helen o dowd asked 12 years ago
My Kilmarnock willow hasn’t any catkins for the past few years. I have it about 10 years and it had catkins for a few years – nothing since. Also, should I prune it and if so,when? There’s a lot of dead wood underneath.
1 Answers
Gerry Daly Staff answered 6 years ago
The Kilmarnock willow is a weeping form of goat willow and a male clone. Its catkins are produced on vigorous new shoots, but if, for some reason, the plant is set back by lack of nutrients or water, as when grown in a pot, it will not flower.
Cut out the dead wood underneath. Ensure that the bush is not rocked by wind, staking if necessary, and feed the root area to the spread of the branches with some tree and shrub fertilizer or general fertilizer.
Rust disease tends to badly affect this plant and attack by the rust fungus, year after year, could cause a reduction of vigour that would severely reduce or halt flowering.
