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Will(ow) It Grow?; Willow Dome
Topic Started: Mar 24 2007, 10:32 AM (5,244 Views)
Waxman
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Not exactly in the garden but I think this belongs in here......

Posted Image

We lost a member of the family last year and scattered her ashes on a piece of grass that we're lucky enough to own.

We dug a few areas and sowed a few wild flower seeds in the autumn hoping that they'll naturalise back into a wildflower meadow area.

Some family and friends helped with all the scattering etc and some planted a few bulbs which have started to flower.

Pam, my wife, has wanted to make a living-willow structure for years and now we've finally done it. We bought the longest willow rods via the internet and cut some ourselves (out of local hedges) to infill with. We've put the main rods 18 inches into the ground as recommended and now we're waiting to see how many take root and make it through the summer. Lots of watering will be required I think!
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justjen
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:thumbup; :thumbup; :thumbup;




Barry that is a fab structure and a wonderful thought for your `special place to sit and reflect ... i think that is going to be heavenly when it takes off ... can we see pics when it grows please???


How lucky to have that ground too ...





Jenx
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VirginiaS
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Wow that looks so good., gorgeous daffodils too. :thumbup;
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Sally
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Barry what a beautiful place to sit and relax, the daffs look gorgeous, it will be idyllic when it all matures :thumbup;

Sallyx
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waxingsteve
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Barry, that's such a wonderful idea :) To nurture it to maturity will be to have a deeper connection, too, as well as the significance of this special site at a deeply personal, emotional and spiritual level. Living willow structures are just perfect for such places of remembrance and quiet reflection, especially when the willows are in leaf - that sound of the slightest of breezes through tthe foliage is as calming and restful to the soul as the sea :)

It will become a hallowed place, without doubt.

Steve :)
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Poppy
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:huggy: Barry and Pam, what a beauitful tribute to your daughter. :love: I am sure the Living Willow structure will take hold and grow, we have lots of them where we are in various gardens and along a cycle track. They look amazing when they are covered in leaf.
May it help to bring back all the lovely memories when all your hard work pays off and they flourish into a wonderful wild flower meadow.
Poppy :yip:
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Waxman
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Poppy
Mar 24 2007, 12:42 PM
I am sure the Living Willow structure will take hold and grow, we have lots of them where we are in various gardens and along a cycle track. They look amazing when they are covered in leaf.

You get a lot more rain than what we do Poppy!
We're in one of the driest areas of the UK with only 20-22 inches annual rainfall.

Last June and July were very dry , for instance, and all the little primrose seedlings that I'd spotted in May never made it; in fact, a lot of older plants succumbed too so there's nowhere near as many primrose plants this year along the roads where they normally grow.

We'll just have to wait and see; we'll try to root some smaller lengths of willow (in a wetter place) to plant alongside any rods that don't take.
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Sharon
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It is gorgeous, when the sun shines it will give you a lovely place in the shade to sit and think :D
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jo145
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:huggy: What a lovely thing to do, I hope you will be able to get peace and healing there. :huggy: Thank you for sharing with us. Your daughter will be remembered in a very special way here.

Not that I want a wet summer, but I hope you get enough rain to help it grow!
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Waxman
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If anybody is ever over this way and wants to see our efforts in reality, there's a footpath that runs from near our house, down a green lane and down the edge of this field. 1st week in May is good as there's a little wood full of bluebells right close to the path.
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waxingsteve
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Barry, it always surprises folk when they hear that East Anglia would, if not for our rivers, qualify as a desert, based on rainfall averages ;) If you want to help the dampness, you can use a cheap washing up liquid ;) Put about 100ml into each spot close to the rods and then add the rest to a can of water and soak the whole ring at ground level :thumbup; If you add one 2 gallon can of water mixed with the washing up liquid to the ring once a week for a couple of months, the wahing up liquid will act as a "wetting agent", helping to keep moisture in the soil from draining away quickly or just evaporating :thumbup; Concentrated liquids, though, can damage tender shoots and roots. Encouraging broadleaf flowers to grow close up will also help the surface moisture levels ;) Once the willows are established, their finest hair-roots will soon seek out any underground water reserves :thumbup;

Steve :)
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Waxman
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Thanks for that, Steve; I've never heard of the washing up liquid thing before.
We've put a weed-supressing mat over the inside area and covered that (and 1 metre outside of ring) with wood chippings - about 4 weeks ago, we were off power all one day whilst workmen cut trees away from the nearby (10,000V?) power lines and they chipped everything and just left it in heaps on the side of the road below our house. Seemed very fortuitous!

