Cold hardiness

Future

2050

2100

These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Published baseline for this location from 1991-2020.

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Well-suited

2050

Zone 7a

Plotwright

Projected zone for this same location in 2050 (2041-2070) using SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry).

Well-suited

In plain terms: This location is in Zone 6b today. Its hardiness profile is cold winters, and coldest nights are typically around -3°F. By 2050, the projected hardiness zone is Zone 7a based on SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry). That is a +0.5-zone shift from Zone 6b to Zone 7a by 2050.

✓

Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

Future

2050

2100

Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.

Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 40 ecoregions — 33 climate-resilient through 2070 · 5 suited today · 2 newly possible by 2070. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

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Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

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Arizona Mountains forests

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Blue Mountains forests

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Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

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Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

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Central Tallgrass prairie

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Central-Southern Cascades Forests

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Colorado Rockies forests

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Cross-Timbers savanna-woodland

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What it needs

Conditions

Light

Full sun / Part sun / Part shade

Water

Consistent moisture

Spacing

480"

Habit

Large deciduous tree with a broad-rounded weeping crown of branches sweeping to the ground

Care tips

•

Site it beside a pond, stream, or low wet spot in full sun — that is where the weeping form looks best and the roots stay out of trouble.

•

Keep it far from the house, septic lines, sewers, and water pipes; the shallow roots seek out cracks.

•

Expect litter and weak wood — prune in late winter to early spring and accept dropped twigs and storm breakage.

Lifecycle

Planting

Plant in average, medium-to-wet, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade; it thrives in moist soils and is most effective along streams, ponds, or other water bodies. Avoid dry soils and keep it well away from houses, sewers, and water pipes — the shallow roots seek out cracks.

Transplanting

Easiest to establish as a young tree; willows root readily, so move while small and keep the soil consistently moist after transplanting.

Early growth

Grows fast once established in moist ground. Water through dry spells while young; avoid dry sites entirely.

Maturity

Matures to 30-50 feet (sometimes 60) tall and as wide with the broad-rounded weeping crown. Prune as needed in late winter to early spring. Wood is weak and prone to cracking, and branches may be damaged by ice and snow.

Propagation

Propagates very easily from dormant hardwood cuttings, which root readily in moist soil.

Pollination

Dioecious — needs male pollinizer

Dioecious — male and female silvery-green catkins appear on separate trees in April-May (Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder). The flowers are not showy, but willow catkins are an early-season nectar and pollen source for bees in many regions.

Plants don't grow alone

Larval host

Moth

Io moth (Automeris io)

Salix (willow) is a documented Io moth host per UF/IFAS; weeping willow is Salix babylonica (genus-level inference).

Larval host

Butterfly

Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

Willows (Salix) are among the documented larval host trees of the eastern tiger swallowtail across its range; Salix babylonica is a non-native willow that can serve the same role where planted.

Nectar forage

Bee

European honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Early-spring willow catkins are a well-known nectar and pollen source for honey bees; Salix babylonica blooms in April-May (Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder).

For people

Not eaten by humans

Grown as an ornamental shade tree for its weeping form, not as a food crop; the bark and foliage of willows contain salicylates and are not a human food.

Native range

AHS heat range

6-11

Climate notes

•

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder lists Salix babylonica for USDA zones 6 to 8 in full sun to part shade with medium-to-wet soil; it notes the species may not be reliably winter hardy as far north as St. Louis and is best grown in the southern parts of the U.S.

•

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder records its native range as northern China and rates it a poor residential specimen because of weak, breakage-prone wood, invasive shallow roots that clog sewers and drains, leaf and branch litter, and susceptibility to many pests and diseases.

•

Tolerates warm to hot summer heat — the zone 6-8 range with a southern-U.S. preference places it through warm and hot summer climates; it is not a cold-hardy northern tree.

In the designer

Growth over time

216-360" tall · 198-330" spread

Reads as a young weeping willow; reaches full 30-50 foot size over many more years.

Design roles: Focal point · Structure

Seasonal interest

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

Filled = the plant has seasonal interest · ▾ now = your current season

Weeping willow

At a glance

Related products

Why it matters

Cold hardiness

Heat tolerance

Where this plant fits

What it needs

Lifecycle

Pollination

Plants don't grow alone

For people

Native range

Climate notes

In the designer

Seasonal interest

Sources & citations