Willow plants (Salix)
Willow plants are slender, deciduous shrubs or trees with long, serrated, lanced shaped foliage. Often grown as grafted trees and adopting a graceful, weeping habit, they look particularly elegant grown next to a pond to create a reflection off the water. Their interlacing roots are also effective for erosion control on banks and near streams and the pliable branches can be woven together to make baskets after soaking in water. Some varieties produce fluffy catkins on bare branches in early spring, which work well in flower arrangements. Be sure to compare their eventual height and spread to the space you have available in your garden to ensure they won’t outgrow your plot.