Zombie Willow - Salix gracilistyla

Yeah, I know it sounds dirty.

But consider this: the Japanese, a fearless culture who brought us the manliness..es... (manli-ii?) of samurai and kamikaze, regard the black pussy willow as a representative of the land of the dead. That's why I like to refer to Salix gracilistyla "Melanostachys" as the Zombie Willow. And if that's not something you can hang your hat on, consider for a moment the rarity of real solid black in the horticultural world. In general, nature doesn't produce BLACK, rather shades of deep and dark purple. Zombie Willow is truly a rabid escapee from the underworld for the genuine blackitude of its catkins. Compared to a traditional white pussy willow (Salix caprea which in itself is pretty rad), Zombie Willow appears to have been scorched, blackened, and smited by Satan's prancing minions, and makes an seriously manly statement in the Garden Manscape with its other-wordly presence. I recommend Black Pussy Willow as a specimen plant, sort of like a bit of statuary for the Man-Garden. Almost even better than the gnarly black catkins are the fantastical red stems on which they grow. During a time of year when most everything is dead and gone, the Zombie Willow emerges from a wintry grave and makes a startling centerpiece in an otherwise desolate landscape.


Zombie Willow will benefit from somewhat 'wet' feet, that is to say that like all willows they like a lot of water (and brains...). This is normally a deciduous shrub or small tree, which basically means it'll lose all of its leaves in the fall. But that's good, otherwise we'd miss the black catkins emerging from their sullen tombs in the spring. Zones 5-8 can usually handle a Zombie Willow and they like a lot of sun. Grown in the right sheltered spot, Zone 4 can probably handle these as well. If you're unsure of your zone, check out the USDA Hardiness Zones map at http://www.garden.org/zipzone/ . Just a word to the wise, ignoring hardiness zones is generally a poor decision, so make sure that where you live doesn't get too cold for whatever you put in your Man-Garden. These willows will normally reach about 8' high and 8' wide, but every couple years should be hacked back pretty substantially. Most often a blunt object to the head will take out your standard zombie, but I recommend pruning shears in this case for a full on decapitation. Better to be safe than sorry. An alternative plan is to lop off some limbs regularly to display inside the house in order to keep the hoarde of new branches at bay. Like any serious outbreak of the un-dead, the Black Pussy Willow grows fast so make sure you've placed your specimen someplace you'll like to see it for the next few years as the root system will expand rapidly.

Every solid Garden Manscape should have the elements of danger, intrigue, and brain-crazed zombies. Add the Zombie Willow to your Man-scape to really set yourself apart as a freedom-lovin', hog-ridin', brain bashin', bad attitude mamma-jamma.


photo credit:
1] http://www.djroger.com/salix_melanostachys.jpg
2] https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNoJvgxYaP_ydr4QVJVpuLLyQ1ahnpYilHMJzgY4UR3VtoBp8RwZSZTXYH2Bj2Vku6bD9QY_OIeZCNsusXRIhxc5dXQjChLP8rYR4GFBOdfX8QJiOLlgxNzXhYNcqpIsoRHrh5258uFmg/s1600/salixblckpssywillwebcc.jpg
3] http://images.wikia.com/mailorderzombie/images/f/f9/Night_off_the_Living_Dead.jpg