Northwest Blooms · Shrubs
Salix purpurea ‘Nana’
Dwarf Purple Willow
- Family
- Salicaceae
- Height
- 3 to 5 feet
- Width
- 3 to 5 feet
- Flower color
- Purplish catkins (inconspicuous)
- Foliage color
- Bluish-green
- Bloom time
- Early spring
- Light
- Full sun to partial shade
- Water
- Moderate to high
- Maintenance
- Low; prune to maintain shape
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Wildlife
- Provides habitat for birds and attracts pollinators
About this plant
Salix purpurea 'Nana' produces slender catkins in early spring before or as the foliage emerges, beginning reddish purple and maturing to grayish white. Narrow, finely textured leaves are blue-green above with paler, silvery undersides, creating a soft appearance that moves gracefully in the breeze. Numerous slender stems form a dense, rounded framework, with young twigs displaying attractive purple to reddish-purple coloring that remains especially noticeable during the leafless winter months.
Derived from Salix purpurea, a willow native from Europe and northern Africa across central Asia, 'Nana' is a compact selection valued for its fine foliage and twiggy form. Its flexible branching and spreading root system make it particularly useful along streams and ponds, on slopes and banks, in rain gardens, informal hedges, and mass plantings, where it provides texture and erosion control.
Works well in
Sun Gardens · Borders · Cottage Gardens · Specimen Plants
Companion plants
Peony · Cotoneaster · Wallflower · Fountain grass · Tickseed · Escallonia
Design tip
Break up a planting dominated by broad green leaves with ‘Nana’s’ narrow, silvery-blue foliage. Its fine texture creates a lighter visual pause between heavier shrubs, while the rounded habit keeps the contrast from feeling sharp or disconnected.
Where to see it
This plant can be seen at the Bellevue Botanical Garden.
