Living Structures | Vermont Willow Nursery https://vermontwillownursery.com Buds up! Thu, 27 Aug 2026 20:52:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://i0.wp.com/vermontwillownursery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/cropped-IMG_0508-1.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Living Structures | Vermont Willow Nursery https://vermontwillownursery.com 32 32 196090059 purpurea x koriyanagi https://vermontwillownursery.com/product/purpureaxkoriyanagi/ Fri, 24 Jan 2025 15:56:18 +0000 https://vermontwillownursery.com/?post_type=product&p=5436  

 

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

5+

Blooming Period

Mid Spring

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Sex

Female

Potential Height

At least 10, likely 20 ft

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Uses

Living structures, fedges, large weaving projects

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The post purpurea x koriyanagi first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> This is a female selection and is a vigorous grower with clean foliage rarely bothered by pests and diseases. It produces very few side branches and even at 10ft the stems are slender.

This is an inspired cross as these willows are two of the finest species we grow and the cross is even finer in some ways. For one thing it has inherited the pest resistance and lack of early leaf drop from Salix koriyanagi and is deer resistant.

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

The post purpurea x koriyanagi first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> 5436 miyabeana ‘Sx67’ https://vermontwillownursery.com/product/miyabeana-sx67/ Tue, 10 Dec 2024 19:35:19 +0000 https://vermontwillownursery.com/?post_type=product&p=5321 miyabeana = after Dr. Miyabe Kingo, a Japanese botanist

 

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

3+* (see description)

Blooming Period

Early Spring

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Sex

Male

Potential Height

20 ft

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Uses

Biomass, ornamental, windbreak, privacy screen, course weaving, living structures, herbivore fodder

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The post miyabeana ‘Sx67’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

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Miyabeana originates from Hokkaido, Japan, and was offered to the Ministry of Natural Resources in Ontario for biomass experiments (Checklist for Cultivars of Salix L.). It eventually found it’s way to the wonderful folks over at Cornell University, who have done extensive studies on it. The fact sheet for Sx61 is currently unavailable, but can be found here: https://willow.cals.cornell.edu/extension/#factsheets

Our miyabeana cultivars are extremely vigorous! In 2020, our friend Aresh Javadi and his understudy Minerva came and coppiced our entire patch of miyabeana. Between Spring and Fall, they all grew rods over six feet long. No, that is NOT a typo! Miyabeana is a proven winner and would work well as a privacy screen, wind/snowbreak, creating living and dried structures, early pollinator assistance…you get the idea. All of this vigor and it tops out at relatively small size. This willow keeps a nice, lively green-yellow throughout the year and taper to red at the tips.

Sx67 is almost entirely identical to Sx61 and 64, the differences being quite literally microscopic.

*anecdotally, we have sent miyabeana and it’s variations all over the country, and have not had reports of issues planting in hardiness zones above 6

Click Here to Learn More About Dr. Miyabe

The post miyabeana ‘Sx67’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> 5321 miyabeana ‘Sx61’ https://vermontwillownursery.com/product/miyabeana-sx61/ Wed, 25 Jan 2023 16:37:51 +0000 https://vermontwillownursery.com/?post_type=product&p=3118 miyabeana = after Dr. Miyabe Kingo, a Japanese botanist

 

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

3+* (see description)

Blooming Period

Early Spring

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Sex

Male

Potential Height

20 ft, possibly more

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Uses

Biomass, ornamental, windbreak, privacy screen, course weaving, living structures, herbivore fodder

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The post miyabeana ‘Sx61’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]>

Miyabeana originates from Hokkaido, Japan, and was offered to the Ministry of Natural Resources in Ontario for biomass experiments (Checklist for Cultivars of Salix L.). It eventually found it’s way to the wonderful folks over at Cornell University, who have done extensive studies on it. The fact sheet for Sx61 is currently unavailable, but can be found here: https://willow.cals.cornell.edu/extension/#factsheets

Our miyabeana cultivars are extremely vigorous! In 2020, our friend Aresh Javadi and his understudy Minerva came and coppiced our entire patch of miyabeana. Between Spring and Fall, they all grew rods over six feet long. No, that is NOT a typo! Miyabeana is a proven winner and would work well as a privacy screen, wind/snowbreak, creating living and dried structures, early pollinator assistance…you get the idea. All of this vigor and it tops out at relatively small size. This willow keeps a nice, lively green-yellow throughout the year and taper to red at the tips.

