How to weave in a willow fedge year 2

24 April 2025

Weaving In and Maintaining a Living Willow Fedge

This fedge is around two years old and was planted using a basic framework of upright posts with diagonal willow rods. Over time, it’s been randomly woven in, which has created a thick, solid living wall.

The job today is to tidy it up, trim it back, and use some of the existing growth to strengthen thinner areas. It’s also about keeping the fedge neat and practical, especially along a path where it can easily snag passers-by.

Assess the Fedge Before Cutting

Before trimming or weaving, take a step back and look at the structure as a whole. Identify any thin areas, bald spots, or places where you’d like more growth coming from the base.

Living willow is very forgiving, and one of its advantages is that you can reuse healthy top growth to fill gaps lower down.

Choosing a Rod to Replant

Look for a strong, healthy piece of willow from the top growth. Remove any small side shoots or untidy bits, then cut the base of the rod at a slight angle using secateurs. This fresh, sloping cut helps the rod root once replanted.

The rod doesn’t need to be the longest or thickest available. Choose something that can be easily woven through the structure.

Weaving the Rod Back In

Push the rod through the existing weave of the fedge, guiding it down towards the base. One of the benefits of this method is that the rod effectively weaves itself in as you feed it through.

Once the base reaches the ground, find a clear patch of soil and push it in around 15cm (about 6 inches). Good soil and mulch will help it establish quickly.

If you need to thicken an area, you can repeat this process with several rods planted close together.

Trimming and Tidying

With the main gaps filled, you can start trimming back excess growth. Occasionally, you’ll find dead or damaged sections. If they’re small and easy to remove, trim them out.

Be cautious with more structural pieces. Cutting out too many can create new gaps, so always trim with the overall shape in mind.

If you do create a dip or thin section, you can often weave material in from the back or sides to fill it over time.

Managing Shape and Width

As you work along the fedge, aim to maintain a consistent top line. Some loopy sections are fine and add character, but very wide loops can cause the fedge to spread too much.

If a section sticks out, gently pull it back into line and re-weave it so the overall shape stays tidy and controlled.

Removing Unhealthy Growth

Cut out anything that looks diseased, weak, or unhealthy. This helps improve airflow and encourages stronger, healthier growth in the next season.

Continue trimming and weaving until you’re happy with both the height and thickness of the fedge.

When to Do This Work

This kind of maintenance can be done any time from leaf fall through to early spring. Doing it in late autumn or early winter means:

You avoid working in colder months
You can reuse cuttings for replanting or wreath-making
The fedge is ready to grow strongly in spring

Finished Result

Once complete, the fedge should look dense, tidy, and well-shaped, with strong growth at the base and a controlled width at the top.

Regular weaving and light trimming each year helps a living willow fedge stay healthy, practical, and visually appealing for many years.