I AM AT THE ITHACA FARMERS MARKET WEEKENDS WITH FRESH FRUIT AND MY HANDMADE LEATHER BAGS AND BELTS. ONLINE ORDERING OF TREES AND SCION FOR SPRING 2025 BEGINS IN NOVEMBER - SCOTT
Willow is probably the easiest tree to establish, it has so much life force it doesn't even need a seed, a live stick can root itself into the ground and grow! This is fortunate for us, because seedlings are variable, and what we want to grow are cloned cultivars chosen for their color and growth habit. With fruit trees this means grafting to a rootstock, a two year process to make a tree, but with willow you can rapidly and inexpensively grow lots of trees! We take cuttings from dormant plants in late winter, and store them in cold storage until shipping them to you to plant in spring. This process causes the cutting to create root initials so when you plant it it will send out roots and then shoots.
Most willow is managed by annual coppicing or pollarding, cutting off all new growth to use in weaving. In this way the "tree" can be maintained the same size for decades, producing a crop of rods every winter. We plant basketry willow 8-10" apart in rows 4' apart. 3-6 plants will produce enough rods for a medium basket annually, beginning in year 2. By weaving living willow together when young, living structures can even be built!
We sell bundles of 5 cuttings of each of the varieties below. We ship in April for you to plant immediately. Flat rate $9.00 shipping includes any amount of scion wood, fig, and willow cuttings. Orders which include scion wood will ship in March. Cuttings can be kept in the refrigerator until planting. If you wish to receive scion wood in March and cuttings in April please make two orders.
