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WILLOW VARIETIES
Most willow varieties (genus Salix) will sprout from cuttings and
weave OK. The one to avoid is ‘Crack’.
If trees in the garden or the wild are coppiced, long straight
shoots will grow back and can be cut the following year, or year
after, depending on the length required.
Many varieties have been crossed with each other either naturally
or by willow research stations for fast growing plants. Growers
chip this willow and sell it as a fuel. They have large supplies
of vigorous straight willow and are included in the suppliers list
below [see ‘living willow rods’]. The hybrids which
include viminalis or triandra are good for making structures.
Coloured willows are very pretty during the winter months including
alba - yellow or orange bark, and daphnoides - purple or red bark.
The suppliers below may have some coloured varieties but it is also
possible to find these in garden centres.
Willow for planting is available from December to March. The rest
of the year dry willow can be bought and soaked to make structures
which are not living [see ‘basket weaving willows’ below].
WILLOW SUPPLIERS
Living willow rods:
Edgar Watson, Bristol Tel: 01934 838017
Sarah Ayling, Bristol Tel: 01934 732484
A.F.Hill & Son, Redditch Tel: 01527 892472
Nene Park Trust, Peterborough Tel: 01733 234193
Robert Goodwin, Essex Tel: 01376 573236
Edgar Watts, Suffolk Tel: 01986 892751
The Willow Bank, Wales - sets Tel: 01594 861782
Slimbridge Wetlands Plants, Gloucestershire Tel: 07748 140475
Bridget Krisch, Surrey Tel: 01252 850500
English Hurdle, Somerset - fence and arbour packs only Tel: 01823
698418
Basket weaving willow bundles:
The Willow and Wetlands Centre, Somerset Tel: 01823 490249
Reg Hector, Somerset Tel: 01823 490236
Stoke Willows, Somerset Tel: 01823 490115
EM & HJ Lock, Somerset Tel: 01935 823338
TECHNIQUES
Planting Willow:
1) It is best to plant willow cuttings between December and April.
Dig the ground where planting will take place. Most soil will be
OK but the best is moist loamy soil. Add organic material to dry
soil.
2) Mark out design outline with string and pegs. Make planting holes
at least 1 foot deep in the ground with a metal spike (and mallet,
if necessary). Each hole should not be closer than 4" apart.
3) Pour a little water in the hole, and push in the willow rod.
4) Bend and weave into the shape, prune the tips of the rods and
any side shoots.
Willow Forms:
The long planted rods can be criss-crossed into a lattice to form
fences and screens or they can be bent over and twisted together
to form arches and tunnels.
Small willow (not planted) can be used to weave through the planted
rods. The basketry techniques of pairing and randing make the structures
stronger and help when experimenting with sculptural forms.
 
How to look after a living willow structure:
Spring & Summer
The earth around the planted willow rods should be:
· weeded regularly
· covered with a little compost
· kept mulched with bark chippings or similar material
· watered during dry spells
Flowering and scented climbers, like clematis, jasmine, honeysuckle
or sweet pea can be planted and trained to grow over the structure.
Evergreen climbers look good in winter when the willow leaves have
fallen.
Winter
New shoots can be cut back or woven in. Pruning helps the original
rods establish themselves well and keeps a clear design. Weaving
in thickens the structure and replaces some of the weaving made
from willow that was not planted. Be very careful if you need to
weave in the shoots during the summer as they are more fragile at
this time.
Weaving Techniques:
Weave the new shoots diagonally upwards across the framework. First
take the shoot under the nearest main rod, then over the next main
rod, then under, then over. Continue this to the end of the shoot.
Weave the shoots either in the same direction (a) or crisscross
(b).
a) b)
ORGANISATIONS
The Basketmakers Association: see www.basketassoc.org
for membership and newsletter, as well as relevant books, leaflets,
events, techniques and gallery pages.
RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS
Willows The genus Salix, by Christopher Newsholme
See Basketmakers Association www.basketassoc.org
Living Willow Sculpture by Jon Warnes
Willow Work by Mary Butcher
Wirework by Michael Ball
Contemporary International Basketmaking, catalogue from
Crafts Council with introduction by Mary Butcher
Cane Rush and Willow, Hilary Burns
Crafty Containers by Lois Walpole
The Garden Ornament Sourcebook edited by Elizabeth Wilkinson
and Marjorie Henderson, published by Cassell
Green Woodwork by Mike Abbott
PLACES TO VISIT
The Willow and Wetlands Centre, P.H.Coates & Son, Somerset.
Tel: 01823 490249
Nene Park Trust, Peterborough to see many types of willow structures
and withy beds. Tel: 01733 234193
River Parrett Trail, for Map and Guide, contact Tourism Dept. at
South Somerset District Council. Tel: 01935 462501
Bourne Wood Sculpture Trail, Bourne, Lincolnshire
New Art Centre Sculpture Gallery, Roche Court, East Winterslow,
nr Salisbury, Wiltshire
Ness Gardens, on the Wirral, near Liverpool to see a national collection
of willow and willow work by many artists.
Dane Valley Willow Project, Brereton Heath Country Park, near Congleton,
Cheshire.
Wetlands Centre, Barnes, South London to see large scale living
willow structures.
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