Hardwood cuttings

These beautiful stems are from a friend's plot.  N was a lecturer in horticulture and he grew these willows on his plot to provide material for his students to learn to propagate hardwood cuttings.  They have always provided a splash of colour through the winter (see extra taken Jan 1), but no more.  The tree stumps have been dug up by the new plot holder and the stems thrown on the communal bonfire heap.
So I have rescued these and will be attempting some hardwood cuttings of my own at the weekend.  Any that aren't used for cuttings will be used for pea supports or something else useful.