Salix purpurea Nana - Purple Willow
Salix purpurea Nana - Purple Willow
Salix purpurea Nana - Purple Willow
Salix purpurea Nana - Purple Willow
Salix purpurea Nana
Purple Willow, Purple Osier, Bitter Willow
The bare-root young plant doesn't seem in great shape; it looks very dry since arrival. It's also much smaller than the ones I ordered a few years ago, which were perfect... Let's hope it holds up, for now there's no growth at all...
Kevin, 03/03/2026
Back-to-school special offer!
Get €10 off for every €50 you spend! And get up to €40 off on a single order.
How does it work?
1. Shop your favourites
Add your favourite plants to your basket. For every €50 you spend (excluding delivery charges, store credit and the plastic-free option), you’ll receive a €10 voucher.
€50 spent = €10 voucher
€100 spent = €20 voucher
€150 spent = €30 voucher
€200 spent = €40 voucher
2. Place your order
Once your basket reaches one of the spending thresholds, place your order. You can even choose your delivery date!
3. Receive your voucher
As soon as your order has been shipped, you’ll receive an email containing your personal voucher code and its value.
4. Use it on your next order
Your voucher is valid for 90 days from the date you receive it. It can be used once only, on a new order worth at least the value of the voucher, excluding delivery charges.
Please note: Vouchers can be combined with other offers, but cannot be split or refunded.
Home or relay delivery (depending on size and destination)
Important: You may be charged customs duties by your country’s customs authorities upon delivery.
Schedule delivery date,
and select date in basket
This plant carries a 24 months recovery warranty
More information
We guarantee the quality of our plants for a full growing cycle, and will replace at our expense any plant that fails to recover under normal climatic and planting conditions.
Would this plant suit my garden?
Set up your Plantfit profile →
Description
Salix purpurea 'Nana' (synonym gracilis) is a lovely dwarf form of Purple Willow, a botanical species also known as red (purple) osier, recognised by its often shiny young branches that make it particularly ornamental in winter. This small, rounded and bushy shrub also has a fine greenish-blue foliage with elegant silvery reflections, and is adorned in early spring with fairly delicate, drooping catkins, tinged with silver and touched with purple. It can be pruned at any time of the year. This fast-growing willow is perfect for quickly creating an elegant ensemble, in a free or trimmed hedge.
Salix purpurea belongs to the Salicaceae family. It is a deciduous botanical species widely distributed in Europe, central Asia, and Japan, as well as in North Africa. In its natural habitat, this pioneering species colonises the banks of rivers and ponds, on sandy or gravel-rich soil. While it appreciates some humidity, it does not tolerate constantly flooded soils that suffocate its roots. It can withstand periods of moderate drought. Its lifespan is around 20 years. The cultivar 'Nana' (gracilis) is a reduced-size selection in all its parts.
It has a more bushy than shrubby habit, hemispherical, both upright and drooping, composed of a multitude of thin, flexible and closely branched stems near the ground. At maturity, this small, fast-growing willow will not exceed 1.25 m (4.1 ft) in all directions. The young branches are shiny mahogany red and then become greyish-green with age. The buds are also purple in colour. The deciduous foliage consists of leaves arranged in an opposite manner and not alternate as in most other willows. They are thin and narrow, elliptical in shape, measuring 3 cm to 5 cm (1.2 in to 2 in) long. The lamina is light green-silver on the upper side, while the underside is bluish and traversed by prominent veins. The foliage turns yellow in autumn. Discreet flowering occurs in March-April, before the appearance of the leaves. The male subjects bear silky catkins measuring 3 cm (1.2 in) long, tinged with purple. The female subjects bear shorter catkins. The fruit is a fluffy capsule that releases decorative long-haired seeds.
Dwarf Red Willow brings a beautiful luminous touch and a bit of wild grace to the garden. Compact, it easily fits into a country hedge and naturally finds its place near water points. Used in basketry, it perfectly withstands repeated pruning, a sought-after quality for creating large well-groomed borders or low hedges. It can also be planted on large, not too dry slopes, where it will retain the soil. It can also be grown in a large container on a terrace. Regularly prune it after flowering to encourage it to thicken and produce numerous red and flowering branches. For example, it can be planted alongside dogwoods (Cornus mas, Cornus officinalis, Cornus sanguinea), hazelnuts, Japanese quince, flowering almond, or brooms in a free hedge.
Properties:
This purple willow is a honey plant, also widely used in basketry. Its ability to stabilise unstable soils along riverbanks through its extensive and branched root system is used in riverbank restoration.
Salix purpurea Nana - Purple Willow in pictures
Plant habit
Flowering
Foliage
Botanical data
Salix
purpurea
Nana
Salicaceae
Purple Willow, Purple Osier, Bitter Willow
West Asia
Planting and care
Plant in autumn, in a very sunny or semi-shaded exposure in a warm climate. It requires fairly deep soil, preferably neutral to limestone, moist but well-drained and poor. It prefers soil that dries out easily rather than heavy and constantly waterlogged soil. On the other hand, it tolerates poor and sandy soils, even gravelly ones. Ideally, at planting, use a mixture composed of half compost and half garden soil mixed with coarse sand and gravel if it is compact and clayey. It is perfectly resistant to cold and severe frosts. To promote a bushy habit and the formation of catkin-bearing branches, prune it short 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
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
, onOrder confirmed
Reply from on Promesse de fleurs
Recently viewed products
Haven't found what you were looking for?
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).
The flowering period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, etc.)
It will vary according to where you live:- In zones 9 to 10 (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), flowering will occur about 2 to 4 weeks earlier.
- In zones 6 to 7 (Germany, Poland, Slovenia, and lower mountainous regions), flowering will be delayed by 2 to 3 weeks.
- In zone 5 (Central Europe, Scandinavia), blooming will be delayed by 3 to 5 weeks.
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 planting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands).
It will vary according to where you live:
- In Mediterranean zones (Marseille, Madrid, Milan, etc.), autumn and winter are the best planting periods.
- In continental zones (Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, etc.), delay planting by 2 to 3 weeks in spring and bring it forward by 2 to 4 weeks in autumn.
- In mountainous regions (the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, etc.), it is best to plant in late spring (May-June) or late summer (August-September).
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.
Shipping country and language
Your country of residence may be:
Your country of residence is:
For a better user experience on our website, you can select:
Your shipping country:
-
Austria
-
Belgium
-
Bosnia & Herzegovina
-
Bulgaria
-
Croatia
-
Cyprus
-
Czechia
-
Denmark
-
Estonia
-
Finland
-
France
-
Germany
-
Greece
-
Hungary
-
Iceland
-
Ireland
-
Italy
-
Latvia
-
Liechtenstein
-
Lithuania
-
Luxembourg
-
Malta
-
Netherlands
-
Poland
-
Portugal
-
Romania
-
Serbia
-
Slovakia
-
Slovenia
-
Spain
-
Sweden
-
Switzerland
Language:
-
French
-
English
-
Spanish
-
Italian
-
German
-
Portuguese
-
Dutch
-
Finnish
My Account
Hello
My wish lists
My cart
Log in / Register
Existing customer?
This form is protected by reCAPTCHA - the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
New customer?
Create an account to track your orders, access our customer service and, if you wish, make the most of our upcoming offers.