Question
Hi,

I moved into my house almost 1 year ago. There is a small shrub (?) in my front yard that is currently around 2-3 ft tall. It was bare through the winter and is now blooming with yellow and white soft cottony blooms.The blooms are about 1/2 " to 1" long. They look like a white cotton ballish bloom with delicate yellow spikes coming out of them.  The neighbor said she thought it was a pussy willow ? She doesn't know. I didn't think pussy willow blooms were yellow and white , just grey. Do you have any clue what this could be ? I don't know how old it is-the house was built in '99. It had leaves on it when we moved in last year.

Answer
This sure sounds like a pussy willow. The hybrid varieties we sell and that are available in the nursery trade bloom white with yellow stamens. These are excellent deciduous shrubs that are disease and insect resistant. They are tolerant to a wide variety of soil and weather conditions also. You can prune after the blooms fall off and fertilize with a slow-release fertilizer.
Thanks, Doug Roberson