Welcome to Karsten Nursery

Hybrid Willow Information

The photo at the top of this page shows a row of Hybrid Willows planted six feet apart after 50 months of growth. Average height is 35' and width is 15-20'. Hardy down to the cold of zone 3, up to zone 10. We sell this Hybrid Willow all over the USA, and it grows well in all climates.

Hybrid Willows - Are a unique cross of Salix matsudana and Salix alba creating Salix matsudana x alba. This amazing combination of genetics has created a Willow cutivar that grows extremely quickly, usually reaching 18-20' often within two years of planting, and yet maintains structural integrity to allow it to reach a mature height of 50 - 70 feet. Left without any pruning the width can reach 15-17' but can easily be controlled by pruning. The species is disease resistant and has no known insect problems that affect the overall growth habit. The species does well in many different soil types, from sandy to clay soils, however the most important requirement is moisture. If water is provided regularly during the first year after planting, the root system will support the tree after the planting year unless drought conditions occur. This tree seems to have a lifespan of around 30 years but they do begin to decline at about 18-20 years old. Other nurseries will say they live longer, but we have over 500 of these that are 28 year old trees at our nursery, and the trunk diameter is about 30" on average. They began to have broken branches and decline at about 18 years old, and now we are about to remove them and replant. Don't believe it when others tell you they live 70 years, it is not true.

Karsten Nursery - Maintains a production greenhouse facility in rural Southwest Minnesota near Worthington. All shipments originate from zip code 56187. Our nursery is regularly inspected by the state of Minnesota for disease and insect control.

A Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association Certified Nursery Professional is on staff, and has extensive experience in nursery production for more than 35 years. Many past customers have returned year after year to purchase additional stock and have always found the finest quality and lowest prices around. We are normally a wholesale business, however over the years retail customers looking for good prices, and willing to order in our minimum bundle quantities have used Karsten Nursery as a great source of trees, shrubs and conifers at a very good value.

Why Plant Hybrid Willows? - Other trees can take 30 years to give you shade and provide a visual barrier from unsightly views. If you need a fast-growing hedge row that will provide quick protection from wind, snow, noise or dust then order online today and get your Hybrid Willow trees in the ground soon! We encourage you to plant a variety of other species inside of the outside row of Hybrid Willows, that way in 20 years you will have a good stand of trees inside of the declining row of Willows.

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ
*Caution - avoid purchasing Hybrid Willows from nurseries who offer them BARE ROOT. The death loss percentage is very high (35%+) because Willows DO NOT like to be bare rooted, and tend to die in high percentages. This means extra work for you even if the seller replaces the dead ones. If one tree in a row dies, now you'll have a hole in your row that is difficult to fill in, since the new one will be very small and the others grow very quickly. Our stock is sold as rooted plugs, so the soil comes with and the roots are never exposed to the air. OUR STOCK will NOT die. Other species of trees grow well from bare root stock, but NOT the Willows. OUR STOCK can be planted anytime during the year while bare root stock should only be sold during the early spring. We used to sell the Hybrid Willow bare root, but we stopped 20 years ago and developed a better method that really works. Don't get fooled by low prices, you will be sorry.