Salix purpurea - Purple Willow

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.

.

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.