SEVEN years ago, a new project began at Nature's World.

It was one of the most inexpensive and easiest gardens to create. Today, this project remains one of the main attractions on site. It is still one of the first things that the children ask for as they bound through the garden gates. It is the willow maze.

All that was needed to build the garden was a patch of bare ground and a few bundles of recently-cut willow whips. The whips were simply pushed into the ground to a depth of six inches and spaced at intervals of two feet. The hardest part was designing the intricate pathways, one of which takes you from the entrance to the exit. All the rest eventually turn out to be dead ends.

In its infancy, the maze was linked with Amnesty International. The twists and turns led the participant through leafy tunnels. At every dead end stood a concrete pillar with a message depicting the misdeeds of mankind. After a few seasons though, it became apparent that the children emerging from the tree lined labyrinth seemed to be distressed or upset by the depressing (but true) quotations. It was decided that as the wind and rain slowly degraded the information boards, we would replace them with less sensitive, but still thought-provoking environmental messages.

The original willow whips are now ten feet tall and have a trunk girth of more than six inches. In summer, the leaf growth is so great that the walls are impenetrable. The low light levels add to the mystery of the maze and help to keep any weed growth down to a manageable level. In winter, the leaves all fall to the floor and mulch down to make a nice soft pathway.

The main winter job on the willow maze is its annual haircut. Every year, each tree sprouts forth two dozen ten-foot whips of its own. These have to be cut off in order to keep the canopy dense and to keep the tree growth in check. It takes two physically fit trainees two weeks to complete the task. It's certainly one of those jobs that gets the shoulder, back and neck muscles well warmed up.

The prunings never go to waste though. Most years we use them ourselves to build hedges and fences. This is a quick, effective and easily maintained boundary material. Pushed into the ground, three inches apart, they rapidly take root, and will be budding up with new growth within a few months.

Last year, in one corner of the site we planted about 50 little whips. This was a notoriously wet and boggy area, which was no use to anyone but the ducks (and they have plenty of play areas). This year, the trees have successfully drawn up the worst of the moisture and the land is beginning to dry out already. In another year or so we will be able to put pathways around this area without the fear of attracting our own hippo population.

We have used the off-cuts in other ways too. They have been woven into sculptures, hurdles and plant supports. Cut into pellet-sized chunks they make a good ground cover mulch, or can be dried and used as tinder for open fires. At the moment we are busy making the bases for Christmas wreaths.

Overall, the willow maze project has been a very successful example of how to utilise a cheap, simple product in a wide variety of sustainable, imaginative, yet enjoyable ways.

You can contact Brigid by emailing her at brigidpress67.freeserve.co.uk or writing to her care of Nature's World, Ladgate Lane, Acklam, Middlesbrough.

Published: 07/12/2002