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Mistakenly posted this ? in new members area after registering. Interested in hearing from anyone in the U.S. Zone 5 familiar with the popular U.K. technique wherein live garden structures (i.e. fences, arbors, etc.) are constructed of woven willow whips planted directly into the ground. I need a souce of these whips suitable for accomplishing something similar in my Zone 5 U.S. garden (suburban Chicago, to be exact). I'd greatly appreciate any help you can offer.
From: Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Registered: Nov 2004
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Well, hello and welcome! What a charming idea. I should think that one of the basket willows, such as Salix viminalis (zones 4-9) might work well, since they are weavable and only grow to 20 feet in height.
I have Corkscrew Willows (S. contortia?) in my yard, and have found that they readily grow roots from branches simply plunged into the thawed ground in March. I'll bet if you asked around, you could locate someone who has an ample willow tree (or trees) and would be happy to share some sticks with you. Especially if it is after an ice storm and there are lots of them on the ground. If it is too frozen yet to plant them at the time, you could just put them in buckets of water in the garage until planting time.
I've heard of the willow-water method before. Someone once implied to me that it was most likely the main ingredient of root hormone. Lots less expensive, too! There's something about those willows. They really wanna grow.
I was trying to think of the other shorter willows that could grow in the Chicago area.
I'm trying again. This site might have the willow whips. I was looking for something else and found that Ernst Seeds has several species of bare root willows.
Hope this helps. Ann1
From: South Carolina | Registered: Nov 2004
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I think I found what you wanted.Got my bag of mail from MIL today and in gardengatemagazine is an article on willow& they list 2 sources. 1# willowglen Nursery 3512 last mile road,Decorah IA 52101 # 563-735-5570 they list that they sell dry willow
Hope that helps.I seen this done in southern living magazine about 3 years ago was done with apple limbs,they made a liveing/blooming/produceing fence.was a cottage garden and looked real neat.The cover had yellow flowers with purple iris.I have it somewhere around here in the shed.I saved it cause of the apple growing fence.i thought was real awesome.
bbbbbbbbb I will age ungracefully until I become an old woman in a small garden..doing whatever the Hell I want!
Celebrating 10 years of helping your gardens grow!
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