Salix purpurea 'Richartii' (m)

Save a plant

Where do you want to save Salix purpurea 'Richartii' (m)?

Plants I own
Wishlist
Go to My Plants
Plants for pollinators
Shrubs

A deciduous shrub, up to around 5m high, with upright to arching, slender stems and narrow, slightly blue-green leaves with paler undersides, that are flushed orange-red when young. Catkins are produced before the leaves in spring; male catkins are purplish, turning yellow as the pollen develops

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

4-8 metres

Max Spread

2.5-4 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
2.5-4 metres
Max Height
4-8 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H6

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Salicaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy, Columnar upright
Genus
Salix are deciduous shrubs and trees of diverse habit, with simple leaves and tiny flowers in catkins, male and female usually on separate plants. Some are valued for their brightly coloured winter shoots, others for their foliage or showy male catkins
Name Status
Unresolved

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in any deep, moist but well-drained soil in full sun. Avoid shallow chalk soil

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in early summer or hardwood cuttings in winter

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Coastal
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Low Maintenance

Pruning

Pruning group 7, every two or three years in March, for best show of catkins

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, caterpillars, willow leaf beetle, sawflies and willow scale insects

Diseases

May be susceptible to willow anthracnose, honey fungus and rust diseases