce furniture, baskets, textiles. Willow branches are food for domestic animals such as goats and sheep. Willow is a valuable tree for beekeepers, as it is a good honey plant. And also in Russia, this tree or bush is considered a symbol of the Orthodox holiday "Palm Sunday". And also this plant is popular in medicine.

There are several subspecies of willow, and they differ slightly from each other. The leaves on one species may be green, slightly curled, and densely planted on the branches, while on other species they may be light green in color and sparsely located on the branches. Also, the leaves can be gray-white. Leaf shape is elliptical, narrow, oblong. Leaf margins are entire. The branches are thin, looking like twigs, bend well, covered with a shiny bark, mostly green.

Willow buds can be either burgundy or dark yellow. In early spring, before the leaves open, the willow begins to bloom, but there are subspecies that bloom in the first months of summer, while the leaves appear. The flowers don't really stand out in appearance. Their size is small, but if they are collected in a bundle or as earrings are called, then you can notice them.

Willow varieties

According to the latest data, the willow genus includes 553 subspecies. We list the most famous types:

Willow is common both in Russia and in Europe. The range is wide and can be found in such regions as:

1. West Siberia
2. Caucasus
3. middle Asia
4. river floodplains

Necessary Conditions for Growth

This tree or shrub prefers places with high humidity and soil with high acidity. These are the best places for willow to grow, it is very easy to root, you just have to find soil close to water and plant a branch in it. The rooting process will not keep you waiting. So, willow can create thickets if there is a favorable environment around. This tree is frost-resistant and will get along well in a city with a high dust content.

Ancient folk omens

Willow existed in ancient times, and the Slavic tribes - pagans called the willow "Perun's vine", and dedicated this tree to the god - Perun. Some household items were made from Perun's vine, in the hope that the item would gain magical power and become a talisman for the whole house. Children from birth were bathed in a decoction of willow, willow branches standing in the house were supposed to drive away evil spirits. It was believed that even from bad weather it can save.

The magical power of willow was also used at the industrial level. Fresh buds were scattered over the fields so that the land would bear fruit. Livestock pasturing was carried out with tree branches in order to protect the animal from adversity.

After the adoption of Christianity, many signs and rituals were forgotten and thrown out of religion, but not all. Part of the rites followed the people into the new religion.

The use of willow for cosmetic purposes

In home cosmetology, they can use the juice obtained from willow bark for their own needs. Juice helps:

• Smooth out wrinkles;
• Reduce inflammation on the skin of the face;

The bark is crushed into crumbs and juice is obtained by crushing. It is not diluted and used in pure form. A decoction obtained from willow bark is intended for rinsing the head, relieve the scalp of dandruff.

From ancient times, as mentioned above, it was believed that willow is a magical tree with healing properties. In fact, due to the content of biological substances, it can have a healing property on a person. Special preparations have been created containing white willow substances, which are used for colds, inflammatory processes, and headaches. It has the ability to reduce fever, anesthetize, soothe, normalize blood circulation. Also, with the help of a decoction of willow bark, you can get rid of sweating of the hands and feet.

You can cure gastritis or gastrointestinal disease. At home, a decoction is prepared from the following components: 1 tbsp. a spoonful of crushed willow bark, pour 200 grams of water and boil for half an hour. The resulting broth must be filtered, and then it is necessary to take 35 gr. before eating.

Do not use for cosmetic or therapeutic purposes for pregnant women or children under 16 years of age. It is also not advised to use for people with intolerance to drugs with the addition of white willow. People with gastrointestinal diseases and high acidity are not advised to take for medicinal purposes. It is contraindicated to use together with synthetic drugs.

“I sniff the willow: it smells bitterly - fragrant, forest bitterness alive, dense - dense spirit, it tickles my face with fluff, it's so pleasant. What soft fluffs, in golden pollen ... "
I.S. Shmelev "Summer of the Lord"

The willow is almost the first to bloom after the snow melts. Therefore, people considered it necessary to celebrate this event and welcome spring and new life!

Also, there is a folk legend about a woman who had so many children that she was ready to argue with Mother Earth herself about which of them is more prolific. Mother Earth got angry and turned the woman into a willow.

