White Willow

Salix alba

tree

White willow (Salix alba) is a large, fast-growing waterside tree, 50 to 70 ft tall, with slender drooping branches and narrow leaves that are green above and silky silver-white beneath, giving the whole canopy a shimmering pale cast in the wind. Native to Europe and naturalized widely, it is the classic willow of riverbanks and damp meadows, and the famous historical source of salicin - the bark compound that inspired aspirin. It is grown for its bark, harvested from young branches in spring, and as a quick screen or bank-stabilizer in wet ground. It roots almost too easily and demands constant moisture, so it is a tree for the low, damp spot.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Elderberry — Another fast, moisture-loving shrub that suits the same damp streamside ground
• Comfrey — Thrives in the rich, moist soil at the tree base and makes a nutrient-rich mulch
• Marshmallow — A tall damp-ground herb that pairs in a wet, sunny corner

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Willow sawfly →

  Larvae chew the leaves; healthy, fast-growing trees outgrow the damage, or pick off small colonies

• Aphids →

  Often heavy but rarely harmful; they feed birds and beneficial insects, and a hose rinse knocks them back

• Anthracnose →

  Causes leaf spotting and twig dieback in wet springs; rake up fallen leaves and thin for airflow

🌾 Harvest & storage

Harvest the bark from young branches and twigs (about 2 to 3 years old) in spring, when the rising sap makes the bark slip easily from the wood. Cut suitable wands during coppicing, peel the thin bark in strips, and dry it thoroughly in a shaded, airy place; it is the inner bark that is used. Spring-harvested bark from young growth is preferred. Taking bark from young coppiced wands, rather than ringing a trunk, keeps the tree healthy.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

White willow is not a food plant - it is grown for its bark, dried and brewed as a traditional bitter tea, and is best known historically as the plant from which salicin, the forerunner of aspirin, was first drawn. In the garden it is a fast shade and screening tree for wet ground, a quick source of basketry and bark-bearing wands when coppiced, and a strong stabilizer of soft, eroding banks.