I like making willow fencing on site, it creates a feeling of continuity and produces a result that is more seamless than the alternative – bringing in pre-made panels. Of course making in situ isn’t always possible. Where perhaps the ground doesn’t lend itself to driven posts or where the fence needs to be set […]
We’ve spent a lot of time recently cutting hazel in Bottoms’ Corner but just before Christmas were running a wreath making workshop at Jordan’s Mill near Biggleswade and needed some willow. At the same time we’d received a few orders for Christmas presents and decorations and that meant more willow. So the clearing saw had its […]
Imagine a day spent in a peaceful hazel coppice, listening to the songs of melodious warblers flitting frantically amongst the trees; being brought home made cakes and cups of tea and enjoying the company of a small group of like-minded individuals, as you are driven half crazy by the frustration of trying to make a […]
I’ve nearly finished three willow hurdles that will be part of a garden design competition that a college’s design students are entering. They were after low impact, local materials, these should fit the bill. I hope they like them – I’m quite pleased! I think the competition is at Earls Court next month. Would be […]
We’re leading a day in the as yet undiscovered craft of making a ball from nothing but willow, on Sunday 22 March, here in Gravenhurst, Bedfordshire. We will be using willow grown on the farm to create something that’s eye catching, beautiful and unusual, but otherwise has no practical value at all. These are purely […]
It was great to be back at Great Fen, near Ramsey in Cambridgeshire, last weekend. We’ve done a series of training days for the wildlife Trust there and they’ve all been very enjoyable. This time, we were teaching a group of lovely people to make willow balls. The first time we had run this particular […]
Cutting willow isn’t something to be done in bad weather if it’s not essential; we try to avoid it anyway. It’s physically demanding and is miserable in the rain but hey, we’ve got hats!The worst of it is not being willing to take a vehicle over the ground to pick up all that’s been cut […]
I’ve spent a couple of days recently building a rabbit net around a Bedfordshire veg patch. I was fairly skeptical to begin with, when my client suggested building a rabbit net that would be supported by hazel stakes and decorated with willow. However after some experimentation and discussion, we’ve developed a fence that I’m pretty […]
We hosted a day of basket making last Sunday in our wood, led by Bedford tutor, Ed Burnett. The sun shone, the wood was lovely, all was mellow and some lovely baskets got made. Thanks to Ed for great clarity, patience and good humour! Here are a couple of pictures of the day; we’ll get more on our […]
We are very pleased to welcome Ed Burnett back to the farm on 22 September to run a day of basket making. Many of those who came to Ed’s course in May wanted to come back and do more and several others couldn’t make that day, so here’s another chance. If you’ve never done anything […]