Knowledgebase
good willow tree options for Weld county Colorado #749732
Asked May 13, 2021, 1:42 PM EDT
Hello,
I’ve recently purchased a new house in Firestone and would like to add a willow tree to the front lawn. Are there willow trees that would do well in a Eastern facing residential lawn? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Drew Hamilton
Boulder County Colorado
Expert Response
Hello Andrew and thank you for using Ask Extension.
There is one willow that I would recommend for the Front Range. It is called Prairie Cascade Willow (Salix x Prairie Cascade). However, willows do have their downside. They have weak wood, meaning that limbs break easily when loaded with snow. Also, they do require more water than most trees. Here is some information about Prairie Cascade willow. Keep in mind that theses sources are out of state.
https://www.landscapeplants.org/plants.php?sid=859
https://bcarboretum.org/plants/genus/Salix/species/x
If you decide to go another route, here is our list of Recommended Trees for the Front Range. (You will see that Prairie Cascade has a "B" recommendation.)
https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/garden/treereclist.pdf
Here is another list of trees good for the landscape. There is a lot of overlap between this list and the Recommended Tree list. https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/large-deciduous-trees-7-419/
Finally, here is a good document that explains how to plant trees. https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/trees-shrubs-vines/1711-planting-trees-shrubs/
Good luck.
