Contents ovdepending on the species. The distribution area covers China, the Crimea, Mongolia, the Caucasus, the plains of Western Siberia, North Africa, Central Asia, and West. Europe. Her favorite places are wet areas of valleys, beds of streams and rivers, sand and pebble sediments.
Distinctive features of the plant are thin and very long branches, painted in colors from brown to dark olive. Shoots "naked", mostly covered with a bluish bloom. The inner part of the bark, adjacent to the wood, is colored yellow-lemon color. It tastes bitter.
Foliage is located on the branches opposite, alternately. Each leaf has a short, narrow-obovate, bluish-green or soft-bluish-bluish color and reaches sizes in length and width of 3-13 / 0.8-1.5 cm, respectively.
Purple willow blossoms( photos are presented below) occurs in April-May, as a rule, before the foliage dissolves or during its appearance with the ejection of numerous earrings( popularly known as seals).
Care
Selecting a place to disembark, pay attention to bright areas, such as light shade or under the sun. Other areas are unfavorable for decorative plants: it will be less voluminous and not bright.
As for the soil, willow grows in any lands, but favors fertile and neutral lands. In the case of planting on clay and heavy soil, one should not forget about good drainage from sand and stones.
Planting seedlings does not create problems for either the keen gardeners or the beginners. To do this, you must dig a hole with a diameter somewhat larger than the roots. Next, ½ bucket of water is poured into the pit, the seedling is lowered and covered with fertile soil mixed with compost, peat or sand. The soil around the future of the tree slightly crush, and then watered again.
In the future, you will need to observe regular watering. Moreover, in addition to root irrigation, the plant should arrange a “shower” with a hose in the early morning or in the evening after sunset.
Some special requirements for the "power" willow does not require. In the spring should be 60-80 g of nitroammofoski per bush. This will help increase the green mass.
It is necessary to loosen the soil around the plant. For young willows, the depth of the process is 20–30 cm, for adults it is no more than 10 cm, otherwise the roots can be damaged.
With the onset of spring, prevention of diseases( eg, powdery mildew, black spot) and pests( such as willowworm, flower fly) should be carried out using bord fluid, fungicides and insecticides.
Species
Among the varieties of purple willow, two varieties are most popular: Pendula and Nana.
Willow purple Pendula
The tree of this variety is popular due to the graceful weeping crown, painted in a light green-blue color. Moreover, flexible branches are painted in a purple hue. Plant height depends on how long the graft boom was.
During flowering, earrings with red-purple anthers are produced.
Willow loves the light and has a rather high winter resistance. The soil is completely demanding and can adapt to almost anyone. But the favorite is fertilized and wet. The variety is attractive also because it is able to tolerate well both drought and flooding. For proper growth of the crown willow should be annually pruned.
Purple willow is often used in the landscape due to the well-developed roots, which are able to strengthen the soil in the place of growth.
Propagate the plant by grafting to stabs.
When planting seedlings, the distance between two specimens should be at least 1.5 m, so that the crowns do not interfere with each other when they reach adulthood.
Willow Purple Nana Description
This is the most popular variety of purple willow. The name "attached" due to the reddish shade of bark, foliage and unusual color of flowers during flowering. The plant is low, the maximum height is 1.5 m with a crown diameter of 2 m. The shape of the latter is semicircular. Numerous thin shoots are covered with foliage of gray-green color.
A remarkable plant and its light-loving, and excellent winter hardiness. As for the soil, the willow is not capricious and can adapt to any land. Nevertheless, it prefers the most humid places. Also, the plant is able to tolerate low humidity or drought.
The flowering of the plant, like that of Pendula willow, begins in March-April simultaneously with the dissolution of foliage. Crown has a decorative value.
To form a beautiful shape, the plant should be planted in a bright place. Otherwise, the lack of provokes pulling the branches up, which adversely affect the crown.
The variety perfectly withstands pruning, which is preferable to conduct with the arrival of spring.
Purple Willow Willow in Landscape Design
Thanks to the "ability" to hold the soil together, willow is widely used to strengthen the soil along the banks of reservoirs. Due to the excellent portability of pruning it is used in the design of garden compositions, located on flooded areas and places with high humidity. Also, shrubs are planted to create geometric shapes in the gardens.
Willow purple variety Nana branches perfectly, so you can create live curbs and hedges from it. In this case, the form can be left natural or hold a "fashionable" haircut. The height can be up to 4 m. With the help of willow Nana, introduced into the landscape design of the garden, you can smooth out or make the unattractive part of the plot smooth.
Nana combines perfectly with a flat lawn, flowers or coniferous trees. It is unacceptable to plant willow near other trees, in particular with a nut or birch.
Correctly selected willow variety, correctly pruned will help to equip the landscape of your garden or backyard.