Sx61 has also been featured in Beyond the Pellet, as a supplement to rabbit feed.

*anecdotally, we have sent miyabeana and it’s variations all over the country, and have not had reports of issues planting in hardiness zones above 6

Click Here to Learn More About Dr. Miyabe

The post miyabeana ‘Sx61’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> 3118 triandra ‘Black Maul’ x ‘Grisette Noire’ https://vermontwillownursery.com/product/triandra-black-maul-x-grisette-noire/ Mon, 25 Oct 2021 16:32:42 +0000 https://vermontwillownursery.com/?post_type=product&p=1476 triandra = three stamens

Grisette = a French working-class girl or young woman

 

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

3+

Blooming Period

Late Spring

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Sex

Male

Potential Height/Width

Unknown as of yet

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Uses

Weaving, hedging

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The post triandra ‘Black Maul’ x ‘Grisette Noire’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> This is a cross between popular basketry willow ‘Black Maul’ and a French selection named ‘Grisette Noire’. It makes a good ornamental shrub; useful for hedging; a valuable basketry willow; useful for living structures. Best if coppiced to produce the long, straight rods. This (and our other triandras) are late bloomers that would work well for those interested in attracting pollinators throughout Spring.

Specific details for this selection are scant. Once we learn more we’ll update this page.

The post triandra ‘Black Maul’ x ‘Grisette Noire’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> 1476 triandra ‘Black Maul’ https://vermontwillownursery.com/product/triandra-black-maul/ Mon, 25 Oct 2021 16:28:04 +0000 https://vermontwillownursery.com/?post_type=product&p=1470 Almond-leaf Willow

triandra = three stamens

maul = malleable

 

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

3+

Blooming Period

Early Summer

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Sex

Female

Potential Height/Width

Low estimate-high estimate ft high, low-high estimate ft wide

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Uses

Uses go here

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The post triandra ‘Black Maul’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> ‘Black Maul’ is one of the most recognized in European basketry. Triandra is a robust, bushy shrub or small tree to 30 feet. The young stems are shiny dark maroon-black and the foliage is typical willow-shaped, the leaves are 3 to 6 inches slightly furry at first but later smooth and shiny. It has great autumn color! The female catkins appear with the leaves and mature at 2 to 3 inches.

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

The post triandra ‘Black Maul’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> 1470 purpurea https://vermontwillownursery.com/product/purpurea/ Sun, 03 Oct 2021 23:03:49 +0000 https://vermontwillownursery.com/?post_type=product&p=1138 Purple Willow

Helix Willow

purpurea = purple, referring to the young stems

 

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

3+

Blooming Period

Spring...we'll narrow it down when we can!

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Sex

Male

Potential Height/Width

Up to 20 ft

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Uses

Weaving, fedges, hedge rows

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The post purpurea first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> This is a male form of the species that is responsible for producing so many variations;

we were generously allowed to take cuttings of this plant from the Arnold Arboretum in 2014 (their accession number AA1045-79-D). This forms a vigorous upright shrub with somewhat arching branches when mature. The leaves and stems are very bitter as it contains large amount of Salicylic acid; too bitter for most animals to eat! However, we have recently learned that cows will eat Salix purpurea varieties. What is so amazing about this selection it that it is the most rust resistant purpurea I have in my collection of 26+ varieties! Rust is not usually a problem in most willows, but in exceptionally rainy springs and summers, several may be infected—as are many other types of plants.

It has showy male flowers typical of the species that appear before the bluish-gray leaves, typical of the species, appear. It is a European and Western Russian native that has naturalized widely over Northeastern North America (including Fairfield VT) and the NW Pacific Coast. One such plant, a wildling in a ditch by the side of the road I had admired for many years for it’s very slender growth, was removed to build a driveway last year. Luckily I had taken cuttings of it the previous year.

