Is silver willow (florist's willow) toxic, and what good omens does it bring when kept at home and allowed to bloom?

In recent years, silver willow has been extremely popular at flower markets, and many people have them displayed at home during the Chinese New Year. Today I will talk about them with you.

Silver willow is a deciduous clumping shrub that generally grows to 2 - 3m tall, with grayish bark. Its branchlets are slender and long, with fine hairs, initially pale yellow and gradually turning brown. The leaves are lanceolate with small serrations along the edges, green on the upper surface and covered with white hairs on the underside, feeling soft and fuzzy to the touch.

The most distinctive feature of silver willow is its flower buds, which are large and plump and wrapped in a layer of silvery-white silky hairs. Spring is its flowering season, and the flowers it produces are catkins. The male flower catkins are about 2 - 4cm long, and the female flower catkins are slightly shorter, around 1.5 - 2.5cm. The flowers stand upright on the branch tips and look especially beautiful.

Many gardening enthusiasts are curious: is silver willow toxic? Rest assured, it is not toxic at all! Whether it is the branches, leaves or flowers, it is fine to view and handle it normally, and it will not cause any harm to the body, so you can safely place it indoors as a decoration.

In the eyes of the older generation, silver willow blooming is a good omen. Why? Because "liu" (willow) and "liu" (to keep) sound the same, it carries the meaning of keeping good luck and good fortune. Moreover, the flower buds of silver willow are plump, and when they bloom the whole tree is full of flowers, looking full of vitality, symbolizing prosperity in the days ahead and a smooth career, which is why everyone loves to buy a few branches to bring home during the Chinese New Year.

Now let's talk about caring for silver willow. It especially loves sunlight, so it is best to place it on a balcony, by a window, or in other spots with plenty of light, so it can carry out photosynthesis vigorously and grow quickly. However, when the summer sun is too harsh, it still needs some shade, otherwise the leaves can easily get sunburned. Watering also has its rules: it should not be too dry or too wet. Follow the principle of "water when dry, stop when wet" - when you see the soil is dry, give it some water and keep it slightly moist.

Spring and autumn are the peak growing seasons for silver willow, so you can apply a diluted liquid fertilizer once a month, with a bit more nitrogen fertilizer plus some phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, which can make the branches and leaves grow more luxuriantly. In winter it enters dormancy, and at this time do not fertilize and water less, otherwise the roots can easily rot. In addition, silver willow grows quickly and needs regular pruning. From after the leaves drop in winter to before budding in spring, cut off all the dead branches, diseased branches and overly dense branches, so the tree shape looks good and the new branches can grow stronger.