RE: staking the tall ones / withes

Alyce, these young "whips" don't "root" when stuck in soil?  I have had this happen on occasion, but maybe it is our moist springs.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Alyce Elliott [a*@northnet.org]
> Sent: Monday, July 07, 2003 3:28 PM
> To: perennials@hort.net
> Subject: Re: staking the tall ones / withes
> 
> 
> Hi Isabelle,
> 
> You asked what I meant by "withes".  I'm using it to mean long, thin,
> bendable, young branches.  I cut these from the trunks and 
> branches of the
> hybrid poplar trees that line our driveway.  I found several 
> uses for them
> this year:
> 1.  I have a few of my clematis growing on 4 x 4 posts.  This 
> year they got
> to stretch up a bit because I looped and stapled poplar 
> withes over the
> poles, four withes each pole.  No two withe structures look 
> exactly the
> same, but all bear similarity to old-fashioned rug-beaters!  
> The clematis
> love it and even seem to grow faster, though that could be my 
> imagination.  
> 2. I also stuck a withe hoop into the ground next to a young, newly
> transplanted delphinium.  I'm very pleased with the 
> effectiveness and the
> appearance of that.  3. In another slightly different use, I 
> domed withes
> over the top of an old iron tomato cage and wove the ends 
> into the grills;
> this has two clematis growing on it.  (At least I suspect 
> these old iron
> 'trellises' are tomato cages -- they are about 36" hi, 14" in 
> diameter with
> straight sides.  They were found in the garage attic of a house our
> daughter bought.)  
> 4. Another use I put the poplar withes to was to support a 
> tomato plant in
> a large pot.  Again I looped the withes over the plant and 
> then wove an
> additional withe horizontally around the uprights.  I'll be 
> able to add
> taller hoops above the first ones as the tomato grows, 
> alternating them
> with the ones already in place.  
> 5. One last use was to weave the withes onto a dark green 
> metal arbor that
> arches over a brick walk.  I wanted to do this without 'ties' 
> or wires, but
> it's going to look much better if I keep the withes in check, 
> evenly, with
> some wire.  This is my favorite of the uses for our poplar 
> withes.  The
> arbor keeps the withes looking neater, less rustic, and the 
> withes give
> character to the plain arbor.  
> 6. Oh, yes, and my husband plans to plant a few of the poplar 
> branches that
> are standing in a bucket of water (to keep them pliable) and which are
> sprouting and growing roots.  (I'm not weaving fast enough.)
> 
> I hope I explained these uses well enough to give you some 
> ideas.  Let me
> know what you come up with.  Maybe some low wattle fences next; or
> sun-screens for newly transplanted perennials.  Something 
> decorative -- a
> garden ball made of extra thin withes, to hang or to nestle among
> perennials.  And what else?
> 
> Alyce Elliott
> northern NY zone 4
> 
> >I'm very interested in using things like poplar branches (I 
> too have a
> >lot of them), instead of having to buy what is needed.
> 
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