Information

Long before mankind, willow (genus Salix) thrived throughout the world. It's amongst the earliest recorded pre-Ice Age flowering plants. Willow has been highly valued since ancient times, the Celts were expert basketmakers and passed on their skills to the Romans.

Over the centuries willow has been used in the construction of a great many items ranging from hurdles, crab and lobster pots, eels traps, coracles, log baskets, to the finest baskets. It has been used as a dye plant, to make charcoal, as a timber, to prevent erosion of river banks and medicinally, it is the original source of aspirin.

Belonging to the plant family Salicaceae, of which popular are also members, willow has over 400 varieties and 200 hybrids. The beauty of willow is its adaptability, in our climate it will survive almost anywhere. It will tolerate some shade, but grows best in bright sunshine, and will grow on moist, dry or fertile sites as well as in impoverished or polluted soil.

Willow does not need fertiliser to grow successfully. This magical plant will actually improve poor soil and clean polluted sites. But the more fertile and moist the soil is, the better the plants will grow.

You will see many bugs and wildlife on living willow it is second only to the Oak tree in the number of creatures that feed on it. Apart from some virus’s there is little that will kill the willow mostly it will just slow its growth.

Willow can grow in most locations, although it shouldn't be planted too close to buildings.

Living Willow

Living willow is a wonderful material to work with, flexible and forgiving. In winter months it can be planted and woven to make play structures for children. In summer the structure begins to grow enhancing any garden.

Living willow structures and sculptures are easy to make. Children love constructing domes and tunnels with willow because it requires little skill and lots of imagination. Living willow fences, ‘fedges’, are an attractive alternative to conventional fencing. Structures built from willow are environmentally friendly and sustainable - a true green alternative to plastic play equipment.

Salix Viminalis is the variety of willow that we use for creating structures. It produces long, straight rods which are cut from the parent plant during the dormant season. This is roughly from the end of November to the end of March, but depends on the mildness of the local climate. Freshly cut willow is flexible and pliable and ideal for creating a variety of structures.

One word of caution however, willow roots travel a long way and will seek out drains and other sources of moisture. They also transpire a large quantity of water and will tend to dry out a heavy clay soil – so we do not plant near to any building or foundations. We recommend a planting distance of 1.5 times the height you will be allowing the plant to grow from any structure, building or drain.

Dried Willow

The greatest willow growing area in Great Britain is in the Somerset Levels in Taunton. Every year during the winter and early spring, before the willow starts breaking into leaf, they are cut to ground level and the long, straight rods are harvested and left to dry for basketmaking.

The three most important willow varieties grown for basketmaking are Salix Triandra, Salix Purpurea and Salix Viminalis, the most popular being Salix Triandra Black Maul.

Rods used in basketry are commonly named Brown Willow, Buff Willow and White Willow.

Brown Willow (which can actually be any colour rod with it's bark on) are dried rods with the bark intact
Buff Willow are rods that have been boiled in tanks and then stripped of their bark - the tannin in the bark turns the rods a copper colour.
White Willow are rods that have been stripped of their bark just as the sap rises and fresh leaves start to appear, they are then left to dry out in the sunshine.

Soaking willow

Before you can weave with dried willow it must be soaked in fresh water.

Brown Willow takes the longest and is generally soaked for a day per foot of the length of the rod and then wrapped in a damp sheet to mellow for a couple of days (eg 5ft long rods are soaked for 5 days and mellowed for 2 days). After soaking the willow will last for about a week as long as it's kept wrapped up after use.

The Buff and White Willow is soaked 30 minutes per foot and mellowed in a damp sheet for a couple of hours. This willow will need to be kept wrapped up at all times as it dries out quickly. If it starts to become dry when using, spray with a little water. After soaking it needs to be used up within a day or two as it tends to go mouldy.

Once this has been done all sorts of baskets or sculptures can be made and it's flexibility and versatility make it and excellent craft resource