Counting Curly Willow
The Willow Count
I am excited! This story and the willow count just keeps growing, and gets more interesting with each walk in search of the curly willow.
Recently I moved to the small town of Salem, Utah. Salem has Salem Pond, which is pretty much what the town is known for. I must mention Salem High School- because they are one of the best in the state - if not the best. Go Skyhawks!
The story begins with my count of the curly willow, as they are not found in great numbers in Utah, being a desert state. One of the first people I met here introduced me, with great pride ( and protection I might add) to her curly willow tree on the pond.
And that is how it started, I began counting these crafty and highly ornamental trees while walking my dog Dodge.
What is the big excitement, you may wonder? Well, I am overjoyed to report that tonight, I finally made it over to the walking trail.
The Walking Trail
I had seen people walking and jogging on a trail, below the high school, but hadn't tried it myself, not knowing if it was public or private. It is a little out of my way, just across the main highway, though not very far. I found out more about the trail, two months ago, when I knocked on a neighbors door two blocks from me. They have four curly willow in the yard, that were trimmed last summer. My neighbor explained his story about the willow - everyone you talk to about the willow has a story, so I have learned. If you ask someone about willow, be prepared to have a glass of lemonade and stay a while.
He explained how to plant starts of the willow, and offered to show me which branches to take. I explained I had been keeping count, and that is when I found out about the trail. He said he had planted a few at "his walking trail." So tonight, in between the rain, hail and snow storms, I finally made the trek, after speaking with his wife and checking to see if I could take my dog with me to walk on the trail.
So here is the news. He has planted, in a preservation effort, TWENTY TWO curly willow along the walking oval! And there are probably more, I didn't take a lot of time observing because of the impending storm.
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Caption: Top and bottom left, Salem Pond.
Right top: Curly willow starts at walking trail with Krishna Temple in background.
Bottom right: Walking trail dedication marker
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The Count Continues
So, what is the total count up to at this time? After running across one willow that was getting cut down recently, and saving my planting from it also, the count was previously eighteen, and it is now: FOURTY!
What is a Curly Willow?
A particularly popular cultivar of this species is
Salix matsudana 'Tortuosa', the "Corkscrew willow" (also known as the Hankow willow, curly willow, dragon's claw, or globe willow), in which the branches and twigs grow in a spiral, twisting manner. As a result of the ornamental shape of the branches and twigs, this cultivar is commonly used as a bonsai plant and for floral arrangements. However, this cultivar is susceptible to cankers, and is weak-wooded and prone to storm damage. Cultivars that have been selected to resist this include "Golden Curls" (a hybrid with the white willow (
Salix alba)); "Scarlet Curls"; and "Navajo", the "Navajo willow" selected in the southwestern United States. Source : Wikipedia
Curly Willow Crafts
You may be wondering what the uses are for this type of willow and why people like willow. When I lived in a country home with a very large showy globe willow, on a very large home front, I would often have people stop and ask for cuttings. Something about willows means home to many. They are graceful, and beckon a welcome to travelers.
There are many craft uses, which I am still learning about from other people. The young man cutting down the curly willow to make room for his RV told me about making living baskets. A woman that stopped while he was cutting, and I was hauling, told me about making Easter egg trees other Easter decorations from them; it is a tradition in her family. There are many other uses, everything from walking sticks to wedding decorations. And I have been using the extra cuttings for rooting hormone, and wondered if it would turn my newly planted fruit trees curly too. Well, probably not...
A State Record
Does Salem hold the record for the most curly willow in one city in the entire State of Utah? It's possible. That's part of my next adventure on the willow trail.
