Propagate Like a Pro! Rooting Willow Cuttings

Willow shrubs are one of the easiest plants to propagate. Learn all about rooting willow cuttings (Salix discolor) simply and inexpensively.

Reader Contribution by Corinne Gompf
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Adobe Stock/briannehoffman

Willow shrubs are one of the easiest plants to propagate. Learn all about rooting willow cuttings (Salix discolor) simply and inexpensively.

Like most gardeners, late winter is when our green thumbs begin to itch, and the need to get to work in the garden is too hard to resist. But, if you’re like me and live in a climate that’s not quite warm enough to spend much time outside, you have to resign yourself to indoor tasks, such as seed starting and propagating.

I must admit, however, that seed starting is one of my favorite gardening jobs. It’s when I get to make my final decisions for the spring and early summer garden, dig through my box of seeds, take inventory of my supplies, and get my fingers in a little dirt to prepare and seed my pots with a variety of edible plants and flowers. And it’s a heck of a lot easier on my back than hauling wheelbarrow-full loads of goat manure and straw mulch.

Salix discolor

One task that is perfect for this time of the year is propagating shrubs and trees that root easily. This year, I decided that I needed a few more Salix discolor (American pussy willow) shrubs to add to my butterfly garden. And it’s easy and inexpensive (practically free in my case) to propagate willows by taking cuttings of mature plants.

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