Willow sculpture at Kew Gardens

Willow artist Tom Hare has made these enormous seed pods. (More of the poppy seed heads are beside the highway near Edinburgh.)
Hare says: "I was first introduced to willow on a weekend course when my imagination was captured by the endless possibilities of this truly amazing plant. Willow is the perfect example of a sustainable material, which can be woven into forms with such spontaneity.

"The whole process of producing willow sculpture is very grounding. The connection with nature, through coppicing and transferring observations into design, can be a humbling experience, and a physical one too.

"The willow has its own character with evocative qualities. Through time an understanding of this develops, which together with a bundle of patience, are all woven into the final creation."