Salix purpurea 'Leicestershire Dicks'
purpurea = purple
Purple Willow
Another selection that was new to me and this one came from the Chicago Botanic Garden at the side of one of their many parking areas! This clone has very slender dark red stems, small leaves and male flowers. Leicestershire, of course, is a County in the UK and used to be an important willow rod growing area. I grew this for the first time in April '14 and it appeared is slower growing than other clones. It is more bushy and not as tall as other selections. After coppicing the slender rods are great for fine basketry.
Dried rod color: mottled reds, pinks, yellows & tans.
Buds opened in mid April, gray at first, then pink, then red when the anthers pop.
In early May male catkins are in full bloom.
Overwintering flower buds develop
in September and October.
According to the USDA station in Ames, Iowa in their trials 'Leicestershire Dicks': "maintains a particularly nice, shrubby, multi stemmed form. Its slender purple-red branches, which mature to gray for olive-gray and fine textured leaves add interest in the summer and winter landscape. S. purpurea is well adapted to wet areas and can serve to control erosion along banks of ponds or streams. At maturity this shrub may attain a height of 3 meters [10ft]"
This confirmed what I had witnessed.
'Leicestershire Dicks' beside one of the visitor parking areas at the Chicago Botanical Garden.
At left in early summer fullness; at right in April covered in flowers, though hard to see that!
Photographs © 2015 Chicago Botanic Garden
'Leicestershire Dicks' at its sexiest best!
Photographs © 2015 Chicago Botanic Garden
'Leicestershire Dicks' in the nursery with hundreds of slender red rods. Late October.
WillowWorld
of Michael Dodge