How to build a living willow PLAY HUT AND TUNNEL

We are now offering kits and instructions for LIVING WILLOW PLAY HUTS AND TUNNELS.

It is becoming increasingly popular to install living willow huts and tunnels at daycares, school yards and your own yard for young children to play in.

Not only are they beautiful structures (when maintained properly), they also give your child a sense of nature as it is a living structure.

So, now we offer kits for your structure - available in spring after harvest of the willow rods - and they come with instructions on how to install.
Actually, we have decided to post the instructions right here for everyone to see and use if you have access to dormant willow rods.

The hut and/or tunnel can be created in different sizes which the kits will reflect, but the instructions are the same.

The ground should be level and without stones approximately 30 cm (1 foot) into the soil.

Step 1:
Start by marking the circumference of the hut.

In my following photos I DID NOT DO THIS, BUT I RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO IT:
Preferably you will put down a heavy landscape fabric that extends about 1 foot beyond the floor of the structure all the way round - BEFORE YOU START INSERTING THE RODS. Some people also use a heavy, black plastic, but I find that it can be too slippery when wet for children to play on.

Step 2:
Mark the spots for the entrance (approximately 4 feet wide)

Insert 3 long rods together, pushing them about 30 cm (1 foot) into the ground.


Twist the rods together and secure with a zip tie.

Repeat at other end of the entrance.


Step 3:
Select your longest and heaviest rods and insert from one door post to the other all the way around the circumference approximately 30 cm (1 foot) apart and pushed 30 cm (1 foot) into the ground.


Twist the two parts for the doorway together and secure with several zip-ties.




Step 4:

Insert 2 additional rods for each already installed rod.
Push them approx 30 cm ( 1 foot) into the ground on either side of the existing rod.
Insert at an angle. 








Step 5:

Start weaving the rods together on a diagonal (over, under etc) and tie at the first cross with a zip-tie, elastic or other.

Continue weaving higher up and around the door "poles"









Step 6:

If you want your structure to be higher than your willow rods will allow, this is where you stop.
Make sure that all the crossings of willow rods are securely fastened.
Skip step 7 and leave the structure to grow.
When the growth on the rods is long enough for your desired height of the structure you simply continue at STEP 7.
This could be at the end of the first growing season, sooner or even later - into the 2nd
growing season.





Step 7:

Gather the tops of the rods in the middle, twisting them together and/or secure with ties.














Step 8:

Cover the ground in and beyond the structure with a heavy landscape cloth (if you haven't already done so) and a good layer of mulch to prevent weeds to grow and to keep the soil moist.










As the willow rods don't have any roots when you install them, it is VERY IMPORTANT to keep the soil around the rods MOIST AT ALL TIMES DURING THE FIRST GROWING SEASON OR TWO.
This is best done by installing a drip-hose and connect it to a timer on the water tap.

Our kit for the play hut or tunnel includes everything you need to install the project: 
Dormant willow rods
Heavy landscape fabric to cover the ground inside + approximately 30 cm (1 foot) beyond the edge of the structure.
Staples to keep the cloth in place.
Ties to hold the rods together.
In addition to that you will need:
Mulch to cover the area in a thick layer.
Drip hose and a timer to water the structure daily during at least the first growing season.

Maintenance:
As the willow start to grow you want to weave the new shoots into the structure to make it stronger and denser.

When the new shoots are about 60 cm (2 feet) long you want to weave them into the structure.
If you wait much longer they may become too stiff for you to do it without breaking or kinking them.

You can continue to do so in future years if you want the structure to be denser.

Alternatively the structure should be trimmed twice a year to keep looking nice.

Do not despair if a couple of your willow rods don't take or die. You can always replace them with growth from some of the other rods as they grow. 

INSTALLING A PLAY TUNNEL
Install a play tunnel in exactly the same way as explained above for the play hut. The shape of the structure is just different.

HAVE FUN!
Words and photos by Lene Rasmussen,Willows.

Dormant willow for planting

Winter has been unusually warm and friendly here this year and we are enjoying not to have to plow snow. That also means that we are able to harvest willow earlier than normal (unless we get a big storm) and I expect to have dormant willow available for sale during the first 2 weeks of March.

Willow cuttings

An assortment of willow cuttings for propagaion

The willow cuttings are approximately 10 inches long and ready for planting as soon as you can get them in the ground.

Use them for planting a willow bed for basketry or just for some beautiful willows in your garden.

For information and to order please go to our website here.

