Friday 27 February 2015

Grow Your Own Materials - Willow

When we talk about becoming self sufficient we normally talk about food, and rightly so as it's one of the most important things. The conversation then often moves on to heat and power, firewood , solar energy, wind power, ect. 
But what other materials would we need to grow to be self sufficient? I've been thinking about this and one thing that would be important to me would be the ability to grow some of the materials I  use. 
Now I'm never going to be able to use an oak tree that I've planted unless I live to be over a hundred years old (so those are planted for the future grand children), but there are other trees that I use that can be much younger.
For example I've got a clump of hazel at the bottom of my garden that's going to provide my bean poles this year and the tops will be my pea sticks. Although this clump has to be removed, due to some drainage work I need to do, it would provide my bean poles for many years to come if it was harvested properly, alone with firewood and other things. I've planted lots of hazels in my coppice as a future replacement for this clump, as well as some extra firewood, but it got me thinking.
The rest of my coppice is going to be planted up to hybrid willow to be cropped on a short rotation for firewood, but willow has many other uses and maybe it would be worth planting some different types encase I wanted to use some in the future. 
Really well packaged willow
One use you think of is basketry when you think of willow, and I don't think I've got the time to start that any time soon, but it's also great for making hurdles and climbing features in the garden, both of which would be great things to do with the children on a spring morning and the ability to make my own hurdles would be very useful when we've got stock or to keep wild animals out. 
So I set about on the internet to find some more willows. I've already got a couple of hundred hybrids planted (although they haven't done that well yet) so I wanted to increase the diversity of the willow I've got for firewood and to plant some willow for basketry to be grown in a separate plot. 

I stumbled upon the world of willow website which had over 80 varieties of willow to choose from, From firewood and basketry to growing willow for goat feed and bees. there were slightly more expensive than buying cuttings from eBay but I wanted it to come from a reliable source, especially if I'm to propagate from it in the future.
It came with lots of information on each type of willow that I had
I chose two packs, one for fuel and short rotation coppice (50 of these) and one for basketry (20 of these), with five varieties in each. 

In the SRC selection there was - Common Osier (K45), Viminalis x viminalis Honey (K46), Triandra x Viminalis (K47), Nordica (K48) and Swedish Osier (K62) - It will be interesting to see which does best on my land.

In the basketry selection there was - Willam Rogers (K1), Golden (K17), Calliantha (K39), Harrison (K58), Pheasant Brown (K63).

I was really pleased that I had such diversity in the packs and the colours in the basketry pack were really great (Golden looks lovely) I was also pleased that it came with a information sheet on each variety of willow along with planting instructions, it doesn't take much but the little touches are really appreciated. It was also really well packaged, each type being sealed in a packet and labled up.
I'll hopefully get these in over the weekend (through some weed matting this time), I'm really looking forward to seeing how these grow.
Anyone else got any other trees planted for uses other than firewood?

BTW - This post is not in any way sponsored by World Of Willow, infact they don't even know I've written it yet (but if they want to send me anything I won't say no!).

21 comments:

  1. Very interesting post, and very interesting also was the World of Willow website. I don't think we have room to grow willow because we need our land to graze animals on, but I might try and grow some in the field corners. Thanks for the info Kev.

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    1. No worries, I was really impressed with them. They don;t have to take up much room really, if you pollard them at three foot high animals could graze under them.

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  2. Thanks Kev I have now put in an order as its something I have been thinking for for some time :-)

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    1. Yeah, I planted some last year as well, every year I plant more and more trees! One day I'll run out of room!

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  3. There's a field of willow just down the road. about 5 acres I guess, planted 3 years ago when a local factory built a bio-plant to generate electric. It's been harvested once 2 years ago, think it must be a 2-year crop, don't know the variety, but it's about 8' high in 2 years.

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    1. There's some out by Worcester that's the same, I think for that type of thing they cut it much younger and more often.

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  4. You could make garden trugs with the willow Kev.

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    1. There's many things I could make but I doubt I'll find the time! It will be interesting having it there if we want it.

