Willow (Creeping)

Do you want to plant a Willow (Creeping)? Here you will find all the information you need on how to best plant the Willow (Creeping), and on pruning and caring for your Willow (Creeping).
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General characteristics of a Willow (Creeping)

The Creeping Willow is a low-growing shrub common in sandy and dune areas. It typically grows to a height of 30 to 60 cm, but spreads horizontally via (creeping, hence the name) stolons. The leaves are narrow, silvery green, and slightly hairy, making it well-adapted to dry and sandy soils. 

The Creeping Willow blooms in spring with small catkins that are attractive to bees and other insects. It has a shallow root system and is wind-resistant. Thanks to its creeping habit, the Creeping Willow is also a good plant for ground cover and stabilizing sandy soils. 

 

 


 

Characteristics


How to plant a Willow (Creeping)

Make sure the roots are 10 centimetres below the ground and cover with soil.

How to harvest a Willow (Creeping)

Cuttings and/or pollarding and placing them elsewhere in the soil.

 


 

Caring for and pruning your Willow (Creeping)

Branches can be pruned to maintain shape.

Where does a Willow (Creeping) grow

Sunny or lightly shaded locations on dry to wet, nutrient-poor, slightly acidic to calcareous soil (sand, loam, sandy clay, and peat). Subspecies dunensis grows most frequently on calcareous sandy soil (e.g., in the dunes) and subspecies repens on acidic sandy soil. You'll find the creeping willow in coastal dunes, swamp forests, along forest edges, and in sparse grasslands and heathland.


 


General

Origin
Native
Tree Type Shrub

Length and Age

Length in about 10 years Up to 1 Meter
Reproductive Maturity in How Many Years 2 Up to 3 year
Maximum Age 20 Up to 30 year
Required Space 3 Up to 5m2
Growth Rate

Reproduction

Tree is Self-Pollinating No
Reproduction Method
Makes root suckers
To cut (cutting is between 5 and 50 cm)
To be pollarded (the slit is approximately 2m)
Makes seedlings
Reproduction rate

Reproduction rate

1. Very low reproduction rate. The plant hardly spreads, has few seeds or vegetative spread (e.g., trees with heavy seeds).
2. Low reproduction rate. Spread via limited seed production or specific conditions required
3. Average reproduction rate. Regular spread, depending on wind, water, or animals, at a moderate speed (e.g., dandelion).
4. High reproduction rate. Many seeds and multiple spread strategies (wind, birds, vegetative). Quickly colonizes open spaces
5. Very high reproduction rate. Invasive species that spread explosively over large distances (e.g., Japanese knotweed).

Pruning Period

This Tree is Evergreen No
Summer No pruning in summer
Winter November tot March
Leaf Shapes Elliptical
Easy to prune Yes

Bark Characteristics Seedling (50-200cm)

Lenticels Yes
Colour

Bud Characteristics Seedling (50-200cm)

Colour
Bud Position
Varied
Bud Shape
Pointed
Egg-shaped

Other

Root
Broad root system
Superficial rooting
Bloom
Has catkins
Wind sensitivity Not sensitive to (sea) wind

Diseases

Sensitive to the Following Diseases
Watermark disease (Willow)

Harvest/recognition in winter

Small, low-growing plant with numerous runners. Thin, grayish branches. Smooth, grayish-green bark.

Light requirement of the Willow (Creeping)

The Willow (Creeping) thrives best under these light conditions.
  • Full sun

    • Suitable soil types for the Willow (Creeping)

    In this overview, you can find which soil types are best for the Willow (Creeping) to grow.
    Soil type Suitability
    light clay
    heavy clay
    sand
    peatland
    Loam
    Moerig op zand
    Lichte zavel
    Zware zavel

    Humidity

    A (ground)water level indicates how deep the groundwater usually is below the surface. The higher the Roman numeral, the deeper the groundwater.
    I
    II
    III
    IV
    V
    VI
    VII
    VIII

    Suitable acidity level for the Willow (Creeping)

    Each soil type has a certain acidity level, measured in pH values. You can plant the Willow (Creeping) in soil that falls within this range:
    0.0
    0.5
    1.0
    1.5
    2.0
    2.5
    3.0
    3.5
    4.0
    4.5
    5.0
    5.5
    6.0
    6.5
    7.0
    7.5
    8.0
    8.5
    9.0

    Nutritional needs of the Willow (Creeping)

