Willow

This is not branches from a weeping willow tree.That’s what I thought.There are actually several varieties of willow bush that work well for wattle.  The 2 preferred species for willow wattle are Sandbar and Narrow Leaf.  They are bushes that grow similar to Lilac bushes, about 10 feet tall with a branch diameter maxing out about 2 inches.
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Uncut Narrow Leaf Willow
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Cut Willow delivered.

Twine & Box Cutter

Shelley Larson provided me with a huge spool of twine that she bought in bulk.You’ll be cutting about 3 yards per tie.It will compress the willow into rolls so it has to be pretty good quality twine. Also make sure it’s natural fiber, not the plastic twine.

Stakes and Mallet

We picked our stakes up at Brock White construction.   They need to be pretty sturdy. You can make your own stakes to save some money: they’re basically 3 foot long sections of 2x4 lumber cut at a diagonal.  You will need a stake roughly every 3 feet.   We underestimated and had to make a few of our own.   So buy a few extra.
You will need a medium sized mallet to hammer the stakes through the willow into the shoreline.

Optional Tools:

  • Gloves, knee pads, hip boots:  not required except for your own comfort
  • Tarp for moving the wattle:   Since there were only 2 of us, we dragged the wattle to the shoreline on tarps.   With enough people and depending on how close to the shore you can work, you may be able to just carry the wattle to the water.   From there you float it into place.
  • Tool for twine wrapping around the wattle: When I learned how to do willow wattle, we had one person reach under and push the twine while another person reached under to grab it.   This took time and was rather unpleasant.   We worked up a little tool using a flat metal bar with a hole drilled in it.
  • Rope for measuring This is not a fine detailed project. Rough measurements are fine. We used a rope at the shore to determine just how much wattle we needed. Then we laid the rope on the ground as a guide for laying out the willow.
Onto the Prep Work!
All photos by Kathy Peterson, except Uncut Narrow Leaf Willow.