The wonders of willow

Willows work really hard for their place in your garden, and they support and nourish other plants, says Toby

- Toby Buckland

WHENEVER I start a kitchen garden or allotment, willow is among the first things I plant. Its abundant crops of pliable stems are so useful for weaving into wigwams and plant supports. But that’s not the only use for this remarkable plant.

As anyone who has wielded a pruning saw knows, trees and shrubs consist of two types of wood: hard ‘heartwood’ in the centre, and soft easily sawn ‘sapwood’ that makes up the branches and twigs.

Heartwood creates a frame that keeps the leafy and blossoming parts of the plants aloft. Although this outer stuff lacks strength, it’s packed with plant hormones and goodness that’s easily returned to the soil as a chipped mulch.

This is especially true of coppiced willow that’s cut to the ground every one-three years, as the whippy regrowth is heartwood-free and goes through a garden shredder like a dream.