Is a weeping willow a good tree to plant in Indiana?
Think hard about it — weeping willow is on the hazard list in central Indiana. Common in older central Indiana neighborhoods and on rural lots around ponds, ditches, and low ground; essentially nothing new is being planted, so the standing population is uniformly old. Purdue has documented widespread weeping willow dieback across Indiana in drought years, so a large share of current willow calls are decline-driven rather than storm-driven.
What you'd be signing up to clean up
Willow sheds continuously rather than seasonally — fine twigs and small branches after every wind event, narrow leaves that pack gutters and mower decks, and catkins in spring. Homeowners describe it as picking up sticks every weekend from March through November, which is a different complaint from the once-a-year cleanup a sweetgum or catalpa creates.
Where to keep it away from
Willow roots are shallow, fibrous, and aggressively water-seeking, traveling well past the dripline; this is the species most often found inside a cracked clay sewer lateral, a field tile, or a septic line. On heavy central Indiana clay where water perches near the surface, they stay in the top foot or so and heave patios, walks, and drives instead of diving deep — siting guidance is 50 feet or more from any of that, which almost no existing yard willow respects.
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