Willow rods (whips)

Example of dormant willow rods for propagation

Salix koriyanagi 'Rubykins'

The rods are approximately 6 feet long and can be used for living willow projects such as

Play huts and tunnels

Just installed play hut

Living willow fence (Fedge)

Living willow fence June the second year after installation

Woven trees in pots and in the garden

Trees just made

 First summer

After 5 years

Come and make your own tree - several designs available - in a nursery pot ready to take home. You can keep it in the pot on your patio for the first growing season and then transplant it to the garden in fall.

For information about 2016 spring workshops making living willow trees in pots please go to our website here.

Words and photos by Lene Rasmussen,Willows.

From 2014 Willow Basketry events to new adventures in 2015

2014 started very slowly as we had a very cold and long winter. 

This photo is from March 30th and some of the willow field still has snow drifts more than 1 meter (3-4 feet) deep. We were getting anxious to harvest the willow before it all started to grow again.

March and April are usually the time for workshops creating living willow structures in pots. Because of the winter dragging on and on we only managed to have a few sessions, but we had a lot of fun.

I haven't been good at remembering to take photos during workshops. I have to get better at that to save the memories of some wonderful hours with great people eager to learn and excited about their creations.

Several workshops took place here during the year where I had the opportunity to share some of the basket making techniques that I have learned.

For the third year in a row we were fortunate to have Anne Mette Hjornholm here from Denmark to teach 4 wonderful days of classes.

Just three weeks later we had two more of Denmark's talented willow artists visiting.

 Ane Lyngsgaard and Eva Seidenfaden taught 3 days of exciting classes.

The Southwestern Ontario Basketry Guild (SOBG) of which I am a business member, held a wonderful "Willow Retreat" at the Michaelite House Retreat Centre in London, Ontario

I had a great group of students making baskets on a Catalan base.

In August I also had the pleasure to visit The Branch Ranch to teach a week of classes. A wonderful place with great people and lots of fun.

We always end the year with a few winter/Christmas workshops that are fun and relaxed with emphasis on making smaller decorative items. We did have 3 sessions, but these two ladies were tough. They made it here in a severe snowstorm - all the way from Wisconsin and New York - while the other participants registered for that class (from Ontario)  cancelled because of the snow. 

Just as last year at this time we are now waiting for the snow to melt so that we can start harvesting our willow. Hopefully that will happen within the next 4-6 weeks.

In the meantime we have the first workshops of the new year 2015 this week, Wednesday and Thursday and more will be scheduled for the next few months including a few Living Willow sessions in March and April.

In addition to a few speaking engagements, workshops off site, a week long  series of classes at Haliburton School of Art and participation in Port Colborne's first Art week I am looking forward to once again welcoming Ane Lyngsgaard and Eva Seidenfaden to teach classes here in June and Anne Mette Hjornholm to teach here for the forth year in September. 

Watch out for my next newsletter with information about the upcoming classes.

Words and photos by Lene Rasmussen,Willows.

Living Willow Workshops Spring 2013

Winter is here, but in another month we will be anxious to get our hands dirty in the garden.
Luckily that's the time to create living willow trees for your patio and garden and we have scheduled a number of workshops during March and April. At the workshops this spring you will be able to make

Harlequin tree

Variations of the twisted tree

Or multi-stemmed columnar trees where a number of living rods are woven together in a circle or square.

For information about scheduled workshops, time, cost etc, please look under the tab "Workshops and Events" at the top.


Words and photos by Lene Rasmussen,Willows.

First day of spring - really?

... more like summer. Over 25 degrees celcius here today and everything is oozing summer. The birds are frantic and the frogs in the pond are incredibly loud. Shrubs are starting to leaf out ...

So spring is definitely here and the living willow workshops are on. With this weather I have added this Saturday March 24th to the schedule of workshops so if you cannot wait to garden (but your garden isn't ready yet) come on out and create a masterpiece for the garden.

Words and photos by Lene Rasmussen,Willows.

Spring 2012 workshops

Living willow workshops for the spring 2012 have now been scheduled. You will have a choice of making the woven "Harlequin tree", the twisted (or roped) tree or both at the workshops.
Kits of rods for both designs will also be available for purchase at the workshops in case you would like to make one or more after you return home.
For more information please look under the tab "Events" at the top of the page.

I am excited to be able to announce the visit here at Lakeshore Willows by the very accomplished and internationally known willow artist Anne Mette Hjørnholm from Denmark. Anne Mette will be teaching a basket class here on the week-end May 26-27 2012 - details to be announced.

This is one example of Anne Mette's beautiful work. If you could be interested in participating, here is a link to the gallery on her web-site. By clicking on an image you will open a related photo album.
Words and photos by Lene Rasmussen,Willows.

