Our own willow Teepee or Wigwam in the back garden at Crag House Farm has been a great success with our grandchildren and other young visitors. So Danny and I thought it would be fun to give Beacon View and Dale View Barns their very own TeePees and that is what we have done today.
A very kind friend who has several acres of this amazing Eco and fast growing crop nearby let us go in to harvest some “whippets”. We gathered thicker stemmed shoots that varied between 3/4 of an inch to an inch and ranging from 7 to 10 feet in height for the main structural frame, we put these in place today. The thinner whippets will be woven diagonally between the main struts, we intend to put them in situ before the end of February. They are stored with their feet in water where they will be happy for months.
The experts say this is a good time of year for this planting, the shoots are pliable and easily manipulated and woven into shape. As soon as the warm weather arrives the buds will sprout and very quickly a little house is formed.
Please send us a picture of your willow structure or one you have seen, we would love to try something different and would like your ideas. Do you fancy a day learning the art of Willow?
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Danny harvesting the Willow Whips
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Counting the Bundles of willow whippets
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The first few stakes are in at Beacon View's Willow wigwam
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The View from Beacon View
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Danny is getting the hang of this now
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The locals have come to admire
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A cosy home for this young rascal!
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Dale View's new Wigwam has an admirer!
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Chasing the bunnies out of the new Wigwam
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Our willow summer house at Crag House Farm
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Children love our Willow Wigwam at Crag House Farm and now the barns have their own too
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Whizzing around the wigwam
