Plant ID

[Pinkywoo]

I've had this plant for three years (it was a seedling hitch hiker in with something else from the garden centre). I always thought it was a buddleia and as it grew specifically B. alternifolia argentea as it's leaves aren't paired, but it's never flowered. Last year I gave it a much bigger pot and it looks really healthy and has these what I thought were buds, any ideas?

I think you’ve got a willow there, they look like catkins.

That's what I wondered, any idea what type?

Babylon weeping willow, possibly.

It's not really weepy, do they only droop as they get bigger?

It’s a female - those look like female catkins. It’s not a goat willow (the male of which has pussies) but willows are a hard group to identify

That's helpful thanks, looking at pictures of UK willows I think it could be a white willow as it has very silvery leaves. At least now when DH takes the piss that I call my plants he not it, I can say it actually is a male!

Oops got them the wrong way round, he's a she!

Try calling it Salix rather than a willow - using the scientific name immediately makes it sound more like a garden plant to the layman.

He's Italian so would prefer Latin to English!

It's a lovely little tree, hopefully it will be happy in a large pot as I can't put it in the ground (rented house).