Twisted Willow Branches and Fresh Flowers

A customer sent us pictures of the gorgeous displays she created with Twisted Willow Branches and fresh flowers. A while back we had a post on combining dried branches with fresh flowers. When using dried branches, you really should keep them dry. To combine them with fresh flowers, the options include using floral tubes, or nesting a smaller vase inside a larger vase. That latter technique was used in these displays. Beautiful!

Note the staggered votives around the base - a great alternative to hanging votives!

Here's a close-up showing the vase containing the fresh flowers and water nested in among the Twisted Willow Branches:

Curly Willow Branches and Mossy Limbs

Jennifer A. sent us these pictures of displays she made using the Mossy Limbs and Fresh Curly Willow. The Mossy Limbs provide a solid visual element, while the Curly Willow Branches delicately fill and expand the space. Great work!

Fresh Curly Willow Arch

The branch connoisseurs that we are, we are often asked to identify branches. Here's a picture we recently received for analysis:

What's used here are Fresh Curly Willow Branches, which are typically available from late November through March. They can be bent fairly easily, making them a great choice for creating an arch. 

If I were making this, I'd start with a bale of the 4-5' Fresh Curly Willow (10 bundles of 6-8 branches each). Then, I'd get a pair of attractive buckets or garden pots, fill them with plaster-of-paris or concrete, and set half a dozen or so branches in each one. Once the branches have set, I'd get out my cable ties, and start attaching branches until I have two columns that can be joined for the arch (each column would probably have to be at least 12 feet tall). Then I'd join the arch and put on the finishing touches, such as adding orchids (it looks like white dendrobiums were used here), and concealing the cable ties with something like ribbon or moss.  

FRESH Curly Willow

We just got some Fresh Curly Willow in stock. Shown above is one bundle of the 4-5' size, which is available in bales of 10 bundles shipped directly from the farm. If you are looking for wild form, this is definitely what you want - our Dried Curly Willow looks reserved in comparison. Due to its amazing form, however, it can only be shipped while it's fresh and pliable so your time is limited - we'll only have it until sometime in March. Once you get it, you'll want to simply drop it into a vase without water and allow it to dry - once dry it will last for years. 

FINALLY! Curly Willow Tips and Kuwa

After a long hiatus, the Curly Willow Tips and Natural Kuwa will be back in stock the first week of September. The Curly Willow Tips are stripped of their bark, and are easily shaped after a few hours of soaking, giving you total control over their final form.

The Kuwa is the most contorted branch we have available, and is strong enough to support hanging votives or other items of a similar weight.