Salix purpurea - Purple Willow
Salix purpurea - Purple Willow
Salix purpurea - Purple Willow
Salix purpurea - Purple Willow
Salix purpurea - Purple Willow
Salix purpurea
Purple Willow, Purple Osier, Bitter Willow
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Description
The Salix purpurea, more commonly known as Purple Willow or Red Willow, is a botanic species that is more bushy than tree-like, recognizable by its often shiny young branches which make it particularly ornamental in winter. This rounded and dense shrub also has a fine green-blue foliage with silver reflections that is elegant, and is adorned in early spring with rather discreet trailing catkins, touched with silver-purple. Accepting pruning at any time of the year, this fast-growing willow is perfect for quickly creating an elegant ensemble, in a free or trimmed hedge.
The Salix purpurea belongs to the willow family. It is a species widely distributed in Europe, central Asia and Japan, as well as North Africa. In its natural environment, this pioneering species colonizes the banks of rivers and ponds, on sandy or gravel-rich soil. While it appreciates a certain level of humidity, 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. When mature, this small, fast-growing willow will not exceed 5 to 6m (16 to 20ft) in height, typically forming a large bush 2.50m (8ft) high and 1.50m (5ft) wide. The young branches are a shiny mahogany red colour and then become gray-green with age. The buds are also purple. The deciduous foliage consists of leaves arranged in an opposite, not alternate, manner as in most other willows. They are thin and narrow, elliptical in shape, measuring 5 to 8cm (2 to 3in) in length. The lamina is light green-silver on the upper side, while the underside is more bluish and marked with prominent veins. The foliage turns yellow in autumn. The flowering, rather discreet, takes place in March-April, before the leaves appear. Male specimens bear silky catkins 3 to 5cm (1 to 2in) long, silver-green speckled with purple stamens. Female specimens bear shorter, very discreet catkins. The fruit is a fuzzy capsule that releases decorative seeds covered with long bristles.
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As elegant in a flowerbed as in a hedge, the Purple Willow brings a beautiful touch of colour and a bit of wild grace to the garden. It fits easily into a country hedge and naturally finds its place near bodies of water. Used in basketry, it perfectly tolerates repeated pruning, a quality sought after for the creation of large borders or well-groomed hedges, whether in a contemporary or naturalistic style garden. It can also be planted on large, not too dry slopes, where it will retain the soil. Regularly prune it after flowering to encourage it to thicken and produce numerous red and flowering branches. For example, it can be associated with dogwoods (Cornus Baton Rouge, Cornus Flaviramea, Cornus sanguinea), hazelnuts, Japanese quinces, flowering almonds or brooms in a free hedge.
Properties:
This purple willow is a honey plant, also widely used in basketry. Its ability to stabilize unstable soils along riverbanks through its extensive and branched root system is utilized in bank restoration projects.
Salix purpurea - Purple Willow in pictures
Plant habit
Flowering
Foliage
Planting and care
Plant the Purple Willow preferably in autumn, in a very sunny or semi-shaded position in a warm climate. It requires a fairly deep soil, preferably neutral to limestone, moist but well-drained and poor. It prefers a soil that dries out occasionally rather than a heavy and constantly waterlogged soil. However, it can tolerate poor and sandy, even gravelly soil. Ideally, at planting, use a mixture composed of half potting soil and half garden soil mixed with coarse sand and gravel if it is compact and clayey. It is perfectly resistant to cold and heavy frost. To promote a bushy habit and the formation of young plant-bearing aments, prune it short at the start of the growing season, 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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