The willow blossomed - it means spring is coming soon, nature comes to life. In Russia, the willow has also become an important religious attribute, replacing the palm branches that were thrown at Christ's feet when he entered Jerusalem. For the holiday, the Orthodox decorate their houses with it: they attach a bunch to the icons in the “red corner”, put them in bouquets. In addition, earlier, on the right and left of the gates of each house, a flowering willow branch was attached.
Willow is a plant popular not only in medicine, but also in folklore. Moreover, in proverbs, the willow does not play the most benevolent role: “You will wait, like apples from a willow”, “Whoever plants a willow, prepares a spade for himself.” Willow reminded our ancestors of the other world. At the same time, the plant was a symbol of something frivolous and “easily adaptable” to the realities of life. It was not in vain that they said - "a German is like a willow: wherever you poke, then he began."
Perhaps the most vivid memory of the willow was formed in childhood, and not the most pleasant one either. Willow rods were used to punish disobedient children: “Willow whip, beat to tears”, “It’s not me who beats, willow beats” or “Red willow beats in vain; willow white beats for the cause "
In Slavic folklore and beliefs, Verba turns out to be involved in the sphere of the miraculous, compare, for example, the motifs of the "golden willow" ("won't turn around, golden willows will grow") and "pears on the willow" ("... we have girls in gold walk , we will give birth to willow pears"), known in Western Ukrainian folklore. In an East Slavic fairy tale - a fiction on a horse, Willow grows to the sky.

In the south of Poland and in Galicia, stories are known about a wonderful pipe that can be made from a willow growing in the very depths of the forest, where it has not been touched by a sunbeam and where it has never heard a rooster crow or the sound of running water. With the help of such a pipe, you can cheer up a sad person, make someone who has never done it dance, you can attract other people's bees to your hives, expose a villain and a murderer, etc.

Willow was a sacred plant not only for the Russian people, but for the entire Orthodox world. Previously, in Bosnia, girls girded themselves with willow that next year they would marry and give birth to offspring. In the Czech Republic and Poland, the guys lightly beat the girls with wicker rods, and the next day the young people changed roles.

In Slovenia and Croatia, children acted in a similar way - they slapped adults with rods, demanding gifts or money in return. And it was also customary for Western Slavs to burn willow on Palm Sunday: supposedly, until that moment, various evil spirits lived in it. By the way, children were whipped with willows for this very reason - the plant was credited with magical properties to expel evil spirits.

Willow is a remedy, according to adherents of traditional medicine, extremely useful in the treatment of a variety of diseases. Decoctions of the bark, leaves and inflorescences of willow are used as astringent, antipyretic, antirheumatic, choleretic, wound healing agents.

Previously, decoctions were even used to treat malaria. Palm buds were eaten by patients with fever and women who dreamed of being cured of infertility. It was even said that a consecrated willow branch can heal an unhealthy person if you touch it to his feet. In addition, the buds of the plant were even eaten - on Palm Sunday they baked pies and cooked porridge with them.

Whether it's snowing, whether the sun shines brightly, painting the sparkling sparks of snow in all the colors of the rainbow, and it's winter outside, despite the calendar spring...

In past years, when the Volga was not yet so polluted and poisoned with all kinds of chemicals, the water in the river froze to a considerable depth, withstanding not only crowds of people, but also heavy trucks. Even herds of elephants and bison released onto the ice at the same time would not have broken it. Every weekend people - some on skis, some on foot - moved in an avalanche towards the embankment. Some went to the other side of the river and walked in the forest, others only got to the sandy spit where the willow grew.

Therefore, on the eve of spring, a police cordon was established on the embankment, which vigilantly guarded whether one of those returning to the city hid broken willow branches in a bag or in his bosom. If any were found, then the willow was immediately confiscated, and the violators were fined. Now no one guards the willow. And she still opens her soft white buds every year in late February - early March ...

More about willow

Willow (holly willow) - Salix acutifolia Willd - is also popularly called red willow, red husk, red willow, verbose. Willow is a deciduous tree or tall shrub with dark bark and a spreading crown from the willow family. Willow branches are rather thin and flexible, young shoots are reddish-brown in color with a slight wax coating. If this plaque is rubbed with a hand or a cloth, it will quickly be erased. The leaves are long, pointed, light green or slightly silvery, shiny above, darker below, often with a bluish tint.

The willow has large flower buds, when the reddish thin film bursts, a grayish-white fluffy lump appears. Then it is covered with greenish-yellow small flowers. And it starts to resemble a tiny chicken.

Willow is the first tree that blooms in Central Russia. The fruit is a box. Ripens in May-June.
Willow grows almost throughout Russia, both in its European part and in Siberia, in the Urals, preferring sandy floodplains, spits and river banks.

