Weave-wave

In this exceptionally dry spring, I’ve decided to plant around 60 very thirsty, water-loving plants. Willows – which, given the conditions, feels like exactly the kind of stubborn optimism this garden thrives on.

A long-held interest has finally manifested into action. I contacted Deeside Willow in Aberdeen and ordered one of their variety bundles: White Welsh (Salix fragilis decipiens), Black Stem (Salix myrsinifolia), Green Dicks (Salix purpurea) and Black Maul (Salix triandra).

For the form, I wanted something organic – a wavefront of willow, with alternating diagonals and periodic uprights, with a triple cardboard, jute and woodchip mulch (the Jackdaws stole some of the jute for their nests..!). For the uprights I chose Salix viminalis, already growing elsewhere in the garden, which will eventually allow for plentiful harvesting from within the structure itself. Some uprights will eventually create archways of willow, while the diagonals will hopefully grow and weave into each other, and viminalis horizontals will provide extra structural support. Or that’s the plan anyway.

Viminalis is where my obsession with willow began. But meeting local weavers, handling their work, and slowly becoming aware of all the wonderful varieties — the subtle differences in shade, thickness, and flexibility – turned a curiosity into something more serious.

What I’m hoping to build here is a living sculpture. One that, in time, leads somewhere: towards weaving, towards furniture, towards other forms of willow work. And perhaps, eventually, towards a place where others come to learn those things too.