Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer) · CC BY 4.0
Goat willow
Tree·Salix caprea
Full sun
Sun
Medium
Water
Wet soil
Drainage
Zones 4–8
Hardiness
Goat willow (Salix caprea) is a tree. It grows best in full sun and has moderate water needs. It grows well with black alder, aspen and grey alder.
Through the year
DormantFloweringLeafing outDying back
Works well with
from wiki dataWHAT IT NEEDS
Wants full sun
Needs moderate water
Tolerates wet or waterlogged soil
Prefers soil pH 5–7.5
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Prefers loam, clay, sand soil
Tolerates some soil compaction
Draws up calcium, potassium from deep in the soil
Adds a lot of organic matter to the soil
Partners with mycorrhizal fungi to boost nutrient uptake
WHAT IT GIVES
Gives shade (moderate)
Gives wind shelter (moderate)
Gives leaf litter (high)
Gives organic matter (high)
Gives habitat (high)
Gives nectar (high)
Gives pollen (high)
Provides calcium
Provides potassium
Attracts pollinators
Shelters birds
HOW IT GROWS
SIZE & SPACING
Sub-canopy tree
Height600–1000 cm
Spacing500 cm (min 300 cm)
Root depthMedium
Width400–600 cm
Width figures are rough estimates, the most variable measurement in our data.
AI estimate · accuracy improves as growers contribute corrections.
HOW TO PROPAGATE
Propagate by cuttings, seed
Difficulty
Establishes in about 1 yr
Self-seeds readily on its own
Where this comes from
Parsed4 Oct 2026
ConfidenceNot recorded
Photograph Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer) · CC BY 4.0