Weeping willow advice?

[Serenity]

I've always admired weeping willows. I find them just beautiful and am considering getting one for our garden. I have a few questions though first.

Does anyone have one and/or know if they're high maintenance? Do they grow fast? And finally, is there anything in particular I need to look out for when I'm buying that'll tell me if it's a healthy one or not? Thank you!

[tater03]

Weeping Willow trees are very pretty trees. I do know that they grow fast. I wanted one but my husband told me that they cannot be planted anywhere close to your home because their roots are very invasive. So haven't gotten one.

[riskey58]

Yes I agree watch where you plant them. Because the roots will go right to your drains, and go right into to the underground pipes.This could end up costing you a lot o money.

[justontime]

I've always admired weeping willows. I find them just beautiful and am considering getting one for our garden. I have a few questions though first.

Does anyone have one and/or know if they're high maintenance? Do they grow fast? And finally, is there anything in particular I need to look out for when I'm buying that'll tell me if it's a healthy one or not? Thank you!

They are lovely but they grow fast, they need a lot of water and they can cause bare patches underneath. My mum and stepfather have one, I remember them bringing it home in the car, but now it's a giant of a tree, so make sure you have enough room for it.

[Serenity]

Thanks for all the help, everyone! :D I think it sounds feasible then to have one.

Where I'm thinking of putting it actually can get pretty water logged when it storms, but it doesn't sound like that would hinder it at all and in fact may be a great spot. The spot's also at the farthest point away from the house so wouldn't interfere with anything there and there's loads of room surrounding it, which would give it plenty of space to spread.

The reason I asked about how fast they grow is that I'm pretty impatient and would be wanting to see it getting big fast! It sounds just about perfect actually. I guess I just need to go see how much it'll be now. :D

[felice206]

Good luck planting it! I've always wanted a weeping willow, our garden just isn't big enough to accomodate one. Maybe one of these days we'll have the space :)

[Kitten]

That sounds like a great place to put it. That's always the trickiest part...finding a location where it can survive for years without being a huge issue for you. Good luck!

[tater03]

That actually does sound like a great place for a Weeping Willow tree. I just wish that we had the room for one. They are big beautiful trees.

[justontime]

My mum has a big garden and her weeping willow is planted at the far end of her garden with her pond just beyond it. It looks beautiful, and it had given her hours of pleasure, I hope you will enjoy your tree just as much.

[new gardener]

I am new to gardening. We have an existing weeping willow in our yard and a garden area was made next to it. We never did anything with it for a few years after we moved in. One year my dad added a raised bed to the garden area and his garden did well. Now nothing will grow. We get some growth but it is very little. Is the problem the weeping willow tree? When I tried to get the soil ready for planting last year I had several little roots throughout the raised beds. Would it help if I moved the raised beds about 75ft away from the weeping willow tree? I really want a garden this year. Also, my dad is convinced that the seedlings that come off the tree is the problem not the roots.

Help !!!!

[justontime]

I am new to gardening. We have an existing weeping willow in our yard and a garden area was made next to it. We never did anything with it for a few years after we moved in. One year my dad added a raised bed to the garden area and his garden did well. Now nothing will grow. We get some growth but it is very little. Is the problem the weeping willow tree? When I tried to get the soil ready for planting last year I had several little roots throughout the raised beds. Would it help if I moved the raised beds about 75ft away from the weeping willow tree? I really want a garden this year. Also, my dad is convinced that the seedlings that come off the tree is the problem not the roots.

Help !!!!

I expect someone with more knowledge than me will be able to answer this, but I will try to make a start. Weeping Willows are very thirsty trees so it could be taking the soil too dry. Depending on how you made the raised beds they could be prone to drying out anyway. There will be roughly as much root underground as the canopy of the tree so there will be a lot of roots. The tree will cause a lot of shade and depending on where you live the combination of lack of light and little warmth from direct sun may not be good for the things growing in your raised beds. Please forgive me for asking the obvious but are you conditioning the soil and feeding the plants? I only ask because the beds did OK the first year when the soil was new. I hope you find the answer to your problem.