Living willow fences offer an economical and attractive means of screening views or dividing garden areas.
Willows (Salix) are versatile hedge plants that make an excellent addition to any traditional hedge mix, whether as stand-ins or standalone hedge plants. Fast growing and easy to care for, willows offer attractive catkins in spring.
Try Nishiki willow hedging (Salix japonica) this summer for privacy and beautiful purple winter stems with vibrant green leaves! It offers maximum summer privacy!
Planting
Willows are hardy and adaptable plants, ideal for most soil conditions and growing conditions. In particular, they thrive in wetter areas like ponds or riverbanks while making an excellent wildlife-friendly hedge plant suited for use alone or mixed with traditional varieties to create informal garden designs with wild appeal. Willows bloom early with golden catkins that provide nectar to bees as they take advantage of this source of nectar for pollination purposes.
Willow structures can add decorative flourish to gardens by serving multiple functions: such as creating winter lattice screens or an eye-catching living fence (sometimes known as a fedge). Willow structures may also serve to block wind-flow, conceal unsightly oil tanks or divide areas of the garden.
When planting your willow hedge, the most essential factor to keep in mind is using a weed control mulch. This prevents competing weeds from competing with your willow for water as it grows; your hedge needs all the assistance it can get to establish quickly. Hessian-backed carpet or cardboard may work; alternatively try biodegradable mulch such as Mypex which contains biodegradable hessian.
Living willow fence sections come pre-configured at 1m wide x 1.2m tall with short whips you can weave into the tops and bottoms to create your own distinctive design. We also offer more advanced kits with wicker weaving that include longer whips that can be weaved into the base for an additional punch of color and design impact.
Pruning
Willow hedges make an excellent addition to any garden and can be used to create beautiful designs with ease. Their quick growth rate and vibrant appearance add extra beauty. However, for optimal results it is essential that willows be pruned correctly at regular intervals (usually winter or early spring), to maintain dense and healthy hedges without gaps between each row of hedges.
Willow hedges can provide privacy and divide up areas in your garden, creating the illusion of seclusion and providing separation between sections. Willow hedging structures can be constructed out of either short or long stems depending on your desired design, then woven together before being attached to a stake or post for stability. Willows are resilient plants that withstand strong winds well, however their extensive root system may damage block foundations, sidewalks and underground pipes, choke out other plants and cause flooding issues.
Diseases that attack willows include anthracnose, scab and canker. Fungi can wreak havoc by killing leaves, twigs and branches; any affected material must be removed immediately to protect the remainder. Fungicides like Chlorothalonil may help control diseases; they should be applied at appropriate times each year and at regular intervals to be effective.
Feeding
Willow trees produce many shoots, which require constant feedings of nutrients. We suggest using Growell GROW as an easy and rapid way to deliver vital nourishment directly at each stem base - this will quickly meet their nutrient requirements!
Willow plants are easily planted and quickly establish, so hedging can be completed fairly quickly. Willow plants also make a good choice for wildlife-friendly gardens as their gold male catkins provide nectar in spring while their dense structure offers cover to nesting birds and insects. Willow plants prefer wet soil conditions and can be planted alone or mixed with other native species for an informal wildlife-friendly hedge.
There is an array of willow varieties to select from, such as Pheasant Brown with its bright purple winter stems topped with orange tips and Pheasant Yellow that adds vibrant colour to winter days. Other varieties such as Huntingdon with its intense violet purple winter colouration, Daphnoides with its distinctive pearly white catkins and glossy deep green serrated leaves as well as Sarda which boasts chocolate brown stems with early catkins are also worth considering.
Living willow fedges are hybrid structures between fences and hedges that combine visual screening with garden division, bowers or arbours creation, making the fedge an effective screen against view or border for garden areas. Building one requires using either long willow rods or branches inserted at an angle into the soil - the tops tied together after they have been tied at their respective bases; due to high levels of auxins that promote root growth these rods often sprout along their length as you insert them.
Harvesting
Willows (Salix) are fast-growing plants that take root easily from cuttings. Young, thin cuttings are known as withies while longer rods are known as whips. Willow fedges (or "wisps") are an ideal way to screen views or divide garden spaces as their rapid growth provides excellent ground cover; creating one often results in the formation of an ideal diamond pattern with long straight willow sticks placed horizontally along its perimeter.
Maintaining a willow hedge requires consistent care to remain neat and tidy, as well as encourage new growth. Winter to early spring are the optimal times for doing this as the stems are more flexible at this time of year. Willow hedges tend to grow quickly, often combined with other native hedgerow plants such as hawthorn, holly or beech to form mixed hedgerows.
A well-maintained willow hedge can make an aesthetically pleasing focal point in any garden and is an invaluable habitat for wildlife. Its golden male catkins provide sustenance for hundreds of insect species while its fragrant leaves add colour and fragrance to autumn landscapes. Willow can also serve as windbreaks, with average wind speeds being reduced by 60% as a result; for such purposes, Salix viminalis varieties should be utilized as they provide toughest resilience in this regard.