We only sell cuttings in wintertime. Here’s why.

Most people garden in spring and summer, and that’s the time we think about adding new plants to our gardens and landscapes. Planting willows bought in pots is fine then, but willow cuttings are rootless, and therein lies the difference.

Willows go into a rest phase after leaves drop in late fall. At this time energy is stored, not spent. Without leaves doing photosynthesis, the plant isn’t burning energy on new growth. Instead, it has stockpiled carbohydrates in the stems and roots from the previous season. When you take a cutting in dormancy, those reserves are available to fuel root and shoot development once it warms up. If you cut during active growth, the plant is busy making leaves, and the plant can’t focus on making roots.

In the growing season, xylem is actively pulling water upward under high transpiration (evaporation from leaves). In dormancy, sap flow is minimal, so cuttings stay hydrated longer, dry out less, and are able to be shipped and stored for long periods of time.

Dormant stems also have higher levels of rooting hormones (willows are famous for producing a natural rooting hormone, and other plants can even be rooted in “willow water”). Adventitious buds along the cutting are ready to activate roots when they sense moisture. Removing the terminal bud (making cuttings from the long rods) shifts auxin flow, encouraging those side buds to grow roots and shoots.

When we make cuttings from dormant willow, we’re creating little power cells. This is why growing willow from cuttings is so easy, and requires nothing more than sticking them in the dirt. When you are planting hundreds of plants (or even just 6) it’s really nice to skip digging holes and just poke ‘em in!