Spring Rites: Collecting Pussy Willows!

When I was small, I kept a few exceptionally large Pussy Willows in a little found nest on my dresser. I think I imagined them to be micebirds or something equally magical. I cut a small piece of felt and made a blanket for them, and kept a little water in a bottle cap should they get thirsty. I petted them, talked to them, loved them.

To this day, collecting Pussy Willows is one of my most favorite rites of spring. Each year I celebrate "Pussy Willow Day," a sunny Saturday or Sunday in late February or March when there's still snow on the ground, and warmer weather brings a waft of the sweet smell of mud on the breeze and I know... they're ready!

I gather my children, friends, neighbors, and dogs (anyone who will come) for a walk in the woods, and pack up some wine, fresh cheese, and a great round of bread. Formal attire includes rubber boots for this celebration usually takes place on a sunny rock in a swamp!

Pussy Willows are "the official harbinger of spring" in my heart, opening well before the crocuses and snowdrops and signaling the waking up of my New Hampshire woods. I dance from tree to tree, marveling at the furry displays until I finally decide which few branches I will prune off and bring home and place in my Grandmothers enormous crystal vase to be honored as a blessing and the promise of Spring.

Pussy Willow trees are native to wetlands of Canada and the Eastern U.S. If you find Pussy Willow trees as delightful as I do, eventually you may want to try to plant them in your own landscape, rather than having to trudge through the snow, mud, and swamps to find them. Since pussy willow trees are wetland plants in the wild, they are happy in areas that have poor drainage. They do best in full sun.

There are male Pussy Willow trees and female Pussy Willow trees. The buds, or catkins, on the male Pussy Willow trees look different from those on the females. The male catkins are showier, and it is the branches of the male trees that I seek for bouquets.

Propagating Pussy Willow trees is really easy. They root so readily that cut branches can simply be inserted into moist soil in summer. Take the cuttings from the new growth on male pussy willows, not the older, gray-colored branches. Take a cutting that is about as thick as a pencil and at least one foot long. It needs to be long enough for a few inches to be underground, while a couple of nodes should still be showing above ground. Roots will develop within a few weeks. (The end that you want to insert into the ground is the end that you cut.) You can also root cuttings in water and then transplant outside when danger of frost is past.

The Pussy Willow tree that I planted outside my kitchen window is bursting today, filled with plump catkins and chickadees, finches, and sparrows noisily waiting for their turn at the nearby feeders. It is one of the greatest gifts that I ever gave myself. And it's a gift that keeps on giving! Today I will bring a bouquet to the wonderful girls at the Post Office, who stamp my outgoing packages Fragile and let me use their tape sometimes. Pussy Willows say "thank you" in a very special way.

And this Saturday, I'm going to celebrate "Pussy Willow Day." My dear friend is coming for the weekend with her dog and her rubber boots. She's bringing the wine. I'm baking gourmet dog cookies today.

Celebrate Spring at my Bonanzle storefront by entering coupon code CATKIN at checkout Friday, March 20 and take 25% off your total purchase. Happy Spring!