Salix Viminalis Hedging

Common Osier Willow, Salix viminalis, is a large, fast-growing waterside shrub, with dense, flexible stems and an upright growth habit. It is very vigorous, growing up to 1.5 metres per year. Salix viminalis has long, slender leaves that open following the appearance of catkins in spring. It is suitable for growing as a loose hedge, tall screen or windbreak, but it is extremely vigorous and its shoots don't have enough side branches to make a "proper" hedge. So plant it if you want a supply of willow to weave or if you need a screen in a hurry rather than as a formal hedge....

See our selection of willow hedging plants or view our full range of hedging.

Common Osier Willow hedge plants are only delivered bareroot, during winter (Nov-March). All our hedge plants are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Spacing a Common Osier Willow hedge:
Plant Common Osier Willow hedging at 2 plants per metre, 50 cms apart.

History & uses of Salix viminalis: The Osier has been used widely for basket making from Europe to Asia. It is hard to tell where it originates from, because people were taking it with them as they moved around even before Roman times. It is sometimes called basket weaving willow because it is so useful for making wicker items. Osier willow has matted, fibrous roots, so it is often planted along riverbanks to help reduce soil erosion.

Growing Common Osier Willow plants:
Common Osier Willow will grow well in most fertile, damp conditions as long as they aren't very acidic or very alkaline. It needs plenty of sun and it is suitable for exposed locations, except on the coast.

Prepare your site before planting:
Native hedge plants like Common Osier Willow are very tough. The only essential preparation is to kill the weeds in a strip a metre wide along the planting site: improving the soil should not be necessary. If your soil is exceptionally poor and dry, then digging in some well rotted manure and/or compost is worthwhile.

Watch our video on how to plant a country hedge for full details.
Remember to water establishing plants during dry weather for at least a year after planting.

Hedge Planting Accessories:
Prepare your site for planting by killing the weeds and grass with Roundup weed killer.
You can buy a hedge planting pack with sheets of mulch fabric and pegs to hold it down.
If you are planting in an area with rabbit and/or deer, you will need to use a plastic spiral guard for each plant, supported by a bamboo cane.
If your soil quality is poor, we recommend using mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of new trees and shrubs.
You can also improve your soil with bonemeal organic fertiliser and Growmore.

Read our full terms and conditions here.

Delivery: The basic delivery charge for orders of bareroot plants is £6.50 + vat, which increases to £12.55 + vat if you add any pot-grown plants, standard trees or fruit trees to the order.
Because couriers sometimes experience delays, we schedule delivery by week, not by day. Therefore, please plan your planting day for the weekend at the end of the delivery week or for the week following delivery, at the earliest.
We will email you the day before your plants are due to arrive.

*Surcharges to the Highlands and Islands still apply.

Payment: We do not charge your card until we begin to prepare your order for packing.

Guarantee: If any plants die within a year, we will replace them. We only ask that you follow our planting & growing instructions and sent us clear photographs of the dead plants in situ, so we can help to make sure that the replacement plants succeed. You only pay for the delivery of the replacements.

Please note that our guarantee is void if there is a hosepipe ban in your area: your newly planted hedging must be watered in dry weather while it is establishing. The best way to water is very thoroughly every few days: at least once a week if there is no heavy rain.

Our nursery has been supplying container grown and bareroot hedging plants to gardeners, farmers and town planners since 1949. Our website started in 2003, so we do understand the concerns that you may have about buying hedging plants online. If any of your plants are damaged when they arrive or if you are otherwise not satisfied with your order after you inspect it, please repackage it and contact us. We will give you a refund or send replacements and send a courier to come and collect the unwanted plants.

Shade	Partial Shade
Area	Exposed Windy Areas
Soil	Wet
Type	Hedging, Native

	NUMBER OF PLANTS
SIZES	1-9	10-49	50-249	250-999	1000+
60/80 cm Bareroot	Plenty of Stock£1.94	Plenty of Stock£1.28	Plenty of Stock£1.05	Plenty of Stock£0.85	Plenty of Stock£0.63

Common Osier Willow

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Salix Viminalis Hedging