Black Cat Pussy Willow | Salix chaenomeloides

Black Cat Pussy Willow is a fast-growing, moisture-tolerant plant that produces large, deep charcoal-black catkins in late winter before the leaves emerge. The dark catkins are exceptional for cut arrangements and seasonal decoration. It establishes quickly, tolerates wet conditions, and provides valuable early-season forage for bees when almost nothing else is in bloom. Beyond the ornamental value, it pulls real weight on the homestead and landscape — coppiced stems are flexible and strong for basketry and garden structures, the root system makes it an excellent bank stabilizer along ponds and wet edges, and it can be planted in mass as a productive living screen or windbreak that earns its keep in multiple ways at once.

Latin Name: Salix chaenomeloides 'Black Cat'

Site and Soil: Full sun to part shade; prefers moist to wet soils but adapts well to average garden conditions — a good fit for pond margins, low spots, creek banks, rain gardens, and ordinary garden beds with reasonable moisture

Size at Maturity: 15–25' h x 10–15' w unpruned; responds readily to hard coppicing and can be maintained as a much smaller multi-stemmed shrub with annual cutting

Harvest Time: Cut branches for arrangements in late winter just as catkins are swelling and beginning to open — they hold beautifully in water or dry arrangements for weeks; coppice for vigorous new growth and next season's catkin production after harvest; young flexible stems are best harvested for basketry and weaving in late winter during dormancy

Pests & Diseases: Vigorous and generally trouble-free; the usual willow susceptibilities to canker and leaf spot are minimal when the plant is well-sited with good air circulation

USDA Zone: 5–8 

A Note on Siting: Like all willows, Black Cat Pussy Willow has a vigorous, moisture-seeking root system. Keep it away from septic systems, underground pipes, and foundations and give it an open area where its roots have room to range freely.