Willow

My husband and daughter bought me a willow weaving basketry day for @outofthewoodscraft at @meanwoodvalleyurbanfarm for Christmas 2023, I loved the idea and knew I would be hooked before I even went and set about as any passionate plants person would… ordering plants… I certainly didn’t have any willow suitable for basketry if I was to enjoy it and I knew it would take a while for the plants to establish and if I didn’t enjoy it, all the willow I was intending to grow would surely come in handy for the wildlife, I might attract willow warblers and enjoy their charming song whilst gardening! Mark from @outofthewoodscraft was an excellent teacher and I produced this basket by the end of the day.

I intend to return by the time I’m getting a good harvest from my willows to refresh my memory, but one thing was for certain, I was truly hooked, yet another craft I could absorb myself in @justmeimmygarden with my plants and wildlife for company – so to the willow I bought from Willows Nursery (Les & Anne Cordes) in Walgrave, Northampton, NN6 9QA who I can’t recommend enough – they have a website, but unfortunately I can’t find them on social media. I bought it over the Christmas period 2023 and it was delivered in the January 2024, there was great communication from them considering the time period - as I amended my order to add some more on (of course lol), the willow was delivered clearly labelled with very good instructions. As these were just for my private garden and I don’t have that much space you can order 9 unrooted cuttings of three varieties in a mix and match. I went for four of these so I bought 36 unrooted cuttings in total of 12 varieties; these were (information taken from Willows Nursery Website):

Salix Viminalis “Bowles Hybrid” One of the most vigorous and hardy varieties of willow commonly available. Because of its fast rate of growth (up to 10 feet (3 m) or more in one year) it makes an excellent windbreak, and it tolerates wet, heavy soils and extreme conditions, such as cold winds on exposed sites or salty winds on the coast. Growth can be cut back each winter, providing heavy weaving material, or rods for living willow structures, and encouraging denser fresh growth, or left to grow taller and thicker which can be cut in later years for logs.

Salix Triandra (Almond leaved willow) Salix Triandra “Black Maul” Brown stems / Salix Triandra “Norfolk” Very dark brown stems / Salix Triandra “Petite Grisette” Green stems. This species prefers slightly less harsh conditions to Salix Viminalis, although is still very vigorous providing at least 6 ft (1.8 m) of fresh growth each year. It is necessary to cut back annually to obtain the fresh growth, which is ideal for fine rods for basket making. The straight rods of growth make this form of willow very popular for basket making.

Salix Purpurea (Purple Willow) Salix Purpurea “Eugenii” Very slender green stems and very slender leaves / Salix Purpurea “Lambertiana” Lime Green stems Salix Purpurea “Abbeys” Orange/Red stems. Named for the colourful catkins. Generally a little smaller and slightly less vigorous than the above varieties, the more slender elegant stems more than make up for this if you have a more sheltered location. Long, narrow leaves and at least 4 to 6 ft (1.2 to 1.8 m) of fresh stem growth each year. It needs to be cut back annually to obtain the fresh growth, which is ideal for the straight, fine rods that make this form of willow very popular for basket making.

Salix Matsudana ‘Tortuosa’ (Corkscrew, Contorted or Dragons Claw Willow) An initially slower-growing, but stunning form of willow, with curling/twisting stem growth making a wonderful specimen tree. Its growth is more vigorous once the plant is established, but regular pruning can be used to maintain a more compact size if preferred and this also encourages the extra “curly” younger growth. It has glossy, green, slightly curled, narrow leaves which are retained much later than the other forms of willow and which come again very early in the spring.

Salix Burjatica ‘Germany’ A fairly vigorous variety originally grown for bio-mass/fuel with slightly ‘furry’ stems that can grow up to 9 ft (2.7 m) long in one year (making it an alternative source of long whips for creating living willow structures). It has quite large (but not ‘showy’ like Candida and Daphnoides Aglaia) catkins in late winter.

Salix Alba Vitellina (Golden Willow) The slender whips are popular for basketmaking but are most widely grown for the bright yellow stem colour for winter interest. They should be cut back annually in the spring to obtain the brightly coloured fresh growth. Usually, the new stem growth will reach at least 6 ft (1.8 m) long in one season.

Salix Alba Britzensis (Coral Bark Willow) Mainly grown for the bright orangey/red stem colour as winter interest. They should be cut back annually in the spring to obtain the brightly coloured fresh growth. Usually, the new stem growth will reach at least 6 ft (1.8 m) long in one season. Mainly grown for the bright orangey/red stem colour as winter interest. They should be cut back annually in the spring to obtain the brightly coloured fresh growth. Usually, the new stem growth will reach at least 6 ft (1.8 m) long in one season.

Salix Fragilis (Crack Willow) Two-tone olive-green to yellow/orange stems. Cut back annually in the spring to obtain the brighter coloured fresh growth. Usually, the new stem growth will reach at least 6 ft (1.8 m) long in one season.

I’ve planted my willows in raised beds in an old patio area which I use for a working garden, sometimes growing vegetables, I grow many plants to make my own tisanes in here and dye plants. (I also use it as a raising area for seedlings, you might spot some dahlias in the pictures, that is because I’m a Yorkshire Lass and the mixed colour packs are usually cheaper than buying specific or separate colours, so I have them in here until I know what colour they are going to be and then I can transfer them into the relevant area in the garden!)

I have used the bowl method in the lower of the raised beds to hold as much water as possible as this is shallower than the other beds and it certainly seems to work. In the first season I didn’t expect much willow at all as I was just hoping it would put it’s roots down, but I was delighted to have a harvest to label up and compare colours against each other as they dried.

I coppiced it right down to the floor but I think I am going to strike a few of the stems I take off this year to make a couple of focal pieces in the beds in the garden and they will eventually be pollarded so that they have they have the longer trunk and raised canopy.

I have been very surprised to see how much growth some have put on and how variable the growth has been this year. The purpurea has certainly done better on my site, I haven’t got much length from the Triandras as yet, they might come into their own next year, but I am loving the contrast of the dark stems and lighter leaves of the Triandra Norfolk.

As many of us are trying to reduce our plastic use, I thought some of you might be interested in the labels, I liked them and they have seemed to hold up ok up to now. I bought them from B&Q, they were Verve Copper plant labels they are less than £1 for a pack of 10 and you write on them with a biro to make an indentation on the metal, I then went over it with a sharpie but I like how they have aged.

Ultimately, I think if I only had room for a couple of plants, and wanted to grow my own willow for some basketry I would go for the Bowles Hybrid simply for the growth and straight stems and depth of green, and the Purpurea Eugeneii again for the growth and straight stems but also for the glaucus tone of the leaf and the reddish tips and the beautiful catkins.

@just.me.in.my.garden