Willow, like all willow trees, has long roots, they grow into the soil to a depth of 15 meters, thereby strengthening the banks and preventing water from washing away the sandy soil. In addition to the fact that believers use willow branches on Palm Sunday, decorating their homes with them, willow is used for weaving and is a valuable medicinal plant.

Health Benefits of Willow

Willow bark contains vitamin C, carbohydrates, cellulose, glycoside salicin, lignin, anthocyanins, flavones, catechins, tannins... Willow bark is harvested on the eve of spring or at the very beginning of March before flowering and during sap flow. The tree should not be old or too young. Trees 6-8 years old are considered the most healing. The bark is removed carefully, cut into pieces, dried in the sun, and then dried in a dryer or oven at a temperature of 50-60 degrees until it breaks easily. The shelf life of the bark is 4 years.

Willow treatment

For medicinal purposes, male earrings are also collected during flowering. Willow decoctions have hemostatic, disinfectant, astringent, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic properties.

A decoction of willow bark prevents blood clots from forming, because it thins the blood.

In folk medicine, willow preparations are used for sore throat, fever, malaria, internal bleeding, dysentery, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and colon, gynecological diseases, rheumatism ...

With inflammation of the mouth and throat, decoctions are used for rinsing.

For varicose veins and skin diseases, decoction baths are used.

Decoction for diseases of the stomach and gastrointestinal tract: 2 tbsp. spoons of dry chopped willow bark brew with 1 liter of boiling water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and hold for 5 minutes on low heat. Strain. Take ½ cup 3-4 times a day.

With pulmonary tuberculosis and jaundice, drink 2 cups of decoction per day.

For rheumatism: 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of chopped willow bark with 1 cup of boiling water and leave for half an hour under the lid in an enameled saucepan. Strain and take 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day half an hour before meals.

For women's diseases, 2 teaspoons are brewed with 2 cups of boiling water, infused until cool and drunk throughout the day in equal portions.

With diarrhea 1 tbsp. a spoonful of bark is brewed with 2 cups of boiling water, boiled for 10 minutes, filtered and drunk in small sips throughout the day.

Willow bark powder is sprinkled on wounds, eczema, poured gently into the nostrils for nosebleeds.

For pain in the legs 2 tbsp. spoons of the bark are poured with two liters of boiling water, boiled for 10-15 minutes, filtered, poured into a basin, boiled water is added so that it is not hot, and foot baths are taken for half an hour. Then the feet get wet and put on cotton stockings. Foot baths are also useful for people recovering from a serious illness. And also for those whose legs hurt after a long walk.

Willow is a tree that absorbs negative energy, so it relieves pain well if you lean against the tree with a sore spot. In case of depression, neurosis, hysteria, they press against the willow trunk either with the spine or hug the tree with their hands. You need to cuddle with a willow no more than 10-15 minutes a day. If it is not possible to go to a tree growing in nature, then small pieces of willow trunk can be used at home. In the old days, toothache, headache, rheumatism, furunculosis, tonsillitis were treated in this way. But it is not recommended to keep pieces of a willow trunk on a sore spot for more than half an hour, since you can lose a lot of energy.

A bit of history

Our ancestors believed that if you go to the deepest part of the forest, where the rays of the sun do not penetrate even on the clearest day, find a willow there, make a pipe out of it, then its sound can amuse any princess Nesmeyana. And our ancestors also brought their disease to willow. To do this, the sufferer girded himself with a straw belt, and then late in the evening, hiding from human eyes, he went to a young willow and girded it with a straw belt removed from himself.

Willow and Palm Sunday

The willow consecrated in the church is kept until the next Palm Sunday, as protection from evil spirits and diseases.

Many folk omens are also associated with willow. They looked at the arable harvest: “If there are thick lambs on the top of the willow, then the first sowing will give a good harvest, and if there are thick lambs at the bottom of the willow, then the last sowing will be better than the first.”

But, probably, most grateful people love willow because it awakens spring in their souls and fills them with joy, despite the snow and morning frosts. After all, if the willow blossomed, then soon the displeased grunting old woman winter will throw her modest bundle over her shoulders and go to distant lands, and a young and beautiful Spring will come to us! And the willow is the first to tell us about it.

It is customary in Russia to call the last Sunday of Great Lent. Two thousand years ago, the inhabitants of Jerusalem met Christ, who entered the city through the Golden Gate, with candles and date palm branches in his hands. In memory of this, believing Russians to this day come to the temple for a holiday with willow branches, since in our area it gives a kidney earlier than other tree branches.

