How to Make a Garden Arch with Hazel or Willow

I made a hazel garden arch for our allotment. I chose to use hazel because it grows locally and we have permission from the woodland manager to coppice small amounts from the woods adjacent to our vegetable garden (allotment) for use as plant supports and structures on our plot.
Creating an arch with hazel or willow takes time, but it's quite an easy and beginner friendly project. The benefit of using natural materials to create plant supports is that when they reach the end of their useful lifespan, the materials can be composted easily on site.
Hazel has traditionally been grown across the UK for use in fencing and farming, and it's what I had available to me, but willow or other types of flexible wood can also be used if that's what you have growing near you.
Coppicing of both hazel and willow takes place during late autumn and winter, and helps prevent trees from becoming overcrowded which can lead to poor health, disease, and eventually the death of the tree. Uncoppiced, hazel lives for up to 80 years, but a well coppiced hazel stool can live for several hundred years.
Edited January 2024 to add:
In the end I didn't use this arch for squash or gourds as originally intended, because once a large oak tree at the foot of our allotment plot was in full leaf, the area was too shaded for these sun loving crops. When we built this arch we were new to the site and thought the area would get more sun than it does. Instead, I am growing clematis and jasmine up and over the arch, and last year I grew sweet peas on it as annuals which, to my surprise, flowered in partial shade.
The arch has held up well this first year despite all of the winter storms we've had in the UK over the past few months. Flooding and high winds haven't shifted it, so that's good to know. In the spring I will reinforce it with a few extra rods of hazel and some new string, and it should be good to go for another season. I just wanted to give you an update in case you're wondering about longevity or the structural integrity of something which is handmade! Have fun building yours!
Edited April 2024 to add:
• Strengthening our Gard...
I have made a few changes to the arch to strengthen it and replace a few broken pieces.
#vegetablegarden #weaving #gardenideas

[@quattourtempora6219]

Gorgeous arch way. Given me lots of inspiration to try this method for the garden I work in. Thank you. Also gorgeous calming music 🙏

[@EighteenandCloudy]

Thank you, and I hope you enjoy making your own arch. Since we made the original structure we've added new rods of both hazel and willow to strengthen it, it's very easy to tie in new pieces as old ones break down should you need to.

[@AmirsAllotment]

Brilliantly done, plots looking lovely 😊🌱

[@EighteenandCloudy]

Thanks Amir! Haha neverending battle to keep the horsetail and couch grass at bay!

[@mossandmirthvlog]

It's lovely!

[@EighteenandCloudy]

Thank you! 🙂

[@florenceherault4273]

Hello, thank you for posting this, I want to make something similar and have a good supply of hazel, thanks for the inspiration. Quick question, did the structure support your winter squashes?, I want to grow sweet peas and butternut on mine but I'm unsure if it will be strong enough for the squashes...

[@EighteenandCloudy]

Hi, so in the end I didn't grow squash up it because the arch only gets 4 - 6 hours of direct sun when the oak tree is in full leaf. It's our first year on the plot so I've been observing how the light falls and adjusting plans as we go. I successfully grew sweet peas up it though, and I've also planted clematis and jasmine on it. It's held up really well and didn't budge even in strong winds and heavy rain. I can't say for certain but I think it would be strong enough for smaller squash like butternut or acorn varieties, or uchiki kuri. I got the idea of a hazel squash arch after seeing one covered in mature squash at a National Trust property in Derbyshire, I think it was Calke Abbey, so that was my initial proof of concept.