Question
An odd story to lay the foundation for my question:
My aunt died several years ago. One of her funeral bouquets was given to my mother who then dried it out. One year after drying it out almost to the day she thew it out, except for one very beautiful twig, which she randomly stuck in her garden.Low and behold, believe it or not it started to sprout!  She planted it in the yard and it turned into a beautiful fast growing twisted willow. (bent willow? we've heard several names for it).  I fell in love with it and wanted to start my own from it because we just bought our own home, but despite mine, my mother's and an avid gardener's best efforts we can NOT get this thing to have a baby tree.  Is there something specific to getting these particular trees to sprout new trees?  what can I do to get my own tree out of this deal?  Do I have to dry it out again?

Answer
Hi Lyssa,
Thanx for your question. I have read that rooting hormone can be made from a tea of willow bark or willow saplings.  Your story is amazing.  The best way I know of to make new trees is to take green wood in the spring, cut the cuttings at a leaf axil (where the leaf joins the twig) and dip these in rooting hormone.  The cutting should be no more than 6 inches long.  Take off all of the leaves but the last two.  Stick these one inch deep in warm, wet sand and seal inside a clear plastic baggie.  Bottom heat helps like a horticultural heating pad or the top of the fridge.  Keep in indirect light, not darkness and no direct sun.  Rooting should have begun within 8 weeks.  When there is a substantial rootball, you can carefully transplant to separate pots and before planting outdoors, there must be 30-45 remaining days before the first frost and the cutting should be placed in the shade for 10 days to acclimate before planting in full sun.  I hope this helps.
Tom