Pussy willow was always a feature of my primary school’s nature table. When one day a stem with black catkins appeared I was entranced and was determined to grow my own. I now do and always look forward to the annual re-appearance of catkins on my own plants. The black catkins become even more outlandish with the emergence of dark-red anthers. It is a vigorous shrub that, left to its own devices, will grow very tall. In my garden I cut the stems back close to the ground every couple of years which keeps it to about 1.2m tall. Leave it alone and it will grow to about 3m tall.
Salix gracilistyla var melanostachys