Living Willow Structures

Introduction

Living willow structures are structures (such as domes, arches, arbors, tunnels, fences, hedges and even rooms and small buildings) that are made with large living rods that are pushed in the ground and woven into these forms. They are wonderful permanent structures that provide shady play structures, places for sitting and contemplation as well as powerful garden elements and accents. (Note: Each thumbnail below may be clicked for a larger photo.)

"The Willow Lodge" (dome) at the Rogers Environmental Education Center, Sherburne, New York with occupants. Built May, 2004 at EarthFest Celebration and showing two month's of growth.
"Wee Willie Dome" (dome and fedges) at Riverside Park, Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania with children. Built June, 2004 with community volunteers, shown just after building.
"Living Willow Arches" on the grounds of Cornell Cooperative Extension Offices in Norwich, New York. Built 2004 with Master Gardeners and showing summer growth.

The Fedge Principle

The "fedge" (fence/hedge) is the building block of most living willow structures. The fedge has three components: vertical uprights; horizontal binder and diagonal sets of weavers. The uprights provide the structural elements of the fedge and the binder or pairing weave keep the uprights in the same plane. Diagonal weavers in both directions further strengthen and reinforce the fedge.

Below are illustrations of the building stages of a major installation in Norwich, New York in 2005, involving two living fedges curving into an arch with more fedges leading to a dome. The young fella involved is my eldest son, Timothy.

1 - Layout of the whole structure	2 - Using a metal bar for planting
3 - Planting the circle of the dome	4 - Using the metal bar to plant the arch rods
5 - Watering the structure	6 - Working on the top of the arch
7 - Working on the top of the arch	8 - Tying the structure
9 - The installation two months later	10 - The installation in August just after a summer prune

Books/Articles/DVD on Growing Willow and Living Installations

All the books below are available from Bonnie Gale. To order, please refer to our Order Form.

1. "House and Garden Magazine", March, 2006 issue has an article on my living willow installation work.
    
2. "Living Willow Sculpture" by Jon Warnes is a British book with good pictures and details. 48 pages. $13.95
    
3. "Green Wood for the Garden" by Alan and Gill Bridgewater is another new British book for garden structures. It describes 15 easy weekend projects, and includes a living willow arch, garden borders, and several trellises and arbors. 80 pages. $13.95
    
4. "Making Bentwood Trellises, Arbors, Gates and Fences" by Jim Long is a wonderful book with lots of plans. 154 pages. $19.95
    
5. "Making Twig Garden Furniture" by Abby Ruoff has lots of delightful recipes. 256 pages. $24.95.
    
6. "Willows -- The Genus Salix" by Christopher Newsholme. A most comprehensive survey of willow. 224 pages. $19.95
    
7. "Basket Willow Culture" by George Lamb. A 32 page reprint of the text on growing cultivated willow. $4.00
    
8. "Making Living Willow Sculptures" DVD by Steve Pickup. This incredible British DVD covers the construction of a living willow fedge and arch.  It is created by Steve Pickup, a master living willow installer form England.  Extra features include a gallery of work, tools and materials as well as other structures. $50.00

Workshops on Living Willow and Garden Structure Installation

Bonnie Gale teaches workshops on living willow installation in the Norwich, NY area--please inquire for scheduled dates.  Each workshop is independent of the others. Participants will actually have the experience of building installations in a group setting outdoors. There will be tours of several existing living installations by Bonnie Gale in the area including a local willow bed. Students will have some classroom time followed by discussion and layout of an installation:  ground cover; the three design components; rod selection; planting; weaving; tying; watering; and maintenance. Students will build a basic fedge followed by other structures. Students will also have the opportunity to explore the building of hurdles, pea cages, garden borders and trellises. There will be a small materials fee for removable structures taken home.

A gourmet lunch will be served each day and optional evening meal and entertainment will be available on Saturday night. An accommodation list of reasonable local hotels and B&Bs will be sent to registrants. Some kits of material may be available for purchase. The cost of the two-day workshop, including the gourmet lunches and refreshments during the day, is $250. If you are interested in signing up, please send a 50% deposit to Bonnie Gale at the address listed on the top of the page--there are only a limited number of class slots available. If you are interested in hosting a workshop in your locality, please contact Bonnie via the phone number or e-mail address above.

Custom Living Willow Design and Installation

Bonnie Gale is available to design custom structures for your specific site and garden. Along with her helpers (installations need several pairs of hands), she will also install and discuss maintenance for your installation.

Since live willow can only be held until late May/early June, please contact Bonnie right away if you are interested in having her build you a living installation!!

Fees are as follows:

1. Site/Design Consultation

   Bonnie very strongly recommends a site visit and design consultation. This will allow a professional review of the site: aspect, soil, rockiness, shading, moisture, access and other considerations. The client's desires can be discussed and a workable design can be evolved along with a schedule for planting. The cost is $40 per hour with a minimum fee of $100. Any necessary travel and accommodations will also be paid by the client.

2. Installation

   • Labor to layout and install the installation is $100 per hour (for Bonnie and one helper). A small to medium installation can take a day to install.
   • Materials (living willow) costs are individually priced.
   • Travel, room and board will be provided by the client.

3. Design Forms

   Design forms that are available include fedges, arches, domes, tunnels, arbors, rooms and benches in all combinations. Bonnie is also available to design and build to your custom specifications. Please inquire.

Gallery