Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Salix matsudana "Tortuosa"
A medium to large deciduous tree. Have narrow leaves of about four to ten centimeters long and one to two centimeters broad. The flowers are catkins produced in the early spring. It is dioecious- with the male and female catkins on separate trees. But what makes it wonderful for the flower arranger is its twisting, spiraling twigs. As a result of the ornamental shape of the branches and twigs, this cultivar is commonly used as a bonsai plant. Willows are often planted on the borders of streams so that their interlacing roots can protect the river bank.
I wove three willow spheres for my Floral Art design Three Drops of floral chocolate.
Common name
Origin
Varieties
Around four hundred species of Salix are listed. There are a few hybrids of the Salix matsudana but this cultivar is still susceptible to cankers and is weak-wooded and prone to storm damage.
Colors
Vase life
Scent
Uses
The most obvious is probably using willow stems in an arrangement but I love wrapping wire or test tubes with thin willow twigs and weave the stems into baskets, supports, accessories or panels. Recently, I began researching living willow sculptures as a possible addition to floral art. Living sculptures are created from live willow rods planted in the ground and woven into shapes such as domes or tunnels. Willow wood is used to make boxes, brooms and furniture and for the floral artist it has great manufacturing possibilities. The wood can be pulped for paper, or fibers can be made into string. It is also used as drawing charcoal.
Conditioning
Give the stems a fresh cut and whittle some of the bark away to allow the twigs to hydrate
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