I’m slowly re-emerging from a deep Christmas hibernation, and feeling refreshed and energised for the year ahead. Between family lunches, film nights and wintry walks, I’ve been out in the willow bed harvesting and sorting this year’s crop.
This willow is from the willow bed in my garden which I planted last winter. Willow is generally harvested after leaf fall, between December and March every year. Each rod is cut back to the main stool, which will then re-shoot new growth in the coming Spring. I just use secateurs for harvesting, but larger-scale growers use battery powered secateurs or even brushcutters or tractors. Once harvested, the willow is sorted and bundled by length (traditionally, 3ft, 4ft etc.) - some of my willows grew over 8ft this year!
I’ve got ten or so different varieties (Chinese Viminalis; Packing Twine' Brittany Green; Flanders Red; Welsh White; Petite Grisette; Golden; Norbury; and a couple of unidentified varieties which I've scavenged from elsewhere!), which aren’t commonly grown by large scale commercial growers, so I’m looking forward to seeing how they weave.
But I’ll have to be patient, as they need to dry for a few months before I can work with them. The reason you don't weave with freshly harvested (otherwise known as green) willow is that as it dries, the willow will shrink and your basket will become loose. Dried (or brown) willow, which you soak before use, does not shrink as much and therefore produces tighter and stronger baskets.
The willow bed has fortunately been really healthy all year, with no pests or diseases and plenty of rainfall to give them the best start in life. The bed should get more and more productive each year, with each stool producing up to 30 rods each at maturity. Whilst it won’t be anywhere near enough to allow me to be self-sufficient in willow, it allows me to feel closer to the material which I spend my days with.
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