Description
Salix triandra ‘Noir de Villaine’
Also known as ‘Almond Willow’, this is a robust, deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 8 – 10 m tall, usually multi-stemmed and bushy. Like ‘Black Maul’, the young stems are shiny dark maroon-black, and the leaves, which bud out very late in the season, have very bright attractive autumn colour.
Noir de Villaine is a popular variety of willow for basketry in Europe as well as being very ornamental. If cultivating for this purpose, the plants should be cut to the ground each year in order to provide pliable stems the following year.
Willows also have medicinal uses (the source of aspirin), and are a useful component of wastewater treatment systems, soil stabilisation and phyto-remediation schemes, as the plants are said to take up heavy metals and other toxic substances. They also produce a huge amount of biomass which can be ‘chopped and dropped’ throughout the season, or put through a wood chipper, in a forest garden or syntropic food forest situation to provide carbon material and mulch for soil improvement.
Willow branches can also be chopped and soaked in water for 24 hours to make a rooting hormone for cuttings. Willows provides excellent bee food in early spring for rearing brood.
Requires a sunny spot and moist soils, and will tolerate very wet soils and periodic flooding. Do not plant near buildings or drains as roots can be invasive.
Certified organic potted plant – please note we do not sell cuttings.
Freight: full list of freight and packing charges
