Weeping willow, spherical willow, willow, willow, willow, willow, basket weed, shelyuga, willow... All these names refer to the usual willows. Latin name: Salix. Willows appeared in the Cretaceous period, existed simultaneously with dinosaurs, but survived them due to their unpretentiousness to soils and frost resistance. More than 170 species - from Africa to the Arctic - serve people for weaving baskets, feeding livestock, in medicine, in leather tanning, and as a dye.
The beauty of willows was sung by poets and depicted on the canvases of artists, but was rarely used in landscaping.
Willows began to be actively used in landscape design in England in the 19th century, when the fashion for pleasure canals came. Plantings along the banks of reservoirs strengthened the shore. The stability of willows in flooded areas is known.
The wider distribution of white silver willows (Alba var. Sericea) in landscaping was hindered by the fact that they have a very dense crown. The windage is combined with the absence of a taproot. A strong wind can knock down a willow if it stands in an open area. This does not threaten young trees, but a tree aged 30-40 years often falls. Besides, everything wild species They are extremely photophilous. Powerful beautiful trees usually found outside cities.
Particular attention of dendrologists to low-growing species has returned willows to streets and parks. However, Western European cultivars are poorly adapted to temperate latitudes. Heat-loving “sissies”: Iva Babylonskaya, Iva Matsuda, Iva Kanginskaya, Iva Hakuro Nishiki - despite their highest decorative qualities, they are not suitable for temperate latitudes.
Thanks to the work of Siberian breeders Marchenko and Shaburov, frost-resistant varieties with decorative qualities exceeding their Western European counterparts were obtained. The variety of forms is impressive: creeping, grass-like, drooping, spherical, bamboo-shaped, dwarf, winding, special for hedges, for basket weaving, etc. The Russian style in landscaping has received a magnificent planting material, the number of his fans is increasing.
The increase in the varietal family of willows is facilitated by the own properties of the willow genus: almost every type of tree has a bush variety, cuttings easily take root on the trunk. Willow actively reproduces from a cut trunk and root splitting. Vines of 5 - 10 buds planted in the ground are regenerated without loss of varietal properties.
Invented by French winemakers trellis fence for grapes. Willow branches are planted in the ground at a distance of 15 - 10 cm with a variable direction of inclination. The branches of the trunk are cut off, and the trees are tied at the crossroads. The result is a fence with diamond-shaped cells.
Wicker fences look elegant for climbing plants(Ukrainian "tyn"). Pegs with a diameter of 2-3 cm are driven into the ground at a distance of 15 - 20 cm. Softer, thin rods are placed in the gaps, bending alternately to the left and to the right. Tall wicker fences look good. Low ones (10 - 30 cm) can serve as a retaining wall for small flower beds. They look spectacular with Violas, Armerias, Salvias, Poppy Sadov. The wattles, having dried out, are destroyed slowly, and when destroyed, they improve the soil.
For Beans, Peas, climbing Hedgehog Fruit, Morning Glory, you can create an original support in the form of a weapon pyramid. To do this, along the perimeter of a circle of 40–50 cm, several willows are grown from vines, bringing their trunks to the center and tying them together.
Willow can be woven in its sapling state. To do this, tree trunks standing almost closely at the age of 2-3 years are cleared of lateral shoots by pruning, and a “pigtail” knot is twisted from them. The procedure is repeated every subsequent year. A group of 3-4 trees will turn into something like a small elephant tree from the tropics.
Video review - willows in landscape design
Planting willows and care rules
Although willow is a moisture-loving tree, it does not tolerate stagnant water in the ground. Sand and peat in a 1:1 ratio are poured into a hole with parameters 0.5 × 0.5 × 0.5 m. A mixture of turf soil with sand and clay is possible. On heavy soils and large flat areas, lay a drainage layer of expanded clay or broken bricks with sand layer thickness approx. 15 cm. Work with seedlings is carried out in spring or summer. Cuttings - only in spring. A small tree needs abundant watering: after planting - every day for a week. Later, you can get by with one or two waterings per week. Superphosphate is poured either into the hole, or poured in the form of a solution onto moistened soil. On sunny places Sprinkling is desirable. In the shade, only root watering is done. During the formation of the root system, it is desirable to add peat. The depth of the root collar does not matter for willows.
