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How To Grow And Care For Weeping Willows
Weeping willows are undeniable beauties, but they need ample space to grow.
Steve Bender, also known as The Grumpy Gardener, is an award-winning author, editor, columnist, and speaker with nearly 40 years experience as Garden Editor, Senior Writer, and Editor-at-Large for Southern Living.
Updated on May 22, 2023
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The weeping willow (Salix babylonica) is a polarizing plant. While some adore this unique-looking tree for its droopy charm, others believe that enjoying the sight of a weeping willow in your yard will never be worth the hassle. Outside of China, where it originates, the weeping willow has not had much success with being cultivated, aside from certain hybrid derivatives. The tree is easy to grow and fast to take root—able to propagate in many types of soil—but it is hard to keep alive.
In the photo above, you are looking at the best kind of place to plant weeping willow: on the banks of a pond or lake with nothing else around. The owner’s house, driveway, sidewalk, pool, water lines, septic tank, and all the neighbor’s houses very far away—50 feet or more. To plant a weeping willow anywhere closer is to court disaster.
If you have an expansive property on which to grow a weeping willow, here’s how to care for this beautiful tree.
Light
S. babylonica prefers to be planted in full sun where it can receive at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. The tree can tolerate some light shade.
Soil
Your weeping willow will do well in clay, loamy, or sandy soil, as long as it is moist. These trees prefer acidic soil, but can handle neutral and slightly alkaline soils too. They have moderate salt tolerance and can be planted in coastal areas.
Water
Plant this thirsty tree near a water source to keep it healthy and free from disease. Occasional flooding will not harm a weeping willow, but frequent standing water can affect its health. The water-seeking roots are very aggressive, so don’t plant it near your home, sidewalks, water lines, or septic tanks. Give the roots space to grow three times as wide as the tree’s canopy when it is mature. If you plant your tree in an open area that stays dry, expect to water it regularly to prevent the leaves from dropping, especially during a drought.
Temperature And Humidity
Weeping willows do well in a humid climate. As one of the first trees to leaf out in spring, S. babylonica is not especially winter hardy, but it can be grown in Zone 6 in the Upper South. Some report success with growing this tree in Zone 9A in the Coastal South. Plant your tree in the fall so the roots can get established before the heat of summer.
Fertilizer
Fertilizing can help promote the growth and health of a young weeping willow tree and potentially prolong its life. Feed your tree once a year in spring just before new growth appears. Use a slow-release fertilizer to reduce the likelihood of runoff contaminating your pond or lake. Find a fertilizer formulated for trees and apply following the package instructions.
Types Of Weeping Willows
While all weeping willows have a softly cascading, graceful form, there are a number of cultivars with unusual bark, growth patterns, and leaves. Hybrids may be sold under different species names or just as “Salix,” as the lineage of these plants isn’t always clear.
- ‘Babylon’: The traditional weeping willow, with a broad umbrella shape and long tendrils that drape to the ground. Light green leaves turn yellow in the fall.
- ‘Crispa’: The willowy leaves curl into an unusual ram’s horn shape on this tree. This cultivar grows upright before the branches begin to bend down.
- ‘Golden Curls’ and ‘Scarlet Curls’: These hybrids have gnarled and twisted branches that add winter interest. When covered with leaves, which also have a slight curl, the trees appear rounded and weep slightly with branches that stop above the ground.
Pruning
Weeping willows are messy and weak-wooded trees that are susceptible to breakage. Train the tree when it is young so it can develop a strong structure. Tie the central leader of the tree to a stake to help it develop an upright trunk. Your sapling may come already pruned, or you may need to remove lower branches to promote more height and open up space under the canopy.
If you need to thin an overly dense and tangled tree, do it in winter or early spring while the tree is dormant and you can see its structure. Remove crossing branches, choosing smaller branches and branches with a narrow V-shaped crotch first. Keep stronger, horizontal branches intact as much as possible. Sometimes larger branches on a mature tree become too heavy and begin to weaken, in which case they should be removed as well. Make certain that the crown is balanced on each side and remove additional growth on one side if needed. Broken, dead, or diseased branches with cankers should always be removed. Also, remove any suckers that sprout up from the ground.
Willow Tree
Willow Tree is a deep, shaded, sage green with an avocado undertone. It is a perfect paint color for a dining room. Pair it with pops of corals and pink toned accents.
