About our Willow Selections

Over the past 15 years, we’ve grown, researched, and lived alongside these trees within working agroforestry systems—integrating them into pastures, riparian buffers, fodder blocks, windbreaks, and living fences. These offerings reflect what has proven resilient, productive, and manageable over time, not just in theory but through seasons of observation, trial, and adaptation. We share them with the hope that they become long-term partners in your landscape, supporting both ecological health and farm viability.



To view our latest research with willow, visit our Along The Forest Edge Substack publication at

https://wellspringforestfarm.substack.com/


Purple Osier 

Salix purpurea “Streamco”

This variety showed up in a casual way—we first received cuttings from the local USDA Plant Materials Center in 2011 while looking to get fast growing trees  for a large swale project. This willow quickly became one of our favorites, and proved to have a long list of amazing qualities, including:

  • very easy to root and establish from cuttings

  • can be easily woven into living structures: fences, hedges, arches, even outdoor showers

  • beautiful rainbow flowering in spring and a phenomenal early-season pollen source

  • good natural tannins for supporting the health of grazing sheep and goats

  • great adaptability to very wet or drier soils; we use it in creek areas, along ponds, and more

We’ve been working with this friend for 15 years, and only in the past few have learned of its deeper history. While native to Europe, the USDA naturalized it in 1975 and engaged in selective work to find superior regrowth and resilience—the original selection was made just down the road from us in Montour Falls! The clone is also male and so does not spread readily from suckers, so you can plant it knowing it will generally stay where you want it.

This willow keeps offering new gifts. We recently used it to lay a traditional hedge as a living fence, and we’ve also found the bark may contain some of the highest salicin content—conveying potential pain-relief and anti-inflammatory benefits for people. Stay tuned as we research this more, and we encourage you to try it. 

Flame Willow “Firedance”

Salix alba “Flame”

Like the mythology of the phoenix rising from the ashes, this willow simply appeared on the edge of our large pond. We’ve loved witnessing its growth—especially its stark red bark that really shines in the winter and early spring during sap flow.

This “found” variety speaks to the larger, complex story of willow in the landscape. With over 400 varieties in the Salix genus and an open willingness to cross-pollinate, there are likely hundreds of new varieties appearing in the wild. The leaves, bark, and general appearance suggest it is part of the loose “flame” type. This one seems to prefer growing straight, tall, and fast—offering more of a tree form than other flames we’ve worked with.

  • vivid red to orange bark that glows in winter light

  • strongest color in late winter/early spring during first sap flows

  • fast, upright growth with more of a tree form than many other flame types

  • highly vigorous in our fodder block trials—one of the top growers

  • adaptable to wet soils around ponds and waterways, but grows well in uplands too

Austree

Salix matsudana x alba

This hybrid willow is a great choice for those looking for fast and upright growth. Plant Austree as a fodder source, integrate it into a wind break, or plant it densely to form a beautiful audiovisual privacy screen. This selection comes from a New Zealand selection of white (alba) and chinese willow (matsudana) and has been naturalized in North America since the 1800s.

During our fodder block research, we found Austree to be one of the fastest growing varieties as it regularly grew to 10+ feet within the first three years. It grew exceptionally well in the plot where we excavated and mounded the soil before planting. That said, it also grew tall and fast in the other two test plots so we believe that this variety has the ability to grow well in many site conditions. It has not responded as well to coppice or pollarding as others, and truly wants to grow tall, fast, so perfect for windbreaks and visual screens, as well as quick shade and shelter. 

Weeping Willow

Salix babylonica

As a famed classic within the Salix genus, the weeping willow has been naturalized in the US since the 1700s and expresses a  unique beauty, graceful demeanor, and ability to thrive in a wide range of soil and moisture conditions. Weepings grow especially well near water and their story goes beyond their aesthetic charm. During our willow fodder research, we observed the weeping variety as fairly quick to grow above herbivore browse height with average growths to around 10 feet by year three. We are curious to play with pollarding this tree to control growth for easier browse.