The holiday is celebrated a week before Easter, and these days everywhere in the city you can buy twigs with silver-white fluffy inflorescences - "lambs". The majority of the population, far from the intricacies of Orthodox rituals, perceives willow on this day as nothing more than a tribute to a beautiful tradition. Decorating your home with willow branches is like painting eggs for Easter.

Willow is often found in the folklore of the Slavs as a symbol of rapid growth, health, vitality, fertility - childless women prayed at the willow, made sacrifices to it, asking to give them children. Consecrated on Palm Sunday, it was considered a healing tool. She fumigated the premises, pounded into powder, drank along with juniper from various diseases, applied in lotions. Willow branches were supposed to lightly whip each other, saying: "It's not me who beats, the willow beats, in a week Great day - be healthy like water, be rich like earth." The sick, hoping for a cure, whipped themselves: "Willow whip, beats to tears." There were other sayings: "The willow is red - it beats in vain", "The willow is white - it beats for the cause." The villagers also believed in a sign associated with willow: “Where there is water, there is willow, where there is willow, there is water!” And it was also believed that from the willows brought into the house, all evil spirits leave the walls. The consecrated willow was kept on the goddess behind the icon as a family amulet from illness, evil spirits, natural disasters. The Slavs believed that a consecrated willow thrown into the fire would pacify it, and thrown against the wind would drive away the storm.

Willow or willow?

"This is not a willow, but a willow," - I recently heard such a statement. This statement is absolutely incorrect, since willow is just one of dozens of willow species. Trees, shrubs, shrubs and creeping plants. Flowering before leafing and mid-summer. The variety is huge.

The confusion arises from the variety of local names for different species. Willow, willow, sheluga, willow, vine, willow, tal, willow and so on. According to some sources, the common Slavic word "willow" came from the Indo-European stem, which meant "to bend, twist." Its original meaning is "some kind of bending object", and later - "rod, branch". The noun "willow" is derived from the same root as the verb "twirl", and at first literally meant "branch", or "winding part of a tree."

Some Internet sources suggest that several early-flowering willow species are considered willow. I think it is more correct to attribute the name willow to a very specific plant - holly willow.

Thin graceful reddish shoots with a bluish bloom, silvery inflorescences (earrings) become bright yellow during flowering.

Of the other types of willows most commonly identified by people, there are several:

• goat willow - nonsense (it is often confused with willow, but nonsense is distinguished by more massive greenish shoots and larger buds);
• white willow - willow (usually a large tree that blooms in early summer);
• brittle willow - willow.

The church feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem in Russia always falls in the spring. At the beginning of flowering willow. Therefore, it is the willow that replaces the palm branches for Christians, with which the Jews met Christ at the time of his entry into Jerusalem.

According to tradition, willow branches are plucked on the eve of Palm Sunday or a few days before it. The consecration of the branches takes place on Saturday evening during the festive service - the All-Night Vigil. The priest reads a special prayer, sprinkles them with holy water. Sometimes the willow is also consecrated on Sunday morning - during the Liturgy or at the end of the service, but it is better to do it the day before. Those who did not bring their willows to the temple can pick up the consecrated branches after the service. So if you haven't prepared them ahead of time, don't worry.

Parishioners bring consecrated willow bouquets home and keep them throughout the year as a kind of reminder that we must always be ready to meet the Savior.

In ancient Egypt and ancient Greece, the palm branch was a symbol of victory, glory, health and longevity. To notify the people of the victory, the Greek soldiers sent a messenger with a palm branch.

The palm branch was awarded to the winners of the Olympic Games. In ancient Rome, a palm branch served as a sign of a person who won a lawsuit. The Romans decorated their homes with them during the Saturnalia* festival, as well as the tombstones of glorious warriors and worthy people.

Palm branches were also symbols of reverence. For example, it was the custom of the people of Israel to greet war heroes or royalty entering Jerusalem with palm branches and shouts of welcome.

In the Middle Ages, palm branches began to be associated with martyrdom. Palm branches are often present in the images of the holy martyrs who suffered for the faith. The Renaissance began to portray the palm branch as a symbol of peace, goodness and justice.

It was the palm tree that gave the name to those who visit the holy places: once a pilgrim was called the one who on Palm Sunday went in procession from Bethany to Jerusalem.

The believers keep willow branches consecrated in the temple at home for a year: they put them in a vase, put them or attach them to the icons.

The population of most of our country believes that willow is a tree, but they often call it willow. It is found in almost every corner of our Motherland, near water bodies and in river valleys, along roads and in the forest. In addition, the ability to quickly and easily take root, as well as rapid growth, allow this plant to be widely used for urban greening. In this article, we will tell you intelligibly and clearly about the willow plant: what kind of tree, its qualities and properties.

