These soft silvery catkins are native wetland plants that thrive in New England. They are a wonderful addition to spring flower arrangements and equally attractive by themselves in a tall vase. You can buy pre-cut bunches at local nurseries, but you can also grow your own. Growing pussy willows is easy. All you need to do is put cut pussy willows in water and wait for roots to sprout.

HOW TO GROW PUSSY WILLOWS
Accessibility Links
Nothing announces springtime in New England like the arrival of pussy willows! These fuzzy little catkins are hardy, native, wetland plants which thrive in zones and are very easy to propagate and grow. Read on to learn how to grow pussy willows that will be enjoyed for many springs to come. Traditional and popular, wild-growing pussy willows look lovely as centerpieces bunched together in a tall vase or urn. Alternatively, the stems can be anchored in floral foam in a shallow planter, allowing for a looser look and more creative control. Individual pussy willow sprigs can add height and interest to bouquets of spring-blooming flowers and potted plants, and they add a nice touch when woven into spring wreaths. Pussy willows root so easily that burying the cut end of a fresh cutting stems should be at least the size of a pencil and about 12 inches long about 2 inches deep in good soil is all that is usually necessary. Be sure to leave at least a few nodes where the buds form uncovered by soil. Within a few weeks, stems should be well rooted in the ground.
All Sections
The silver furry catkins of pussy willow are one of the first signs of spring. This is a small and compact deciduous tree, ideal for small gardens. It grows to around 1. Yellow-green stems are smothered in fuzzy silver catkins from late winter to early spring on bare twigs, before the leaves open. The pollen-laden catkins are immensely popular with bees. Rounded mid-green leaves appear after the catkins.
Pussy willow is the name given to smaller species in the Salix genus when the furry catkins appear in early spring. The North American native plant Salix discolor, a deciduous shrub, is the most common species, though the European species S. The furry catkins of pussy willows are one of spring's earliest harbingers.