Threads 89: The wonderful world of willow

How to plant,  grow, and prepare willow for basketry.

Willow is one of the easiest plants to grow from cuttings. In fact, some gardeners suggest putting small pieces of fresh willow in a container with water for a week or so and then using the water to stimulate other cuttings to develop roots.

Although willow likes moisture, it will grow almost anywhere as long as it has sunshine and light. If you want to grow willow for making baskets there are many varieties to choose between, both in terms of size and colour. These are available now in Canada, although we are not allowed to import willow from other countries. See photo of cuttings prepared for planting in Somerset, England in the 1980s.

The best time to take cuttings is in the spring when the sap is rising. Remove the first year shoots, and starting at the base cut lengths of about 10 inches all the way up to where it is very thin. Cut them on a slight angle so that there is more room for the cutting to grow roots. Tie them together in bundles. At this point, they can be either placed in water to start the roots, or held in the crisp drawer in a fridge, or they can be planted. If planted in water, make sure the roots don’t get all tangled up with each other as they will be hard to pull apart.

Before planting the bed has to be prepared. Willow cuttings do not like competition from weeds, or grass,  so it is advisable to cover the area with plastic sheeting to kill the weeds and grass.  Or, the area can be cultivated and cleared ahead of time. Rows should be clearly marked, at least 4 feet apart, and each cutting at least 3 1/2 feet apart. If you are using plastic covering, make a circular hole ready for each cutting. When you are planting, make sure the buds are pointing up, not down!

At this point, it is important to keep the cuttings well watered for the first few weeks.

We planted 700 cuttings for our eight path labyrinth to celebrate the year 2000. We did not use plastic, but prepared the area by covering it with newspaper, manure, and straw for the winter. After planting, we watered regularly every three days. We invited grade 8 students from the local school to help us plant, on a glorious spring morning in April. They were full of the joys of spring and didn’t pay attention to the bud direction. After they left, we crawled around the labyrinth paths, making sure the buds were facing up (many were facing down)! During the first year, the cuttings will send up a few shoots but do not cut these back. The following year there will be many more shoots and you can start your collection.

Depending on where you live. willows are usually cut back after the leaves have fallen off. This is usually in late fall or early spring. In Canada, you sometimes have to wait until the snow has melted. The shoots should be cut back as close as possible to the base, called the stool. This is called coppicing in willow terms. If the first year shoots are not cut back they will grow side branches. The second year of growth will not be so useful for basketry.

The willow rods are usually stored in bundles, depending on their height. To do this, place the mixed-length bundle in a garbage can, and stand on a chair beside the can. Collect the tall ones in a bundle in your hand and shake them out to separate them. That is one bundle. Now stand on the chair, and take the next tallest group, shake them out, and make the second bundle. Continue until you just have the short ones left behind and that is the last bundle. See the photo of the sorting barrel with measuring stick in England in the 1980’s.

When we had 700 Willow plants in our labyrinth, I used to stand on the picnic table to collect the tallest ones. It was usually cold November and my hands would freeze.

Make sure the willows are dry when they are put into storage. They should always be kept vertical and standing up straight.