Corkscrew Willow

[Blueredballoon]

I was given a corkscrew/ twisted willow about a year ago. I just stuck it in the garden really without thinking about it properly. It's now grown a lot and I'm a bit concerned as to how big it will get as it's quite close to the fence and a brick wall of my neighbour's house. It's about 7 ft now.

Can anyone advise what my options are? I do love the tree in summer but equally I don't want it taking over. Could I replant it into a really big pot to keep it suitably contained? Or shall I just cut my losses with it and get rid of it?

Thanks!

My strong advice is: tackle it now! They grow fast and can easily get huge!! The good news is that you can prune them hard because they aren't grafted and are tough as old boots. You can pollard it (cut back all the growth around the main stem) or even coppice it (cut it right down and let it resprout), if need be. I wouldn't, however, put it in a pot- they are thirsty things.

Thank you- I shall do that. If I aggressively prune etc now and regularly, will that also stop the roots growing too much?

I am surprised at how much it's grown! It's a shame really, as most plants in my garden don't usually survive

I'm not completely sure, but it stands to reason that a plant with less in the way of leafage to generate energy can produce less in the way of rootage. So I would have thought so.

Do you have quite heavy soil? And is it quite damp? I ask because willows often like those conditions and many other plants don't - so the lack of the other plants surviving may not be down to any failure in you but down to your conditions!

We have really clay based soil here- is that heavy? It's quite an effort to get stuff planted in it. It is in quite a damp area of the garden actually too, so that could be it!

Thanks for your help

Clay is usually heavy, yes - it retains moisture (and also nutrients). So things that like dry, well-drained conditions tend to struggle in it. You may well find that when you start planting things that like your soil, you find out you're an excellent gardener!

If you have shade, that pushes it even further in a direction against sun-loving dry plants!