3 Plants I will be adding to my Weavers Garden this year (and 1 that I won’t)
I plan on adding more flowers to my weaving garden this year….. This is what I will be planting…
Weaving plants are generally sorted into 4 categories; Strappy Leaves, Stems, Vines and Woody plants, each have different properties that they bring to weaving; woody plants add structure, Vines can add a bit of structure but bucketloads of texture; stems and strappy leaves bring a plethora of interesting colours, generally their strength is not in creating structure but when woven around a mould they really come into their own.
So what plants will I be adding to my Irish garden this year?
I have always felt an affinity with the more soft malleable leaves, maybe because they are easy to spot and don’t take too long to rehydrate and “mellow”, as a busy mum this is high on my list of priorities as time to create can be rare.
When working with any plant material it is best practice to hang to dry for a few weeks and then rehydrate before you use them… how long depends on conditions and a bit of experimentation is required. (smaller matter requires a quick dunk and left in a wet towel for a while, the woody stuff can take weeks)
My first plant of choice is “Red Hot Poker”
Red Hot Poker in Flower
https://futureforests.ie/products/kniphofia-uvaria-flamenco
Red hot poker is one of my favourites, it’s a soft, long, strappy leaf and has a subtle pinkish colour when dried, it seems to grow quite large; on my drive to Bandon on the school run I often see huge plants in peoples gardens and would love to go in and take a few leaves off their hands. If you know someone with this in their garden they will be delighted to let your prune it. It always surprises me how much material you need for weaving.
2. My second plant of choice is “Day Lily” another strappy plant
I couldn’t find a link to purchase this one but maybe try www.deelish.ie
Day Lily in Flower
Day Lily is another fast grower that gives us plenty of fine leaves throughout the year, the leaves arent as long as the Red Hot Poker but it has a nice thickness to it. As it grows, the leaves will naturally die off and these can be harvested regularly as the plant grows; alternatively harvest at the end of the growing season when you are tidying your garden.
Remember to cut from the base to get as much length as possible
3. The third plant on my list this year is a climber; “Passion Flower
Passion Flower
I have chosen this one for the beautiful foliage. I am looking forward to experimenting with this vine this year and I think it would look great as part of a random weave Basket to provide a bit of texture and “filling in”
It will take longer to dry and rehydrate than the leaves and can be harvested at the end of Spring/ beginning of Summer.
Finally the one I won’t be adding is…. the humble dandelion
Dandelion
No sale link required for this one!
This is great to weave with as it is so prolific in my area of the countryside (and everywhere really) it is the gift that keeps on giving and thrives on neglect (amazing) and is absolutely free! Here, you use the stems (after they become clocks) ; they dry off the most gorgeous purply brown colour and they can grow quite long. Be careful that you don’t over soak them though or they tend to get a bit slimy.
So; what plants will you be adding to your weavers garden this year?