Willows easily tolerate their neighbors lawn grass(but not leek!). However, it is advisable for young trees to carry out spring mulching. Bark, straw, and wilted grass will do. The layer must be loosened.
fallen autumn leaves To prevent diseases they are removed.
In green building in temperate latitudes, purple willow "Nana" (Salix purpurea) occupies special place, as it easily tolerates shearing and is shade-tolerant (one of the few varieties). It has bluish leaves, but spring bushes are showered with bright purple male inflorescences. The bushes of the variety can reach a height of 4 m. There is a weeping form of Pendula.
Planted by cuttings in a trench in a “goose step” manner. The trench width is 40 cm, the distance between cuttings in a row is 15 cm.
Varieties “Waterfall”, “Olympic flame”, “Globular dwarf” planted together with the lump, carefully removing the seedlings from the containers into a trench with a substrate. The distance between bushes is half a meter.
Norway willow is a tree reaching 8-m in height with a hemispherical crown. An excellent material for hedges. Pruning is done 2 times a year: after flowering and at the end of summer. Trim so that a bud remains at the end of the shoot. A holly willow hedge lasts 30 years.
Solitaire and group plantings of ball willows and more
A free-standing Norway willow is formed into an umbrella shape by pruning the branches that descend to the bottom. It has been growing for 70 years. Bamboo-like forms developed: "Record", "Schwerin Improved". Such willows are planted in small groups.
They look picturesque in groups of 3 - 4 pieces. brittle willow. A tree with an almost regular spherical shape. The trunk bark is dark. The shoots are bright green. The leaves are elongated, smooth with a point at the end. Effective without foliage. It grows poorly on sand, but on improved soils its decorative qualities are clearly expressed. Very frost-resistant species. Reaches a height of 20 m, maximum age is 50 years. Because of the beautiful “legs” of small shoots on the branches of the trunks, brittle willow is also called bubble willow (Bullata).
View Goat willow(Salix caprea Silberglanz) is different interesting color inflorescences: spring catkins are white, heavily pubescent. Thanks to the hairs on the leaves, it turns silver in the light. Looks impressive against the background of dark junipers and spruce trees. Does not propagate by cuttings. But, nevertheless, this view gave nai large quantity varieties and hybrids. The weeping variety on the rootstock looks like a fountain with its long branches lowered to the ground. Common dwarf plant. Umbrella and spherical shapes on high stems with variegated leaves are interesting for their three-color coloring: on each leaf a whitish field, a pink stripe and a milky green edging are visible. Variegated goat willow (variegate). There are round-leaved and oval-leaved goat willow hybrids. The densely planted, fleshy leaves of these hybrids look more like magnolia leaves and bear little resemblance to willow leaves.
Such dense rims on the stems will become successful accents on both sides of the entrance, big plant among the flower bed.
Twisty Willow Ural– the tree is not tall, up to 3.5 m. Similar to its heat-loving counterpart – Iwa Matsuda. The ornateness of the new variety is observed both in the branches and in the leaves, even in the inflorescences.
Low, a few centimeters willow (polar Salix polaris, herbaceous Salix herbacea), their varieties and hybrids are planted on rocky hills and mixborders along walking alleys.
In combination with spruce and birch trees, decorative willows look especially convincing. Landscape designers using willows are reviving the traditions of the Russian style in landscaping.
Products woven from wicker can serve their owners for many years, performing not only practical, but also decorative function. They are successfully used as a piece of furniture both in the countryside and in the metropolis.
Making willow with your own hands is a science mastered by our ancestors several thousand years before our era. In historical documents different countries around the world there are references to various wicker boxes, fences, baskets and much more. The products that can be made by learning how to weave are beautiful and varied. Nowadays, willow weaving is not related to the everyday needs of a person; rather, it is a fashionable hobby and a way to bring beauty and style to the interior.
