Shrubs may act as nurse plants by facilitating the establishment and/or survival of under-story herbaceous plants under stressful conditions. Such interactions may promote the movement of montane species into alpine plant communities. We studied potential nurse effects of alpine willow shrubs (Salix spp.) on fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) at three life history stages: seed, established seedling, and adult. Mechanisms for nurse effects were assessed at each stage by placing transplants into modified microsites containing shade and wind protection, as well as into unmanipulated microsites in open meadow and willow under-story habitats. Seedling establishment occurred only under the willow canopy and even there was extremely rare. Willows and experimental microcosms that simultaneously increased shade and reduced wind velocity strongly promoted over-winter survival of established seedlings and adults. All adult transplants surviving over the winter persisted over the subsequent growing season. For seedling transplants, extremely high mortality in exposed plots over the winter limited our power to experimentally detect nurse effects during the next growing season. Results suggest that by promoting persistent snow cover over the winter, willows enhance survival of fireweed at its upper range limit, potentially favoring its spread into alpine habitats.