Bees Wildlife & Environment

Willow provides an ideal early nectar crop for honey bees and other beneficial insects. It is also a popular browse and fodder crop with most herbivores from rabbits to goats and horses. It can be used as a feed for cattle and sheep both in drought conditions and in the winter as "willage".

Willow is ideal for establishing game cover in one season . Willow can be used to create instant wildlife areas for attracting bees, insects and songbirds including rare warblers. The early catkins in March, April and May are a good source of nectar for bees. Butterflies and moths are especially attracted to the willow to lay eggs and a huge variety of caterpillars can be found on the willow during the summer months. Willow also makes a good quick growing windbreak to enable less wind tolerant plants to establish. We recommend planting 3 foot cuttings as you are unlikely to want to attempt weed control when planting for wildlife or game. Willow can be grown on wasteland to reclaim brown field sites and is grown on old landfill sites . It is used to take up heavy metals deposits on contaminated land.

Growing willow is very good for taking up nitrogen and is ideal for tackling nitrate pollution in Nitrate Sensitive Areas or Nitrate Vulnerable Zones.
Willow can also be planted along lower field margins and riparian zones to act as a buffer for retaining diffused pollutants draining from adjacent agricultural land. Willow can however,thrive in soils which have low nitrogen levels. Growing willow for Biomass has been shown to be effective in removing cadmium buildup on arable land caused by the long term application of fertilizers.
The habitat created by a willow plantation is very different to those found within a conventional agricultural crop . Willow supports a large number of insect species most of which cause little damage to the willow 
Red Salix, hybrid 3 foot cuttings

Red Salix, hybrid 3 foot cuttings

This product is sold as 3ft unrooted cuttings. This hybrid is a  Salix Calodendron  cross, Ideal willow for erosion control,  Leaf...

£1.56
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Salix Miyabeana (Chinese Willow) 3ft cuttings

Salix Miyabeana (Chinese Willow) 3ft cuttings

This product is sold as 3ft unrooted cuttings. This hybrid produces a wealth of catkins that are atractive to insects including wild and honey...

£1.56
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