Getting crafty with quince canes

Each year, the quince trees alongside the herb garden produce the longest, straightest canes. Each year sees us cutting them back to maintain a comfortable height for picking the fruit. This year we were pruning against time. But I have always puzzled how I could put the cane off-cuts to some useful purpose in the garden.

I admire the craft of willow weaving. It was a craft which often served to be useful in traditional kitchen gardens. I know that willow canes must be very flexible and conducive for use in weaving and basket making. Basketry is the oldest craft in the world and is believed to predate pottery.

Quince cane cuttings

Original forms of basketry would have been very vernacular and dependent on the materials available nearest their homes. Houses were built with basket work (wattle) and daubed with mud, making for a very vernacular and environmentally friendly architecture.

Pruned quince trees and cuttings, the weaving process and finished product

Baskets were especially important for use in storing, transporting, and packaging food and more. The introduction of plastic had a huge impact on the basket industry. In Britain, 14 000 professional basket makers were recorded in 1891. Today there is thought to be around 200.

It is sad that something so environmentally friendly could have been replaced by something that is one of the biggest threats to our environment.

I decided to try and use the quince canes in making woven plant trellises for runner beans or any other plant needing support in the garden. The quince canes were not as flexible as I had hoped, but I still managed to weave some obelisks that look very rustic. They add a traditional feel to the garden.

I will have to keep them out of the soil until they are dry enough. Planting the trellises in the soil right after pruning will surely encourage rooting. It might make for an interesting living sculpture in the garden but for now, I am happy with the four quince trees that are already producing such an abundant annual crop.

I am pleased with the result of my woven trellises. I have decided that I should produce more next winter when, hopefully, I will have more time. It felt right to produce a functional item from the garden, for the garden. The ancient craft of weaving with cane, and in this case, quince canes, makes for very Karoo vernacular garden sculptures.