The willows in my local park have lots of fresh green shoots. Is it posible to take cuttings from them? I have a patch at the top of my garden where I could plant something and I've always wanted to grow willow for making rustic law edging and stuff like that.
Willow
- Thread starter caliban
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Willow is easy to grow, and it will come away from ends shoved into damp ground. The only thing is that it's inclined to be a thirsty plant, and it'll get it's roots out looking for water. If you're not careful it'll fill drains and soakaways with them.
That said, it can be very beautiful as well as one of the most useful plants.
If planted as a windbreak around a seating area, it will need pruned anyway, and that stuff can be used for basketry.
The bark makes great cordage and the off cuts make really good charcoal drawing sticks.
Boiling up the bark releases lots of tannin and gets used to kind of stabilise/ colour other fibre ropes and cordages, like nettle.
cheers,
Toddy
That said, it can be very beautiful as well as one of the most useful plants.
If planted as a windbreak around a seating area, it will need pruned anyway, and that stuff can be used for basketry.
The bark makes great cordage and the off cuts make really good charcoal drawing sticks.
Boiling up the bark releases lots of tannin and gets used to kind of stabilise/ colour other fibre ropes and cordages, like nettle.
cheers,
Toddy
willow also makes great firewood but needs to be dried well, basketwork can also be done on living willows the school my kids went to made a woven shelter with a ring (except the doorway) of planted willow shoots, now it's knitted together it looks like a big green igloo
you probably already know but different willows have different characteristics for suitabilty in weaving, i'm not sure which species is mostly used for basket-making, White/Crack/Pussy/Weeping, but i think some are more suitable than others so it may pay to check as there is likely to be various types in your park, it grows quite easily even logs lying on the floor will sprout new growth if wet enough, that green and red dogwood commonly seen growing on roadsides or in parks also is good for weaving, i've used it myself and the red stuff mixed in with green for patterning effect is nice.
Caliban, as you get older you learn a few things, and one of the things I have learned is that if it involves a plant, Toddy is "your go to person." If she doesn't know it, it ain't worth knowin'.
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