Salix caprea Gold-Bienenkätzchen - Great Sallow

Salix caprea Gold-Bienenkätzchen is a variety of Goat Willow that is both decorative and beneficial to wildlife thanks to its nectar-rich flowers which start from March, and last for several weeks. This Willow forms a large bush that quickly reaches 4m (13ft) in height due to its rapid annual growth. Extremely hardy, this bush is particularly easy to cultivate. It adapts to most soils, whether acidic, neutral, or limestone, moist to moderately dry, and grows in full sun or partial shade. Its very natural appearance will fit perfectly in a wild-inspired garden and its silky catkins are stunning in bouquets.

Salix caprea belongs to the family of Salicaceae, which historically included only Willows and Poplars, and which now, based on developments in botanical classification, includes 55 genera, most of which are completely unknown, except perhaps for Azara, Idesia (I. polycarpa) with beautiful cordate leaves), and Poliothyrsis (editor's note: more interesting for its rarity than its actual ornamental interest, from what I have observed in my own garden). There are numerous species of Willows (over 350) as well as many ornamental cultivars with decorative leaves, flowers, or wood. The Salix caprea is a deciduous botanical species native to central Europe and central and northern Asia. The Goat Willow is a pioneer and ubiquitous species, a light-loving species less exclusively associated with wet areas than most other species in the Salix genus.
The cultivar Gold-Bienenkätzchen is a male Willow whose German name (which could be translated word for word as golden catkin) summarizes its main interest well. This bush produces beautiful catkins in early season (March), about 4.5 cm (2in) long, of a very soft silky grey which brightens with golden stamens, clearly visible on the still bare wood. Lasting several weeks, this superb nectar-rich flowering attracts bees, delighted to find it during a season when food sources are still scarce. With rapid growth (50 to 80 cm (20 to 32in) per year), this bush, a little taller than wide, will quickly reach its mature dimensions, about 4m (13ft) in height and 2.5 to 3m (8 to 10ft) in width. It bears elongated, green deciduous leaves.
Its main advantage, in addition to its rapid growth and its ability to withstand severe pruning, is its adaptability to most soils, whether acidic, neutral, or limestone. It appreciates moist soils but can tolerate a certain level of drought. It grows well in full sun and also adapts to partial shade, and lastly, it is a very hardy plant, at least down to -30°C.
It is typically a beginner's plant that requires almost no care and will reward you with beautiful flowering branches that you can use in bouquets. With its natural appearance, this Willow will fit perfectly in a rural environment or in a wild-style garden.

This hardy Willow, which is beneficial for bees and butterflies, will blend well in a mixed bed with other wild looking plants. Plant it alongside Spindle trees, such as Euonymus planipes, whose foliage takes on magnificent autumn colours and produces beautiful decorative fruits at the end of the year. Cornus officinalis is also one of these plants with a natural appearance, even though it is actually an exotic plant, originating from the Far East. It has many qualities: fragrant yellow flowering in late winter evolving into small decorative and edible red fruits, deciduous foliage that turns beautifully purple in autumn, and decorative bark to create a beautiful winter scene. With its large size (about 6m (20ft)) it will form a beautiful background for our Willow. And for the foreground, nothing beats Snowberries to compose the first layer of vegetation. While their flowering is insignificant, their fruits are decorative for many months.

Properties: Like all Willows, this variety contains a substance in its bark similar to aspirin. It is highly nectar-rich and honey-bearing: bees that gather nectar from it produce a honey with a golden yellow colour, iridescent with green, which takes on amber to beige reflections as it ages. Its flavour is sweet, both floral and slightly woody. Relatively rare, this honey is mainly produced in the west of France. Its foliage was once used as fodder for goats.