Pollarded weeping willow

[Sososadaboutmytree]

We moved into a house a few months ago, with a massive weeping willow in the garden, canopy of about 25ft wide which was down to about 5ft from the ground. It looked quite overgrownand like it hadnt been maintained properly (lots of snapped off branches in the canopy, badly cut boughs in different places etc). Got a local company in to quote for getting it tidied up, and they said it needed to be pollarded. Price agreed, they came yesterday.

I hadnt realised what pollarding actually meant, and they have taken the entire canopy off, not a leaf left on it, I was on work calls when they started so didn't see what was happening until it was too late. I'm absolutely devastated, can't stop crying. The chap reassured me that by next summer it will have plenty of regrowth on it, and that it needed to be done (and had clearly been done beforeby previous owners a few years ago), but I am so so sad and I feel horrendously guilty about it, DH is gutted and trying to be nice about it but it was me that arranged it. The garden looks so stark and bare. I've also been googling and apparently now is not a good time to get it done so I feel even worse. I just feel so stupid for not researching it properly.

Can anyone please please reassure me with some stories of their willow growing back quickly please?

It will absolutely grow back. Within a couple of years your won’t even know it has been done.

Different country but same climate. Everything is pollarded here. All grows back. Year one is a bit feathery. Year 2 you’d never know it happened. Pruning really is for the health of the plant.

It isn't the best time of year, and if they'd been experienced and qualified arborists as well as tree surgeons they would have known that, and advised to wait until February. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of tree surgeons who are qualified by chainsaw licence rather than a love of trees, and don't care all that much as long as they get paid.

Someone once described it as a tree surgeon know how to cut a tree, an arborist knows why.

It will definitely grow back. We have one a bit bigger and it’s amazing how fast they grow back. Birds are bit stumped(!) for a bit after and then it grows back.

We get ours pollarded every 2 years because it grows back so abundantly! It is pretty jarring visually after it’s first done though

You can’t stop crying? You really need to get a grip. It’s a bloody tree. They haven’t killed the bloody thing.

We’re having our ash tree done in January and have been told what to expect. As others have said it’s good for the tree. I think too many trees aren’t managed properly and then they get chopped down after getting too big.

I felt exactly the same way when our willow was pollards, OP! I'm not a particularly sentimental person so it took me by surprise, but the sight of my beautiful tree being brutally attacked with a chainsaw brought on quite a visceral reaction in me.

Anyway, it grew back fine and has been cut back several times since. I find it easier now, from an emotional perspective!

Thank you to those of you that have been reassuring and kind. It has helped. I think if I'd understood what they were going to do I wouldn't have been so upset as I'd have been mentally prepared for it (or put it off until another time!). It just looks so stark and bare, and I'm sad for all the little birds that used to hang out in it. The garden used to feel magical and very green, and now it doesnt. I will be counting down the days til it grows back!

I feel for you OP, it wasn't my tree but the house at the back had the most beautiful but massive willow tree and it was cut down completely back in the spring. It gave me so much privacy to the back of my house and garden and completely hid their property from my view, just a gorgeous curtain of greenery during the summer months. It also had lots of birds that liked to roost in it.

I didn't cry but I certainly felt so sad to see it get cut down.

It will grow back v quickly. They need to be pollarded as willows have a habit of limbs snapping off during storms and coming down.

The weeping willow I hated in our front garden fell over 18 months ago in a big storm. I was delighted. Never got around to removing the small bit of dead trunk. The fucker has risen Lazarus like. Since you are keen on yours , I hope it will rebound similarly

My parents have one and I fully pollard it every 5 years or so. It'll be fine. Definitely do it in winter when the tree is dormant next time though. You can then use the wood chip for mulching the rest of your garden.