Once you have bought your wand it needs to be planted quickly. However, if immediate planting isn’t possible, keep it in 10cm of water in a shady spot outdoors for a maximum of 3-4 days. You must plant your wand before the roots reach a length of 2cm.

You’ll notice a plastic tie at the bottom of the wand, which must always be left on; removing it will allow The wand unfurl and you will loose the beautiful symmetrical woven effect. Don’t worry about the tie ‘strangling the plant’ – willow grows strongly and will graft around it.

The wand is intended for outdoor planting only, in any position from partial shade to full sun. It must be kept outdoors all year round. It is fully hardy, even in pots. It is able to withstand severe frost but it must not dry out even in winter, so ensure that cold winds and sun don’t dry the compost out if grown in a container. Placing the pot in a saucer helps to ensure that the compost always remains moist.

Water daily in warm weather and over-watering is unlikely to ever be a problem.

The wand can be planted directly into your garden in normal garden soil approximately 15cm deep, depending on the size of wand you purchased – slightly deeper for larger wands, and slightly less for the smaller ones. Firm in very well to prevent wind-rock and then saturate immediately after planting.

For the first 3-4 weeks your wand will be extra thirsty so it will need watering daily unless there is heavy rain. After this period, water as required, depending on weather conditions, but for the first season ensure that the soil around the base of the stem is moist at all times.

Once established – from the second season onwards, your wand should only need watering in dry summer conditions – but never let it dry out. Please keep a minimum 1 metre distance from walls and eaves to ensure your wand receives enough light and rain.

Roots are very unlikely to cause issues, as long as the topiary top is trimmed as per instructions.

The wand looks great in troughs, pots and containers, follow the same guidelines as with garden planting. Mixing the compost with a little loam-based (‘John Innes’) compost helps to retain moisture, and to firm the wand in very well at planting time.

Like all container-grown plants, it is absolutely essential that the compost remains moist at all times, so it is a good idea to place the container in a saucer and always ensure that the saucer is holding water. Better still, install a trickle irrigation system.

After about 2-3 months the wand will have established a root system so at this point, begin feeding with a general-purpose fertiliser.