Laurel Leaf Willow

CKLuv2Garden

we have a laurel leaf willow in our backyard. Beautiful tree! Lots of shade. But in the summer, the catkins turn to fluff, and blow all over the yard. (and into our neighbours as well, who have made a couple of complaints!)

There are literally piles of fluff in every corner of the yard, embedded in the lawn, stuck to the flowers. I have to hose down the intake vent on the air conditioner daily, or it plugs it up solid. We can't enjoy sitting on our deck, as the fuzzies end up in our food and drink, and up our nose. And it doesn't only last a week or two. Once it starts, it lasts for over a month. As much as I love this tree, I'm ready to chop it down so I can once again enjoy my backyard. Is there any way to stop it from "fluffing" or at least speed up the process. I could tolerate it if it was only for a week, but our summers in Saskatchewan are too short to have half of it ruined by "fluff".

Thank you for your time.

pcarborist

What if you put a screen house on your deck?

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parkcityarborist

Bonnie

I know this was posted last year. I just planted two of these trees myself and planted them far enough way that the fluff hopefully isn't an issue. Have you thought about digging them up (late fall) and transplanting them to a location where they won't be so bothersome? They are really beautiful trees and I hope you can find a new home for them before you chop them down. Good luck!

SGBotsford

Fascinating. I have a LLW and a bunch of wild offshoots from it, but I've never noticed it fluffing. Mind you, I also have 15 acres of balsam poplar and trembling aspen, and a very large number of dandelions so I'm not sure I'd notice.

How sure are you that the fluff comes from the LLWs?

If its from LLW, you should see less of it as you get further away from the source. If it's from something common in the neighborhood you will see it everywhere.

Brent Ferris

CKLuv2Garden
The fluff is the seed dispersing from the tree as it tries to regenerate itself. The best option is to transplant the tree further from the house. You could also trim it severely every year after the flower buds have formed. This will prevent or minimize flowering and fruiting the following year. And being a willow will generate a lot of suckering, so more leaves. It will also have to be redone every year. And pruning like this every year creates a pollarding effect, lots of decay weak structure and a shorter life for the tree.

Most flower buds are set by the end of June in our area.