>>772587>why do you have willows in your gardenWell it already stood there. A nice thing about them though is that they shoot very early (mid-March) and drop very late (the last leaves fall in mid-December)
Among deciduous trees widespread here, only Robinia pseudoacacia (shoots very late though, late April) and Prunus cerasifera (shoots early too starting in late February, first flowers may appear in late January if the winter is mild) can compete
Will probably plant one of the latter as replacement, downside is the thorns and you have to actively keep them in tree shape else they become shrub-like
Pic-related an abandoned field near me in early December with lots of cherry plums which still have many leaves by that time
>>772592Well in most of Europe they're simply the natural climax vegetation, stuff like meadows or steppes are man-made aside from a very few exposed locations
