Salix purpurea ‘Dark Dicks’
Purple Willow
We have new stock of the cultivar 'Dark Dicks' after growing a male imposter under that name for several years. This 'Dark Dicks' is a the "correct" female selection with dark stems. It is a very attractive selection with clean, blue-green leaves. We coppice ours every year and end up with 6-8ft rods! Hardy to Zone 3. Dried rod color: dark brown
USES: Great for making living fedges, as well as dried for basket making and other objet d’art.
A young coppiced plant in an English nursery with 11 shoots that will make fine baskets giving a dark contrasting color to paler varieties.
photos courtesy of http://www.westwaleswillows.co.uk
'Dark Dicks' is another purple-stemmed selection of Salix purpurea.
photo courtesy of http://www.jprwillow.co.ukk
Female catkins appear in mid- to late-April with small hairy leaves at the base of the stem.
By early May pollenation has taken place and the green ovaries swell.
As the sun brightens, the stems get paler in color.
In early may the vegetative buds open a pale yellowish green contrasting with the dark red stems.
Leaves will mature to a delightful blue-green.
WillowWorld
of Michael Dodge