FLASH SALES: discover new special offers every week!
Submit pictures? Hide pictures submission form
I have read and agree the terms and conditions of the service.

Salix Boydii - Willow

Salix Boydii
Willow

Be the first to review this product

Schedule yourself the delivery date,

and choose your date in cart

This plant benefits a 24 months rooting warranty

More information

Dwarf variety with very slow growth but a long lifespan, characterised by rounded, silvery-grey, fuzzy leaves. Its picturesque and compact habit, with twisted branches, adds a lot of charm to this small willow, even in winter when it has lost its leaves. Native to the Scottish mountains, it is highly resistant to harsh climatic conditions (cold, wind, rain, ...), as well as pollution and salt. This miniature tree should be grown in moist soils, in full sun or light shade.
Flower size
1 cm
Height at maturity
50 cm
Spread at maturity
50 cm
Exposure
Sun
Hardiness
Rustic with -29°C
Soil moisture
Damp soil
plantfit-full

Does this plant fit my garden?

Set up your Plantfit profile →

Best planting time March, October
Recommended planting time February to April, September to November
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Flowering time April
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Description of Salix Boydii - Willow

Salix ‘Boydii’, commonly known as Boyd's willow, is a deciduous shrub with very slow growth and low and dense vegetation, not exceeding 0.60 m in height. Extremely elegant with its beautiful silver-grey leaves, it forms a magnificent little miniature shrub. This willow is appreciated for its picturesque habit that will bring a unique touch to your garden. However, its catkins are discreet and few. It grows slowly but steadily in almost all soils but performs better in wet and moist soil.

Salix, more commonly known as Willow, is a genus of trees, shrubs, and bushes in the Salicaceae family. It includes about 360 species found in temperate and cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Its name comes from Latin and Frankish, derived from a Celtic root meaning "close to water." Its leaves are deciduous, alternate, oval or lanceolate. As a dioecious plant, the flowers are grouped in erect, male or female catkins carried by different plants. Once fertilised, the female flowers transform into capsules with two valves that release cottony seeds. They are pollinated by wind or insects. Willows, like birches, are the first trees to colonise fallow land, especially riverbanks. They prefer sunny locations and light, moist soils with a pH between 5.5 and 7.5.

The variety ‘Boydii’ was discovered around 1870 in the Angus Mountains in Scotland by William Boyd (1831-1918), a figure well-known for his collection of many alpine garden plants. He brought it to his garden in Upper Faldonside, Melrose (a town in the north of the United Kingdom). This variety is believed to be the result of natural hybridisation between Salix reticulata and Salix lanata or lapponica. In 1913, Reverend Edward Francis Linton described it, and the name was validly published. It forms a small shrub with a dwarf habit that will not exceed 0.50 to 0.60 m in height and spread at maturity. Its growth is very slow, about 3 to 5 cm per year, but this little willow can live a very long time. Numerous twisted branches bear dense, deciduous foliage, composed of tough, obovate, 2 to 3 cm long leaves with rough and downy epidermis. The leaves, with very short petioles, are initially silver-grey and covered with fuzz. They then become glaucous green, and the veins are clearly visible on the surface. On the underside, they are always covered with fine white wool, and the midrib is prominent. Unlike many willows, the 'Boydii' variety produces few female catkins with yellow flowers in early spring before the leaves.

In the category of willows, there is a great diversity of varieties, each as original as the next. Salix Boydii’, stands out for the aesthetics of its small size, compact habit, and silver-reflecting foliage. It is easy to grow and very hardy and thrives in full sun or partial shade. It adapts to most cool and moist soils and requires no maintenance. It excels as a perfect plant for pond edges, moist rockeries, or in a miniature garden. To highlight its architectural habit, it can be accompanied, for example, by long-flowering ground cover perennials (Ajugas, Tradescantias), perennials with graphic and colourful foliage (Dwarf Hostas, Houttuynia cordata Chameleon), grasses (Acorus, Carex morrowii), or evergreen shrubs like Nandina domestica Fire Power or Dwarf Bamboos. Finally, a few bulbs like Snowdrops, with their white bells announcing spring, can perfect the composition.

Report an error

Willow, Salix: planting, pruning and care
Family sheet
by Eva 18 min.
Willow, Salix: planting, pruning and care
Read the article

Plant habit

Height at maturity 50 cm
Spread at maturity 50 cm
Habit irregular, bushy
Growth rate very slow

Flowering

Flower colour green
Flowering time April
Inflorescence Spike
Flower size 1 cm

Foliage

Foliage persistence Deciduous
Foliage colour grey or silver

Botanical data

Genus

Salix

Cultivar

Boydii

Family

Salicaceae

Other common names

Willow

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Product reference19316

Other Willow - Salix

209
As low as €3.70 10cm/11cm pot

Available in 5 sizes

8
€15.90 2L/3L pot
5
€15.90 3L/4L pot
87
As low as €14.90 2L/3L pot

Available in 3 sizes

166
As low as €3.90 Bare root

Available in 3 sizes

5
As low as €27.50 4L/5L pot
57
As low as €4.90 8/9 cm pot

Available in 4 sizes

10
As low as €20.50 4L/5L pot
5
€37.50 4L/5L pot

Available in 2 sizes

4
As low as €34.50 7.5L/10L pot

Planting of Salix Boydii - Willow

Plant the Dwarf Willow Boydii preferably in autumn, in a very sunny location. It requires a well-drained, rocky, slightly acidic, neutral to limestone soil, remaining moist throughout the year. This mountain willow dislikes heatwaves and soils that are too dry or too rich. Ideally, at planting, use a mixture composed of half potting soil and half garden soil mixed with coarse sand and gravel if your soil is clayey and heavy. Optionally, plant it in a raised bed. A moist rockery will be perfectly suitable. It is perfectly resistant to cold and heavy frost. To promote a bushy habit and the formation of catkin-bearing branches, prune after flowering, every 2 or 3 years.

Diseases and pests of willows: The leaves and branches are susceptible to various fungal diseases. Collect all the leaves in autumn, burn them, and treat with Bordeaux mixture. Many insects like aphids, leaf beetles and caterpillars devour the foliage. 

When to plant?

Best planting time March, October
Recommended planting time February to April, September to November

Where to plant?

Suitable for Shaded rockery, Woodland edge, Pond edge
Type of use Border, Edge of border, Slope
Hardiness Rustic with -29°C (USDA zone 5) Show map
Ease of cultivation Amateur
Planting density 2 per m2
Exposure Sun
Soil pH Any
Soil type Clayey (heavy), Clayey-chalky (heavy and alkaline), Silty-loamy (rich and light)
Soil moisture Damp soil, Deep, loamy, well-drained.

Care

Pruning instructions Pruning is not essential, but it is well tolerated by this bush, in late winter, before the resumption of vegetation, in January-February.
Pruning No pruning necessary
Soil moisture Damp soil
Disease resistance Good
Overwinter Can be left in the ground

This item has not been reviewed yet; be the first to leave your review about it.

Leave a review →

Similar products

59
As low as €4.70 8/9 cm pot

Available in 2 sizes

6
As low as €22.50 3L/4L pot
34
€37.50 3L/4L pot
115
As low as €18.50 2L/3L pot

Available in 2 sizes

14
€32.50 2L/3L pot
31
As low as €49.00 2L/3L pot

Available in 3 sizes

17
As low as €20.50 3L/4L pot
2
As low as €14.90 2L/3L pot

You have not found what you were looking for?