Purple Willow Sapling Trees

• Variety: Purple Willow, or Purple Osier
• Latin name: Salix purpurea
• Sold as: Bareroot plants, 60/80cm tall
• Ultimate size: 4 to 8m tall by 2.5 to 4m wide, in 10 to 20 years, if never cut
• Growth rate: Fast
• Shoots: Arching and purplish, best on young growth
• Catkins: Slender and silvery, on bare shoots in early spring
• Uses: Low screens and hedges, and fine rods for weaving
• Soil: Deep, moist soil. Not shallow chalk
• Position: Full sun. Copes with the coast
• Planting distance: At least 10m from drains and buildings, and 15m is better
• Native: Yes
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Purple Willow is a native Willow grown for its arching purple shoots, which colour best on young growth, and for slender silvery catkins in early spring. It makes a low screen or hedge, gives finer rods for weaving than Osier, and is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list.

Purple Willow Sapling Trees

Purple Willow, Salix purpurea, also called Purple Osier, is more of a large, bushy shrub than a small tree. Salix purpurea has magnificent, striking purple young shoots, which provide ornamental value in winter both on the plant and when cut and brought indoors. The catkins are less showy than on some other willows as they appear around the same time as the leaves open so they tend to be somewhat hidden. But the bark is a glory. To produce the best colour, the plant should be coppiced on a two yearly cycle with half being cut to the ground each spring. This way you will always have height to the plant and a good amount of young growth.

See our selection of willow hedging plants or view our full range of hedging.

Salix purpurea plants are only delivered bareroot, during winter (Nov-April). All our plants are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

History & Trivia

Being a small, very vigorous willow, this is one of the favoured types for supplying withies: stems of various sizes for making wicker objects. Osier is an old name for both the withy and the plant. Willows have shallow, wide ranging roots and are great for preserving river banks and other loose soil.

All willows are excellent for bees, butterflies and moths.

Planting Companions

On the same wet ground, Common Osier gives coarser rods for weaving, and Grey Willow brings the catkins. If you plan to weave it where it stands, read to fedge or not first. Dust the roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Ashridge for Hedging?

Hedging and young native trees are not a sideline here: your Purple Willow plants are grown for us by specialist growers. Bareroot plants are lifted to order while dormant and guaranteed for 12 months. Ashridge has sold plants since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Willow makes the best low screen?

This one. It is the least unruly of our Willows, and it is grown for hedges and screens.

Is it purple all over?

No. The shoots are purplish, and the leaves are blue-green.

How do you keep the colour?

Cut half the plant to the ground each spring, so each stem is cut every two years. The young shoots carry the best colour.

Is it good for weaving?

Yes. Its rods are finer than those of Common Osier, which suits finer work.

How far from drains and buildings should a Willow go?

Willow roots seek water and will find a leak in an old pipe. Keep it at least 10 metres from drains, septic tanks, walls and foundations, and 15 metres is more comfortable.

Will it grow on chalk?

Not on shallow chalk. It wants a deep, moist soil.

When are the plants delivered?

Bareroot only, from November to April, while the plants are dormant. You can order at any time of year and your plants are lifted and sent once the season opens.