Salix purpurea ‘Packing Twine’
purpurea = purple
Packing Twine Willow
An Irish selection that obviously has long thin stems with very few branchlets that are perfect for fine basket work—it may be the best willow for this purpose as the rods are so long and slender. So fine you could even tie packages with it! Coppicing in each April produces an abundance of 6–8ft rods. 'Packing Twine' is a vigorous and dense grower, so it would make great hedge to protect against deer. It dries green and brown. This is a female selection. Hardy to Zone 3.
USES: The thin stems make it ideal for fine basketry and objet d’art. Hedges and fedges.
Dried stems of ‘Packing Twine’ ready to soak
and use for fine basketry. Photo by Joe Hogan
Two delightful baskets made from ‘Packing Twine’ Willow.
Above: by Joe Hogan in Ireland. Right: by Richard Kerwood
Windrush Willows, in Devon UK.
'Packing Twine' in the nursery growing lustily in a wet corner and loving it!
That's the much more vigorous S. gmelinii behind.
right and below: 'Packing Twine' growing in the nursery.
Female catkins.
Typical purpurea foliage, except with bright red new leaves. Mid-July
'Packing Twine' growing in the nursery. A veritable thicket of long slender rods.
Makes a very dense hedge as well as being great for basketry!
Early May; these rods should have been harvested much earlier!
One of the most prolific purpureas for stem growth.
It's a winner!
WillowWorld
of Michael Dodge