Today we've taken two 125 gallon tanks down to the dome, one empty which we've left there and one full (of water) which stayed on the trailer but we siphoned the water into the other one. I'll be able to take a new tankful down whenever necessary to top up the other tank. Thank goodness I've still got a tractor and trailer!

We put the willow rods in the ground in the first week of January; we had one long one that we managed to break before we realised how to bend them more effectively. I pushed this one into a very wet piece of boggy ground (about 100 metres from the dome site there's a spring line which never stops running (but it's probably 10 metres lower than the willow rods so their new roots won't find that water for years)) just in case we needed it later on. I pulled that one out today and it already has roots almost 6 inches long! They do like water :)
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waxingsteve
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The tank idea's great, Barry :thumbup; And those wood chippings were obviously meant to be left there right then, when you could use them :) And the weed mat will definitely help ;)

The washing-up liquid trick isn't generally known ;) Something I picked up years ago in a job I had in horticultural research :) It works for hanging baskets, pot plants and gardens :D

I wish I still had a copy of a photo I had years ago (from 1987) :) It was in the aftermath of the hurricane that swept through here. The pic showed an 11kV line wooden pole which got hit by a falling tree. The crossarms (where the insulators are fitted) at the top of the pole should have been several metres above the ground. In the pic, they were at about eye level :r The pole was hit perfectly on top and driven way down into the ground :eek: :r

Jenny spotted that we had actually posted almost at the same time, earlier :r When we next come to see you, which I'm hoping will be very soon, we'd love to visit the dome :) It sounds like a wonderful route :thumbup; Do you think my wheelchair would be able to handle it? :unsure:

Steve :)
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Waxman
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waxingsteve
Mar 31 2007, 11:59 PM
I wish I still had a copy of a photo I had years ago (from 1987) :)  It was in the aftermath of the hurricane that swept through here.  The pic showed an 11kV line wooden pole which got hit by a falling tree.  The crossarms (where the insulators are fitted) at the top of the pole should have been several metres above the ground.  In the pic, they were at about eye level :r  The pole was hit perfectly on top and driven way down into the ground :eek: :r

How amazing!


Quote:
 
Jenny spotted that we had actually posted almost at the same time, earlier :r  When we next come to see you, which I'm hoping will be very soon, we'd love to visit the dome :)  It sounds like a wonderful route :thumbup;  Do you think my wheelchair would be able to handle it? :unsure:

Steve :)


The footpath also doubles up as part of an East Anglian Farm Ride (horses) so it's quite rough in places but..........
As long as you turn up when it's dry, you'll be able to drive down there, Steve.
(You can if it's wet too but you probably wouldn't get back!). I might just need to unlock a gate for you.
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mifmif
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I remember you speaking about wanting to do this a while back so I am really pleased to hear you finally planted the willow! The whole place will feel very spiritual and a beautiful way to remember your daughter.

Maria x
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waxingsteve
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:ta: Barry :thumbup; We'll definitely be coming to have a look asap ;)

Steve :)
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Waxman
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We kept the willows watered in April/early May as we only had 1mm of rain in those 6 weeks.
In the last 2 weeks, we've had a nice lot of rain; about 55mm, which is well over an average months worth for this part of the world.

Posted Image

As you can see from todays photo, there's some amazing growth from what were just rootless sticks when we pushed them in the ground in January.

Only one of the main rods (which we bought) has not struck but none of the smaller willow sticks (which we cut from a local hedge) has really taken at all.
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lankywaxer
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Barry what a beautiful place it looks to sit reflect and remember.

I missed this earlier thread and have just read them all-the willow is doing great :thumbup; It looks stunning-I think willow/s are a very spiritual plant-dont ask why :D I just do. :thumbup; :huggy:
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Sally
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Barry its amazing how much growth there is in just a few months, and such a beautiful tranquil place. :huggy:

Sally
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Sal
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Missed this earlier - what a beautiful living monument - a special place to remember.

Sal
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