Varieties

Amana. S. Purpurea.
I got this one through basketmakers who worked with Joanna Schantz originally, from the Amana Colonies. Great for basket weavers.

Basfordiana. S. x fragilis.
Gorgeous yellow. Very stocky and tall. Great for handles and ribs for basketry, and for garden trellises and living willow work.

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 up to 12 feet for me, but rods are slender and I love the color for basketry. Dries a very dark brown/grey color; great for contrast in baskets

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.

Daphnoides S. purpurea x daphnoides.
Long slender rods good for basketry.

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.

Flanders Red S. x fragilis.
I love the color. Dries orangey-red.

French Almond S. Triandra.
Light yellow rods. I got this one from Zac Fittipaldi. Supposed to be good for basketry. My first year to grow. Will let you know!

German- S. Purpurea.
I got this one indirectly from basketmakers who got it, probably, from the Amana Colonies. Good for basketry.

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.

Irette S. Purpurea.
Dries a nice green.

Isabella. Unknown.
I got this from Sandra Kahoe, who got it from the Gage Salicetum. For me, it dries a dark orange.

Japanese Basket Willow. Unknown.
I do not remember where I got this from! It is my first year to grow it. In full sun, it grew 12 feet with very large rods, but it partial shade, it threw many lovely 3-4 foot slender rods. Light gray green in the field. Will let you know next year how it soaks up!

Jaune de Falaise S. Fragilis.
Dries orange brown. Slender rods.

Lambertiana. S. Purpurea.
This one grows very large and is good for harvesting bark, living willow structures, and for handles.Dries light brown/green.

Michigan Green S. Purpurea

I love the stories behind willow varieties. The story goes that this one was found by Sandy Walen 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.

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. Dries light brown.