General information about wicker weaving
Modern willow baskets are not only accessories for the garden, they are full-fledged inhabitants of apartments. They not only bring practical benefits, but are also a highlight, a kind of accent in the design of the apartment.
It is important to note that collecting vines for weaving does not cause any harm to nature, but, on the contrary, rejuvenates the thickets.
Willow weaving is popular today as in rural areas, and in major cities. Another advantage of this hobby is that there is no need to purchase materials for work. You can easily prepare them yourself. Willow is a very common plant and grows in almost all regions of Russia. If you like walking fresh air, then going for the willow vine will be a pleasant and interesting adventure for you. In some large cities, shops that provide goods for various hobbies are beginning to sell wicker rods. There are not many such stores yet, but this great option for those who don’t know where to find willow thickets in a large city.
Blank for weaving
Not only willow vine is suitable for weaving, but also walnut vine and other flexible species of shrubs and trees. It is better to choose thin, long shoots. Take those twigs that do not branch.
For this type of hobby, both unbarked and peeled vines are suitable. Large products are woven from the unrefined wood: fences, large baskets for fruits and vegetables. Peeled vines are used to make vases, trays, laundry boxes, bread bins and much more. An unpeeled vine is called unrooted, a peeled one is called debarked.
The preparation of materials for weaving is carried out in autumn or spring. In summer, willow shoots, due to active growth, are very brittle and are not suitable for weaving.
Shoots harvested in spring are cleared of bark immediately, without additional preparation. Shoots harvested in the fall are boiled before cleaning. Harvesting and preparing vines for weaving is not a difficult task, but it requires time and effort.
But when willow weaving for beginners step by step captivates you and draws you in, and the finished wicker item will become a source of pride for you, the time and effort spent will be fully repaid by the charge of positive energy that you will receive.
Required Tools
What will we need during the work process? Willow weaving for beginners, described step by step in the article, requires at least a good amount of patience. Making a basket from wicker is more difficult than weaving it from newspaper tubes. Natural material less pliable in work and can break.
You also need some tools for the job.
Prepare:
- Awl.
- Secateurs.
- Side cutters.
- A spray bottle filled with water to spray the vines.
Technology
Classically, baskets are woven starting from the bottom. Then they weave the walls and the bend. Handles come last.
It is advisable to start from willow for beginners step by step with product models round shape. To make it, you will need to learn just a few techniques:
- Round bottom manufacturing technology.
- Rope weaving.
- Layer weaving technique.
- Bending.
During the weaving process, the work must be compacted and pressed down so that the basket does not turn out to be too flimsy. The rods should be laid tightly and evenly, without covering each other.
Once the technique of making a round basket has been mastered, you can move on to more complex openwork products made from wicker. Experienced craftsmen They decorate their baskets with braids, weaving birch bark, straw and wooden beads into them. The design and shape of such baskets are limited only by the imagination of the master.
You can weave almost anything from wicker. Often landscape designers order wicker figures from vines to decorate the garden. Decorate personal plot fences, and on open veranda It is quite possible to place a rocking chair made of wicker. You can also weave stools and a small table made of willow for outdoor gatherings.
From this available environmentally friendly material They even make decorations and New Year's gifts. A cradle made of untreated twigs is suitable for a children's room. Children love to sleep in such natural, environmentally friendly cradles.
Rectangular wicker baskets, arranged on shelves and racks, are suitable for storing clothes, magazines and newspapers, and all sorts of household items.
Any housewife can find use for wickerwork in her home. The ability to weave from wicker will definitely be useful to you in life, at least for arranging your own life, and maybe it will become a source of additional income for you.
Now that you have learned about what wicker weaving is and how to weave from willow, the master class below will teach you how to weave round baskets from wicker. With such a basket you can go on picnics with friends or to the dacha with children.
Weaving willow baskets for beginners (master class)
Let's start making the basket by preparing the willow vine. It is best to cut the vine in May, before the willow begins to bloom. You can also cut the vines in August, when new long shoots grow on the willow.
