The willow varieties I grow

I live on a croft in South Skye with my wee family. I grow several willow varieties, harvesting the rods myself (with help from my partner, Phil, and daughters) to make baskets in our kitchen. The willow rods are cut each winter, and the plant survives, providing new rods perfect for baskets each year. Our wet climate here in the Inner Hebrides is ideal for growing basketry willow. We manage our croft for biodiversity, food, firewood and willow. I love plants, growing food, our native wildlife, the community we live in and weaving baskets.

I’ve planted 11 tiny willow beds so far, and each year I plant new beds. I take cuttings from my own willow, and also try out new varieties from fellow growers. It’s a slow process to discover which varieties thrive here and find those I enjoy weaving with most. Growing baskets takes a long time. I usually don’t harvest newly planted beds in their first year to allow them to establish well before the first cut.

Each variety gives a different colour, thickness and length of rod.  It is taking time for me to get to know each one. Some, like the beautiful, orangey, Flanders Red, take a long time to soak before they are ready for weaving, and this variety isn’t the most flexible.  I learned the hard way that it’s best not to use this for the uprights and borders, but great for weaving the sides to show off its deep, vibrant colour.

Varieties I’ve planted so far include:

Flanders Red

Dickie Meadows

Black Maul

Dark Dicks

Brittany Blue

Brittany Green

Green Dicks

Triandra

Brittany Green

Nigracans

Noire De Villaine

Polish Blue

Pheasant

Packing Twine

Harrisons A

William Rogers

Golden Yellow

Britzensis

Daphnoides

Petite Grisette

Grisette Emilien

Grisette Noir

Whissender

Whissender Light

White Welsh

Helix

Eugenii

Rouge D’Orleans