Willow Arch

[roitelet]

I'd love to do this!
I was going to buy some rods, can you just cut them from any old willow then? Is it weeping willow? (silly question?!)

Made a dome from willow a few years back and used ordinary goat willow. It now looks fine but beware it takes a lot of maintainence to keeo it looking good!

[evvy2]

That will look great once you get some growth on the branches, I have a small arch of willow made from cuttings from a fellow plot holder.

[binley100]

Ermmmmm.......the trees we used had been coppiced so had lots of shoots , to be honest I'm not sure if it's the same as weeping willow ..... this site looks quite helpful and I'm sure there's more sites out there
JPR Environmental

[Poddington Pea]

I'd love to do this!
I was going to buy some rods, can you just cut them from any old willow then? Is it weeping willow? (silly question?!)

[binley100]

First find your willow.......We were lucky as a plot holder has willow trees that have been coppiced so have lots of nice long branches (rods?). You need them about 12 ft long to make an arch to walk under.
Make a hole in the ground 12" deep to plant the rods 12 " deep. Then find someone who is brave enough to stand on top of steps and bend the willow over to each other and twist together. Harder than you think we had to resort to string. Use thinner willow planted diagonally to weave in and out of the uprights both ways. Water well, cross fingers and hope it grows. New growth can be woven in as it becomes long enough.
We're growing, hops , roses and Winter Jasmine on this one. I'm hoping to do a smaller version on my plot to grow a vine or kiwi over. You could use it as runner supports but bear in mind that willow roots pretty easily so it would become a permanent structure.......