hey jeanne it would be best.. for you .... to start your own post.. so replies can come to your email.. rather than appending a 5 year old post .. though i do appreciate that you most likely used the search function to find this old thing ... RENOVATION PRUNING of shrubs is simple.. just remove 1/3 the largest.. oldest trunks [though you start by removing any damaged trunks] ... and with no insult to the root system.. the rest will explode in growth next year ... google that term for more info.. but the first i saw is at the link ... very simply put.. PW is one of those shrubs that you could run over with the truck.. and will probably be just as big next year.. have no fear.. just do it ... and that reinvigorated growth might become a future problem ... but that said... its a rather ugly bush for its size.. but for a two week show in spring.. if it really doesnt fit in you garden.. you might want to think about just getting rid of it.. and using the space for something that will make your toes curl.. rather than have to be hacked to heck every spring.. its wildly over-mature ... and probably should go .. your choice.. and good luck ken ps: PW is one of the easiest shrubs to root ... your best bet.. might be to root some spring cuttings.. get rid of the old.. and just start over .... perhaps the best of both worlds ... Here is a link that might be useful: link

Oh Helen- Enjoy the shrub to the fullest! Bring cuttings of the catkins to your friends in the spring- and make willow furniture when you prune (a couple of times a year)! I once found an article on willow furniture, and tried to make a chair- but it turned into a bench. I had run out of willow and tried to use Elm saplings... Although one side of the bench was perfectly comfortable- the other side was torture to sit on... and to top it off, I did not realize until well into the project that I myself was sitting in Poison Ivy while building... My family had fun with my "Blaire Witch Project" as they chose to call it till the next springs first bon-fire... Yep- Willows can be fun and entertaining too! I do hope you will keep it around a bit... Maybe it is a river willow?

I don't think you will be able to see one unpruned. I have one that I started with just some twigs. They grow very fast so you have to keep them pruned.

Thanks for the reply, brandon7. A 3-foot-section sprouted and we trimmed all but three, which all then grew into trees. We could do anything from small traditional cuttings to trying to replant the large intact tree if it could last til spring (another snow storm on the way tomorrow). Whatever would produce the most catkins next year and into the future.