Taking orders for Willow cuttings and rods 2012

The winter - so far - has been mild with weather conditions changing almost daily. During January we had temperatures ranging from 15 degrees Celsius to -17 (+ the effect of the wind chill), sunny days, rainy days, snowy days, very windy days and a few days like today starting out looking like a dense snowstorm, then suddenly more and more blue appearing in the sky with bright sun and temperatures just above freezing. The snow probably won't stay long this time either.

These conditions have made it possible for us to start harvesting the willow already and we are now taking orders for willow cuttings and rods. Delivery can take place anytime you wish until the end of April. If you order - and receive cuttings before you are ready to plant them - don't worry, they will keep just fine wrapped in dark plastic and stored in your fridge. Prices and information about availability and kits for living willow trees can be found at the top of the page under "Cuttings and whips"!

The fairly wet snow coming down this morning blanketed and hugged the willow in the garden. Beautiful!

The smaller willow Salix eleagnos (often called rosemary willow, but it is not Salix rosemarinifolia) has narrow green leaves resembling the leaves on rosemary. Cuppiced each year the shrub grows to a height of about 75cm (under 3 feet) and I grow some as a low, natural hedge. The winter bark on S. eleagnos i very dark  brown almost black with dark red bud scales.

The trunk of the woven willow trees lend themselves to some beautiful snow covered images. Salix x acutifolia is a more vigorous willow, its first growth in spring a bright wine red with almost lime coloured new leaves. Later the foliage colour gets a bit darker, but the branches stay a wine red colour during summer. As the leaves fall the colours of the bark change to a dark purple, almost black. The following year the bark on last years growth develops a bloom that gives them a whitewashed look. Older bark  is black as seen on the image on left. The branches on the image to the right show winter bark on one year old shoots. 

A woven or twisted tree looks especially

beautiful in this variety of willow and grown as a shrub in the garden it ads beautiful colour year round. 

Salix alba 'Sericea' has intense dark orange coloured  winter bark. As other alba hybrids it tends to grow with lots of side branches (even when coppiced) so it is not the best willow to grow for basketry. It is great though, to have a few bundles of rods to ad some colour variations to certain baskets. For that purpose I have to cut the side branches off for use as weavers - and I only get a few for my own use. It is far too much work!

Living willow fence in snow.

Words and photos by Lene Rasmussen,Willows.

Transplanting your potted willow tree to your garden

As the summer is slowly fading, the colours change and the leaves start to fall, it is time to transplant your potted willow tree to the garden - if you haven't done so yet.

When you first made your tree at our workshop (or bought it) in the spring, the willow rods didn't have any roots yet and you had to leave it in the pot to root and start growing.
It would look like the one in the photo on the left.

When the roots have developed during the summer, you can transplant it to your garden - and by this time of the year you have to do so. First of all the roots may not make it through the winter in the pot above ground, and secondly the woven tree is really 32 willow plants in that little pot - so it really wants to get some more room for its feet.

This morning - still a bit of fog in the air - a woven tree waiting to be planted looks like this one in the photo to the right.

Words and photos by Lene Rasmussen,Willows.

Living Willow Fence - one year later.......

Planting a woven Living Willow Fence has to be one of the fastest ways to create a living wall in your garden.
My woven fence was planted in the beginning of April 2010 and you can see what it looked like by the end of May that same year here.
After pruning in the fall - as I want to maintain the visibility of the shape of the fence - this is what it looked like in mid November the first year.

The following photos are from June this year, the fence being one year old.

If you are not interested in showing the weave, but would rather have a dense hedge, you can at this point weave all the long shoots into the structure.

We don't have a lot of trees on our property, but our neighbour does - and from early afternoon on the hedge is in shade. As you can see, it is doing just fine with the hours of sun that it gets daily.

On the North side of the fence, however the growth is more sparse and you can easily see the woven pattern even at this time of the year. To maintain the fence - so that it doesn't get lopsided - it is important to either prune it at least once (better twice) annually or continually weave any new growth into it.

By the end of July this second growing season the look is very full and the fence is ready for another pruning.

Words and photos by Lene Rasmussen,Willows.

Living Willow Workshops Spring 2011

.
Learn how to work with living willow rods, twisting or weaving them into potted trees that can be transplanted to your garden later this year.

At the workshops you can choose to make a tree where the trunk is twisted like a rope or woven in a "harlequin" pattern similar to the Living Willow Fence.

The trees you make at the workshop are yours to take home.

Join us at one of the scheduled workshops at Lakeshore Willows - please check under the tab "EVENTS" at the top of the page for dates, time and cost. To sign up for a workshop drop me a mail at salixlene@gmail.com.

Or you can book me for a session with a group of friends - either here at Lakeshore Willows or somewhere else - just contact me for availability etc. 

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Words and photos by Lene Rasmussen,Willows.