If you do not qualify for trade rates, immediate payment by credit or debit card via Sage Pay is required, or you may request contact from the office to make payment over the phone.
For customers who have been accepted for trade rates, we offer several ordering and payment options, including:
Immediate payment by credit or debit card via Sage Pay, our payment service provider.
Order on account (available to credit account customers only).
Request contact from the office & make payment over the phone.
Place order to reserve stock & request a call back to discuss timings, with payment only required upon despatch.
Note: Plant specifications and prices below relate to last season and will be updated ahead of the 2022-2023 season once availability has been determined.
Plants will be available to pre-order for the 2022-2023 planting season. Sign up to receive notification when pre-ordering goes live.
Minimum Order Value
Please note that there is a minimum order value of £50.00 + VAT, excluding delivery.
Delivery
Delivery to UK mainland is included for stock orders over £1500.00 + VAT (subject to postcode zones & surcharges). For full details on delivery please view our delivery page.
The Grey Willow is a small tree to 10m, but more usually makes a large shrub, and along with the Goat Willow is also known as Pussy Willow. Common throughout Britain, it is found on wet sites and on wasteland everywhere. It is sometimes confused with Goat Willow, but its leaves are narrower with greyish-white undersides. It has good wildlife value.
Site and soil
Preferring wet sites, the Grey Willow will often colonise boggy ground, but it will also do well in all but the driest soils. Good in exposed and coastal area. Tolerant of very wet soil with low oxygen levels.
Height and spread
Below are the approximate stages of growth, assuming sited in suitable conditions for this species;
After 10 years: 3m x 3m After 20 years: 4m x 4m
Leaf and bark
The leaves are more oval than typical willow, but not as broad or as wrinkly as the Goat Willow. They are dark green, to 6cm, with felted grey undersides. The bark is dark grey with shallow ridges.
Flower, seed and fruit
The Grey Willow is dioecious, that is the male and female catkins appear on separate trees. The male flowers are the densely silvery-hairy flowers well known as Pussy Willow, the females green. The females release the fluffy seeds in May. When bought in quantity there is a good chance both sexes will be represented.
The flowers provide valuable early pollen for foraging bees. It is the food plant of several species of butterfly including the Purple Emperor and Camberwell Beauty.
The main reasons for buying protection is to protect the plants against:
Pests
Spraying
Strimming
Pests
When it comes to deciding what protection to choose the golden rule is to choose the product dependent on which pest you are protecting against. The below will help you in deciding what height of protection you will need.
Vole, Mice 20cm
Rabbit 60cm
Hare 75cm
Roe Deer, Muntjac 1.20m
Fallow Deer 1.50m
Pest & Minimum Protection Height
Protection Type Where more than one size is listed, the wider diameter protection is recommended for taller, bushier plants.
Support Required Taller support is recommended for use in sandier, lighter soils and wider/stronger support should be used at exposed sites.
Protection Type Where more than one size is listed, the wider diameter protection is recommended for taller, bushier plants.
Support Required Taller support is recommended for use in sandier, lighter soils and wider/stronger support should be used at exposed sites.
Sorted by price; lowest to highest
Roe Deer/Muntjac 1.20m
Tubex Tree Shelter* 1.20m x 73-105mm, 1.20m x 80-120mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.20m x 32mm, 1.35m x 32mm
Tubex Combitube* 1.20m x 73-105mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.20m x 32mm, 1.35m x 32mm
Tubex Shelterguard Mesh Tube* 1.20m x 80-110mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.20m x 32mm, 1.35m x 32mm
Tubex Treeguard Mesh Tube* 1.20m x 80-110mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.20m x 32mm, 1.35m x 32mm
Galvanised Mesh Tree Guard* 1.20m x 300mm *Not recommended for this species
Machine Rounded Tree Stake 1.20m x 50mm, 1.50m x 50mm
Pest & Minimum Protection Height
Protection Type Where more than one size is listed, the wider diameter protection is recommended for taller, bushier plants.
Support Required Taller support is recommended for use in sandier, lighter soils and wider/stronger support should be used at exposed sites.
Sorted by price; lowest to highest
Fallow Deer 1.50m
Tubex Tree Shelter* 1.50m x 80-120mm, 1.80m x 80-120mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.50m x 32mm, 1.80m x 32mm
Tubex Combitube* 1.50m x 80-120mm, 1.80m x 80-120mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.50m x 32mm, 1.80m x 32mm
Tubex Shelterguard Mesh Tube* 1.50m x 80-110mm, 1.80m x 80-110mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.50m x 32mm, 1.80m x 32mm
Tubex Treeguard Mesh Tube* 1.50m x 80-110mm, 1.80m x 80-110mm *Not recommended for this species
Square Sawn Tree Stake 1.50m x 32mm, 1.80m x 32mm
Galvanised Mesh Tree Guard* 1.80m x 300mm, 1.80m x 600mm *Not recommended for this species
Machine Rounded Tree Stake 1.80m x 60mm
Spraying
Tubex tree shelters offer the benefit of not only protecting against animal damage, they also ensure that herbicides do not come into contact with the plants during spraying.
The main reason for spraying is weed control, however, there are other options available to suppress weeds, such as weed control matting.
Strimming
Young plants should be protected from damage caused when strimming. To protect plants solely for strimming, our strimmer guards are the ideal product.