Living Willow from Willows Nursery

How to make a living willow tunnel
Our living willow tunnel kits are based on such a simple (but very effective) design that we have not laid out this
page in as much detail as the How to make a living willow dome or wigwam pages – but hopefully, you can see
 how
easy it is to make a simple living willow tunnel.  (More detailed instructions are sent with the kits)

Please visit our ‘Living Willow Tunnel Gallery’ to see more photographs of living willow tunnels of different sizes and styles.

Please visit our Living Willow Kit Prices page for full details of the kits
we offer and see our FAQ’s page for further information and advice.

IDEAS FOR PLANTING & GROWING A LIVING WILLOW TUNNEL

Our living willow tunnel kits are based on the simple design of creating arches from pairs of long willow whips which span your pathway – ideally spaced no more than say 18 inches
(45 cm) apart and then planting 2 shorter willow whips as diagonals in between each to arch to hold the structure together.

Planting these whips diagonally is important to encourage denser side growth. If you weave the diagonal whips ‘in front of one vertical and behind the next’, this makes the structure more rigid .  For a more dense initial structure you can add extra diagonals – but remember that you will be weaving in  the new growth and that makes the structure more dense over time anyway.

Where the diagonals stick out beyond the ends of the tunnel, simply bend them back around the end whips and weave them back into the criss-cross pattern.

You can work out your own design of tunnel and order the number of whips you need, or you can buy one of our tunnel kits which follow the above approach.

 

The upper photograph shows a standard tunnel kit (with fedges attached) as just planted – the lower photograph shows a mini tunnel kit (ideal for pre-schoolers or for adding to a standard dome kit to create a living willow igloo).

New growth will start to sprout in March/April and can be woven into the structure, as soon as it is long enough, to give more strength and shape – this is actually the fun part of having a ‘living’ structure.

Living Willow Tunnel Kit
Living Willow Mini Tunnel Kit
Please visit our Living Willow Tunnel Gallery’ to see more photographs of living willow tunnels of different sizes and styles.

We have the following Living Willow Dome/Bower/Playhouse kits for sale

Standard Tunnel  WK102
Mini Tunnel  WK110
‘Adapted’ Tunnel  WK108
Large Tunnel  WK122

Please visit our Living Willow Kit Prices page for full details.

Please see our FAQ’s page for further information and advice.