Upland Willow
Salix humilis
The willow that doesn't need a stream. Silver catkins feed emerging queen bumblebees in early spring, and it thrives in dry upland soil.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
A willow that tolerates dry soil and delivers early spring catkins. it's the pollen bridge for pollinators when nothing else is open.
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.
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 ft · 36–60 in wide
- USDA zones
- 3–8
- Family
- Salicaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America
Care notes for upland willow.
Full sun to part shade, dry to average soil. Drought tolerant once established. No pruning required, but cut back to the ground every three to five years to rejuvenate. Spreads by root suckering. manage or welcome. No fertilizing needed.
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 complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.