What is her name?

This plant has many names, and all of them were invented by the people who subtly noticed its features. Unlike ordinary people, botanists do not know such a tree - willow. For them, this is one of the varieties of plants belonging to the Willow genus, in which there are about 300 species. But the people who fell in love with this tree gave it many different names, however, willows are called those plants that are located on the banks of reservoirs or near water, but willows are shrubs or trees that grow in drier conditions. People living in different regions of Russia have come up with many names for willow:

• willow;
• reddened;
• molochnik;
• nonsense;
• slit;
• willow.

As a rule, when talking about the fact that willow is a tree, they mean such types of willow as holly, white, goat and wolf willow. All these varieties, under favorable conditions, can grow up to 30 meters in height.

Botanical features

Understanding the question of whether a willow is a shrub, let's look at the characteristics of the plants that we call willows. All willows, like other representatives of willows, have a long root system that can grow to a depth of 15 meters. A person uses this feature by planting a variety of willows along the banks of rivers, thereby keeping the line and preventing soil erosion. Young willow plants really look more like shrubs than trees. But over time, growing, a thin sprout turns into a large tree, the trunk diameter of which can reach 1.5 m and which is covered with gray, heavily cracked bark. The shade of the bark depends on age. So, a young willow is a tree with a light gray trunk, but an older plant will have a dark color.

The spreading crown of this tree consists of drooping, thin and flexible branches, the length of which can exceed 2 m. Young branches are hanging, thin, with a delicate silvery fluff at the tips. Old shoots are more bare and painted in reddish-brown or yellow-brown color. The next lanceolate silky and silvery leaves are located on the branches, the length of which can reach up to 12-15 cm. In the spring, simultaneously with the development of the leaves, the opening of flower earrings, consisting of very small flowers, occurs. Willow blooms in April, and by May the fruits ripen - small bivalve boxes with small seeds covered with hairs.

area

Willow is a tree widespread in the European part of our country and growing in the south of Western Siberia, in and in the Caucasus. It is quite often found in the floodplains of such large rivers as the Ural, Volga, Ob, Kuban, Dnieper and Don and forms willow forests there. Usually both willow and several other types of willow grow together, forming various hybrids among themselves.

Optimal conditions

Well-moistened areas with acidic soils, a lot of water - these are the conditions that the willow tree prefers. The description of it will be incomplete if not to mention that this plant is the first to actively develop abandoned or unused plots of land. In the forests, however, quite rarely, you can find this tree growing next to other species. A distinctive feature of the willow is that when it comes into contact with water or earth, its branches take root rather quickly. Thanks to this, the trees grow rapidly and form entire forests, occupying vast areas.

Willow tree: description and features

As already noted, it forms a rather powerful one, which, in addition, strongly branches and forms adventitious roots.

Thus, willow can be propagated both by cuttings and root layering. In addition, it should be noted that trees of this species:

• picky about soils;
• well tolerated;
• resistant to most diseases and pests;
• winter-hardy.

Folk omens

The ancient Slavic tribes, who did not care at all whether the willow is a tree or a shrub, dedicated it to one of the supreme gods - Perun and called it the "perun vine". A plant associated with such a powerful being was endowed with mystical and magical properties. Many household items were made from this tree. Small children were bathed in a willow decoction. Willow branches in the house prevented the intrigues of dark forces against the owners, and stuck in the ceiling - protected from lightning. To obtain a bountiful harvest, it was customary to scatter trees over the beds, and also stick separate branches into the field to protect crops from inclement weather and drive away rodents. In the spring, for the first time driving cattle into the field after winter, they did it with willow branches to protect the animals from diseases, help them grow and produce healthy offspring. In the barn there was also a place for this plant, which, according to popular beliefs, was able to save cattle from diseases. With the adoption of Christianity, part of the pagan rites and rituals passed into the new religion. Due to the absence of palm trees in our climate, one of the main Christian holidays (the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem) has acquired a new symbol - willow twigs with blossoming buds.

Healing properties

In folk medicine, willow bark, as well as other trees of the willow family, is used in the treatment of various infectious diseases. In the 19th century, the French researcher Leroux isolated such a substance as salicin from it. Later, scientists were able to synthesize it, which made it possible to create acetylsalicylic acid, better known to us as aspirin.

