Black Willow Grown for its coloured stems and showy catkins, Salix gracilistyla Melanostachys is a large, fast-growing, deciduous shrub with an upright, bushy, spreading habit. In early spring striking, long-lasting catkins or ‘pussies’ appear, black, with scarlet anthers like little claws on which golden pollen soon appears. The oval leaves emerge covered with greyish hairs, soon turning deep, glossy, green. After leaf-fall, the red and black stems are revealed – cut back hard for best winter colour. Excellent for cutting. Black willow holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Site: Tolerates exposureSoil: Any moist, well-drained soilPosition: Full sunSeason of interest: Winter, springHardiness: Fully hardyHeight: to 12’ (3.5m) Spread: to 12’ (3.5m)