|
|
|
|
|
|
Willow & hazel - the
raw materials
|
|
Latest news
Home Red Poll Beef Willow & Hazel  Raw
material ProductsStorytelling About us Links Contact us Ordering Blog T. 01462 711815 M. 07794 013876 E. info[at]wassledine.co.uk |
We currently grow around 30
varieties and species of willow as well as 2 hectares of
hazel. Willow is coppiced on a 1or 2 year rotation whilst the hazel is
cut every 5-8 years depending on what it's needed for. Hazel If you are interested in buying hazel, please contact us to talk about what you need - we usually cut between January and the 
end of March. Willow
We have attempted to compile a list of our willows, together with photographs and descriptions, to make your choice a bit easier. We have included some insider comments from Martin Hazell, ace basketmaker (jazz pundit and maker of weird things); hopefully these will help in choosing a willow variety that suits your needs. But don't hesistate to contact us if you would like to discuss what you want. If you are after willow or hazel products such as baskets, willow balls, bean poles, pea sticks, plant supporting obelisks or hurdles, please go to Products Types of willow: The most
likely basketmaking varieties are at the top of the list below. If you want
willow to make sculptures, structures, trellis, runner bean pyramids
and the like, you probably need to look at the larger varieties so jump down this page by clicking here - structural willow If you're
after willow simply to stand in a vase and look beautiful, we have lots
of gorgeous varieties from which to choose - reds, yellows, greens and even black. Click here to jump to decorative willow As we are not currently offering an on-line ordering service, you will need to contact us to make an order. |
| The basket making willows | |||
| Salix
purpurea Tall & fine willows known for their great workability and beautiful earthy colours in a basket. Thought to be less palatable to rabbits and hares than some other species, so may be particularly suited for living barriers where these herbivores are a problem. |
|||
| Dicky Meadows | A well-known and
justifiably popular variety with
an acid green stem running to reddish tips. 3' - 7' Hazell's hint - Dicky Meadows - the most useful of all purpurea varieties. Can grow 2m in some years. Slender and very flexible. Lovely bright green when fresh, dries to a mid-brown, not too dark |
 |
 |
| Green Dicks | Similar to
Dicky Meadows; paler green and without the red tips. 3' - 7' .
Retains more of a green colouration than the others once dry. Hazell's hint - a good general-purpose purpurea. Can grow tall (2m+) and will maker a border if well soaked and mellowed. Bright green when fresh and dries to an attractive and distinctive silvery green. |
 |
 |
| Dark Dicks | Redder
than Dicky Meadows, with a green mottling to red tips. 3' - 7'
Hazell's hint - A thicker type of purpurea than
the above. Not as flexible as Dicky or
Norbury, and can be difficult to work as a border rod. Dries
to a dark
green, often with attractive buds on the stem. Ideal for
weaving up the
sides of a shopper or log basket. |
 |
|
| Light Dicks | Similar to Dark Dicks but paler green. 3' - 7' | picture not available | |
| Norbury | A finer
version of Dark Dicks, but not reaching much more than 5'. Very flexible and
great for fine work Hazell's hint - Wonderful! A very slender variety and very flexible. Perfect for fine work, and for wrapped handles. Not very tall, best for small/medium work. Dries to a lovely pale brown, sometimes almost pink |
 |
 |
| Brittany Greens | Similar to Dark Dicks but a little taller and greener. To 7' |  |
|
| Salix
triandra Slightly taller and perhaps a little more bulky than the purpureas, these lovely waxy willows form the backbone of the large-scale willow growing industry to the point that one variety, Black Maul is grown almost to the exclusion of all others, in the production of 'buff' willow. With good reason; they work very well, are long and have a very gentle taper. |
|||
| Black Maul | The commercial variety. Long, slender and very flexible with stems that vary between pale to slate, slightly greenish grey. To 7' + |  |
|
| Noire de Villaine | A similar willow to Black Maul, but a very attractive brown stem from a brown/green butt |  |
|
| S. alba x vitellina x fragilis | |||
| Flanders Red | A gorgeous and popular willow – waxy, with a red/orange bark. To 6' |  |
 |
| S. triandra x viminalis | |||
