Basket Willows - 1-3 ft

Salix purpurea

These are traditional basket making varieties, producing long thin rods with little branching that can be soaked and dried for making willow baskets. They are also great for hedges or weaving into living structures. Cut them back to the ground every spring for the best shoots. An established stool (plant) can produce 6ft plus shoots in one season.

Oka produces long thin rods that dry to a warm brown. 

Bleu is a French variety for basket making, with a dark green to purple color when fresh, drying to a dark gray with some purplish red.

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Willows are extremely hardy and adaptable to wet soils. Shrub species make a great deer-resilient deciduous hedge or buffer. Willows are an important early-pollen source for native pollinators!