Today, a decoction of willow bark is used for rheumatism of the joints and gout. Made from leaves and bark, the infusion helps with various skin diseases. It is important to remember that any infusions, decoctions and drugs with any willow components are strictly contraindicated for pregnant women.

But the holiday is real, and therefore you don’t want to be deceived on this day even in small things. Therefore, we decided to tell you how to distinguish a willow from a willow, which is often given out for it.

Willow is also called krastotal and sheluga, as well as verbalose. Willow is a deciduous plant (shrub or tree). Its species differ from each other mainly in external features. In general, there are about 600 species of plants of this genus in the world. So, immediately about the main mistake: no, willow and willow are not at all the same plant under two different names. These plants are different, and willow from willow, despite the fact that they are relatives, differs in at least four signs, which are very easy to remember. So, both plants, belonging, of course, to the common willow family, can be distinguished:

* externally - according to the color of flower buds and bark;

* by place of growth;

* according to the shape of the crown;

* according to the characteristics and time of flowering.

Some signs, however, will be useful only to those who decide to go for the willow on their own. Previously, by the way, no one would even have thought that they had to buy willow - they went for it themselves, with their own feet, since the rite of "breaking" the willow was organically included in the ritual part of the holiday.

So, where can you find willow? The answer will surprise you: everywhere. She is unpretentious so that envy takes. Everything suits her - "clear field" and the banks of the river, the swamp, the outskirts of the forest and the village. Absolutely not picky creature! But the main thing is that its branches make up a fairly dense crown of conditionally thick red-brown shoots. Willow branches bend badly, leaves are rounded.

The willow crown is different. It is transparent, lacy, willow shoots droop, go down, which looks very picturesque. And willow grows mainly near ponds and rivers. When the willow leaves open, you can immediately see that they are elongated, long, with a pointed tip. Willow branches are very flexible, ideal for weaving, and if placed in water, they quickly take root. Moreover: if you simply stick a willow branch into the ground, without waiting for the roots, it will most likely also take root, and will soon fill the entire surrounding space. Willow bark is light, gray, sometimes greenish, sometimes almost golden.

Willow, however, does not differ in such a high ability to take root. It can put down roots, but it is unlikely that it will simply root in the ground.

In addition, plants differ in flowering. Willow blooms first. The branches of all the trees are still naked, and snow-white buds are already opening on its dense branches, sometimes with a pearl or slightly grayish tint. Willow blooms later, its flower buds are smaller, not as expressive, although also fluffy. But here is the main difference - they, unlike willow, have a golden olive or golden yellow color. So, once again - the main thing: willow blooms in a leafless state, willow - when the tree is already covered with leaves.

Photo: Anton Gerdo, Evening Moscow

If you choose a willow on the market, look first at the color of its bark: take the one that is red or brown, with a slight wax coating on the bark. Willow may be offered to you by not very honest sellers, but you can easily distinguish it by its “sleeping” buds, the color of its bark, and its flexibility.

What to do if you bought the wrong branches that you need? It's simple: forgive this cunning. It is unlikely that they took a lot from you for a modest bouquet. Well, forgive the deceivers this deceit from the bottom of your heart - God is with them, because in forgiveness there is grace. In addition, perhaps it was an unwitting deception - not many people understand all these botanical subtleties. Buy a real willow, don't worry.

In nature, there are just over a hundred species of willows, which differ from each other not only in the shape of crowns, leaves and flowers, but also in the color of the bark. This type of tree is often used to decorate the territory of personal plots.

Based on the fact that each species has its own characteristics, familiarization with information on how to determine which particular species is in front of your eyes will not be superfluous at all.

Willow and its varieties

If the trunk of the plant is quite powerful, the bark is gray in color and the foliage is colored in silver-green hues, then you can be sure that this species is called white willow or willow.

Willow

It belongs to the most famous and least whimsical species. Its only disadvantage can be called intolerance to too low temperatures. Therefore, landing willow in the regions of the Far North is undesirable.

creeping willow

brittle willow

A plant that visually resembles a willow, but is slightly smaller in size, is a brittle willow. This species is characterized by the growth of several trunks from one root system. There are also differences in the shade of the foliage: it is greener, the color is richer than that of the willow.

It is better not to plant a brittle willow in areas where too strong winds rage. The root system of the tree is almost half located on the surface of the earth, plus a fairly voluminous crown - the main factors that classify the tree as an unstable species.

purple willow

Its foliage color resembles brittle. But, there are significant differences between them: purple is a tall shrub that has a reddish tint of shoots and flowers. At the same time, the flowers, after the time has elapsed after blooming, get a yellowish color.

