Living hedge woven from willow
A lattice of willow rods create an ever-changing natural barrier which reflects the beauty of each season
The February Frost coats a tall screen of intertwining stems. The garden glimpsed beyond is quietly waiting for the arrival of spring. On this chilly winter morning, the stems of the natural barrier are bare of leaves, but tiny buds are evident all along them. These buds are not a sign that early leaves are gradually developing, however. Within a few weeks, they will transform into fluffy, upright silver catkins, which then bloom a soft yellow. Only when spring arrives will the fresh green leaves and coloured stems of the new side shoots follow. Soon, both the screen itself and the garden on the other side will be almost hidden, as long, narrow leaves begin to sprout from every rod to create a dense but airy, living wall. This is a woven willow hedge, and it is just over a year old. A hedge such as this is created by planting long rods of living willow along a line, then interweaving them to make an open screen, similar to trellis. The rods root and sprout along their entire length, rapidly covering the whole screen with bright green leaves. Depending on how filled in or open the woven pattern of stems is, this can effectively provide a hedge within six months of planting. Even the fastest growing traditional hedge, by comparison, will take three or more years to reach its full size. Tolerant of all soil types, woven willow hedges can be planted in sun or partial shade. They will grow vigorously in damp soil, but are more manageable in slightly drier, average garden conditions. The only site willows dislike is deep, dry shade under established trees.
Planting takes place between December and March while the willows are dormant and at their most flexible for interweaving. Winter planting gives the rods time to produce adequate roots to support the new spring and summer growth. Salix daphnoides and S. purpurea in particular need to be planted in the early part of the winter, before their catkins emerge in February.
Versatile barrier
With their instant presence and solid framework, living willow hedges combine many of the benefits of a traditional hedge and a fence. Like a fence, woven willow is much narrower than a traditional hedge of an equivalent height. Unlike the muddy digging necessary for these, willow hedge planting is a gentle process of giant basketry. Growing at most to approximately 1ft (30cm) wide when in leaf, it takes up little space in the garden. It also does not need concrete foundations and fence posts or annual repainting. If it gets broken or damaged, the willow can simply be cut back to low stumps and retrained, rather than having to be replaced. Over time, the rods grow together and may even naturally graft. Once the planting and weaving is finished, the hedge is thoroughly watered and a thick mulch of pine bark or other natural loose mulch applied along the whole hedge line to conserve water and prevent weed competition. Within the garden, these hedges make excellent windbreaks and space dividers. Their gently open form filters and slows the wind, instead of deflecting it. This stops damaging eddies or draughts. When used as a divider, it allows fleeting views through to other sections of the garden, bringing all areas together. Willow hedges can also be planted as ornamental boundary hedges. Being deciduous, they do not break the view into neighbouring property all year round, but the interwoven stems are very effective for excluding dogs. They are particularly good for marking a curving boundary or growing up and down a slope. When planted in these places, the hedge forms a smooth contour, rather than being stepped like a panel fence.
Other willow structures
Living willow can be woven into more than a hedge. Overlapping hoops of willow, approximately 18in (45cm) high, pushed into the ground at both ends, will make an attractive rustic edging for a lawn or border. Living furniture, chairs and benches form eye-catching focal seating points. On a larger scale, long willow rods planted in pairs, with their tops bent over and tied together, make the basis of a range of structures, from simple arches and gazebos to secluded domes and arbours. Play tunnels, tepees and dens can be made for children. For all these structures,
a latticework of thinner rods fills in between those forming the main framework.
Annual care
Apart from having their mulch replenished, woven willow hedges need very little attention during the growing season. On a new hedge, light tip pruning of the new shoots when they reach approximately 1ft (30cm) in length encourages more side shoots to develop, making the leaf cover of the hedge thicker. Each winter, the new stems from the summer’s growth are either woven into the hedge latticework or cut out at the base. Weaving them in makes the hedge screen thicker. With coloured willows, it incorporates the bright colours of the one-year-old rods to maintain the interest as the older stems darken. Rods which are pruned out can be woven into a new hedge or slotted into the parent hedge to replace any old rods that have died. This overhaul usually takes approximately a day. The whole hedge is then neat and attractive for the rest of winter, ready to burst into full leaf for the next summer.
“Willow! in thy breezy moan, I can hear a deeper tone; Thro’ they leaves come whispering low Faint sweet sounds of long ago, Willow, sighing Willow!” Felicia Hemans, ‘Willow Song’