Last spring I received a young pussywillow tree as a gift by another fellow beekeeper. I nurtured this little tree along, and it was about 4 feet tall by August. One day I asked my husband if he would do some weedwhacking for me up around this little tree. Guess I forgot to tell him where it was growing and he mistook it for a small cottonwood. Oops!!! He whacked it right down almost to ground level. I did not notice it until later on that day. He felt really, really bad, knowing how proud I was to have obtained a pussywillow tree. Not knowing what on earth to do, I stuck this twig into some water and the next day put it back in the ground. So my question is, will this twig grow over the winter or is it doomed? It is still in stuck in the ground, looking rather sad. Another thought, will the stump (stick) that was remaining in the ground from this branch grow more leaves in the spring? I can always get another pussywillow tree from this fellow that gave me the seedling, but I am rather embarrassed to tell him what had happened to the tree he had been nurturing as well.
What remains of your former pussy willow will probably sprout in the spring. The twig you stuck in the ground also may root and grow as willows are very easy to root from cuttings. I would wait and evaluate in the spring.
