Highlights
- Keep well watered
- Do not remove ties
- Pinch new growth off the trunk
- Trim crown 2 to 4 times a year
- Spray with fungicide monthly
- Do not trim after August before Winter
- Leave outside all year round (Full Hardy)
- Lifespan up to 25 years
General
To keep your Willow Topiary in good health, its very important that they are kept well watered (daily in warm weather).
Alternatively, to keep your Willow Twist happy, place the pot in a tray or bucket that will keep the pot submerged in water.
Do not worry about over-watering.
Ties are used to secure the willow whips in their decorative design. Do not remove the ties as the willow whips will unfurl. The ties do not restrict growth.
To keep the visual effect of the Twisted trunk when new growth appears, simply use your fingers and pinch it off.
After a couple of years, the living willow whips will bond together. This process is called Pressure Grafting. At this point, it doesn’t matter that the ties may snap off; the Willow Topiary will hold its form.
Over the years, the diameter of the twisted decorative trunk will gradually increase while maintaining its design, though it will lose its violet colour, and take on an aged bark appearance.
The Willow Topiary will grow in partial shade to full sun. It must be kept outdoors all year round and will cope with severe frost.
The most important thing is that the willow topiary must not dry out.
Planting
As soon as your Willow Twists arrive through the post you’ll want to get them out of the box and place their root section in water.
However, ideally they will be in water for no more than two days before they are potted up. Otherwise, if they are left in water for a longer period of time they could go into shock when potted/planted.
Its very important that you do not remove the lower tie that holds the willow whips in their decorative design. Recommended planting depth is roughly 15cm.
Keep the planting at least 1m away from any walls and the eaves of any roof structures to ensure the willow topiary receives enough light and rain.
Make sure you firm the soil in around the willow topiary. Don’t worry about over-compacting the soil, the willow roots will do just fine.
As long as the willow topiary crown is kept trimmed as per the instructions below, there will be no risk of root damage to drains/structures.
After around 2-3 months, the willow topiary will have established a root system and will, therefore, need less attention with regard to watering. However, I cannot stress this enough, do not let the willow topiary dry out.
Trimming
As the willow topiary starts to grow, buds will appear all over the tree. Growth above the ties will form the crown of the topiary.
The growth that appears below the ties on the trunk/stem will need to be pinched off with your fingers to maintain the decorative effect/design. By the second growing season, buds on the trunk/stem will be less frequent.
After the first 4 to 6 inches of growth on a new Willow Twist reduce that by half to help to start to develop a thick topiary crown effect.
Trim the growth of the crown at least twice during the first growing season. Trimming up to four times during the year will encourage a more dense topiary effect.
Never cut into the hardwood stems that form the base of the crown. Also, do not conduct any trimming after July before winter, as that will encourage new growth which will be prone to die-back.
After trimming its recommended to give the tips of the Willow Twist leaves a quick spray with fungicide to keep disease at bay. More details below.
Pests & Dieseases
Willow is generally very resistant to pests and diseases. However, all plants have pests and diseases to be aware of:
IMPORTANT
To keep your Willow Twist free from disease we recommend that it is sprayed monthly with a preventative and curative solution such as Provanto Fungal Fighter Plus.
FAQ
Q: How/where do you sell the Willow Twist?
Our Willow Twists are posted bare (no pot/compost) between November to March with free postage to anywhere within the UK.
We also sell retail at various Plant Fairs and wholesale to Garden Centres etc.
Q: How do you make your Willow Twists?
Nine willow whips are specifically selected and they are then hand woven/twisted together simultaneously in both a clockwise and anti-clockwise direction. Its difficult to explain (and even more difficult to do), but as I’m sure you’ll agree the effect is very attractive.
Q: When do you make your Willow Twists?
Our Willow Twist production window is between November to March, after leaf drop and while the willow is dormant. We then send them through the post so they can be potted up ready for spring.
Q: What to do with the Willow Twists upon delivery?
As soon as your Willow Twists arrive through the post you’ll want to get them out of the box and place their root section in water. However, ideally they will be in water for no more than two days before they are potted up. Otherwise, if they are left in water for a longer period of time they could go into shock when potted/planted.
Q: What type of willow are the Willow Twists made from?
We grow and make our products from Violet Willow (Salix Daphnoides).
Q: Can the Willow Twist be kept indoors?
