Willow Harvesting

We here at withysmithe meadow are harvesting our willow.we have been growing willow here on our land for 3 years so this year we are cutting by hand 1st second and 3rd year growth.We have 17 different varietys of basketmaking willow ,all at different stages.

Most of the 1 year cuttings will be used for creating wildlife habitat as its too branchy to use for weaving.so we will be making piles of willow for insects.The 2nd and 3rd year willow of which most of it casn be used for weaving.

We will also be planting a few more varietys over the next 2 to 3 years .

The willow cuttings take 3 years of growing to get to the stage where the stool is established .We cut the willow back to about 10cm each year in order for it to regrow.

you can get anything from 3ft to 9 ft lengths in a year from some of the varietys.We are now able to sell some cuttings ,and hopefully over the next few years we may be able to sell small amounts of our homegrown willow aswell.

Bespoke log baskets

We are now taking commissions for bespoke made to measure and choice of colours and design log baskets to go next to your wood burner,Order now before winter sets in

WILLOW CHRISTMAS ANGELS

We are now taking orders for willow christmas light up angels

keepsakes made from offcuts

All our coffins are tailor made and designs chosen by the familys.There is generally little waste regarding materials when we make our willow coffina and baskets.The offcuts we have left over from the coffins can be made into keepsakes for the familys to remember their loved ones.The different examples are a flower basket,handbags with leather straps ,and willow dragonflys or butterflys.

We provide a willow dragonfly with each of our coffins ,but extra ones can be made for other family members.The photo below shows our new design ‘PEACEFUL PEONY” and the family ordered an extra 9 willow dragonflys.

Please email for more info

what flower arrangements are appropriate for a funeral

Lilies

As one of the most popular floral choices for funerals, lilies represent the restored innocence of the soul of the departed.

Gladioli

Tall and majestic, gladioli convey strength of character, moral integrity and sincerity

Carnations

White carnations convey pure love and innocence; red carnations represent admiration; and pink carnations stand for remembrance.

Chrysanthemums

In many European cultures, chrysanthemums are only used as funeral flowers as they are symbolic of death. In the US, chrysanthemums represent truth and are typically regarded as a cheerful way to honor someone who lived a full life.

Roses

This highly popular flower carries different meanings depending on the color; White roses express reverence, innocence and youthfulness; Red roses convey respect, love and courage; Pink roses signify love, grace and gentility; Crimson roses denote grief and sorrow; and yellow represents friendship.

Orchids

Pink and white are traditional orchid colors used to express one's sympathy and typically represent eternal love. Phalaenopsis and dendrobium orchids are generally the most appropriate types of orchids used as sympathy flowers.

Now that you know the meaning of some of the most popular funeral flowers, you can incorporate them in your arrangements. The tradition of adorning the casket with fresh flowers (called a casket spray) is typically selected by the closest family members - spouse, children, siblings, parents, etc. They are beautiful displays of one or several types of flowers and greens that sit on top of the casket. Full casket sprays are suitable for closed caskets, while half casket sprays are used for open casket services. Casket inserts and garlands are other types of floral designs that are selected by the immediate family.

made to measure bicycle baskets

we can make any style,design, shape and colours and taylor made bicyclebasket to fit your bike rack,back or front.

our baskets are strong and sturdy,we now use a wooden base so the basket can be bolted onto the rack and also held in place with handcrafted leather straps,as a few friends have had their baskets stolen from the bike,we can fix the basket on so its difficult to get off

We can make for your bike

a pet basket

foraging or veg basket

lunch basket

butchers bike baskets

removable small picnic baskets

how is the COVID 19 affecting our business

This current situation regarding the corona virus is bizzare and frightening.there are worrys about our health and all of our financial situation.We have had all our shows cancelled where we rely on seling baskets and handing out leaflets for our coffins,and taking a coffin on tour to show the visitors to the shows what we do.

Also we had to cancel all our workshops much to the dissapointment of all our students.So our income for the basket sales and workshops has been non existant,we have had a few coffin orders come in which has kept the wolf from the door,and managed to do a few jobs where we have bartered or done skillswaps which we love doing that kind of trade,

One good thing about the current situation and i can speak for most of us is that we have had extra time to focus on getting things done around the home regarding improvements,and we have started up a small market garden and am going to grow flowers for funerals to add to our coffins,

in the meantime we here at cradle to grave are learning new designs of weaving our baskets,and have time to play and experiment with willow,make stock for when ever the shows will return ,and keeping healthy and happy

woodlands.co.uk film coffin making by cath at cradle to grave

i had the pleasure of inviting Jemma Cholawo to come and make a short film for the woodland.co.uk film channel,

Jemma came and spent the day in the yurt and over at our willow bed filming me making a willow coffin from our homegrown willow.

i was calm and relaxed and feeling on good form,we went ahead and filmed as i made a coffin for the first time in 15 years using homegrown willow.i was very pleased at the film jemma put together

thankyou jemma