Spring is always a wonderful time for a garden tour.
Every now and then, I agree to open my gardens for a small number of private walking tours. Yesterday was the first one of the season. It was for two winners of a charity auction run by the Seattle, Washington based nonprofit FareStart. The guided walk took them through various gardens, groves, and allées. They learned a bit about the history of my farm, the many changes I've made over the years, and about the plants and trees they saw along the way.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Every group experiences a different tour when they visit the farm depending on what is blooming at the time. It’s extra special when the peonies are in flower.
These peonies are behind my main greenhouse where the guided walk began. My peonies are just starting to bloom around the farm.
The pergola garden is also hard to miss with all its beauty.
The blue Camassia and purple alliums are prominent right now. Allium species are herbaceous perennials with flowers produced on scapes. They grow from solitary or clustered bulbs. Camassia is a North American native perennial bulb with tall, star-shaped flowers that thrive in moist, sunny environments.
Nearby is my Soccer Field, which is adjacent to the pergola. It is looking so lush and green. On one side are six rare weeping hornbeams, Carpinus betulus Pendula. And in the distance is the old corn crib, which is original to the property.
The tour also viewed my pool – now open and ready for warm season swimming. The six Ginkgo biloba Goldspire™ Obelisk trees are just starting to leaf out now.
The tour then walkd down my Pin Oak Allée. A recognizable trait of the pin oak is that its lower branches hang down. It also has horizontal middle branches and upright upper branches forming a most interesting growth habit.
Susan Maki and Julie Hart are both avid gardeners and work at Squak Mt. Nursery in Issaquah, Washington. They admired so many of the gardens and asked such wonderful questions. It was interesting to hear what plants and trees do well in their area of the country. Here they are at one end of my long Boxwood Allée.
Susan and Julie learned about the giant sugar pots I have around the farm. I use them as fire pits and as coolers when I entertain, but originally sugar kettles like this were used on 19th century Louisiana plantations for the production of sugar. Sugar cane was placed in the large, spherical vessels and cooked down to make syrup. Because they could withstand such high heat, they were also used for cooking.
The horse chestnut trees at the stable end of my Boxwood Allée always grab everyone’s attention. Aesculus hippocastanum is a large deciduous tree also known as conker tree. All the horse chestnuts are blooming right now.
Anyone who visits my farm always saves a little time to see my handsome, well-mannered horses. Susan stopped to greet young Ulysses, one of two horses I rescued last year.
In the stable chick nursery – lots of baby turkeys and chickens. This poult is already learning to perch – it is standing on one of its glass feeders.
Next, a stop to see the peafowl. While it is breeding season for the peacocks and peahens, none of the males were interested in fanning their tail feathers…
My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, answered many of their gardening questions – in particular, how I care for all my roses here at the farm.
Then it was a walk through the azalea grove. The smaller, younger azaleas, which I’ve planted in the last few years are bursting with color. Some azaleas bloom as early as March, but most bloom in April and May with blossoms lasting several weeks.
Azalea petal shapes range from narrow to triangular to overlapping rounded petals. They can also be flat, wavy, or ruffled. Susan and Julie loved these light pink flowers.
Some of the most beautiful growth this time of year is outside my Summer house. Susan and Julie saw my long tree peony border planted in a semi-shade of giant maples. Many of the specimens were transplanted from my Turkey Hill garden in Westport, Connecticut and continue to thrive here at my New York farm.
There are very few plants that can compete with a tree peony in full bloom. The pink varieties are more fragrant than others. This one has slightly ruffled petals with a yellow gold center. Tree peonies come in colors that include all ranges of white, yellow, pink, magenta, and dark maroon.
Julie admired the Lady’s Mantle bordering the garden. Lady’s mantle, Alchemilla mollis, is a clumping perennial which typically forms a basal foliage mound of long-stalked, circular, scallop-edged, toothed, pleated, soft-hairy, light green leaves. The pale chartreuse flowers blend softly with the green foliage.
Across the carriage road are my old pink azaleas that are flowering with gorgeous deep pink color. My azalea collection starts in a lightly wooded area where they get lots of filtered sunlight throughout the day. When I extended the garden down the carriage road, I planted more than 400-azaleas, and continue to add more every year.
Cinco is one of my two stable cats – she followed the tour all the way up to the Summer House sunken garden.
My herbaceous peony bed is just coming to life with the bold green foliage and all the many buds waiting to open. My herbaceous peony collection includes 11-double rows of peonies, and 22 different varieties of peony plants – two varieties in each row. Susan and Julie studied the grid pattered staking in hopes of doing something similar with their peonies back home.
As the two finished the tour, they admired my stand of bald cypress trees along this carriage road. Taxodium distichum is a deciduous conifer. Though it’s native to swampy areas, the bald cypress is also able to withstand dry, sunny weather and is hardy in USDA climate zones 5 through 10. The day was perfect for a tour of the gardens – sunny, mild, and so pleasant. Thanks for visiting my Cantitoe Corners Farm, Susan and Julie.
Planting a pineutum, an arboretum of pine trees and other conifers, provides shelter and nesting sites for small birds, and continuous, year-round interest and greenery in the landscape.