Preparing a vine from willow branches
We immediately remove the bark from the cut branches and leave our vine for five days in the shade in the open air.
After the vine has been prepared and rested, we begin weaving willow baskets. The technology is as follows: we weave the bottom and edges of the product with whole round twigs, and the walls with vines split into several parts.
How to split a vine
To split the vine into pieces, you will need a special cleaver made of hard rock tree. An incision is made at the end of the vine with a knife, a cleaver is inserted into it, and the vine is split into 2, 3 or 4 parts.
The split branches are soaked in water for several hours, and then the brown center is removed. It is recommended to use a plane to process split vines.
Before weaving from the vine, it needs to be moistened. This can be done with a spray bottle or by lowering the branches into water for a few minutes.
Having prepared a sufficient amount of vines, we begin weaving willow baskets.
Carefully consider the process of creating a basket in the figure. First, the bottom of the basket is woven, then the ribs are added and the sides are woven along them. At the very end the handle is done.
If you know the technology for making baskets from paper straws, then know that willow weaving for beginners step by step is almost the same.
We carry out the work in this order:
- To make the bottom of the basket, split five rods in the middle with a knife and insert five other rods into the holes. We insert the tips of the first two into the same holes.
- We make a braid of the bottom. The first rod needs to cover the split twigs from above, and the second one needs to cover those threaded into the split twigs from the bottom.
- We also perform the third and fourth turns.
- We spread the crosspiece rods in the shape of a fan and braid them with two willow branches.
- We press the twigs together using an awl.
- When the bottom reaches the size we need, we install the ribs of the basket into our willow weaving. For beginners, we will explain this process step by step. For the ribs we use round twigs. We cut their ends obliquely to a distance of about 5 cm. We insert the sharp ends into the bottom braid. We cut off the excess ends of the vine. The edges of the bottom are woven from four round twigs, which are inserted 4 cm near the side ribs of the basket. To give the basket the required shape, we make a blank, as in Fig. 9. Nail the bottom of the basket to it using small nails.
- We finish the braiding of the bottom and cut off the excess twigs.
- Let's move on to weaving the sides. We cut off the ends of the new twigs. We take twigs of medium thickness. We insert new branches along each twig of the base.
- We bend the new rods under the two adjacent ones to the left, down, and then up.
- We also bend the remaining branches of the vine. The last two branches cannot be bent. We simply wrap them around the first ones. We weave the sides of the basket until they reach the height we need.
- We begin to weave a handle. We take thick shoots of the vine, bend them and determine the length of the handle. We cut off the excess vine.
- We sharpen the ends of the vine and insert them into the walls of the basket. We insert five branches next to the handle and wrap them around the handle. We hide the extra ends of the vine between the walls of the basket.
- We take a thin twig and wrap it around the edges of the handle. We hide the ends of the twig and cut off the excess.
- Weaving a willow basket with your own hands is completed. A simple round willow basket is ready.
Follow the procedure shown in the pictures. A little practice and you will succeed.
Conclusion
Having mastered the technique of weaving round baskets from wicker, you can then learn how to weave square and oval baskets and boxes, learn how to weave a willow fence for beginners step by step, then move on to making wicker furniture and more complex products. The growth of your skills and mastery depends only on the amount of your free time and desire to engage in wicker weaving. Willow weaving is an interesting and accessible activity for everyone.
You've probably seen beautiful ones with intertwined trunks in the store more than once. This process can take quite a long time if it is carried out at home. The main thing is to know how to braid a ficus yourself so that its trunks and crown are smooth and beautiful. To do this, you need to know a few basic points in ficus weaving.
Weaving rules
As they grow, we will give them the necessary shape. To twist the trunks into a spiral, two plants will be enough, but with three this weaving will look more impressive.
The braid of their three ficus shoots begins to be braided when they reach a height of 13 centimeters.
