Living Willow Hedge

Today I took out the support stakes from our new Living Willow Hedge. We got some friends together and had a go at creating one last year. Although a little hit and miss, its actually starting to come together nicely. 

There are lots of reasons for building a living willow hedge, here are some of them:

1. Living willow whips (or rods) or willow slips are relatively cheap (and found growing at Cerenety).
2. Willow is easy to grow - care is more essential than skill.
3. Willow grows fast and will outgrow most other forms of hedging.
4. Living willow can be coppiced easily to thicken the hedge.
5. It can also be laid to form an even thicker more traditional looking hedge.
6. Better still, planting the living willow rods at an angle and weaving the whips in and out of each other workswell in a garden, producing an unusual but effective willow screen. This is known as a fedge - a cross between a (FE)nce and a he(DGE).
7. There are no nasty thorns to contend with, making it:
• Easier to trim.
• Easier to clear away.
• Safer for children and animals - no infected puncture wounds.
• Lawn tractor friendly  - no punctures.
8. The living willow hedge can be trimmed to form a low hedge or left to grow into a high hedge.
9. You can use what you trim off the willow hedge for weaving, wood chips, planting stock or if left to grow a few seasons, wood fuel.

So if you want to learn from our mistakes and would like some advice on creating a living willow hedge, give us a call or come and visit!