Willow (Saule) Sources in Quebec

Also looking to get started with some rapid-growing willow (saule in French) to create living fences/hedges/fedges as wind-breaks and for the production of biomass (to be fed through a wood chipper and applied on top of the soil in the garden).

Locally, there is Les Arbres de l’Ile d’Orleans, a nursery just up the road from us with some interesting options, but as far as I can tell no shoots/cuttings (he only has 8 foot trees) which is really what I’m after so I can do something like this:

If we have our own plants, from what I understand, it’s easy for me to then go and make cuttings to multiply them. Could be cool to experiment with all different kinds of structures (including a chicken enclosure), and also to commercialize them for other people down the road.

Otherwise, I found two suppliers in Quebec. First is Saules Quebec, with offices in Montreal. It looks like for $140 dollars (includes tax and shipping), I can get 100x cuttings of Salix viminalis which is traditionally used in basketry also.

More in our neck of the woods is Enviro-Saule, a production out of Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, on the South Shore. Their prices are listed as:

Prix
Boutures de 20 centimètres : 0.25$ l’unité (peu importe les quantités)
Commande minimale de 200 unités
Tiges de 2 mètres : 2$ l’unité, reprise garantie
Commande minimale de 100 unités
Chaque fagot de 50 tiges en contient toujours 10% de plus soit 55 tiges.

In the FAQ of Saules Quebec, it turns out their cuttings are also only 20 cm in length, so Enviro-Saule offers essentially the same thing at a quarter of the price!

I’ve sent a submission to Enviro-Saule, so we’ll see what they can offer me for delivery prices. It’s a bit of a drive for us to go down there and pick them up, but at that price, maybe it would be worth the trip!