R: 158 G: 143 B: 102 LRV: 27
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How quickly will I receive my paint matched to Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree?
All paint is custom-made to order. While most orders ship within 48 hours, the lead-time for paint made to match Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree depends on the type of paint needed. Interior and exterior house paints usually ship within 1 to 3 days, while custom spray paint typically takes 3-5 days to ship. The transit time depends on your location and the shipping method you choose. If your need is immediate, select Expedited Production during checkout. Most expedited production orders ship within 24 hours on business days. Please contact MyPerfectColor if you are concerned about a specific deadline. We do our best to make sure you get your paint on time. Learn more about paint lead times at MyPerfectColor.
What are the LRV, HEX, and RGB values for the Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree?
The RGB values for Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree are 232, 232, 201 and the HEX code is #E8E8C9. The LRV for Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree is 79.46. The LRV stands for Light Reflectance Value and measures the percentage of light that a color reflects. Learn more about using RGB and Hex codes for matching colors and Light Reflectance Values.
What paint type is used to make spray paint matched to Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree? And how many spray cans do I need?
MyPerfectColor uses an acrylic enamel which is a fast-drying durable coating suitable for interior or exterior use. MyPerfectColor custom spray paint matched to Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree enables you to conveniently achieve a professional spray-smooth finish in any color in any sheen. It sticks well to most surfaces including metal, plastics, powder-coatings, cabinets and primed or previously painted wood.
The MyPerfectColor 11oz spray will cover about 20 square feet per coat. Keep in mind that it is difficult to gauge spray paint need as the coverage is highly dependent on how it is applied. Learn more about how spray paint works at MyPerfectColor.
What is the Hue Angle and Chroma for Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree?
The Hue Angle for Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree is 108.9 and the chroma is 15.96. The Hue Angle represents the position of a color’s hue around a color wheel. The Chromacity represents the intensity of a hue. Learn more about browsing colors by hue.
Does Valspar paint color Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree need primer?
MyPerfectColor doesn’t sell Valspar paint, but it does match the Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree and all the other Valspar colors in a wide variety of paint types. The need for primer depends on the specific paint and the substrate being painted. The top quality paints these days tend to be self-priming over most surfaces, while paint at the mid to lower grade quality levels will need a separate primer. Most special situations such as bleeding type woods or difficult to adhere surfaces like plastic will often need a specialty primer. Contact MyPerfectColor support if you have specific questions about the best paint to use for your project and whether you need a primer.
How can MyPerfectColor color match the Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree in paint?
MyPerfectColor has hundreds of color books in its archive, including the original Valspar paint color books. The color Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree you are looking for is in our library. We are able to make paint and verify that it matches the original.
Please note that if you are trying to touch up, the paint on your wall now is likely different than it was when first painted. MyPerfectColor will be sending the original color which may no longer match your walls. Learn more about color matching accuracy and our color matching service.
How do I convert Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree to a different color from another paint company?
While we can provide Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree in paint, we don’t provide any crossover information. We’ve found that every paint company offers its own unique selection of colors and rarely does a color have an exact equivalent in another brand.
However, under the color image on a color page there is a link that says “Explore Colors”. Clicking this link displays colors with similar values and you can look for any colors from the brand you want.
Keep in mind that this just shows similar colors based on the color values we have stored in our database. It doesn’t mean it is the same or give any approximation about how close the color is. You can play around with the Hue, Lightness and Chroma sliders to expand the selection.
About Valspar Paint
The Valspar Corporation is a manufacturer of paint and coatings based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Valspar was founded in 1806 as a paint dealership in Boston, Massachusetts. The Valspar name emerged in 1903 as the name of a clear varnish and became the company name in 1932. Sherwin-Williams acquired Valspar in June 2017.
MyPerfectColor is able to match all of the Valspar paint colors so you can find and enjoy the colors you love. MyPerfectColor uses its expert capabilities to recreate the original Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree by matching the original Valspar color books and swatches. MyPerfectColor does not use Valspar paint.
The colors shown on this website are computer video simulations of the Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree and may not match Valspar Color standards. Refer to Valspar Publications to obtain the accurate color. Please know that MyPerfectColor is matching the original Valspar 92-38C Willow Tree. If you intend to touch up paint that has been on your walls for years, know that your color has undoubtedly changed from the original due to exposure to light and age and the new paint may not match. You will achieve the best results by re-coating the entire surface.
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