purpurea ‘Oka’

This is a very old French basketry selection that was found in the grounds of Oka Abbey, Quebec and has been cultivated in that area for many years by basket-makers. It came to me as a selection of S. daphnoides, but it is a purpurea. I am guessing that it’s an old French selection brought over by the original inhabitants of the Abbey! Leaves are opposite as in most purpureas, reddish at first and then blue-green at maturity. Annual coppicing produces lots of slender rods 8-9ft long that start red, turn green then a nice brown shade when boiled for flexible dry rods. Peels easily for basketry. This is the only purpurea selection that doesn’t flower the first year after coppicing so I left some stems uncoppiced and they had male catkins with unusual blue tints! Grow in full sun in average-moist soil; but will tolerate dry, sandy situations. Like all purpureas this is deer resistant.