Weaving Magic at Chelsea Flower Show: A Willow Journey
120 metres of handwoven UK Willow for Chelsea Flower Show
So we were chugging along minding our own business, when a friend tagged me in a post by a garden designer asking for help with some willow weaving. I normally don’t message people late at night, but on this occasion something inspired me to drop the designer a note to offer my help, if she hadn’t already found a willing weaver.
By morning, an email from Pollyanna Wilkinson Garden Design awaited, and the rest, as they say, is history...
What transpired was that Polly had been commissioned by the RHS to produce a show garden at Chelsea Flower Show, but she and her team had a big problem. They were missing a skilled willow weaver and were rapidly running out of time to get the work made.
So after a lot of studying of technical drawings, many phone calls later, we found ourselves on route to Chelsea. We were fortunate that it was the time of year when willow is still flexible from being cut over the winter, so the time restraints of needing soak vast quantities of willow was not an issue. Nick my husband, rapidly got his mathematical and measuring brain into action, and took up the mantle of learning to weave willow panels almost overnight! Working with Polly’s team, especially Elle Arnett, was a marvel, such efficiency and vision was really quite spectacular.
Altogether, we had to weave over 120 linear meters of panels, precisely fitting around the steel planters for the show. With single-minded dedication, we dropped everything and spent three weeks immersed in weaving... and weaving... and weaving...
Nick McMillen Weaving Willow on site at Chelsea Flower Show
We hit the deadline and then we were off to Chelsea to install all the panels. It was an overwhelming experience to start with, with steel workers welding all around, fork lift trucks hulking mountains of rocks, crates and the numerous things needed to install multiple gardens in one space.
We experienced some technical problems, where measurements of willow and steel didn’t quite match up, but everyone pulled together with some monumental efforts to make all the structure come together. It was absolutely exhausting, but such an awesome experience to be part of.
Women in Horticulture Garden - Chelsea Flower Show 2023
A few weeks later, and we were able to go up the Chelsea Flower Show to see the garden in all its planted glory. The garden had been designed to celebrate Women in Horticulture and there was a fascinating display to accompany the garden, heralding women over the centuries who have paved their own way in a male dominated domain.
Polly designed such a beautiful garden, the planting so beautiful billowing over all the willow panels, it was a real triumph and we are super proud to have been part of it and hence we are hooked and wondering what the next challenge will be.
