Salix purpurea ‘Howki' Purple willow

Fine branched willow with delicate pink catkins and pale green leaves. Best cultivated as a pair of low pollards cut back every two years.

• Type: Shrub
• Origin: Japan
• Sex: Female
• Flowering: Late Feb
• Height: Up to 5m

You get a small plant in a 2/3 litre pot. Read more about willows with fantastic foliage by reading Activity 29 Brighten up your borders.

Picture credit: Jason Ingram www.jasoningram.co.uk