'Tis Pussy Willow Season!

Select Grade Pussy Willow Branches

Pussy Willow season is in full swing - now's the time to get this seasonal favorite!

We only have Pussy Willows in stock from early January until mid-March, as we have found that it is necessary to ship it fresh. Although people ask for it year-round, once dry, the catkins become quite fragile and can't withstand all the bumping and jostling of shipping.

However, they'll last indefinitely if you just drop them into a waterless vase and let them dry.

This year we have three different options for Pussy Willow Branches available:

• Select Grade Pussy Willow, where we hand select every single branch, making sure each branch has more than 10 catkins on it and taking off the brown shells that cover the catkins. This is by far the most popular grade of Pussy Willow.

• Project Grade Pussy Willow, which are as they come from the grower, with the exception that we trim the bottoms so they are all under 4 feet to fit in our boxes. 

• Pussy Willow Seconds, which are the branches that didn't have enough catkins to make it into the Select Grade bundles. If you need a lot of decorative branches for a vase, Pussy Willow Seconds are an excellent choice.

Pussy Willow is a sentimental springtime favorite for many, especially for those of us that grew up in the northern states. As a kid, in March I'd start keeping a very close eye on the Pussy Willow growing in the ditch along the driveway. Once the catkins emerged I felt like spring had finally arrived and soon the grass would start greening up and Grandma's crocuses which I loved so much would start flowering.

Over the course of the year when Pussy Willows are out of stock, we gather a long list of people to notify when Pussy Willow is available. After shipping the first round in early January we got a note from someone who said that her father had been looking for Pussy Willow for years and it was all he wanted for his 95th birthday - they arrived just in time and he absolutely loved them.

This note was a lovely reminder it is often the simplest things that are the most touching.