Reflection of the changing seasons

Woven willow hedges offer a changing display throughout the seasons. The catkins of winter are followed by the fresh green leaves and coloured stems of the new side shoots. The hedges are at their most dense in summer. In the autumn, the willow leaves turn yellow before they fall, exposing the ornamental pattern and colours of the woven rods for the winter. While this is not a solid screen, the bare hedge still forms an attractive visual divider. As native British species, willows are second only to oak trees for the number of insects they support. Early bees feast on the nectar from the spring catkins while, during the summer, willow aphids attract blue tits to feed. Birds of all kinds will use a willow hedge in leaf as an overnight roosting place and, in a more established hedge, may build a nest.