Upland Willow
Salix humilis
Upland willow is the willow that doesn't need a stream. it grows in dry to average upland soils where no other willow performs. Fuzzy gray-silver catkins in early spring make it one of the earliest pollen sources of the year, arriving when queen bumblebees are just emerging and almost nothing else is open. The catkins are showy enough to be the reason you plant it. At three to six feet, this is a manageable, multi-stem shrub that works in meadow plantings, along dry woodland edges, or at the back of a naturalized border. More than 100 lepidopteran species use willows as larval hosts. the wildlife leverage of planting any willow is enormous, and this one asks for far less in return than its wetland relatives.
We grow a range of sizes and prices. Add the plant to your list, then pick your size when you visit.
Final price confirmed at pickup, depends on size and season.
- Thu, Jul 238 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Jul 248 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Jul 258 AM – 2 PM
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown upland willow propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 3'–6'
- Bloom
- Showy silver catkins in early spring, foliage through summer, multi-stem winter structure.
- USDA zones
- 3-8
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside upland willow.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle 9–12 species that work together. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Butterfly Package
Host and nectar plants chosen to feed monarchs, swallowtails, and fritillaries spring through fall.
Hummingbird Package
Tubular-flowered natives that pull ruby-throats through your yard April through October.
S.O.S. Package
Save Our Songbirds, berry- and seed-bearing natives that feed nesting and migrating birds.