27 Examples Of Living Willow Fences In Use

posted 4 years ago

Living Willow Hedges

Or 'fedges' = fence + hedge. Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix (Latin for willow), which consist of around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs. Willow are native to moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Almost all willows take root very readily from cuttings. Young, thin willow cuttings are known as withies, longer willow rods are known as whips.

Living willow fence at Vevey Garden, Switzerland. Willow rods are pushed into the ground at an angle. The tops are tied to a horizontal, weaved in withy to give stability along the top. Willows have high levels of auxins, hormones that promote rooting success. The hormone is so prevalent that "willow water" brewed from willow stems, will encourage the rooting of many other plant cuttings as well. Image by Barbara, OvertheMoon www.flickr.com

The angled rods tend to sprout along their entire length, while the uprights oft times sprout from the top only. Botanical Gardens of Wales. Photo by Libby, www.flickr.com

Simply make a hole in the ground with a metal bar, then insert the willow cutting. Weed control is important when starting a willow fedge and the cuttings should be planted into a weed barrier that allows water penetration, otherwise the weeds might suck away a bit of vitality from the young willows. As a general rule, shorter cuttings establish and grow best without competition from weeds, whereas longer cuttings have more stored energy and can handle a bit of competition. Willows prefer full sun, but will accept part shade. Willows are also very adaptable as per water conditions once they are established and will also survive in poor quality soils.

Use Salix Viminalis and rub off the new shoots on the lower portions of the rods to achieve this open look.