prairie willow
Salix humilis
USDA zones3 to 8
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry or moist or wet soil
Sizeup to 10 feet tall
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Bloom color
- Yellow , green , purple , brown
- Foliage color
- Dark green
- Soil pH
- Circumneutral (pH 6.8-7.2)
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Prairie willow (Salix humilis) is a shrub for meadow plantings. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and dry to wet soil. It forms a mounded shape, often grows into thickets, and shows greenish catkins before the leaves emerge. Birds and mammals harvest from it early in the season. It grows fast but is short-lived, and wind can damage it.
Pairs well with Red elderberry, Royal fern, and White snakeroot.
Native range
AL, AR, CT, DC, and 38 more places. See all 42
AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV; NB, NS, ON, PE, and QC.