Which varieties of willow and bamboo will grow very quickly? Any recommendations for online Irish suppliers? – S Keary
I’m guessing you’re planning to plant a quick-growing screen or hedge to give you privacy, block an ugly view and/or create shelter. The problem with this idea, as others have discovered, is that what initially seems like a wonderful quality (the plants’ ability to grow very quickly) soon turns into a liability.
At a minimum, they’re going to require regular pruning to keep them in shape. In the worst-case scenario, they may even become invasive, as has happened with certain kinds of fast-growing, “running” types of bamboos. This can cause all sorts of problems down the line as their probing root systems eventually compromise the foundations of built structures and drains.
For advice on choosing non-invasive varieties of bamboo best suited to your particular site, I suggest contacting Stam Bamboos in Co Waterford (stambamboo.com), which specialises in a very carefully edited range and has many decades of expertise in this area. It also stocks mature specimens of Fargesia murieliae (a clumping, non-invasive species) that can be used to create an instant screen.
Species of willow best suited to creating a hedge or living woven willow structure include Salix purpurea; Salix alba var. vitellina; Salix daphnoides; Salix alba “Britzensis”; Salix viminalis and S. purpurea. The most cost-effective way to source these is as bare-root, one-year whips from the end of October to the end of March. They will also root very readily from 30cm cuttings stuck directly into the ground, but bear in mind that the RHS recommends that willow hedges or “fedges” are planted at a minimum distance of 10m from buildings and drains. Recommended Irish online suppliers include Cork-based futureforests.ie.
