Kilmarnock Willow, Weeping Goat Willow, Weeping Pussy Willow          SA-liks KAP-ree-a

• Deciduous shrub or even a ground cover, but usually grafted on a standard at about 6 ft (1.8 m) and forming a small, weeping tree with a dense head of stiff, yellow-brown, pendulous shoots.  Leaves alternate, simple, elliptic, to about 10 cm long, margin toothed, dark green above and gray-green below, foliage yellow-green in fall.  A male plant, and gray catkins studded with yellow anthers appear in mid to late spring before the leaves emerge.
• Sun and partial shade.
• Hardy to USDA Zone 4    Some wholesale nurseries propagate the trees from cuttings and support the trunk until it is strong enough to support itself.  Branches are prevented from developing until a height of about 6 ft is reaches.
• There is some confusion in the labeling of this tree.  According to several, but not all, sources, S. caprea ‘Kilmarnock’ is a male tree which produces silvery-gray catkins in spring.  It was introduced into commerce in 1853 by Thomas Lang of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland.  For the most part, S. caprea ‘Pendula’ is a synonym.  However, Dirr (1998) states that there are both male and female clones sold as ‘Kilmarnock’, and that the female clone is more common in the U.S.  The female clone may well be the plant named ‘Weeping Sally’, a clone in cultivation since about 1880, but named in 1976.  The female clone is considered more vigorous but "less effective in flower" (Jacobson, 1996).