About Us
Willoweave are a small family business located near the ancient City of York.
Willoweave supply living willow and interweave fencing panels manufactured from coppiced willow grown on the Vale of York. Coppicing is a sustainable system that provides a renewable source of raw material when harvested on a 2 to 3 year cycle.
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Willoweave welcome the opportunity to speak directly to both existing customers and potential new customers, contact details can be found on the contact page.
Harvest 2009
November has arrived and this usually signals the start of our willow harvesting period. Willow plants shed their leaves and become dormant as the average temperatures fall. Through Late November to January we will harvest for fence manufacture, from January through to bud break ( normally April ) we will harvest both for fence manufacture and also living willow for sale as rods to create structures such as arbours and fedges. We can take orders now for both fencing and living willow but will not deliver living willow until 2010.
Birds in Spring
The Willoweave woodland is begining to stir with the activity of nesting birds. Due to the structural complexity of willow and the difference in morphology of the many varieties, at least 32 bird species have been recorded in SRWC. Arboreal species such as Tits and Warblers, ‘skulking’ species such as Wren and Robin, and migrant species also utilise the willow coppice. In west Wales, preliminary results from a study (by Llysdinam’s Wales Biomass Centre and IGER) using mist nets to evaluate the avian biodiversity of SRC recorded 14 species of birds within the cropped areas of first year SRC; and avifauna flocks of reed buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus) and finches were also observed.
To encourage nesting birds in your garden you may want to install a bird box this spring, if you already have a willoeave fence then attach one to a fence post. The box below is ideal.
| WILD BIRD NEST BOX |
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* Built to all BTO (British Trust for Ormithology) standards. * 15mm wall thickness for optimum insulation. * Approved product by BSA (Birdcare Standards Association). * 9″ (23cm) High, 5″ (13cm) Wide, 28mm entrance hole. |
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Secateurs
| FELCO MODEL 4 SECATEURS |
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| Top quality high carbon steel cutting blade, precision hardened and hollow ground with wire cutting notch. Easily replaceable as not riveted. All in one anvil blade with forged alloy handle and anvil blade. Tempered and ground bearing and bolt, preventing blade spread and guaranteeing a long working life. Handles forged in high strength light aluminium alloy, with distinctive | |
| Length. 21cm. |
Picnic Hamper
| THE AVON DE LUXE | |
| 2 Person Willow Picnic Hamper with ceramic plates, wine glasses, cutlery, bottle opener, insulated cooler bag, gingham tablecloth and napkins | |
| Prepare for those hot summer days and picnics by the river with this super picnic hamper. |
Living Willow for 2009
We have had a busy winter at willoweave both supplying and installing fencing and also supplying living willow for “fedges” and living willow structures. As spring approaches and the willow starts its growth for the season our harvesting stops, to make sure that you obtain any living willow for planting this year now is the time to contact us
Willow at Wikpedia
Find about willow and add facts of your own at Wikpedia HERE
Willow harvested for biomass
In addition to growing willow for fence manufacture we also harvest a proportion of it as woodchip. We have recently finished harvesting and to see how we do this you can view the video below. The harvesting is undertaken every three years, the woodchip produced, referred to as biomass, will be used to co-fire with coal to produce electricity at Drax power station in Yorkshire. This is helping the UK reduce its CO2 emissions.
Curative Willow
The leaves and bark of the willow tree have been mentioned in ancient texts from Assyria, Sumer and Egypt as a remedy for aches and fever, and the Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates wrote about its medicinal properties in the 5th century BC. Native Americans across the American continent relied on it as a staple of their medical treatments. This is because they contain salicylic acid, the precursor to aspirin.
In 1763 its medicinal properties were observed by the Reverend Edward Stone in England. He notified the Royal Society who published his findings. The active extract of the bark, called salicin, was isolated to its crystalline form in 1828 by Henri Leroux, a French pharmacist, and Raffaele Piria, an Italian chemist, who then succeeded in separating out the acid in its pure state. Salicin is acidic when in a saturated solution in water (pH = 2.4), and is called salicylic acid for that reason.
In 1897 Felix Hoffmann created a synthetically altered version of salicin (in his case derived from the Spiraea plant), which caused less digestive upset than pure salicylic acid. The new drug, formally Acetylsalicylic acid, was named aspirin by Hoffmann’s employer Bayer AG. This gave rise to the hugely important class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Coppice Willow
This is a simple procedure done by cutting all the top growth to ground level in late winter.
How to:
Year 1 – in the spring, plant the dormant willow cuttings in the soil (simply push them in a few inches), leaving 2 or 3 buds above the level of the soil. Or plant plugs. Provide ample water throughout the growing season.
Year 2 and onwards – in late winter prune all the rods back to the point from which they grew the previous year. Provide ample water throughout the growing season.
Note: the growth that has been cut off can be placed in water to stimulate the catkins, or it can be used for basketry, living willow structures, twig furniture, wattle fencing and more.
