Medicinal plants

Growing willows for winter stem colour

The winter and spring are when willows come into their own. Certain willows have striking stem colour whilst others combine this with beautiful catkins. However, since the 1960’s and 70’s when weeping willows got a bad press for causing subsidence problems when planted in small gardens many of these varieties have fallen out of favour.

There is really no need to tar all willows with the same brush though. If you control willows by coppicing every 1 to 3 years you shouldn’t have any problems at all.

The beauty and diversity of willows

Neglected beauties

Willows for Schools

Create an oasis of willow in your school grounds or garden

Wondertree is a partnership run by Kevin and Sheena Lindegaard. We design and plant willow gardens or structures for our clients. These include schools, gardens, environmental charities and businesses.

Medicinal and food

Activity 3        Soothe your sore throat

Willow bark has been used for thousands of years for its excellent medicinal and pain relieving qualities. It contains the chemical compound salicin, a chemical related to acetylsalicylic acid, which in its synthetic form is known as aspirin. The recipe in this activity can be used as a natural remedy against colds and sore throats.

Sustainability and the environment

Activity 8        Save a plastic bag and make a fashion statement

Each year in the UK we use 8 billion plastic bags equivalent to 134 per person. The vast majority of these end up in landfill sites and they are believed to take up to 500 years to decompose. With very little effort we could reduce this waste problem simply by going out with a reusable shopping bag like people did in the old days. For maximum longevity and style why not go for a woven willow shopping basket?

Science and botany

Activity 5         Learn to identify some willows

There are hundreds of willow species. These 101 activities use many different species and you might feel a little daunted about where to start. However, the majority of tasks can be performed with just a handful of willows. This activity looks at five species native or naturalised to Britain and five native to North America. 

Gardening and horticulture

Activity 6         Grow Your Own Mistletoe by Infecting a Willow Branch

Most people will have used mistletoe to decorate their houses at Christmas and the lucky ones will even have had a Christmas kiss under a sprig. But come Twelfth Night don’t throw your mistletoe away – instead why not use the berries to create your own renewable resource and help in the conservation of the species.

Arts and crafts

Activity 4         Make a willow star

This is a really simple activity that could be performed with a class of primary school children. I did it at my daughters 2nd birthday party and it proved a hit with her friends. All you need is some pliant willow rods.

Activity 15       Draw a picture with artists' charcoal

101 things to do with willows

There are perhaps grander trees than willows and certainly many others with superior timber. But with willows you get a bit of everything. The usefulness of willows owes a great deal to their long, straight, slender, supple but strong shoots which make them perfect for basketry, weaving and other traditional crafts. Many activities such as living sculptures and screens would be impossible but for their ability to grow from cuttings and to produce rapid growth following the seemingly brutal cutting back as coppice and pollards.

About Us

People involved with willows tend to be evangelists. They speak about their favourite subject with a semi religious zeal that cannot fail to convert a defenceless person to the virtues of the genus Salix. When I walked into Long Ashton Research Station (LARS) in March 1994, I thought a willow was a weeping tree and I had no idea what on earth biomass energy was.

Nevertheless, meeting Rod Parfitt, the former curator of the National Willow Collection, on that day changed my life.

It was much later that I was introduced to Rod’s former mentor Ken Stott OBE who had been the Willows Officer from 1949-89. Ken is “The Knowledge” when it comes to willows and his various papers such as “Willows in the Service of Man” were a huge influence on me.

I was the willow breeder at LARS for 7 years. The aim of the work was to produce taller, straighter, thicker and ultimately higher yielding and disease resistant willows to provide a source of renewable fuel.

I bred a number of varieties that I named after ships of discovery and exploration such as Beagle, Quest, Resolution, Discovery, Terra Nova, Nimrod, Endeavour and Endurance. These are planted as 20 cm cuttings in March and have been known to grow over 4 metres in just 6 months! Many farmers particularly in the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are currently growing these varieties to fuel power stations and heating systems.

I have written extensively on the use of willow for energy and you can read these articles on my Crops for Energy website. Over the years, with Rod and Ken’s influence I became steeped in the local history of the cultivation of willows and cider apples and as a result I've got more and more interested in the different uses of trees. 

The Wondertree project isn’t just about trees – it’s also about helping people make positive steps to fight climate change and to create a greater bond with nature and the environment. My hope is that you will find this site inspirational and learn about the minor ways in which we can all make a big difference such as using a willow shopping basket instead of a disposable plastic bag. Being environmentally conscious needn’t be worthy, it can be fun and you’ll be surprised how good it can make you feel. Try it!

I hope you enjoy my website and get as much enjoyment out of growing willows for use and ornament as I do.

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