willow care

Red bush willow Willow shoots

When hurdles leave our factory they are freshly woven and supple, so to better maintain the willow, it is advisable to erect them as soon as possible, and not to leave them flat on the ground for more than three weeks. If they need to be stored away for longer periods of time, they should be left upright, to allow air to circulate within the hurdles. As the hurdles dry with age they become less supple. The sooner they are erected the longer they will last. To hang the willow hurdle, simply nail the panels onto the rails or posts. This arrangement keeps the hurdles rigid.

Some people prefer to allow the willows to age naturally. Willow material will age to a silver-grey color, and therefore do not need to be treated with any kind of finish. If you wish, you can use a preservative to extend their life and should be painted on after the hurdles has had time to dry, depending on what kind of weather conditions, which can take a few weeks to a few months for the drying process.

There are three types of preservatives that can be used, a light colored creosote which is highly effective, but not plant friendly, or a water based preservative which is plant friendly but not as effective. Alternatively, the traditional method of preserving willow is to lightly paint a mixture of boiled linseed oil and turpentine 50/50. Another natural way of preserving hurdles is to allow larger leaf varieties of ivy to grow around the hurdle for semi-protection against weathering.

We recommend putting a coat of linseed oil or outdoor sealer to preserve peeled skin willow products in the outdoors.