My woven willow creation

Last Saturday I was at the workshop that my blogging buddy, Lene Rasmussen, held at her place on the shores of Lake Erie.

I elected to make what Lene calls a harlequin tree. She had the willow whips all ready for us – my creation required 32 willow rods.

The basic procedure is that you insert the rods side by side, in a circle, with one pair slanted towards the left, and another pair slanted towards the right. Once all of the rods are stuck into the pot, you begin weaving them using Velcro garden ties at the crossing points, which keeps them in place.

Then you continue weaving upward with pairs of stems alternating, crossing in front and behind, until you get to the top.

At the top, the willow rods are tied with short, soft pieces of willow. Once that is finished, you can remove all the temporary Velcro ties. Lene says that the “tree” can grow in a pot for a couple of seasons, depending on the size of the pot, and can then be planted into a garden bed.

More willow workshops:

Lene is having another workshop tomorrow, April 15th, 2010, and Saturday, April 17th, 2010. For more information, visit her blog.

I’ve taken my pot home now, and I have it sitting out in the sun. I’m keeping it well watered so that the willow rods will root, and the shoots at the top will leaf out. Willows need a place in the sun to thrive and grow well.

Tagged as: willow workshop