The best selling plant at the Indiana Garden Show was the wetland native Pussywillow (Salix discolor Muhl). The Garden Show attendees scooped up armfuls of the cut branches of the pussywillows.
According to the Miller Nursery site, the silver-gray flowers (catkins) of the pussywillows appear very early in the spring before leaves show. Greenish-yellow seeds with tufted hairs form by mid-April. Foliage changes from light green in spring to medium green by summer and finally yellow green in fall. Fast growing, can grow up to 5' a year and usually reach it's mature height of up to 25' in 5 years. Grows best in full sun to very light shade in most soils. Since Pussywillows require lots of water, they do well in a wet growing area. Withstands temps of -35 degrees, a great cold weather ornamental plant. 1 1/2 - 2' plants. Zones 3-6. (source: Miller Nursery) 
[source: USDA, NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov/, 15 March 2009). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.]
The Ghetto Gardner is aware that "pussywillow" is two words.
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