Willows are well-known for hybridisation, and I have had trouble identifying our ‘tall’ willow. In the end I have plumped for either a grey willow or a hybrid with an osier. Its leaves are long for a grey willow, but it has ‘pussy’ willow buds – and only the grey willow and goat willow have those. Most of the buds have now fallen off the tree before turning yellow and are lying on the ground beneath. The grey willow is also known as the Common Sallow and can be found in damp habitats, like wet woodland, reedbeds and ditches. The leaves are supposed to be blunt-ended and oval, but ours are quite long and thin – not as slim as osier leaves which can be 20cm x 1cm – but 3-4 times as long as wide and pointed at the ends. This is why it might be a hybrid. Its shape is tall and slim, with new stems popping up every year. We have found that it roots and shoots very easily. The straight stems we placed on the ground to mark where we were going to dig our pond four years ago have now grown into willow hedges.
