PRICE IS PER BUNDLE OF 10 CUTTINGS

Basket willow cuttings are available in winter time only, when fruitwood for grafting is sold.

Baskets and basketry are essential homestead tools and skills in my opinion. There is no good substitute for a basket in many situations, whether it’s woven, or made of skin or a light trug. Boxes are too heavy and lack handles. Bags collapse when you set them down. Buckets are often the wrong shape and don’t breathe. Nope, there is no substitute for the right basket, or basket-like container for the job.

I have two varieties of basketry willow available, one large and one small. The small one, Green Dicks, is my favorite as it makes rods of a size that are good for average basketry projects. the larger variety can be a little large sometimes, depending on growing conditions, but it is nice to have large rods as well. the large rods come in handy in the garden and around the place for various things, kind of similarly to bamboo., though not nearly as durable or useful. Rod size will vary a lot with growing conditions.

They are very easy to start and will root in damp soil. You can put them directly in the field if you keep their feet wet, and don’t let them get out competed by weeds. After the first year, you will have more new cuttings can be taken to expand the patch. You need a lot of plants to get enough rods to weave with, so I would plan for at least 25 plants in the long run, and preferably a lot more. They are planted very close together, so you can fit a lot in a small space. I am putting some files of old books on willow basketry and cultivation here, where you can read about spacing and planting options. Damp feet and sunny leaves is the ideal situation for willow. It’s best to plant them in a naturally damp area.

The plants are cut down every year (known as coppicing), typically low down, either right at ground level, or a foot to 18 inches high. They can also be trained up higher and then cut off, which is called pollarding. Pollarding is typically reserved for wider spaced and larger trees to keep the shoots away from browsing animals. If the shoots are browsed even once during the growing season, they are ruined for weaving, so either train them high or fence the patch in if browsing animals will be present.

All willows can be peeled in the spring if bare, bark free weaving material is preferred.

GREEN DICKS, 10 CUTTINGS: An English variety that is smaller than many types. I find that it gives a higher number of shoots of a size I want to work with in making average size baskets. It does however also produce some stuff that is too small. No variety grows all consistently good or uniform shoots, so there is always a sorting out process and some under and oversized stuff. I think that growing some large and some small types is probably ideal, but if I were planting a large new patch right now, it would be at least 2/3rds Green Dicks or a similar sized variety.

LARGE RED WILLOW: This is probably either Polish Purple, or something that was labelled “Red Willow” Whatever it is, it’s very nice, larger diameter and longer shoots than green dicks. the larger butts can be cut off and the smaller tops used for regular sized baskets. The large robust shoots are also good for big heavy baskets and for using around the home place for various things. Also produces a quantity of smaller shoots along with the large ones. Good too for things like living fences and structures, as the long shoots can be poked into the ground on site and woven together to grow.

Shoots are cut fresh, examined for disease or pests, and washed in hydrogen peroxide before shipping. Bundles of 10 cuttings.