How big do willow trees grow? What are the full names of the big ones? How old do they get?
Question:Would a large willow tree grow (wild?) in the woods of Grants Pass or Medford, Oregon? How big (tall/around)? What kind of willow?
Answers:
Historically, willows were found wild in Oregon - there is a Willow Point in Coos county and in Columbia county. They are a very fast growing tree and it only takes a piece of a tree broken off and stuck in the ground to get one to root and grow. Frequently here in Coos county they use the willows on the river banks to both stabalize the bank and to provide shade over the river. But my favorite thing about willows is their amazing ability to help other plants to take root. I take a small branch and throw it in a large bucket with whatever I want to grow roots. The willow has a natural 'Root-tone' and will get even the most difficult plants to grow roots. Some plants may take a year to get a root going, but I'm amazed that it works at all.
You can expect if you plant a sapling today that you will have a 20-30 foot tree with a 10-15 foot spread in about 10 years. That's without your having to do anything but perhaps give it a good drink in the hottest days of the summer (it is hot in your valley!) while it is still small.
VERY big. I have one in my back yard that is only 10 year sold and it's HUGE! Also I live in Montana. Sort of similar climate to Oregon only colder. And I saw one growing in the woods wild.
Willows belong to the genus Salix.
Salix alba L. "'White willow" 25 m (80 ft) high
Salix alba L. var. coerulea Koch 30 m (100 ft) high. fantastic tree
Salix babylonica: can grow to 20 m (80 ft)
and my all time favorite:
Salix matsudana 'Umbraculifera' 60-70 ft. Has a flat, widely spreading, semi-pendulous crown.
They become enormous. Ours seems to lose a limb or two every year in big windstorms. If you plant one, don't plant it where it will grow over your house.
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