As for the goat willow, it can grow in the form of a tall, or tree, and its height can reach five meters.

The crown of such plants is compact, almost all shoots are directed upwards. But some types of goat willow have weeping branches.

What is the difference between willow

Asking the question: what willow looks like, we answer: it is a small shrub or tree, the shoots of which have a slightly reddish tint and are covered with fluff. The willow crown has an exclusively oval shape. It has a second name willow.

Refers to species unpretentious in cultivation and to the conditions of detention. What willow looks like in spring can be seen in the picture below.

Chernotal, outwardly very similar to willow, but has a higher growth. Refers to frost-resistant species. The leaves are more rounded. On female representatives of this genus, earrings can be observed throughout the winter period.

Willow is best planted in a shady area where there is a high percentage of humidity. Under normal natural conditions, willow most often grows along various water bodies. You can see what willow looks like in the summer in the picture below.

On the territory of a suburban area, a willow can be placed in close proximity to the fence. Trees, if desired, can be cut, thereby modeling a variety of shapes. Many homeowners have fallen in love with willow for this very reason.

In addition, a tree with weeping branches is readily used to create a landscape garden, it is quite decorative in summer. But if you take into account how willow looks like in winter, when its branches are covered with a thick layer of sparkling frost, then it is easy to conclude that it will be a worthy decoration of a garden or park at any time of the year.

In order to grow a willow, you will need the following:

• good planting material purchased at a specialized store;
• properly prepared and fertilized;
• directly the fertilizers themselves of the desired composition and in the required quantity;
• a certain amount of water to moisten the soil before planting and at its end;
• garden tools for decorating the landing site, namely a shovel;
• watering can, which will be produced.

The first step is to prepare the landing site. The preparation of the site, that is, the pit, must be done at least six months before the planned landing. In other words, if the landing is planned for the spring, then the preparation is carried out in the fall, and vice versa, if it is planned for the fall, then in the spring.

This is the correct preparation. The land, for a specified period of time, will have time to settle, which in turn will positively affect the survival rate of planted seedlings and their full development in the future.

The prepared willow pit must be of the correct size. The roots of this species, both shrubs and trees, are quite voluminous. Therefore, the pit must be at least 1 cubic meter in area. m.

After the first step is done, you can proceed to the second. Half of the pit designed for planting is covered with plant debris: not large thin branches, sawdust or shavings exclusively from hardwood, hay and the like.

The next layer should contain organic manure, rotted manure and earth. Then you should add superphosphate about 30 g. The last, topmost layer filling the pit should consist of fertile soil, previously removed from the surface of the pit.

Now you can start landing. It will be better if the planting process takes place on a rainy or cloudy day. Experienced gardeners claim that it is precisely such weather conditions that have the best effect on the survival rate of a seedling.

Place the seedling in the hole with a slight slope to the north side. In the process of growth, more branches will form on the south side of the willow. Therefore, the initial slope to the northern part will enable the tree to have the correct shape.

In the process of growth, the willow must be watered and fed with fertilizers of both organic and mineral origin in a quality and timely manner. For example, in the spring, the plant is better with fertilizers of nitrogenous origin. In the height of summer, the tree will need top dressing with potassium.

After the first year of growth of the willow, agrotechnical care for it can be reduced to regular watering and pruning, carried out exclusively in the spring, in order to properly form the crown.

Transplanting an adult willow tree

Transplanting an adult willow is best done before the plant reaches the age of 4 years. A transplant of this kind is carried out exclusively in the spring, before the onset of April, that is, until the moment when the buds begin to form on the tree. It is until April that the willow is in hibernation and its sap flow is minimal.

The transplant will require the following:

• directly the tree itself, which must be transplanted for some reason;
• dug and prepared pit;
• shovel;
• a piece of burlap of the required size;
• wooden pegs;
• natural fiber ropes;
• a certain amount of humus and;
• pebbles or coarse clean river sand;
• settled water for irrigation.

In advance, the plant to be transplanted is poured with plenty of water. After a few hours, moisture will penetrate deep into the soil and soak the earth around the willow root system.

Now you can start digging a not very wide ditch around the root. Quite often, the circumference of the root ball and the circumference of the crown coincide.

The pit is prepared in advance. The pit must be of a suitable size, without fail filled with a mixture of peat and peat.

When deciding on the parameters of the pit, you need to rely on the dimensions of the crown of the tree being transplanted. The first layer that needs to be placed on the bottom is a mixture of pebbles with sand, the next is humus with peat.

