Gardening Baskets

Gardening Baskets are all made to order and include Flower Picking Baskets, Apple Picking Baskets, Cherry Picking Baskets (Kibseys), Vegetable Baskets, Mushroom Foragers and more.

All baskets are made to order – please contact me to discuss your requirements.

The willow we use in our baskets and on our basketry courses has either been grown organically here on site at Bore Place, or has been brought up from the withy beds in Somerset and Devon. None of it has been imported from abroad.

We make baskets to order – we hold very little in stock (although it’s always worth asking!).   The nature of the materials and the weaving process means that the finished product can differ from the requested dimensions by as much as +/- 2cm, although clearly we do our best to match as precisely as possible. Consequently, when ordering a basket, we will need to know the maximum EXTERNAL dimensions, or, where appropriate, the size of the space that it needs to fit into.

If you would like your baskets to have handles, we need to know whether you would like “D” handles, or “hole” handles. Smaller baskets (for example shoppers and cherry pickers) have “loopy” handles.

We can also mend existing willow work – in the first instance, please send us an email of the broken item.  We can then confirm whether we are able to help.

Delivery/Collection
Although it is, in theory, possible to send our baskets out for delivery, we have found that – due to their dimensions – it is often very expensive.  Prices for delivery start at £40.  Please bear this in mind when ordering from us.  You are very welcome to collect your orders from our workshop (TN8 7AR), from one of our regular craft shows (see home page for a list), or by prior arrangement from our home address near Tunbridge Wells.

Types of Willow used in our baskets

Brown willow – still has the bark on (this has the most “rustic” appearance).  We grow different willows for different bark colours.  Although the willow with bark on is generically called brown, we grow Flanders Red (a dark orange/red), Dark Dicks (slate grey/blue) and Black Maul (mottled green and black).
Buff (or tan) willow – boiled and then the bark has been removed
White willow – has had the bark stripped off without boiling.  The white will fade after time.
Dogwood – bright red, seasonal availability, colours may change over time.