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Swiss willow

Salix helvetica

Swiss willow
Photo: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0

Swiss willow is a dwarf, erect alpine shrub from the Alps and Tatras, reaching about 50 cm tall and wide, with silvery-backed leaves and silvery catkins. It needs cold winters and full sun, and it is grown in gardens mainly for its compact habit and foliage.

Family
Salicaceae (Willow family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Full sun
Water
Water regularly while establishing, then let the top of the soil dry slightly between waterings.
Soil
Free-draining, moisture-retentive soil or gritty mineral mix; tolerates alkaline conditions.
Temperature
Hardy to well below freezing, needs a cold winter; avoid heat above 30 °C.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
Alps, W. Carpatians
Climate
subalpine or subarctic

About

Salix helvetica, the Swiss willow, is a scrubby willow species found in the Alps (from 1,700 to 2,700 m) and the Tatras portion of the western Carpathians (from 1,600 to 2,000 m). It is a naturally dwarf, erect shrub, growing to 50 cm (20 in) tall and broad, with silvery undersides on the leaves, and silvery catkins appearing with the leaves. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Other Salix plants

Siberian Violet Willow · White willow · Salix alpina · Arctic willow · Eared willow · Peking Willow · Goat Willow · Pussy willow · Olive Willow · Salix excelsa · Narrowleaf willow · Salix fargesii

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Salix helvetica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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