FEATURESTORY
by Mike McGroarty
The Golden Curls Willow
T
he Golden Curls Willow, Salix matsudana tor-
tuosa also called Corkscrew Willow by some,
is a fun and interesting tree with an elegant
and graceful appearance.
Golden Curls Willow is an interesting plant be-
cause it was discovered by my late good friend and
horticultural genius Charlie Beardslee. Charlie found
this somewhat crazy looking plant with its contorted
branches twisted like a pigs tail growing on the edge
of his pond behind his nursery. He just left the tree
right there on the edge of the pond, but he immedi-
ately started taking cuttings and propagating his new
find. From those cuttings he took more cuttings and
from those he took even more. In a relatively short
period of time Charlie had produced over 100,000 of
the Golden Curls Willow. Then he put the word out
about his find and the plant buying world went crazy.
Thousands of nurseries around the world are still re-
producing this plant by the hundreds of thousands,
maybe more, each year.
The Golden Curls Willow is a fast growing tree
and unlike most trees it will tolerate wet ground. It
does well in hardiness zones 4 through 8. The twisted
branches are so interesting and they are often sold to
floral shops to use in flower arrangements. If this tree
has a negative side, like many willows, it drops a lot
of dead branches when the wind kicks up. Most are
of the branches are so small, I just run them over with
my mo wer, a few I have to pick up. In the spring I
usually have to rake up around the tree.
50
It is a vigorous grower, and because of its weep-
ing effect it will weep all the way to the ground. Two
or three times a year I go around mine, underneath
and trim it up to as far as I can reach so it looks like a
really large umbrella when I’m done. GG
Mike McGroarty is the owner of McGroarty Enterprises
and the author of several books. You can visit his
website at Freeplants.com and read his blog at
Mikesbackyardnursery.com.
www.GardenandGreenhouse.net
June 2018