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Key characteristics

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

Shrubs

Salix purpurea ‘Nana’

Dwarf Purple Willow

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.

Light

Full sun to partial shade

Water

Moderate to high

Bloom time

Early spring

Find this plant

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.