Now is the time to pre-order your willow cuttings! We will be shipping right after Solstice. Some varieties are available earlier. NOTE: You can refrigerate these until you are ready to plant in late winter/early spring, but I had 100% success planting last year right after I harvested in November/ December. Willow is very hardy and wants to grow! Order here. Planting instructions, and varieties listed below.
Planting your willow
-Willow should be planted in the dormant season before budbreak. In Ohio, I plant in mid-to-late February or as soon as the ground is soft enough to push in the willow sticks.
-For basketry, willow should be planted very closely to ensure straight, unbranched rods. Various planting patterns are used by basketmakers. A popular planting plan is 2 feet between rows with 12 inches between plants in the row. I have 1000 plants on about 1/8 of an acre. By the second or third year, you should have enough rods (which you coppice, or cut back to just above the ground, each winter) to make about one basket from five or six plants, depending on the variety. I include instructions for planting and am happy to answer any questions.
Varieties
Amana. S. Purpurea.
I got this one through basketmakers who worked with Joanna Schantz originally, from the Amana Colonies. Great for basket weavers.
Americana This is a hardy willow that dries a lovely orange color. Good for basketry. Mine grow about 6 or 7 feet in Ohio, zone 6a.
Belgian Red S. fragilis.
Dries very orange for me, rather than red. A good weaver. Best used for highlight color.
Bleu S. Purpurea.
Long rods, grows from about 4-10 feet, with slender rods in my soil and area. I love the color for basketry. Dries a very dark brown/grey/blue color; great for contrast in baskets. NOT AVAILABLE THIS YEAR.
Brittany Green S. purpurea
This is one of my favorites for weavers in a basket. Dries a variety of colors within the same rod for me, mostly in purples and greens. Very flexible and great for zig zag weave.
Coral Embers. S. x fragilis.
Dries a lovely red. Best for color contrast in basketry. Can be a bit branchy, but worth it for the color.
S. purpurea x daphnoides Calliantha
This was sold to me as listed above. However, it gets a lovely blueish-white bloom on it in the field, and therefore, am wondering if it might be S. Acutifolia? A lovely very dark red/almost black. NOT AVAILABLE THIS YEAR.
Dark Dicks S. purpurea
Yet another favorite for me. Grows lots of slender rods. Dries reddish brown. Excellent for baskets.
Dickie Meadows S. purpurea
Two of my mentors, Jo Campbell-Amsler and Lee Zieke Lee, introduced me to this popular basket variety. It is prolific for me with lots of slender rods. Dries greenish brown.
Eugenie. S. Purpurea.
A large willow, good for living willow structures and fencing. I love the color and have enough slender rods that I can use in basketry. Mottled green when dry and soaks up quite dark. NOT AVAILABLE FOR SALE THIS YEAR.
Frances Red S. x fragilis.
I love the color. Dries orangey-red.
Golden S. Fragilis.
Very large rods up to 12 feet a year. Good for living willow structures. It does throw slender side rods which I use for basket color. A gorgeous yellow, beautiful in the field. One of the first ones to lose its leaves.
Goldstones S. Purpurea.
Good weaver. Dries a nice green.
Green Dicks S. Purpurea.
A favorite of basketmakers. Slender rods, dries a light green-brown.
Green Edna S. Purpurea
This is a variety of Streamco. If I had to choose a willow for weavers, this would be it. I absolutely love it. Dries a light green.
Harrison B. S. x rubra.
Dries a beautiful very dark brown. Very tall but slender rods for me, and one of my favorite contrast colors for basketmaking.
Hutchinson’s Red.
This one grows tall, but with slender rods. Dries an orange color.
Isabella. Unknown.
I got this from Sandra Kahoe, who got it from the Gage Salicetum. For me, it dries a dark orange.
Michigan Green S. Purpurea
I love the stories behind willow varieties. The story goes that this one was found by Sandy Whalen in the wild in Michigan. She cultivated it and has passed it on. This is a great weaver, another one of my favorites. Dries a variety of beautiful mottled colors for me; gold-ish brown.
Oka S. purpurea
This is originally from Lakeshore Willow. It is an old French basketry variety, evidently found on the grounds of Oka Abbey in Quebec. Dries a light brown.
Ovaro Udine s. Daphnoides This one grows huge; ten feet in the first year, more the second year. Good for structures, trellises and fencing.
Packing Twine S. Purpurea
Also a great basket willow; great for weavers. Throws a lot of slender rods once established. For me, takes a bit longer to soak, but a fabulous basket willow and a favorite of many basketmakers. Dries dark brown for me.
Polish Purple S. Purpurea.
Many basketmakers like this one a lot. Long flexible rods. Dries olive/grey.
Streamco S. Purpurea
Excellent for basketry. One of my favorites. Rods are slender and supple. Dries a light green. This willow is used for streambank restoration and spreads by suckers, so put it in a place where you don’t mind if this happens, or mow regularly, or plant under landscape fabric (I do this, and do not have a problem).
Vermont Red. S Purpurea.
Nice slender rods. This dries a very dark red. Good for contrast colors for weavers
Vitellina S. alba
This one is such a gorgeous yellow color. It is very tall, growing up to 12 feet a year, and large. But is shoots slender side rods also, which are beautiful accents in a basket. This variety is great for garden structures, fences, etc.
Walters Red. Unknown.
I brought this down from Sievers School of Fiber Arts’ willow field on Washington Island, Wisconsin. The founder, Walter, had planted it many years ago. A beautiful red color that dries a nice orange brown.
12N Unknown.
Dries light brown. Evidently it comes originally from a wild variety in upstate New York according to Sandra Kahoe. I have found it good for basketry.