White Willow

Salix alba, known as White Willow, is a lovely native tree that thrives on wetland sites all over the UK.

Fast-growing, its silver green leaves that emerge in the spring turn to yellow as they are ready to fall in the autumn. 

Part of a willow’s natural strategy is to drop twigs and limbs as they mature, allowing them to root where they land and start new growth. With this in mind, Salix alba isn’t a great choice for a garden, but it can be routinely coppiced to keep it juvenile on soils that are prone to flooding.

If left to its own devices, it can reach over 20 meters tall and nearly as wide!

Great for riverbank and lakeside planting.

Mature Height: 20m+

Common names

White Willow

Height of tree

20m+

Soil type

Wet, Will tolerate most soil types

Shape

Broad

Foliage Colour

Green

Good for waterlogged soil

Yes

Information Flags

Native

Looks good in

Summer

Location

Parkland, Coastal, Wetland

Genus

Salix