Varieties Grown
At Barfad Willow I currently grow fifteen different varieties.
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Dark Dicks (Salix purpurea): This is one of my most popular basket making varieties. It is a very fine willow with dark brown-purple-red rods, which dry to a deep purplish brown. Very suitable for beginners.
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Green Dicks (Salix purpurea): A fine rod with a pale green stem which changes to a whitish green in the winter. It dries to a pale green. Green Dick is another popular basket making willow and is good for beginners.
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Dicky Meadows (Salix purpurea): A waxy, slender, willow, a little more stout that the Dicks'. Dry rods vary between a dark to a lighter brown, sometimes it varies within the stem, and sometimes it's quite even. The lighter stems have tiny dark buds which makes it very attractive. The butt ends can be pretty bendy, especially on the larger rods.
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Packing Twine (Salix purpurea): A strong basket making willow. The butt ends dry almost black and the rods gradually lighten through a greenish brown to become chocolatey brown at the tips. Packing Twine is a tough willow which will require extra soaking.
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Irish Brittany Green (Salix purpurea): Slender green stems make Brittany Green another popular basket willow. It produces lots of 6-8ft rods.
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Harrisons (Salix Purpurea x Viminalis): I seem to have two varieties of this willow. Both were sold to me as Harrisons; one is a deep rich brown in colour and the other a pale creamy brown. Both have a smooth even bark and grow tall, straight and stout. I shall call them Light Harrisons and Dark Harrisons. The photograph shows the light variety. Harrisons is very popular for making large baskets - and also, unfortunately, for dinner parties among the local deer...
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Brittany Blue (Salix purpurea x Salix daphnoides): Beautiful slender stems with a make this a very popular willow for basketry. Once dry it develops a bluish hue which makes it quite distinctive.
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Continental Purple (Salix daphnoides): A stunning deep purple willow which develops a white bloom when dry. It's quite stout and therefore not so popular for basket making - but I can't resist growing it because it is such an incredible colour. Some people like to use it for living willow structures.
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Flanders Red (Salix alba vitellina x fragilis): The waxy rods of Flanders Red are green with a red tinge that dry to a rich orange brown. It is quite stout so although suitable for basket making it is mainly used for larger baskets.
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Golden Willow (Salix alba vitellina): The rods of Vitellina are not terribly slender, but the distinctive bright yellow stems are stunning. They dry to a deep chocolate brown, black or an interesting motley mixture.
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Scarlet Willow (Salix alba chermisina): Chermesina produce remarkably rich orange-red rods which are very popular for their colour. It's hard to grow, produces many small side shoots and unfortunately the deer love to gobble it all up. If I ever manage to produce any for sale it is therefore sold at a premium price!
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Chinese (Salix miyabeana): A waxy green stemmed willow which turns orangey-red towards the tips. It can be wavy rather than dead straight. It is fast growing and vigorous. Very popular for living willow structures, soil stabilization and waste filtration.
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Polish Blue: A tall slender deep coloured basket willow. I am in the process of establishing Polish Blue so only small amounts occassionally available at present.
Carl Jenson: This is tall, very fine, delicate willow with a pale grren bark with red tinges. As yet I only have very small amounts available.
Nicholsonni: Another tall, pale delicate willow perfect for fine basketry. Again only small amounts are available as yet.
