Willow
To order live cuttings, visit our shop.
How it all Started
Our journey into willow began as a quest for a more sustainable lifestyle. When we bought land, we didn’t know what we wanted to grow. We wanted to be close to nature, and we wanted to learn more about regenerative farming practices to work toward a better future for our planet and future generations. And we knew that resilience and dependability would be key in the face of climate instability and with our limited farmable space.
One of things that made it harder and harder to keep living the way we were was our dependence on plastics. I was increasingly looking for ways to meet our families needs with very local, low to no plastic solutions. This was before plastic bag bans were wide spread, but still today, reusable bags are made from plastic or unsustainably produced fabrics, and ultimately winding up in landfills. As a crafty person, I have, um, high storage requirements… but having something to store or carry things in is a pretty basic human need for everyone, and I couldn’t meet that need sustainably and affordably.
Always putting the cart before the horse (like that time I got sheep so I could learn to knit), I ordered my first basketry willow cuttings and started a small plantation. And surely, I thought, straight, boring rows can’t be that much easier to manage than a winding maze of interconnected swirling eyes? So I planted a willow labyrinth of three, overlapping, spirals pointed at our mountain for meditation. Two years later I was able to weave my first collection of baskets. I have since added more varieties and expanded our plantation (mostly in nice straight, boring rows for easy maintenance), and integrated those sheep in the system.
Some of my first baskets
The Ecological Artistry of Willow
I have learned that the humble willow truly is an underestimated resource and powerhouse. Beautiful, functional, and dependable, it is reclaiming its place in human spaces as an ally in sustainability.
Willow has a rich history in traditional crafts and agriculture. As a huge family of trees, covering more of the globe than any other tree, and offering many natural colours, it can make baskets, fences, garden trellises, living structures, and more, while adding beauty to the garden in all seasons. All that, plus willow is a joy to work with and even beginners can create beautiful pieces.
this plant produces no waste; not only are all scraps and products biodegradable, but anything not usable for craft is valuable as forage or root boosting mulch. Unlike those reusable bags that include synthetic materials or are unsustainably preduced, willow baskets offer a natural and eco-friendly alternative.
Return of a Lost Art: Living Willow Architecture
Willow cathedral in Shlepzig, Germany. Photo credit: Clemensfranz, licensed under CC by 3.0
Beyond the art of weaving harvested and cured willow, it turns out willow magically surpasses all other woody plants as a living sculpture material. Traditional “Fedges,” or living fences, have long been planted and woven from willow and aare making a comeback as people rediscover the natural beauty and benefits of a fence that only gets stronger with time. Not only is a living fence a functional barrier, but it is also a productive part of the garden, offering cuttings for craft, weaving, or forage for animals. Willow can also be woven into other architectural designs, as play houses, tunnels, mazes, and pergolas. Ambitious willow cathedrals can be the backdrop of unforgettable outdoor events. Maintaining these structures by pruning growth not only offers you a product with many uses, it encourages more carbon sequestration and strengthens the plants root growth.
How we Grow Our Willow
Willow is a very sustainable material. We have chosen to grow our willow with methods aimed at improving the health of our soil, limiting inputs that are less sustainable, and increasing carbon sequestration. We plant our willow at half it’s potential stocking rate with room for grazing animals between rows. Rather than using more agricultural plastic, we mulch with cardboard and waste wood chips from local arborists. By treating our coppiced plants well rather than maximizing output from every inch of soil, our plants will live longer, growing healthier root systems, and locking more carbon, deeper underground. It’s easy to plant willow with no tilling, and after it is established, it needs no further mulching. Strips of forage cover the soil between rows for our pastured ruminants and poultry. By integrating animals alongside our willow at Lanthorn, we give our plants natural fertilizer. In addition to nitrogen rich fertilizer, our chickens offer pest management. The animals benefit from the cover and shade of the willows, while the willows benefit from the animals.
Bob planting Salix koriyanagi 'Rubykins'
Having the ability to work with willow to create usable and meaningful products has been a healing experience for us at Lanthorn. We are really looking forward to more experiments and projects as we learn and grow along with our plantation. Stay tuned for projects and workshops coming in 2024
- Mary Ellis
Check out our guide to planting!