These FAQs answer the questions I get most about willow growing and basketmaking. From planting cuttings to weaving baskets, chair seat repair, and living willow sculptures, you’ll find practical tips and advice. Learn how to care for young willows, choose the right rods, and use them for colour or strength. These answers share my experience to help both beginners and experienced makers work confidently with willow.
A willow cutting is a 30cm piece of willow rod that is cut in winter. Willow roots so easily that growers sell bare root cuttings instead of rooted plants. Willow doesn’t like having the roots disturbed. Once planted, the cutting grows into a healthy willow stool of rods, if you coppice or a tree.
Between December and March, while the willow is dormant. This gives the cutting time to establish roots as the weather warms.
Depending on the variety, willow can grow between 2 and 16 feet in a single season.
Yes, you can start willow in a pot. Choose a deep pot and keep it well watered. When you plant it in the ground, move the soil and roots together. This avoids disturbing the roots. Willow grows best in the ground where it can spread naturally.
Willow grows in most soils. It thrives in damp ground with full sun and struggles in very dry conditions without watering.
Yes, water willow cuttings in their first year. Use plenty of water in short bursts. This pushes water deep into the soil. Roots grow down to chase the moisture. This makes willow more stable and means less watering in future years.
Harvest willow after the leaves drop in winter. You can usually cut usable rods from the second year.
Coppice willow each winter after the leaves fall. Cut stems near ground level to encourage new, strong growth.
I would choose Salix Purpurea. I grow several varieties in this genus, including Dicky Meadows, Brittany Blue and Norbury. These give fine, flexible rods perfect for basket weaving, Black Maul is also a traditional favourite from the Somerset levels.
Scarlet Willow, Cardinalis and Continental Purple give striking Winter stem colour. Though Continental Purple can grow quite large. These varieties add brightness to gardens and arrangements.
Use 3–4 ft long, slender willow rods to make small baskets. Join local workshops or follow step-by-step guides. Practice regularly to build confidence.
No experience is needed. Each basket you make teaches you something new, building skill, confidence, and muscle memory. Keep practicing regularly.
You need willow rods that have been soaked until pliable. You can also use rush or other natural materials from the hedgerow, only taken with the landowner’s permission and leaving plenty behind.
Store dry willow in a cool, dry place to prevent mould. It can keep for many years if stored like this. After soaking, use all the rods you need straight away. Wet willow will start to compost if left damp, and it won’t soak well a second time.
Sort your willow rods by thickness into thick, medium, and fine widths. This helps create a balanced, strong basket. Only soak the amount you need, as willow will not soak well a second time.
Begin with a slightly concave base using thick rods as base stakes. Weave around the base stakes with finer rods until you reach the desired size. Use thick rods for side stakes and weave around them with finer rods, keeping the weave tight to avoid gaps between the base and sides. Once the sides are built, turn down the side stakes to form the border. Willow Work by Mary Butcher is a great guide for all skill levels, offering a range of baskets to take you through your basketry journey.
Baskets are usually made using a range of standard weaves, including pairing for the base. A three-rod wale joins the base to the sides. For the sides, you can choose English randing, French randing, slewing, reverse randing, or zig-zag weaves. Using different colours of willow makes patterns striking. Finish with another wale before choosing your border pattern.
Once the border is finished, you can add handles. Use a thick willow rod as a core, called a handle liner. Wrap thinner rods around the handle liner from either side of the basket. Finish the handle by wrapping the rods under the border. You can also make smaller handles by cranking the willow, which breaks the fibres and makes it easier to twist. This is an advanced technique and can be tricky to get right.
You need a pair of secateurs for cutting rods. A bodkin, screwdriver, or knitting needle can help make spaces for side stakes. Twine or string helps secure the weave. Beginners can start with just secateurs and twine, adding other tools as needed.
Trim any excess ends carefully so they rest on the uprights. This stops them from getting caught on things and breaking. Allow the basket to dry slowly in a cool, airy place. Store the basket away from damp or direct sunlight to maintain its shape and colour.