END Of THE WILLOW WINTER COLOUR

The season for dormant willow cuttings and rods is over for this year at Lakeshore willows and the last shipments were sent out April 30th.
The beautiful winter colours on the cuttings are slowly fading on the willow that is drying in the barn for basketry.




Soon new colours will be visible in the field as the foliage on the plants start to show.


Is your garden too small for planting willows? It may be; but it is also very likely that it is not – you just need to know how to do it.
For ideas on how to ad year round colour from willows to your small garden I will be writing a couple of posts over the next few weeks.

HOW INVASIVE IS WILLOW?

 

I am amazed how often even professional garden writers point out that willow in general is invasive – meaning spreading by sending out suckers that soon will create a thicket of unruly shrubbery.

Personally I do not have any experience with suckering willows – but again, I only have thirty some different varieties of willow here on the farm. To try to get an idea of the extend of willow species with a suckering habit, I turned to one of my favorite books when it comes to more scientific information: “WILLOWS The Genus Salix” written by Christopher Newsholme where the following information can be found:

The genus Salix belongs to the plant family Salicaceae (poplars are the same family) and comprises of some 400 species of willows and more than 200 listed hybrids, popularly known as willows, sallows and osiers. It consists of mainly deciduous trees and shrubs bearing catkins.

The genus consists of three main subgenera:

1. Subgenus Salix (Amerina), the true willows
2. Subgenus Caprisalix (Vetrix), the osier and sallows
3. Subgenus Chamaetia, dwarf, creeping, Arctic or mountain shrubs.

Confusion and uncertainty exists in the taxonomy of this genus and although acknowledging that no method of classification below subgeneric level is entirely satisfactory, Newsholme subdivides the genus Salix into groups and sections intended as a taxonomic guide indicating which species are generally considered to be closely related.

• Subgenus Salix is divided into 3 groups and a total of 11 sections
• Subgenus Caprisalix is divided into 4 groups and a total of 14 sections
• Subgenus Chamaetia is divided into 5 groups and a total of 7 sections.

Of all these sections only one: Subgenus Salix, group 2, section Longifoliae is mentioned to produce suckers from the roots and be thicket-forming. The species in the group are:

• S. exigua – Coyote Willow
• S. fluviatilis
• S. interior – Longleaf Willow or Sand Bar Willow
• S. melanopsis
• S. sessilifolia
• S. taxilolia
• hybrids between some of the above mentioned species

These species and hybrids are native to western North America. Most of them are described as beautiful shrubs or small trees – but if you don’t want a thicket of willows, don’t plant these in your garden.

Based on this scientific information I conclude that all other species and hybrids of willows will not sucker from the roots and you can safely plant them in your garden.

For further information I refer to Newsholme’s book Willows, The Genus Salix. As I do not grow any willows with root suckering habit here, I don’t have any images to show you.

 

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.

Internationally known Danish willow artist and basket maker at Lakeshore Willows, Wainfleet, Ontario

The very old craft of willow weaving has during the last couple of decades been revived by enthusiastic weavers throughout Europe. More and more people are making this - once a matter of making practical vessels - into an art form creating beautiful baskets, sculptures, huge land art and living willow installations.

The willow craze hasn't hit North America however, and it seems that willow weaving is still taking the back seat to other basketry forms such as rattan reed, grapevine, pine needles, grasses and sometimes other hedgerow materials including wild willow.

We do have very talented willow basket makers and artists in North America, but they are few and even with the help of the Internet can be difficult to find. Even more than that, you often have to travel far to be able to attend a class. 

Examples of Anne Mette Hjoernholm's baskets

Last year on a trip to Denmark I visited the very talented and accomplished basket maker Anne Mette Hjørnholm. Anne Mette is an internationally known willow artist and teacher and will be teaching a 2 day course here at Lakeshore Willows, Wainfleet, Ontario on May 26 and 27, 2012.

The course is structured so beginners as well as intermediate and advanced basket makers can participate and learn at different levels.

The images are all from Anne Mette's gallery and examples of designs for our upcoming class. Please visit her gallery to see more of her beautiful work.

Anne Mette is also teaching classes this year at Stowe, Vermont in June where all her classes are sold out - with waiting lists.

If you are interested in participating in this class and want to know more, please drop me a line at lakeshorewillows at gmail - but you have to be quick as the class is filling up fast.

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.

Workshop at Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens

Saturday March 3rd, 2012 I will be at the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens for a workshop teaching a rib style basket made with willow.

We will be working on a model resembling the ones shown here - the colour of the willow bark adding accent and interest. 

For more information and to register, please click here to go to Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens Programmes 2012.

Words and photos by Lene Rasmussen,Willows.