More than 350 willow species grow throughout the world.
Tiny 2 inch alpine ones.
Beaver-pruned river ones.
Garden and farm-tended ones.
Willow is so resilient!
Tending willow(Salix) and practicing the functional art of basketry wakes up old ancestral threads. Chances are good, if they were north of the equator, that they bent sticks just like us.
We started growing our own willow garden two winters ago and our plot now includes about 35 basketry willow varieties, spanning about 13 species total. Many of them are types our ancestors would have woven into baskets in Europe. Winter of 2026 plantings will bring us up to around 2500 total plantings. This may sound like a lot of willow, but it actually takes 1000 6-8 foot tall rods to make just one full sized willow casket. We expect that our plants may produce an average of 20-30 rods at peak maturity, and they will all be various lengths and diameters. We’re also developing relationships with some local wild willow varieties that may also work for caskets and other basketry.
When we first started, it was hard to find enough basket-quality willow with which to practice. There were not many growers here in the PNW and the rods people were selling could be as much as $18/lb. We have access to local, wild willows, but they were not all suitable for basket-making or could not be used for all parts of a basket. We are learning, however, to develop a stronger relationship with the wild ones here and are excited to see what that brings.
There is an expanding willow culture here in the PNW and we’re seeing more folks raising plants at home, tending to them in the wild, and relating to them more intimately. I’m sure you’ll be seeing more opportunities to work with it yourself, purchase willow rods or finished pieces locally in the coming years, depending on how we and they fair in our shifting climate. We will be offering opportunities to learn and purchase willow projects as we grow our skills.
Interested in a custom willow casket?
Please reach out in 2026 to start a conversation.
The casket you see above was woven in Autumn 2025. It has a home in our studio and is available to view in 2026. A casket in this style, with wooden bottom and embedded lid, requires around 1000 willow rods and 40-50 hours of weaving. We are happy to consider making one like this for you. Please reach out by email if you are interested: June@jacobsoncraftworks.com
Thank you to the larger willow community!
Joining the Columbia Basin Basketry Guild was pivotal for our learning, acquiring willow for our home plot, and connecting with others who are also on their own weaving journeys. June is the acting Program Chair for the guild and has enjoyed learning about other types of weaving from the artists she helps set up for monthly presentations as well.
Teachers, basketry makers and growers who have either directly or indirectly impacted our work recently through classes or interactions include, but are definitely not limited to:
Carol Horvath from CBBG in Oregon, Kate & Alan from Westcountry Willow in Ireland, Margaret Mathewson in Oregon, Joe Hogan in Ireland, Katherine Lewis and Steve from Dunbar Gardens in Washington, Mo Hohmann from Coyote Willow Schoolhouse in WA, Hannah van Aelst in Ireland, Eli & Ben Goodwin of Goodwin Basket Garden.
