This is my Willow tree that I started from a cutting. I am trying to grow as bonsai and I will be going through its progression below.
It is still has a lot of development, but I still think it’s coming along nicely.
If you want to watch it in video format, you can watch the YouTube playlist below. The videos show the progression every month throughout the year, sort of like a time lapse.
Just be aware some of my earlier videos are not the best quality, but just like my trees, the quality slowly improves over time, so stick with them and they both get a little better towards the end.
There are a number of different types of Willows. The one I took a cutting from was the Weeping Willow, Salix babylonica. It is a medium size tree that is instantly recognizable due it its branches weeping downward.
You can read more about their suitability in Is Willow A Good Tree For Bonsai?
Page Contents
2017
Early one morning in 2017 I went for walk in a local park with a pair of pruners in my back pocket. I took a cutting from a big willow tree.
I took it home and placed it in some water. I actually used some foam and threaded the cutting through it then placed this in the water.
The foam causes it to float and only the lower half of the cutting was in the water.
Willows root very easily, basically any part that touches water will root, so this method helps you keep roots only growing at the base.
Once it had enough roots it was potted up and left to grow.
2018
I believe I pruned the tree back in late winter, it I left it pretty much alone all year so it could grow.
2019
2019 also started with a hard prune in late winter. I had to move house, so I had to reduce the size of the tree.
I repotted it into slightly smaller pot in spring, so it could be transported easily.
It grew out in spring and I pruned it back, mainly just removing a lot of unwanted shoots.
The tree responded by growing back even stronger over the summer, but I left to grow really wild.
2020
2020 started with a hard prune in late winter, followed by a repot in spring.
It was then left to grow like crazy until summer, where I then pruned it back. After this it was left to grow out all year
2021
It was a similar start in 2021, with a hard prune in late winter. This left the tree looking like a weird Y shape. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do, but luckily I just left it and nature decided for me. One side died back, which solved that problem.
I then repotted the tree in spring when the buds started to swell.
I allowed to get out of control until summer, when it was pruned. I mostly just removed any unwanted shoots and left what I wanted to grow out, so there were still lots of long growth left on the tree.
I then just allowed it to grow out for the rest of the year.
2022
I didn’t do anything at the start of 2022. The branches I wanted to keep had got quite long and where developing some nice thickness, so I left them to grow a little more.
I then repotted the tree in spring and afterwards I just left it alone and allowed it to grow freely all season long.
The tree didn’t really grow too much this season, even thought it was allowed to grow freely. The tips did get a lot of growth, but it didn’t really put on any more length. It was quite a disappointing year for this tree.
2023
As the tree did not grow last year, I did not prune it in winter and I did not repot it. I just left it alone all season to try and get some vigour and allow it to get back to its usual aggressive growth rates.
Again, a lot of the growth was out at the very tips and it wasnt as crazy as usual.
However, by the end of the season there started to be some growth lower down and back towards the trunk, so that is always a good sign.
2024
and there is where we are with this tree.
The plan going forward is to just let it thicken up …or cut it back and start trying to build an actual structure. We will see what happens closer to spring.
If you also have a willow and are wondering how I look after it, you can read my Willow Bonsai Care Guide.
Hi, I’m Ian. I have been doing bonsai since 2014. I created this site to spread all the knowledge I have acquired over the years. Don’t forget to check out my Youtube videos where I show the progress of my own Bonsai each week or connect with me on social media.
You can read more about me and how I got into Bonsai on the About Page
