I got this plant in April 27, 2010, which was Earth Day. A colleague and I were out in Nopiming Park, Manitoba collecting cuttings from various willow species for an experiment. We took the cuttings back to the University of Manitoba’s greenhouse and they rooted within a matter of days. Weeks passed and we returned to Nopiming Park to plant the baby willows in an area that became a barren wasteland due to mining activities. We ended up having more cuttings than we needed so I decided to adopt one of them rather than have my colleague discard them all.
I planted the young willow along a west-facing fence in my backyard where the growing conditions were most similar back in the forest. The plant spent the summers of 2010 and 2011 growing and establishing itself, seemingly happy with its new home despite droughts, storms, and rabbit predation. I even managed to identify it as the plant aged. Spring 2012 came and the plant flowered for the first time in late March, the very first flowers of the season. It also became apparent that the individual I have is female. I’ve come to truly love this plant. It may not be as showy or fragrant as other spring flowering shrubs or trees, but it is resilient, care-free, and the catkins are lovely in their own right (although this may be an acquired taste).
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