After that, in the central part of the pit, you will need to make a hill. After the sediment of the soil, it will not allow the roots to be in the recess. The planting hole is well filled with water. When the mound settles, you need to add the required amount of earth and make it the same height.

You need to dig a willow with root soil. Roots longer than 1 meter should not be uprooted, but chopped off with a shovel. But, in any case, it is better to perform actions with as carefully as possible and try to keep the central part of the root without any special changes. The root part of the tree extracted from the ground is wrapped in burlap and only after that it is moved to the place of the upcoming planting.

The tree is placed in a new place directly on the mound, while carefully straightening the rhizome. Filling the hole with earth, the latter is periodically compacted to avoid the formation of voids.

Let's see a video about what a willow looks like and about its use in landscape design:

Willow is a tree or shrub? The population of most of our country believes that willow is a tree, but they often call it willow. It is found in almost every corner of our Motherland, near water bodies and in river valleys, along roads and in the forest. In addition, the ability to quickly and easily take root, as well as rapid growth, allow this plant to be widely used for urban greening.

This plant has many names, and all of them were invented by the people who subtly noticed its features. Unlike ordinary people, botanists do not know such a tree - willow. For them, this is one of the varieties of plants belonging to the Willow genus, in which there are about 300 species. But the people who fell in love with this tree gave it many different names, however, willows are called those plants that are located on the banks of reservoirs or near water, but willows are shrubs or trees that grow in drier conditions. People living in various regions of Russia have come up with many names for willow: rakita; reddened; molochnik; nonsense; slit; willow. As a rule, when talking about the fact that willow is a tree, they mean such types of willow as holly, white, goat and wolf willow. All these varieties, under favorable conditions, can grow up to 30 meters in height. All willows, like other representatives of willows, have a long root system that can grow to a depth of 15 meters. A person uses this feature by planting a variety of willows along the banks of rivers, thereby strengthening the coastline and preventing soil erosion. Young willow plants really look more like shrubs than trees. But over time, growing, a thin sprout turns into a large tree, the trunk diameter of which can reach 1.5 m and which is covered with gray, heavily cracked bark. The shade of the bark depends on age. So, a young willow is a tree with a light gray trunk, but an older plant will have a dark color.

The spreading crown of this tree consists of drooping, thin and flexible branches, the length of which can exceed 2 m. Young branches are hanging, thin, with a delicate silvery fluff at the tips. Old shoots are more bare and painted in reddish-brown or yellow-brown color. The next lanceolate silky and silvery leaves are located on the branches, the length of which can reach up to 12–15 cm. In the spring, simultaneously with the development of the leaves, flower earrings, consisting of very small flowers, open. Willow blooms in April, and by May the fruits ripen - small bivalve boxes with small seeds covered with hairs. Willow is a tree widespread in the European part of our country and growing in the south of Western Siberia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. It is quite often found in the floodplains of such large rivers as the Ural, Volga, Ob, Kuban, Dnieper and Don and forms willow forests there. Usually both willow and several other types of willow grow together, forming various hybrids among themselves.

Well-moistened areas with acidic soils, a lot of water - these are the conditions that the willow tree prefers. The description of it will be incomplete if not to mention that this plant is the first to actively develop abandoned or unused plots of land. In the forests, however, quite rarely, you can find this tree growing next to other species. A distinctive feature of the willow is that when it comes into contact with water or earth, its branches take root rather quickly. Thanks to this, the trees grow rapidly and form entire forests, occupying vast areas.

The ancient Slavic tribes, who did not care at all whether the willow is a tree or a shrub, dedicated it to one of the supreme gods - Perun and called it the "perun vine". A plant associated with such a powerful being was endowed with mystical and magical properties. Many household items were made from this tree. Small children were bathed in a willow decoction. Willow branches in the house prevented the intrigues of dark forces against the owners, and stuck in the ceiling - protected from lightning. To obtain a bountiful harvest, it was customary to scatter the buds of this tree over the beds, and separate branches were also stuck into the field to protect crops from inclement weather and drive away rodents. In the spring, for the first time driving cattle into the field after winter, they did it with willow branches to protect the animals from diseases, help them grow and produce healthy offspring. In the barn there was also a place for this plant, which, according to popular beliefs, was able to save cattle from diseases. With the adoption of Christianity, part of the pagan rites and rituals passed into the new religion. Due to the absence of palm trees in our climate, one of the main Christian holidays (the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem) has acquired a new symbol - willow branches with blossoming buds.