Schwernii

Salix × schwernii

Schwernii is one of our most valuable agroforestry varieties due to its upright form, vigor, and adaptability across a wide range of soil and moisture conditions. It establishes quickly from cuttings and excels in dense plantings where height, structure, and regrowth are desired. During our willow fodder research, we observed Schwernii to grow rapidly above herbivore browse height, with average growth reaching around 10 feet by year three. Its straight, flexible stems respond well to coppicing, making it particularly useful for fodder blocks, windbreaks, and living fences. Its Origin is a hybrid of Salix viminalis × Salix schwerinii; developed in European breeding programs, mid-20th century

Sx61

Salix sachalinensis

This hybrid willow is one of the fastest growing varieties we have planted and observed on our land and during our recent 3 year fodder block trials. Originally a selection from biomass trials locally at SUNY-ESG, its highly vigorous nature is perfect for living privacy screens, ornamental plantings, and biomass production. With a tan-gold stem and an affinity for the sky, consider this variety if you want to cover vertical ground quickly and easily. During our fodder research trials, we measured Sx61 consistently growing over 10 feet across all of our different planting groups. We believe that this suggests that Sx61 has the ability to thrive and grow tall in various site conditions. Research reports production of 4-6 dry tons of woody biomass per acre in yield trials, and displays low incidence of rust disease or damage by beetles. Woody stems can be harvested every three to four years, and new shoots will re-sprout the following season. 


Bundle: Everything

Varieties Included: Osier, Firedance, Weeping, Sx61, Austree, Schwernii

This bundle is designed to support new growers of willow as they test out different varieties to determine what works best for their goals and site conditions. We recommend starting with this bundle as it will equip you with a wide range of options and allow you to observe which varieties thrive well around your landscape. 


Bundle: Tall and Fast / Skyrise Summit

Varieties Included: Sx61 / Austree

If you’re looking for fast, upward growth and want to cover vertical ground quickly, then this bundle of willow hybrids is for you! Through our research, we found that each of these varieties grow extremely vigorously and we measured some trees growing to above 15 feet in just 3 years! This bundle is a great option for biomass production, animal fodder, living walls, and audiovisual privacy screens. 


Bundle: Sheep and Goat Fodder!

Varieties Included: Osier, Firedance, Sx61, Schwernii

While the willow genus as a whole makes for an excellent fodder tree, this bundle of varieties includes a collection of our favorites for small ruminants.Tree fodder blocks are dense plantings of trees that provide a strategic reserve of fodder for excessively dry, drought, or even overly wet conditions. If you’re interested in growing a supplemental food supply for goats or sheep, we recommend planting these dense blocks with X feet between trees. 

These fodder blocks can be planted within an existing pasture for easy access for animals or just outside a pasture to be “cut and carried.” We’ve found that planting these varieties in a riparian area just outside an animal paddock can provide multiple benefits to both the land, the waterways, and the animals and be particularly impactful for holding soil in place, filtering water, and reducing erosion. 

We are grateful for the opportunity to learn about the wonder world of willow and are excited to share more of our research as it continues. In 2026 we are kicknig off additional research to better understand the varieties that contain ideal levels of salicin, salicylic acid, and tannins so we can best care for small ruminants and their nutritional needs.



The Wellspring Classics/Steadies

Varieties Included: Osier, Firedance, Weeping

These Wellspring Forest Farm longstays are some of our most cherished varieties and we have been working them for 15+ years. They are fast growing, beautiful, and extremely versatile with the ability to thrive in various growing conditions. 

Bundle: The Up and Comers

Varieties Included: Curly, Britzensis, Miyabeana

Given our limited quantity of these select varieties, we are only offering them in a bundle at this time. We are very excited to continue growing these varieties and, despite only working with them for a handful of years, we are confident in their ability to grow with vigor and ease.

The Curly variety, with its unique corkscrewing branches, makes for a great living wall, privacy fence, and also as a bio-filtering and biomass producer. During our fodder block trials, we found Curly’s leaf density and size to be extremely promising. It was a bit slower to grow vertically than some other varieties, so we recommend ensuring it is protected until it grows above herbivore browse height.

Britzensis has shown strong, upright growth and excellent winter interest, with bright stems that stand out in the landscape. In our early observations, it has established reliably and responded well to dense plantings, suggesting good potential for windbreaks, visual screens, and managed coppice systems. Its form and vigor make it a compelling candidate for growers interested in structure, color, and multifunctional plantings.

Miyabeana has emerged as a particularly exciting variety for high-biomass systems. Known more broadly for its use in short-rotation coppice and biomass trials, it has demonstrated fast growth, strong regrowth after cutting, and adaptability to wetter sites. In our plantings, it has shown promise for fodder blocks, soil stabilization, and larger-scale agroforestry applications where productivity and resilience are key.