Growing Willow

[porterlizz]

Having recently done a basket weaving course I had willow in my mind, and some lovely friends who have a good few acreage of land reckon that part of their land may be good for growing willow.

Can anyone advise me whether this is a difficult plant to grow, and point me in the direction of some expert? My friend's have a nice boggy area to their land, so I'm hoping that this may be suitable, but we need to find out more before deciding whether this is possible to do.

[Two_Sheds]

Difficult? No!
Just stick a stick in the ground and it will take. Easier than breathing
http://www.willowbaskets.biz/willow.htm

Good link ^

[rustylady]

Willow grows itself, specially if the land is wet(ish). As 2Sheds says, just find the type you want and stick a bit of it in the ground.

[porterlizz]

That's good news. I saw the land for the first time yesterday, and there's a lovely bit that is often quite boggy. Sounds like it would be perfect.

[Reb Williams]

You could combine the two - weaving and growing. The nursery school just round the corner from me has woven themselves a 'living dome' out of willow. They started with plain willow sticks which they wove into the shape they wanted - in their case, an actual dome about five feet high - and the willow rooted itself and has continued to grow, so they now have a dome which grows its own leafy canopy. It is quite beautiful and makes a shady sort of living hut for the little kids to play in.

Reb
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Finally published, thank you for voting: adventures in self-sufficiency - Grow Your Own Cows.