Salix purpurea Pendula - Purple Willow
Salix purpurea Pendula - Purple Willow
Salix purpurea Pendula
Purple Willow, Purple Osier
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Description
The Weeping Purple Willow or Salix purpurea 'Pendula' is a variety of willow with very thin reddish-brown branches and alternate lanceolate leaves that are bluish-green on top and silver-grey underneath. It is often sold grafted on a stem to form a small pendulous bush with arching branches. When not grafted, it behaves as a creeping ground cover. In early spring, it is adorned with fairly discreet pendulous catkins that are silver-green touched with purple. This variety has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Salix purpurea, also known as Purple Willow or Red Willow, belongs to the willow family. It is a species widely distributed in Europe, Central Asia, Japan, and North Africa. In its natural habitat, this pioneer species colonises the banks of rivers and ponds, on sandy or gravel-rich soil. While it appreciates some moisture, the purple willow does not tolerate constantly flooded soils that suffocate its roots. It can withstand periods of moderate drought. Its lifespan is around 20 years. The Red Willow has a dense, ball-shaped habit composed of numerous thin, flexible, and closely branched stems close to the ground. At maturity, this fast-growing small willow will not exceed 5 to 6 m in height, usually forming a large bush 2.50 m tall and 1.50 m wide. The young branches are shiny mahogany red and become grey-green with age. The buds are also purple. The deciduous foliage consists of leaves arranged in an opposite manner, not alternate like most other willows. They are thin and narrow, elliptical in shape, measuring 5 to 8 cm in length. The leaf is light green-silver on the upper side, while the underside is bluer and marked with prominent veins. The foliage turns yellow in autumn. The rather inconspicuous flowering takes place in March-April, before the leaves appear. Male plants bear silky catkins 3 to 5 cm long, silver-green with purple stamens. Female plants bear shorter, very discreet catkins. The fruit is a fluffy capsule that releases decorative seeds covered in long bristles.
Salix purpurea 'Pendula' is a variety that, when not grafted, forms a creeping ground cover that spreads to about 1.20 m in width with a maximum height of 60 cm. When grafted on a stem, it reaches a height of 1.60 m to 2.10 m and forms a wide pendulous crown of slender, arched, purple shoots with narrow leaves, glaucous underneath, and elongated catkins, measuring up to 2.5 cm, opening at the same time as the leaves.
As a border plant in its ground cover form, in a well-maintained flower bed, or as a solitary specimen in a pot on the terrace (with regular watering), the 'Pendula' Purple Willow adds a beautiful touch of colour and a wild grace to the garden if grafted on a stem. It naturally finds its place near water features. It tolerates repeated pruning very well. Regular pruning after flowering promotes bushiness and the production of many red and floriferous branches. It can be placed in the centre of a low plant bed with ophiopogons or Japanese forest grass, or as a solitary plant surrounded by early-flowering bulbs (snowdrops, crocuses, fritillaries, hyacinths).
Properties:
This purple willow is a honey-producing plant and is widely used in basketry. Its ability to stabilise soils along riverbanks through its extensive and branching root system is utilised in bank restoration projects.
Salix purpurea Pendula - Purple Willow in pictures
Plant habit
Flowering
Foliage
Botanical data
Salix
purpurea
Pendula
Salicaceae
Purple Willow, Purple Osier
West Asia
Planting and care
Plant Purple Weeping Willow preferably in autumn, in a very sunny or semi-shaded location in a warm climate. It requires a fairly deep soil, preferably neutral to limestone, moist but well-drained and poor. It prefers soil that dries out occasionally rather than heavy soil that is constantly waterlogged. However, it can tolerate poor and sandy soil, even gravelly soil. Ideally, at planting, use a mixture of half potting soil and half garden soil mixed with coarse sand and gravel if the soil is compact and clayey. It is perfectly hardy. To promote a bushy habit and the formation of branches bearing catkins, prune it back at the start of vegetation, every 2 or 3 years, or just maintain its shape every year after flowering.
Planting period
Intended location
Care
Planting & care advice
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Hardiness is the lowest winter temperature a plant can endure without suffering serious damage or even dying. However, hardiness is affected by location (a sheltered area, such as a patio), protection (winter cover) and soil type (hardiness is improved by well-drained soil).
In temperate climates, pruning of spring-flowering shrubs (forsythia, spireas, etc.) should be done just after flowering.
Pruning of summer-flowering shrubs (Indian Lilac, Perovskia, etc.) can be done in winter or spring.
In cold regions as well as with frost-sensitive plants, avoid pruning too early when severe frosts may still occur.
The harvesting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions in USDA zone 8 (France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...) fruit and vegetable harvests are likely to be delayed by 3-4 weeks.
In warmer areas (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), harvesting will probably take place earlier, depending on weather conditions.
The sowing periods indicated on our website apply to countries and regions within USDA Zone 8 (France, UK, Ireland, Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...), delay any outdoor sowing by 3-4 weeks, or sow under glass.
In warmer climes (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), bring outdoor sowing forward by a few weeks.
The planting period indicated on our website applies to regions in USDA Zone 9a (East Coast and Midlands: Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny, Portlaoise). It will vary depending on where you live:
- On the west coast and in the north-west (Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Donegal, Westport), delay planting by 1 to 2 weeks in spring and bring it forward by 1 to 2 weeks in autumn compared to the dates given, preferably choosing periods without strong winds.
- In the inland hills and plateaus (Wicklow Mountains, Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, Connemara, Killarney), it is best to plant in spring (April–May) or autumn (September–October), avoiding periods of waterlogged soil in winter and strong winds, which pose the main risk to newly planted trees in these areas.
The flowering period indicated on our website applies to regions in USDA Zone 9a, such as the East Coast and Midlands, including Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny and Portlaoise.
This will vary depending on where you live:
- On the west coast and in the northwest (Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Donegal and Westport), it will be delayed by one to two weeks compared to the given dates, due to stronger Atlantic winds and less spring sunshine.
- In the inland hills and plateaus (the Wicklow Mountains, the Macgillycuddy's Reeks, Connemara and Killarney), flowering will be delayed by two to three weeks. Flowering mainly occurs between May and July, with the limiting factors being less frost and more of the excessive humidity, strong winds and lack of sunshine that are characteristic of these areas.
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