willow whips

[lainey lou]

Hi all
a friend of mine has offered to get hold of some willow whips for me as an "energy exchange" for some healing work I did with her.
Would willow whips be suitable for constructing a wig wam for beans and if so, would it root itself and therefore need to be a permenant feature or could it be moved??? Any thoughts? answers on a post card please......

[HeyWayne]

Hi all
a friend of mine has offered to get hold of some willow whips for me as an "energy exchange" for some healing work I did with her.
Would willow whips be suitable for constructing a wig wam for beans and if so, would it root itself and therefore need to be a permenant feature or could it be moved??? Any thoughts? answers on a post cared please......

Never used it myself, but I'm very jealous!

Look what you can do: Living Willow

I want a "fedge"!!!

[lainey lou]

Wow, thanks Wayne I could make myself a little hiding den thing, or a jail for the kids! The possibilities are endless!

[HeyWayne]

Wow, thanks Wayne I could make myself a little hiding den thing, or a jail for the kids! The possibilities are endless!

Indeed - I always thought it was really expensive! But if you're getting it gratis... even better!!!

[lainey lou]

Bargain! Although I did work for it, I have difficulty taking money from freinds for healing work with but sometimes people find other ways of "paying" me. This is the best yet!

[HeyWayne]

Bargain! Although I did work for it, I have difficulty taking money from freinds for healing work with but sometimes people find other ways of "paying" me. This is the best yet!

Hey, the mafia worked that way for years! I might treat myself to a fedge or two!

[lainey lou]

a finger of fedge is just enough to give your kids a treat.....

[HeyWayne]

a finger of fedge is just enough to give your kids a treat.....

...it's full of willowy goodness...

[lainey lou]

.... and very small and neat.....

[Two_Sheds]

I planted a willow fedge 2 years ago ... it grew like the clappers! The willow drains the water and goodness from anything growing near it.

I'm now trying to dig it all out!!

[rustylady]

I wouldn't use willow whips as bean poles because they root very easily and just grow willow. However they are superb for making "living sculptures", fedges, wigwams, arches, igloos, etc. If you're into that sort of thing you can also plant willow and coppice it yearly providing material for weaving baskets etc.

[Nicos]

Can anyone explain this 'living willow ' to me please?
I have a large willow tree overhanging one side of my garden and I'm always cutting it back to allow sunlight onto my border. ( I'm not complaining...it looks lovely- just needs keeping in hand from time to time)
Anyway, I just throw out the long wispy bits and I'm now wondering if these are the 'whips' you are talking about??
I've googled about a bit, and the strands I pull off seem to be thinner than those used for creating garden sculptures etc.
If they are the same thing, should I best do this in the Spring or autumn if I want them to grow??

[Two_Sheds]

The whips are thin in the first year, if you leave the 'mother' willow to grow you can get thicker cuttings off it every year. My 3 year olds are wrist thick now. The one year whips are thin and flexible, good for weaving in and out of the basic structure, which is made from thicker ones.

As for planting, you've missed the autumn, so root some in water in the spring, and then stick them in where you want them.