Joybilee Farm: Willows for basket weaving, living willow sculptures, and willow furniture making

Looking for an unusual and beautiful landscape feature that has a practical use? Wanting a local source for your artisan basket weaving? Want to grow your own baskets or furniture? Looking for an eco-friendly source of fuel logs?

Willows are amazing plants. Used for landscaping interest, bee fodder, flower arrangements, they add colour and texture to the garden Willows in July

in all four seasons. They are easy to grow -- you just push the stem into prepared ground, water and keep weed free for a season and they root naturally and continue to grow.

Willows are carbon sequestors -- they absorb carbon from the air and hold it in the ground. Willows actually give off less carbon when they are burned as fuel than they take in during their life span. Carbon credits anyone?

Willows grow quickly and regrow when cut to the ground. All the fertility they need, they produce themselves with their fallen leaves so they don't need agricultural chemicals to grow.

Basket willows can be cut annually for basket making materials, for garden stakes, or floral arrangements. Cut every 2 years they are strong enough for furniture making or living willow garden structures. Left for 4 to 6 years they become thick enough for fuel logs.

When used for living willow sculptures they root and grow leaves -- becoming a mysterious, and seasonly changing focal point for a children's playground, garden, or hedgegrow.

Left to grow to specimen size they provide year round interest, leaf colour, texture and shade in a fast growing tree.

The bark from willow is rich in tannins and salic acid (a natural pain killer, fever reducer and anti infammatory) The bark is harvested from cut rods, in the spring after the sap begins to flow. Willows stems also contain a natural rooting hormone, which can be used to root cuttings from other plants.

Our willows are grown in Canadian zone 3 climate with reliable snow cover during winter. They come to you as 11 inch cuttings, ready to push into prepared ground. Once planted they should be kept weed free and watered for the first two years of growth. For specimen trees, plant away from septic systems, building foundations and drainage pipes.

Basket Willows available March 15 to May 1st only Please reserve in advance. Individual varieties -- 3 cuttings - $10 Special basket weaving packages: Purpurea package - 3 varieties, 3 cuttings each- (9 cuttings)-- $15 Includes 'Green Dicks', 'Eugenii', '187' Hardy to zone 3. (Reg. $30) Basket weavers package -- 3 varieties, 3 cuttings each (9 cuttings) -- $15 includes:'Black Maul', 'Common Osier', and 'Lambertiana'. Hardy to zone 3. (Reg. $30) Basket Weavers - Colour Contrast package -- 3 varieties, 3 cuttings each (9 cuttings) -- $15 Includes: 'Vitellina', 'Britzensis', and 'Noir de Villaine'. Hardy to zone 3. (Reg. $30) Willow cuttings available (will be mailed after April 15) (Canada only) order March 1 to May 1 only. Now taking reservations for 2010. Should be planted immediately when you receive them.	Ornamental Willows - Prune for utility -- slow growing Available by mail, March to May 2010 only. Reservations taken for Spring 2010. Or potted during the summer at the farm. Individual varieties-3 cuttings -- $10 per bundle.
Salix alba, 'Vitellina' -- Golden Willow -- grows to 20m, rich yellow stems -- likes moist soil. Coppice annually for straight rods. Zone 3.	Salix babylonica var. pekinensis - Corkscrew Willow -- grows to 6 m, yellow stems. Green stems. Zone 4.
Salix alba, 'Britzensis' -- Coral Bark willow -- grows to 6m, red stems, Red stems. Zone 2.	Salix gracilistyla 'Melanostachys' "Black pussy willow" - 7m, ornamental black catkins. Zone 4. Not available in 2010.
Salix fragilis 'Belgium Red' -- 20 m, red stems Crack Willow. Coarse red stems. Vigorous growth. Zone 3.	Salix integra 'Hakuro-nishiki' - "Dappled Willow" 2m, young leaves are varigated pink and green. Zone 4. This one is my favorite ornamental willow.

Salix koriyanagi 'Rubykins' - 2 m, fine red stems . Zone 3.	Salix purpurea 'Nana' - 1m to 1.5 m, very fine stems, maroon branches, Ornamental, prune for utility. Zone 3.
The purpureas are bitter and unpalatable to rabbits and livestock. They are vigorous growers and good candidates for annual coppicing. Their catkins are attractive: beginning a lavender colour and moving to red and then yellow as the catkins mature. One of the first catkins to develop in Spring. Great for Easter pussy willow forcing.	Salix sepulcralis 'Erythroflexuosa' - 3 to 5 m, orange to red annual growth, Ornamental, Zone 5 or zone 4 with protection.

Salix purpurea #187 - 4 to 6m - reddish to brown stems for annual coppicing. Zone 3.
Salix purpurea "Irette" - 2 to 5m - narrow leaves, straight slender stems. Golden stems. Zone 3
Salix purpurea 'Eugenii' - 3 to 5 m, attractive catkins, annual coppicing. Olive stems with red tips. My most prolific basket willow averaging 30 slender stems on 3 year old stools. Zone 3.	Salix udensis 'Sekka' - 10m -- Dragon willow, faciated, twisted stems with dark maroon colour. Highly ornamental. Zone 4.
Salix purpurea 'Green Dicks' - 2 to 5 m, green stems, slender basket weavers, annual coppicing. A favorite of basket weavers. Green stems with purple tips. Zone 3.
Salix purpurea ssp lambertiana - excellent basket willow with brown stems and ovate leaves. Olive stems with red tips. Zone 3.

Salix rigida 'American McKay' - 4 m, Coppice annually for baskets. Mahogany coloured stems. Zone 2.
Salix triandra 'Black Maul' - 10 m, breaks dormancy later than other willows, 6 ft. rods for basket making. Black to dark brown stems. Ideal for living willow sculptures. Zone 3.

Salix triandra 'Noir de Villane' - 8m, breaks dormancy later than other willows, 7 ft. rods for basket making, with annual coppicing. Black to dark brown stems. Ideal for living willow sculptures. Zone 3.
Salix viminalis - Common osier -- 3 to 6 m, 7 ft. long rods with annual coppicing, green stems. Good for coarse basketry, living willow sculptures, and willow garden structures. Zone 3.
	To order contact us with your order. Please contact us to reserve your basket willows for 2010. Canadian orders only please.
Salix viminalis 'Superba' - 3 to 6 m, 8 ft. rods for basketry with annual coppicing, green stems. Good for coarse basketry, living willow sculptures, and willow carden structures. Zone 3.

Joybilee Farm: Willows for basket weaving, living willow sculptures, and willow furniture making

Salix fragilis 'Belgium Red' -- 20 m, red stems

Salix integra 'Hakuro-nishiki' - "Dappled Willow" 2m, young leaves are varigated pink and green. Zone 4. This one is my favorite ornamental willow.

Salix koriyanagi 'Rubykins' - 2 m, fine red stems . Zone 3.

The purpureas are bitter and unpalatable to rabbits and livestock. They are vigorous growers and good candidates for annual coppicing. Their catkins are attractive: beginning a lavender colour and moving to red and then yellow as the catkins mature. One of the first catkins to develop in Spring.

Salix purpurea 'Eugenii' - 3 to 5 m, attractive catkins, annual coppicing. Olive stems with red tips. My most prolific basket willow averaging 30 slender stems on 3 year old stools. Zone 3.

Salix triandra 'Noir de Villane' - 8m, breaks dormancy later than other willows, 7 ft. rods for basket making, with annual coppicing. Black to dark brown stems. Ideal for living willow sculptures. Zone 3.