No, the Willow Twist needs to be kept outdoors all year round. They are full hardy and cope with any cold UK weather.
Q: How often should a Willow Twist be watered?
You want to make sure the compost in the pot is always moist. To help, you could place the pot on a saucer/tray to reduce water loss from the pot. You do not need to worry about over-watering. Alternatively, they can be planted in a garden.
Q: How often should a Willow Twist be trimmed?
Trimming the fresh growth as part of the crown of the Willow Twist will encourage even more growth. The general recommendation is between one to four trims per season, with more trimming creating a denser topiary effect. But don’t trim between late July and Winter.
Q: What size of plant pot for a Willow Twist?
The general rule is the width of the pot should match the width of the crown you wish to grow. So as the Willow Twist grows it may need a larger pot, or ideally, for a large crown, it would be placed in the ground.
Q: How deep should a Willow Twist be planted?
Plant around 15% of the height of the Willow Twist into the ground. It’s also very important to compress the soil/compost around the twisted trunk.
Q: Will the decorative effect of the stem/truck get any taller?
No, while the decorative stem/trunk will get thicker and fuse together over the years (pressure graft), the decorative effect will not continue to get taller.
Q: Does the Willow Twist require a spot with full sun?
No, a Willow Twist will quite happily grow in an area with partial shade. However, it won’t grow well in an area of very little light/permanent shade.
Q: What should be done at the end of the season?
After the leaves have dropped off in late November, you may choose to give the plant a final trim to be ready for next spring. However, if you want a nice display of the silver fluffy catkins in spring, don’t trim too hard. Also, never cut into the hardwood/original Willow Twist.
Q: How to keep a Willow Twist happy during very hot weather?
A Willow Twist needs lots of water to stay healthy. As its pretty impossible to overwater willow, during very hot, dry weather, you may wish to place your potted Willow Twist in a tub of water.
Alternatively, you could repot the Willow Twist in a larger pot and also mix some Water-Retaining Granuels into the compost for it to retain more moisture.
Q: When do the catkins appear?
In late winter/early spring is when the catkins may appear before new growth. They will appear on the end of the newest growth. For instance, below are catkins on a new Willow Twist.
Q: Do I need to remove new buds on the decorative trunk/stem?
Yes, if you don’t, that new growth will eventually cover up the decorative effect of the twisted trunk. They are easy to pinch off when they are around 1cm in length. During the second growing season, they will be very minimal.
Q: What is Bloom and how to deal with it?
Bloom may appear on the twisted trunk of the Willow Twist and its completely natural and normal, its not a bacterial/fungal infection. Its a waxy coating produced by the Willow as a means of protection to reduce moisture loss, the same as bloom on grapes.
However, if you would like to remove it from the Willow Twist its easy to do as you can see from the image above where I rub my thumb over it.
The most practical means to remove bloom is with a soft brush/paint brush and some water, you can wash it off in seconds.
Q: The leaves have turned yellow and dropped off?
Water stress (lack of water) is the most likely reason. If you are struggling to keep the Willow Twist moist, place the pot on a tray/saucer to retain water.
Alternatively, you could repot the Willow Twist in a larger pot and also mix some Water-Retaining Granuels into the compost for it to retain more moisture.
However, presuming you have kept the willow topiary well watered, yellow leaves could also be a case of Rust or Black Canker (see below).
Pick off any yellow, brown or generally unhealthy leaves. The Willow Twist will quickly grow back new leaves.
Q: Why are the stems turning black?
If you can see black on the stems of the Willow Twist, this is a sign of Black Canker which is a fungal infection.
Leaf die back and the leaves turning yellow is also a potential sign of Black Canker or another type of fungal infection.
We decontaminate the Willow Twists with Liquid Copper Fungicide during manufacture and seal the cuts. However, fungal infections during growth are still a possibility that needs to be addressed.
IMPORTANT:
As a preventative and curative solution we recommend spraying your Willow Twist monthly during the growing season with Provanto Fungus Fighter Plus.
Q: When to do the first trim?
Around the start of June the Willow Twist will have around 4 to 6 inches of growth. At this time its worth giving it a little trim which will help to develop a thicker/denser crown as it continues to grow.
After trimming its recommended to give the tips of the Willow Twist leaves a quick spray with fungicide to keep disease at bay.