Salix purpurea Americana - Purple Willow

Brown Wood Braided Willow, in Latin Salix purpurea 'Americana', is a variety of Red Willow whose branches have been patiently braided to form a column. Crowned with beautiful green-blue foliage with silver reflections, the scarlet young branches of this osier are particularly revealed under the pale winter sun. Over time, it retains its lustre but turns reddish-brown. More hardy and less invasive than bamboo, this colourful bush takes up little space on the ground and can rival it in elegance and flexibility, whether as a standalone subject, in a green room, or in a pot on the terrace. Accepting pruning at any time of the year, this willow bends to all desires.

Salix purpurea belongs to the willow family. It is a deciduous botanical species widely distributed in Europe, Central Asia, Japan, and North Africa. In its natural habitat, 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 is capable, like the Salix alba (white willow), of withstanding periods of moderate drought. Its lifespan is around 20 years. The long flexible branches of this willow have the ability to twist and propagate very easily, allowing inventive gardeners and horticulturists to shape it according to their desires. It is sometimes cultivated in the form of a "pollard" for purple osier production. The 'Americana' cultivar has been selected for the length and fineness of its stems, as well as its very fine foliage.

The Brown-Red Wood Braided Willow will need to be regularly and severely pruned if you do not want it to reach 10m (32ft) in height and produce a large quantity of long coloured stems. The young, very flexible branches are a shiny mahogany red colour and then turn browner with age. The buds are also purple in colour. The deciduous foliage falls in early autumn. It is composed of thin leaves arranged in an opposite, not alternate, manner like most other willows. They are thin and narrow, elliptical in shape, measuring 3 to 5cm (2in) long. 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, quite discreet, takes place in March-April, before the appearance of the leaves. Male subjects bear silky catkins 3-5cm (1.2 - 2 in) long, silver-green with purple stamens. Female subjects bear shorter, very inconspicuous catkins. The fruit is a fluffy capsule that releases decorative seeds covered in long bristles.

Install your Brown Wood Braided Willow in a strategic location in the garden, as a standalone specimen or in groups of 3 subjects. Place it in a carefully chosen large pot on the terrace or balcony, monitoring watering: it will have a great effect and earn you compliments from your visitors! You can also plant several subjects in a row to form a small graphic hedge that will delimit a vegetable square or elegantly hide your compost, clotheslines, a small tool shed... The branches of this willow intertwine to form magnificent geometric figures, overhung by dense foliage, creating a true living sculpture that evolves constantly.

Properties:

Red willow is a homely plant, also widely used in basketry. Its ability to stabilize unstable soils along riverbanks through its extensive and ramified root system is used in the restoration of riverbanks.