Willow blossoms – winter will not come

Spring is coming by leaps and bounds, this is especially noticeable in the city, where there is very little snow left. The buds on the trees are already swelling and blooming, primroses are appearing. Willows are the first trees to react to spring warmth and noticeably increased daylight hours. What is this tree? What signs and legends are associated with this tree among the people? Why do Christians venerate willow on Holy Palm Sunday? Is it possible to grow this tree yourself in your country house? We’ll talk about this today.

Life in nature always begins at water bodies, so trees and bushes such as alder, hazel, and after them, aspen and poplar, bloom first. Speaking of flowering trees, we mean the opening of buds. And there may still be snow on the street, and the buds may open as early as February.

The willow trees, which include willow, are the first trees to bloom. No wonder willow is considered a symbol of nature awakened from winter. Its flowering period begins at the end of March, but depends on weather conditions. If cold and frost persist, then flowering is shifted to a later period. In the city, their flowering can be seen in early March.

Fluffy willow flowers have a pleasant smell and are called “seals”. If the spring is warm and early, then already in mid-April the “seals” are covered with yellow stamens on the male inflorescences, while the female ones are gray, more inconspicuous. It is from these “seals” that pollen is carried far by the wind during a period when there is still no foliage. It does not allow allergy sufferers to enjoy spring walks. The drier the weather, the more pollen in the air. Therefore, this rainy spring is favorable for a walk for people suffering from allergies.

There are many legends about willow among the people, in some it acts as a symbol of sadness, regret, a difficult female lot, which has to endure a lot, bend, but not break.

Yes, and in poetry such features of the willow were reflected that it stands above the water, and makes noise in the wind. Because the noise of the willow is a sign of news, surprise and girlish sadness.

And one legend says about a woman who had many children, she became proud that she was ready to argue with Mother Earth herself with her fertility. She got angry and turned her into a willow.

The ancient Slavs considered willow to be a sacred tree, a symbol of the continuity and constancy of life. They believed that the spring willow transmits health and strength from itself to people. In the spring, they chose a bushier tree by the river, decorated it with ribbons, danced round dances, and the youth looked after their mate.

With the advent of Christianity, attitudes towards willow became ambiguous. The old willow was considered a cursed tree, since according to legend, nails were made from the willow for the cross on which Christ was crucified. As a punishment for this, that willow became barren, rotten and with a crooked trunk.

On the other hand, willow was a sacred tree for Christians. On the feast of Palm Sunday, it is customary to consecrate the willow and keep it at home all year in the front corner behind the icons.

The people closely intertwined ancient traditions with Christian ones. Since ancient times, they believed that willow gives health. The willow is accepted as a symbol in Christianity. The sixth week is named after her Great Lent, as well as the seventh Sunday of the same post before Easter – Palm Sunday, Palm Week. The name of Sunday is derived from the memories when the Jewish people with the branches of the date palm, which is also called the “Jerusalem willow – willow”, met Jesus Christ six days before His death on the cross. In memory of this earthly event from the life of the Savior, the sixth week of Great Lent is called Palm. And the parents, having come from the church with a consecrated willow, began to symbolically whip their children with it, while saying: “The willow is a whip, it beats to tears, the willow is red, it does not beat in vain.”

Holy willow is highly respected among our people. It is considered a sin to trample the holy willow with your feet, and therefore even small twigs, if they remain after the consecration, are burned so that, God forbid, they do not fall under their feet.

There was a belief that from a willow growing in the depths of a dense forest, in the very thicket of trees, where not a single ray of light penetrates, you can make a magic pipe: its music will cheer and make the saddest person in the world laugh, and an evil person, having heard it, confesses and repents of all his atrocities.

Willow is an unpretentious plant. One of the legends says that willow was brought to us from China: some goods were brought in wicker baskets, unloaded, and the baskets were thrown away. One of the branches accepted and grew into a wonderful tree. And in your country house you can easily plant this wonderful tree, in the shade of which you can put a bench or make a hedge. Especially attractive on the garden plot look southern sprawling stunted willows.

You can plant a tree after the holiday, if you had willow branches in a vase of water and gave roots.

At first, for better rooting of the plant, it is better to plant it in a pot for a year. And next spring, it is almost guaranteed that the branch will definitely take root in the ground in the open. Willow is a plant that needs a lot of moisture, so you will get the best result if you plant a willow near a pond, in a shaded and recessed place.

Planting in open ground is not too difficult: you need to dig a branch with roots into the ground. This should be done carefully so as not to touch the roots. After that, the branch from above must be covered with a plastic bottle with a cut neck. This measure will help protect the branch from damage by rodents, as well as protect against return frosts.

Willow is undemanding to the composition of the soil: the level of soil fertility is not important for this plant, but it is important that the soil is acidic.

Willow cuttings can be planted in the traditional way – vertically, obliquely or even horizontally. As a result, the end result for all methods will be the same, so each gardener chooses the most convenient option for him.

If you want the willow bush to be dense and lush, experienced gardeners recommend bending the lower branches to the ground and fixing them in this position with their flyers. Then you need to sprinkle the bent branches with soil with compost. Thus, the branches will be able to take root in the ground, forming additional bush trunks.

As you can see, it is not at all difficult to grow a real tree from a small branch, if you put a little effort and patience into it. But when the branch takes root safely and begins to grow actively, you will be able to admire from your window every spring a beautiful tree strewn with fluffy buds – “seals”. Such a spectacle, of course, cannot but please and create a real spring mood.

Alina Fedorova.

Author’s photo