Mysterion 1
Salix (likely; species tbc)
Volunteer from the Berberis pot, with a smaller sibling (Mysterion 2). A woody seedling with a red stem and oval, pointed, finely toothed leaves. The flat, single-scaled buds and the stipules point to a willow; species tbc.
- Common name
- Willow seedling (likely)
- Section
- Propagation
- Spot
- Patio (sheltered in the Norway spruce's pot)
- Soil
- Compost with perlite
- Options
Bonsai · Plant out
Bonsai
Willows grow fast and root easily, which makes for a quick, forgiving bonsai project.
Plant out
A garden tree only where there is plenty of room, well away from drains and walls.
- From
- Self-sown (a volunteer in the Berberis pot), Sep 2026
- Age
- Seedling (this year)
- Next repot
- Around Mar 2027
- Edible
- ❌ Not for eating.
- Hardy
- ✅ Fully
- Garden-centre price
- about £2
Care & updates
- Next root check
- Mar 2027
- What to expect
- Fast growth once settled, often 30 cm or more a year in a good pot. Leaves drop in autumn and burst back in spring.
- Feeding
- Every 28 days, Apr–Aug, with Balanced liquid feed, half strength
- Identification
Leaf and bud close-ups point to a willow, not a cherry: flat buds pressed to the stem under a single scale, with a pair of stipules at each leaf. Species tbc. A white woolly blob at one leaf joint, probably woolly aphid, to be wiped off.
- Tidy-up and shelter
Removed crispy leaves and dead stems, trimmed away the definitely dead parts of the remaining leaves, and moved to a sheltered spot.
- Repotted
Lifted out of the Berberis pot, potted into a small pot of compost with perlite and moved into the unheated greenhouse. Turned out to have a sibling, now Mysterion 2.
- Observation
Roots were tangled into the Berberis roots and ran surprisingly deep, so some were lost, but a good root ball came out intact.