Birthday
HydrangeasFurniture is usually made from felled trees. Some makers work the other way round: they persuade a living tree to grow into the shape of a chair, a lamp or an arch. Here is how it works, who made it famous and what you can try in your own garden.
Living plants for home and garden: potted plants delivered in Kyiv.
Furniture that is grown
The best-known example is Full Grown, the Derbyshire workshop of designer Gavin Munro in England. Young trees — willow, sycamore, oak and others — are planted beside template frames, and the shoots are guided and pruned for years. Once the shape is complete, the piece is cut, dried and finished. A single chair takes several years, so every piece is unique.
Stages of growing
Tree shaping
Growing furniture is part of a wider practice known as tree shaping or arborsculpture. It relies on a natural process: when branches of the same or different trees press together for a long time, their tissues can fuse. Gardeners use this in approach grafting. In the 20th century the Californian farmer Axel Erlandson became famous from the 1940s for showing trees of fantastic shapes in his “Tree Circus”.
Living structures in gardens
European gardens have long used similar techniques. Limes and hornbeams are pleached into “hedges on stilts” and screens, fruit trees are trained into flat espaliers against walls, and living willow rods are woven into arbours, tunnels and arches.
A living willow arch you can make
- Material. Fresh one-year willow rods 1.5–2.5 m long, cut in late winter or early spring before the leaves appear.
- Planting. Push the rods 25–30 cm into loose, moist soil along an arc or the line of a future tunnel.
- Weaving. Bend the tops towards each other and tie them with soft twine; weave the side rods in a criss-cross pattern.
- Care. Water through the first summer, and weave in or trim unwanted shoots.
For more ideas with living walls, see hedge mazes of the world, and for surprising tree facts, 10 facts about trees.
FAQ
How long does a grown chair take?
Several years, depending on the tree species and the size of the piece, plus drying time.
Which trees are best for shaping?
Fast-growing, flexible ones: willow, maple, hornbeam and lime. Willow is easiest for garden arches because it roots readily from cut rods.
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Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