    Some soil types offer more nutritional richness than others.
    1.0
    1.5
    2.0
    2.5
    3.0
    3.5
    4.0
    4.5
    5.0
    5.5
    6.0
    6.5
    7.0
    7.5
    8.0
    8.5
    9.0
    1. Very nutrient-poor soil
    2. Very nutrient-poor to nutrient-poor soil
    3. Nutrient-poor soil
    4. Nutrient-poor to moderately nutrient-rich soil
    5. Moderately nutrient-rich soil
    6. Moderately nutrient-rich to nutrient-rich soil
    7. Nutrient-rich soil
    8. Extremely nutrient-rich soil
    9. Very extremely nutrient-rich soil

    Humidity

    Does Willow (Creeping) like to have its roots in extremely dry (1.0) or wet (9.0) soil?
    1.0
    1.5
    2.0
    2.5
    3.0
    3.5
    4.0
    4.5
    5.0
    5.5
    6.0
    6.5
    7.0
    7.5
    8.0
    8.5
    9.0
    1. Extremely dry soils
    2. Extremely dry to dry soils
    3. Dry soils
    4. Dry to dry/moist soils
    5. Dry/moist soils
    6. Dry/moist to moist soils
    7. Moist soils
    8. Moist to wet soils
    9. Wet soils

    To be applied in landscapes

    0 = not filled in, 1 = unsuitable, 5 = very suitable
    Landscape Suitability
    Agroforestry
    Hedge
    Hedge
    Forest
    Feeding hedge
    Back yard
    Small back yard
    Solitary
    Wood wall

    Cultural-historical value

    0 = not filled in, 1 = low, 9 = high

    Insects

    How many insects typically live on this tree/plant? 450
    Which insect groups live on this tree/plant?
    Bees
    Butterflies
    Lice
    Are there insects dependent on this species? No
    Which insect species are dependent on this tree/plant?

    Birds

    Average number of birds per tree/plant?
    Which bird groups live on this tree/plant?

    Mammals

    Average number of mammals per tree/plant?
    Which mammal groups live on this tree/plant?
    Are there mammals dependent on this species? No
    Which mammal species are dependent on this tree/plant?

    Bloom Period

    Summer April Up to May

    Tree Species

    Tree species that this tree prefers to grow with

    Suitable for mammals?

    toxic, 1 = unsuitable, 5 = very suitable
    Mammal Suitability
    Horse
    Human
    Beavers
    Badgers
    Squirrel
    Ferret
    Goat
    Herbivorous rodents
    Deer
    Dog
    Cat
    Chicken
    Cow
    Mouse
    Roe deer
    Sheep
    Pig
    Foxes
    Wild boar

    Explanation

    Explanation

    Edibility

    • Toxic: This tree or shrub is toxic to mammals and absolutely unsuitable for consumption.
    1. Very unsuitable: This tree or shrub is unsuitable for consumption by mammals and can be harmful.
    2. Unsuitable: This tree or shrub is generally unsuitable for consumption by mammals and can have adverse effects.
    3. Moderately suitable: This tree or shrub is moderately suitable as food for mammals, possibly with certain risks or limitations.
    4. Suitable: This tree or shrub is generally suitable as food for mammals, with little to no risks.
    5. Very suitable: This tree or shrub is very suitable as food for mammals, safe, and of high nutritional value.


    Trunk Height

    Average Trunk Height (hg) of the basal area median tree

    from - to, in whole meters, average

    Information not available

    Trunk Diameter

    (dg) (1.30m) of the basal area median tree.

    from - to, in whole centimeters, average

    Information not available

    Aboveground Biomass

    in whole kg

    Information not available

    Belowground Biomass

    in whole kg

    Information not available

    Substance Binder

    Which substances can be bound or absorbed?
    CO2
    Particulate matter

    Carbon Attraction (kf)

    (dg) (1.30m) of the basal area median tree Deciduous Trees (Kf = 0,48)

    Warming Resistance

    This tree is well resistant to the warming (plus 3 degrees) of our climate and fits into the future of our climate (heat and drought resistant). No
    CO2
    Particulate matter

    CO2

    0. not filled in
    1. no storage
    2. low storage
    3. moderate storage
    4. high storage
    5. very high storage

    Fine Dust

    0. not filled in
    1. no capture capacity
    2. low capture capacity
    3. moderate capture capacity
    4. high capture capacity
    5. very high capture capacity

    This is what an adult tree Willow (Creeping) looks like

    Creeping willow - shrub

    This is what a Willow (Creeping) in bloom looks like

    Creeping willow tree in bloom ( masculin )
    Creeping willow tree in bloom ( feminin )

    This is what the leaf of a Willow (Creeping) looks like

    Leaf of the creeping willow tree