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  5. We have evergreens planted to buffer the cold winter winds..helps to keep the house a (weeny) bit warmer.
    Jane x

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    1. I've ordered a few evergreens as well to plant down there for a bit of a shady grove!

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  6. A good tree around here supposedly are Green Ash for quick growth firewood. Did any of your Willow information mention the inner bark made a natural aspirin substitute? I didn't see it mentioned in your post.

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    1. I've read about the asprin before but never tried it. It also makes a rooting compound as well, I might try that this year if I get chance.

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  7. You could have a side line in willow plant supports! I keep meaning to go and look out for some free willow to make the supports but, am worried they would sprout in the garden! I'm sure there is something one can do to the bases to stop this but, haven't come across it yet, any ideas?

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    1. I think you need to put the bases in the fire to singe it to stop it growing, either that or remove all the bark. They do look good when they're well made but I've not used any yet.

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  8. I'm so excited to hear that you discovered World of Willow and ordered some cuttings. I can highly recommend them, Gwen who runs the place certainly knows what she's doing and packages everything so well and with a nice printed leaflet all about the varieties. I went on a one day basketry course last summer, got hooked, and ordered some basket willows from World of Willow this spring.I got them in about a month ago. I only have a very small space for them, about 10 feet by 4 feet, behind our coalshed so I only got ten cuttings (although some of the packets had more in!). The varieties I have are Dicky Meadows, Caliantha, Eugenii, Violet Willow and Brittany Green. I also have some cuttings of local Golden Willow that seems to grow wild around here, and also Purple Willow and because I don't have room in my garden have had to resort to a bit of secret 'guerilla gardening'. (our allotments don't allow permanent crops). I also got some 'ready made' willow last year from Somerset Willows to practise basketmaking with, it's a lot easier than the natural stuff if you're learning. But it's going well, I now have baskets for shopping, gardening, a 'basketmaking tools' basket, a couple for socks and nicks as they come off the victorian airer hanging over the stairwell (I pinched your idea, it's brilliant), a 'hands free' peg basket designed by myself, a blackberry basket, and more on the way. I warn you Kev, it's addictive once you start! So later on, if you want any cutting swaps of ones either of us haven't got that would be great. I'm glad you are using the weed matting this time. I'm using old compost bags turned inside out, and some flattened cardboard boxes! (By the way, I am one and the same person who posted on your facebook, that's my maiden name). Best of luck with the planting and roll on Spring!

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    1. A swap sounds like a great idea, we'll see how they do this year and then swap next winter! I guessed you were the same on facebook!
      Sounds like a good use of your space, the willow will produce so much for you to use and can grow on such bad bits of land. I'm looking forward to mine growing and what we can make from it. I almost went on a course last year (A WI one) but I couldn't get child care so it was a no go, maybe next time!

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  9. thank you. i didn't know there were a myriad of willow types.
    i've read about pollarding and am very interested.
    bamboo is useful but the only cold weather variety is invasive, so willow would be better. also gives you 'aspirin' in a pinch.

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    1. My old clump of bamboo at my last house was a nightmare, we couldn't get rid of it, it would come up 10ft away in the lawn!

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  10. I love willow! It is also useful as a painkiller like aspirin. Cut some strips of bark and place it over a wound and it will reduce the pain and help it heal. Drink a tea from the bark for other pains, such as a headache. Finally, a natural rooting hormone can also be made using willow.

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    1. I'm really interested in using it as a rooting hormone, it would be interesting to do a comparison between the brought hormone and the willow one, maybe I should do a test in the spring?

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    2. Kev, take some willow twigs and some things you want to root... put them all together in the same container full of rain water... remove the willow once it gets too rooty or might tangle with the ones you want to get going... don't change water, just keep topped up with rainwater.
      Works a treat! And you have it on site, so it is FREE!
      And you get up to half a dozen more willows to plant as well!! The bark works too... but you don't get the extras!!
      I keep dried bark in a jar for aches and pains... tastes foul... use honey to sweeten, tastes great!!

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