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

The post purpurea first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> 1138 purpurea ‘Light Dicks’ https://vermontwillownursery.com/product/purpurea-light-dicks/ Sun, 03 Oct 2021 17:53:37 +0000 https://vermontwillownursery.com/?post_type=product&p=1133 Purple Willow

purpurea = purple

 

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

4+

Blooming Period

Mid-to-late Spring

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Sex

Male

Potential Height

Up to 15 ft

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Uses

Fine weaving

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The post purpurea ‘Light Dicks’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> This cultivar originated in England around 1908. It is a male selection with gray bark when mature. The leaves are 2.5-5in long, light green in color with a yellowish central vein; the top section of the leaves have fine saw-tooth edges. The fine rods are purplish on the sunny side and olive-green on the shady side. This willow is grown for medium to fine willow basketry work. The one-year old stems of ‘Light Dicks’ are a very attractive pale reddish brown and they grow to a length of 6-8ft long once established. ‘LD’ seems to be resistant to pests that cause branching. If left to mature, this willow variety will grow into a spreading shrub up to 15ft tall.

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

The post purpurea ‘Light Dicks’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> 1133 purpurea ‘Goldstones’ https://vermontwillownursery.com/product/purpurea-goldstones/ Sun, 03 Oct 2021 17:40:08 +0000 https://vermontwillownursery.com/?post_type=product&p=1127 Purple Willow

purpurea = purple

 

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

4+

Blooming Period

Mid Spring

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Sex

Male

Potential Height/Width

Grows up to 8 ft in one year in optimal conditions, though likely tops out at 20 ft

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Uses

Weaving, one of the better wards against deer, living structures, fedges

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The post purpurea ‘Goldstones’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> A variety we know little about as we have only grown it for a couple of years. It is rated  very highly by basketmakers and the pale stems are unique in this species. Dunbar Gardens, from whom we obtained our stock, says that it is golden green when harvested and dries to vibrant green. It grows 6-8ft in one year in Washington State. If anyone knows more about this selection I’d appreciate hearing from you. I’ll do better with photos in spring/summer–promise!

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

The post purpurea ‘Goldstones’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> 1127 viminalis ‘Bowhayes Strain A’ https://vermontwillownursery.com/product/viminalis-bowhayes-strain-a/ Sun, 03 Oct 2021 16:49:12 +0000 https://vermontwillownursery.com/?post_type=product&p=1120 Osier Willow

viminalis = of or belonging to osiers

Bowhayes is a tree nursery in England

 

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

4+

Blooming Period

Mid-to-late Spring

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Sex

Female

Potential Height/Width

We're not sure, but ours grow 8-10 ft in one year!

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Uses

Weaving, living structures, ornamental

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The post viminalis ‘Bowhayes Strain A’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> At last we’ve found an Osier we can grow successfully! All other attempts resulted in stunted plants loaded with every insect pest that can attack willows. This is a vigorous selection or hybrid of the Osier that grows long straight stems and used for hundreds of years in Europe for all kinds of different uses. It has been asked for by customers ever since we went on line with our nursery! I wrote to Bowhayes Trees in the UK to find out how it originated, but never received a reply; they sell wholesale willow and poplar selections and hybrids. Here is what we know from our experience: It is a female Osier that is very similar to S. viminalis in appearance with 6-8in long green leaves with silver undersides, downy stems and and a green-brown trunk in the first years. This is insect resistant and the species S. viminalis is not for us; so I’m guessing it’s a hybrid, perhaps S. schwerinii is the other parent!

Description Credit to Michael Dodge

The post viminalis ‘Bowhayes Strain A’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> 1120 viminalis ‘Bowhayes Strain’ https://vermontwillownursery.com/product/viminalis-bowhayes-strain/ Sun, 03 Oct 2021 16:34:57 +0000 https://vermontwillownursery.com/?post_type=product&p=1113 Osier Willow

viminalis = of or belonging to osiers

Bowhayes is a tree nursery in England

 

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Willow AT A GLANCE

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USDA Hardiness Zone

4+

Blooming Period

Spring...we'll narrow it down when we can!

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Sex

Male

Potential Height

At least 10 ft, likely double

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Uses

Ornamental, course basketry, living structures

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The post viminalis ‘Bowhayes Strain’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

]]> This came to the nursery along with ‘Bowhayes Strain A’, but turned out to be a male! Functionally the same as that, this selection is equally stellar!

The post viminalis ‘Bowhayes Strain’ first appeared on Vermont Willow Nursery.

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