Each next turn must be done as the plant grows. During the first time we will need a soft wool thread for tying trunks so that they do not unravel. The thread needs to be rewound over time.
Typically this will happen every 2 months. If you notice white milk while rewinding the thread, then the plant trunk is already damaged. Just don’t rush to get upset. Nothing bad happened. Ficus will soon resume its strength. The trunks must be tied with threads strictly at an angle of 45 degrees.
If your ficus braid is high enough, then it is recommended to install additional support that can be removed over time.
Types of ficus weaving
Pigtail
We will need small ficus benjamina seedlings of the same height. Their thickness should vary from 1 to 1.5 centimeters.
- Young specimens need to be planted in one container next to each other. Such actions will allow us to carefully and beautifully braid the pigtail in the future.
- First of all, we remove all the small branches on the sides of the stems, leaving only the tops.
- Before weaving, be sure to water the plant well. If the soil is sufficiently moist, the stems will be as flexible as possible. A certain time interval must be maintained between watering and weaving. Watering in the evening - weaving in the morning.
- Surely everyone has an idea of how to braid a braid correctly. With ficus, things are a little different. We will have to braid the braid in parts, as the stems grow. Don't forget to tie the braided part of the plant.
- You can adjust the strength of the weaving solely at your discretion. If you weave the stems a little looser, gaps will appear between them, which will look very decorative on adult ficus trees. To ensure that the holes are the same, experts recommend inserting identical pencils between them.
Do you want the stems to all grow together into one? In this case, you need to carefully remove the bark from the trees in small parts at the joints. After approximately half a year, the trunks should grow together.
Spirals
WE WEAVE PLANT TRUNKS Plant trunks curved in a spiral, woven into a braid, or a complex plait look very decorative and interesting. This is easy to do yourself at home. What plants are suitable for weaving? Ficuses (all except rubber) and any citrus trees (orange, lemon, tangerine) are best suited for this purpose - these plants are quite unpretentious and will easily withstand stress from weaving (and there will be, of course). Also suitable for weaving are myrtle, fatsia, oleander, tamarind (post about tamarind - below on the wall), jasmine, rivina, Chinese rose, in general, any plant whose trunk becomes woody with age. How to weave trunks: 1. Plant 2-5 seedlings, depending on how you want to braid the trunks of plants. To create a spiral-curved trunk, you will need support. For complex weaving, a larger number of trunks will be required. A circular lattice looks very beautiful - this is when plants are planted in a circle in big pot and then braided. 2. The height of the intertwined plants must be at least 15 cm. Before weaving, we cut off the branches from the bottom of the stems and wipe the cut areas dry from the juice. 3. If the plants already have woody stems, then before weaving you need to take the plant into the bathroom and cover the soil plastic bag and turn on hot water to create steam. Leave the pot for a while so that the stems become flexible. 4. Then twist the stems the way you want - with a spiral (around the support), a braid or other weaving. It is necessary to leave small holes between the trunks, taking into account the fact that as the plant grows, the trunks thicken. If you do not want the trunks to be closely intertwined, then you can insert wooden sticks into the holes, which are pulled out when the weaving becomes stronger and the trunks become woody as the plant grows) 5. Secure the plant trunks, use twine as clamps, plastic film, wire, strong thread. To make the junctions grow together faster, you can carefully remove the bark down to the cambium. Wipe off the juice from the cuts and press the trunks tightly with a clamp. To prevent wires or threads from growing into the bark, replace them with new ones every month. As soon as the plants grow, weaving can continue. 6. For the first year, spray the plant weekly with epin or ferovit - this stimulates accelerated growth. Removing the lower leaves also speeds up plant growth. photo 1 - ficus Benjamin Natasha, spiral weaving (weaving around a support) photo 2 - this way the holes in the weaving are preserved, after a while the pencils are pulled out, and holes remain in the weaving photo 3 - weaving around a support, the support is a plastic tube, which is then pulled out photo 4 - Benjamin ficus, braided photo 5 - myrtle, spiral braided (a support is used, which is then pulled out) photo 6 - avocado, braided