Live fresh willow rods are harvested during the winter months. These long pliant willows can be planted into the ground at any time between December and March and they will easily take root and continue to grow.
Long rods can be woven together at planting time to create structures of different shapes and sizes. Living domes, tunnels and hedges can easily be constructed using simple basketry and gardening techniques. More ambitious structures may resemble an animal, bird or other sculptural form.
In spring of the first year, the willows may first show silvery catkins or pussy willows, before fully coming into leaf around April. By July or August there will be good growth all over the structure and this may be woven back in to form a dense canopy, or trimmed off to keep a more formal effect.
Untrimmed growth will be substantial by October and a good hard prune before the winter is recommended. After the leaves fall, you can trim up the structure to tidy it as necessary.
A well managed growing willow structure should last many years, and in optimum conditions, the willows will graft together to form a solid living structure.
An open, moist site is preferable, with a soil depth of minimum 12 inches.
Long rods can be woven together at planting time to create structures of different shapes and sizes. Living domes, tunnels and hedges can easily be constructed using simple basketry and gardening techniques. More ambitious structures may resemble an animal, bird or other sculptural form.
In spring of the first year, the willows may first show silvery catkins or pussy willows, before fully coming into leaf around April. By July or August there will be good growth all over the structure and this may be woven back in to form a dense canopy, or trimmed off to keep a more formal effect.
Untrimmed growth will be substantial by October and a good hard prune before the winter is recommended. After the leaves fall, you can trim up the structure to tidy it as necessary.
A well managed growing willow structure should last many years, and in optimum conditions, the willows will graft together to form a solid living structure.
An open, moist site is preferable, with a soil depth of minimum 12 inches.