| Whissender | Lovely olive green/khaki; tall – to 8’. A waxy and more bulky variety |  |
 |
| Trustworthy | This is a lovely willow with stems that change from yellow/green at the butt to red/brown tips. A bit shorter than Whissender and not as prolific, so we never have much of it |  |
 |
| S. nigricans | Perhaps not really a basketmaking species as it won't make a border reliably, but this willow is very beautiful and a fantastic, glossy, deep brown/black which gets blacker as it dries; so a little in a weave goes a long way. It branches alot so we harvest only a small amount of unbranched material each year. But it's a great willow for a vase. |  |
 |
| Structural Willows- The varieties described below are all suitable for structures - living or dead; plant supports, hedge binders, sculptures, really big basketry and lots of other stuff. We do have a lot of varieties available and if you wish you can have exactly the ones you want. If however, you find this array of choice less than fascinating, just let us know what you want in the way of length, butt diameter and colour together with what you have in mind to do with it and we will do our very best to supply willow that will be just what you need. If in doubt call or email to have a chat. | |||
| S. caprea x cinerea x viminalis | |||
| Dasyclados | A big willow; to 9/10’ and great girth at the butt. Attractive dark green/brown. Great for straight rods but a little fragile - not keen to turn around the end of a hurdle |  |
|
| Caladendron | Smaller than Dasyclados to 8'. Green butts to deep red tips with silver down. Works well in a ball, structure or hurdle | picture not available | |
| S. viminalis - we currently grow 6 varieties all of which are pretty similar in form and colour, except Harrison's Seedling. They are all very suitable for structures, sculptures & hedge binders. We usually have some 2 year old material which is great for the heavy duty elements you might need in structures - as with all our willow, we can supply it live or dead. All varieties dry to a rich, more or less terracotta/brown colour | |||
| Harrison's seedling | A beautiful, claret willow. Dries to rust colour. Quite slender for a viminalis. Very flexible and workable. To 8' |  |
 |
| Mullatin | Attractive, slightly bronze stems, works well. To 9' |  |
|
| A2 | Perhaps greener than the others |  |
|
| Longifolia | Much like the others - the work horse of the willow world | picture not available | |
| Campbell 3106 | Great willow, similar to the other viminalis |  |
|
| Gigantea | Big but not noticeably bigger than those above, despite the name |  |
|
| S. daphnoides | |||
| Continental purple | Tall (to 8/9'), dark purple/red stems, pretty much butt to tip. Lovely colour and quite flexible. In common with most daphnoides, a beautiful but very delicate pale purple bloom develops on the bark after cutting |  |
|
| Sinker | A tall (8'), glossy willow with deep red stems that change to red/green at the butts. Very flexible | |
|
| 'W' | Very similar to Sinker. All these daphnoides make startlingly different hedge binders, so if you're looking to make a splash on a garden hedge, look no further | picture not available | |
| Decorative Willows- we think all of our willows are lovely as things of beauty in their own right; however, here are some that are particularly wonderful to behold | |||
| S. nigricans | |||
| A very beautiful willow with a fantastic, glossy, deep brown/black stem which gets blacker as it dries. Quite branched - a disadvantage for basket making but something that makes it very attractive as a decorative specimen; perhaps as a part of a flower arrangement or simply on its own. |  |
||
| S. matsudana | |||
| Caradoc | A tall, contorted willow with striking yellow stems making it a great choice for flower arrangements or on its own in a big vase (or basket) |   |
|
| S. alba x fragilis | |||
| Golden willow | This willow is gorgeous. Quite fine and tricky to work (it will go in a weave though), but well worth the effort. Lovely in a vase or for some winter colour in a garden border |  |
|
| S. alba chermesina | |||
| Cardinalis | A beautiful willow with brilliant yellow butts changing to orange/red tips. Quite branched which is pretty good for a vase display - looks lovely with decorations hung on it. Some unbranched material available which can be worked into a weave to add a striking yellow highlight. To 7'. Great to add a yellow stripe to a hurdle or other similar work but won't take kindly to hard turns |  |
|
|