Willow as screening??

Hort101

I have a situation at home out the back where i have started to set up my own backyard nursery which is pretty much for my own work for now but maybe someday it will be bigger and iv a large crop area also. which is badly wind swept.

We took out the trees a few years ago not knowing the shelter they where making. Bad decision. :mad:

Will willow be a good idea to plant as a screen and keep it at about ten foot high to screen the damaging strong winds out the back that is destroying everything i try yo grow??

Northumbria

Yes, a willow screen is a good idea. Most willows are also fast growing and will tolerate boggy conditions too, so they're quite suitable for windbreaks.
Personally I'd plant a mixture of native willows with some ornamental ones like Corkscrew willow, the ornamental ones could be propagated from cuttings quite easily if you ever wanted to sell them.

Hort101

Is there any way of training them to be a denser screen of would you recommend letting them grow up to a selected height and then top or trim them??

Oldtree

yes you can prune them back hard to get a bushier effect and continue to do this over the years, like coppice. Alder is also an option for this type of windbreak. i would use 2 to 3 staggered rows if you are going to use this in a professional capacity and then pretty up the front, dogwoods, dogroses etc. ornamental plants tend to be less hardy and less vigorous.

if you let them grow up to a selected height then the willl form single stem up to that height, better start low and build a framework for shoots to grow from every year which can then be thinned as needed.

Northumbria

Oldtree wrote: »

yes you can prune them back hard to get a bushier effect and continue to do this over the years, like coppice. Alder is also an option for this type of windbreak. i would use 2 to 3 staggered rows if you are going to use this in a professional capacity and then pretty up the front, dogwoods, dogroses etc. ornamental plants tend to be less hardy and less vigorous.

if you let them grow up to a selected height then the willl form single stem up to that height, better start low and build a framework for shoots to grow from every year which can then be thinned as needed.

Corkscrew willow is exceptionally hardy, it comes from Northeast China and Southern Siberia, it is more hardy than native species. It's fast growing too, mine grew to 10 foot in 3 years, I keep it at that height by pruning the canopy once a year, it's good to feed animals and salix contains natural painkilling compounds.

Oldtree

Northumbria wrote: »

Corkscrew willow is exceptionally hardy, it comes from Northeast China and Southern Siberia, it is more hardy than native species. It's fast growing too, mine grew to 10 foot in 3 years, I keep it at that height by pruning the canopy once a year, it's good to feed animals and salix contains natural painkilling compounds.

what i meant by less hardy is that is is nowhere as vigerous nor do they bush out as much as say goat willow and the corkscrew ones i've see here seem to suffer a bit of apical dieback and look very thin for some reason and i dont think the op is looking for an ornamental hedge. 10 foot in 3 years is kinda slow for willow. My willows do 6 foot a year easy, better for a practical hedge, dont you think.
by the way i like both corkscrew willow and contorted hazel.

ganger

Sounds great,,,,what way is best to buy willow,whippets or bare root???????

Oldtree

bare root plants 90cm-120cm next winter from november on, will give the best all round result.

Skrynesaver

Another option with willow is a fedge they grow incredibly quickly and offer a good screen

Hort101

Whips and bare root are pretty much the same. both have the root exposed yet you could get a 6 foot 3 year old plant that bare root and a 1 year old plant that i bare root.. whips are generally one/two years growth that i bare root and should be planted in the dormant season - October until feb.

I bought potted willow that where potted on from last years whips for 1.50 each, which i very cheap. these can be planted all year round so i will plant them in two weeks to ensure the root have filled out the pots and hopefully i will develop it into a screen for my growing area out the back.

Oldtree

Hort101 wrote: »

Whips and bare root are pretty much the same. both have the root exposed yet you could get a 6 foot 3 year old plant that bare root and a 1 year old plant that i bare root.. whips are generally one/two years growth that i bare root and should be planted in the dormant season - October until feb.

I bought potted willow that where potted on from last years whips for 1.50 each, which i very cheap. these can be planted all year round so i will plant them in two weeks to ensure the root have filled out the pots and hopefully i will develop it into a screen for my growing area out the back.

the best quality bare root stock is available immediatly the planting season starts in november. What remains unsold is then potted up and sold on as potted. You will probably notice the potting compost fall away from the roots when you go to plant out. I would suggest you give these plants plenty of water and husbandry in the coming summer, even though willow is very tough and forgiving.

My Potatoes

If you have access to willow growing in the wild, you could get branches and cut these into 1 m lengths. Then hammer them into the ground. Not all will take, but you'll get a fast and very economical hedge.

My Potatoes

Some advice here, lower down:
http://www.gardenplansireland.com/forum/about6269.html

Oldtree

My Potatoes wrote: »

If you have access to willow growing in the wild, you could get branches and cut these into 1 m lengths. Then hammer them into the ground. Not all will take, but you'll get a fast and very economical hedge.

I did that to see how thick a branch would work, up to about 3 inch diameter. They all took but needed support for a number of years on the thicker branches. It may have been my soil.

ganger

Oldtree wrote: »

bare root plants 90cm-120cm next winter from november on, will give the best all round result.

Thanks for replying,,how much for approx 30metres long and sown in t a double row.

Oldtree

ganger wrote: »

Thanks for replying,,how much for approx 30metres long and sown in t a double row.

depends on how close you plant them
Plants bought in bundles of 25 are the cheapest way to go.