How to Grow a Living Fence

Gardeners with little room for plants often take advantage of vertical space by hanging planters on their fence. You can take this notion a step further by growing a living fence. Grow a living fence from willow branches for an unusual, inexpensive garden feature that requires little maintenance.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 30 willow branches
• Spade
• Compost
• Manure
• Mulch
• Garden clippers

1. Find suitable willow branches in the spring, when they are just beginning to leaf out. Willows thrive in wet locations, so look along roadside ditches where large specimens grow. Ask homeowners before taking branches from trees on their property.

2. Collect approximately thirty 6 to 8 foot long willow branches. You need 20 branches for a 10 foot wide fence. Thirty branches provides you with extras so that you can choose the straightest, healthiest branches.

3. Dig a 10 foot long narrow trench with a spade. Enrich the soil in the trench with compost and manure.

4. Insert 10 stems into the trench 12 inches apart at a 45-degree angle. The stem must extend one foot into the ground to facilitate rooting. At the end of the trench, insert 10 more stems angled in the opposite direction, so that the stems form a diamond pattern.

5. Pack the soil tightly around the base of the willow stems. Top with a 3-inch layer of mulch.

6. Water the stems daily. The stems must not dry out while they are getting established.

7. Maintain the fence weekly to prevent a weedy look. Prune new growth to maintain the desired diamond shape. Control weeds vigilantly by hand pulling.