I started my pineutum about 20 years ago, and every year I try to add a few more specimens like pines, junipers, spruces, cypresses, etc. in a variety of sizes and forms. Yesterday, my outdoor grounds crew planted a handful of pines, including Japanese varieties Pinus parviflora 'Tanima no yuki' and Pinus parviflora 'Bergman.'
Enjoy these photos.
Whenever I am home and have time, I enjoy visiting my favorite nurseries to see what’s in stock and what interesting specimens I can bring home. Among my go-to sources is Hardscrabble Farms, a wholesale dealer that specializes in native species, ornamental conifers, and perennials in Westchester County, New York.
Once I get them home, I take them to where they will be planted right away. When developing a garden, it’s a good idea to plant a little at a time, so one knows what grows well and what doesn’t – it takes careful planning and patience.
Because pines are evergreens, they provide year-round shade and shelter. Their dense, needle-covered branches also act as effective windbreaks in the garden, reducing wind chill in winter and blocking the hot summer sun.
Phurba starts by digging the hole at least twice the size of the plant.
He also makes sure the plant will sit at the proper depth. Any tree or shrub should be planted “bare to the flare,” meaning do not bury above its flare, where the first main roots attach to the trunk. The roots need oxygen to grow. By placing the root flare at or slightly above ground level when planting gives the specimen the best chance for survival and growth.
And always remember to sprinkle generous amounts of food. I use Miracle-Gro Organic All Purpose Plant Food. It’s good for both outdoor container and in-ground plants and feeds for up to three-months.
Using a hori hori Japanese knife, Phurba scarifies the root ball, meaning he makes intentional cuts along the side to stimulate growth. I do this with all new plants before they are placed in the ground.
He also teases the roots on the bottom. Scarifying the root ball also helps with nutrient absorption by loosening the roots and allowing them to expand into the new soil.
Next, Phurba places the pine into the hole and checks that it is straight. Step away and see how it looks before backfilling.
Phurba positions it so its best side is facing the carriage road – this is what will be seen so take time to place it perfectly.
Finally, Phurba backfills.
Phurba uses the other side of the shovel to tamp down on the soil to establish good contact between the root ball and the soil.
And then rakes the area, so it is neat and tidy.
It will thrive in this area under the partial shade of my weeping willows.
Each new planting gets a good watering – about 10-seconds. It had also rained the night before, so the soil was already wet.
Pine trees provide shelter for birds, squirrels, and other small wildlife. The cones are also a nutritious food source for many animals.
Pine needles always grow in clusters. The amount varies by species, but most often there are about three to five needles per bundle. These needles are the evergreen leaves of the tree.
As a serious and passionate gardener, I am always looking for ways to add more beauty and texture to all my garden beds. This area is really filling in so nicely.
Everything grows well because of the excellent soil which I amend often with nutrient rich compost, made here at the farm, and organic fertilizer.
Many of these plants are young and small now, but they already provide such wonderful textures, color contrasts, and interesting growing habits to this space.
Sometimes a garden simply needs a complete redesign - to incorporate fresh new plants and to revitalize the space.
Earlier this year, I decided to transform what was previously my lilac allée. This area also had many roses, so my thought was to make it a more formal rose garden - adding more rose bushes and surrounding them all with boxwood. The project took careful planning and patience. My gardeners and outdoor grounds crew removed the old plants, tilled the soil, amended it with compost and fertilizer, and then started planting. It was quite an undertaking, but it looks great.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Last March, I decided it was time to replace the lilacs in this garden. They had all served me well over the years, producing many beautiful and fragrant blooms, but they were aging and the garden needed a good overhaul.
When removing any plant, large or small, it is important to take out the entire root system, so it doesn’t grow back.
Here is the area with most of the lilacs removed. I also had roses planted here, but I kept those in place.
Next, strips of sod were removed to make the garden larger.
Rototilling is one method of turning up the soil before planting. It also helps to loosen any other root balls that may have been left deep in the bed. The machine is set to till the soil at about six to eight inches deep. It is driven slowly through the bed to mix the organic matter, break up crusted soil, and loosen the earth.
The boxwood is lined up and counted to be sure there are enough to fill the outsides of the garden beds.
Once the outside of the beds is planted, compost is brought in.
Pasang manually drops compost along the bed. I am so proud of my compost that is made right here at my farm. Quality compost provides nutrients, improves soil structure, and supports beneficial microorganisms.
Using garden twine is an important step in creating a formal garden to ensure the beds are perfectly straight.
Following the twine, Phurba uses an edger to make good, crisp lines along the edges of the beds.
And then he uses a hoe to remove the unwanted turf.
This side of the bed is now ready for planting.
Another selection of young boxwood shrubs is positioned for the border. These boxwood shrubs came to me as small cuttings. I nurtured them right here at the farm and in just a couple years, they’ve grown big enough to put in more permanent locations.
Pasang lines them up with the boxwood that is on the outside of this bed.
Next, the roses are also selected and brought to the garden.
I decided to group them by variety – four of each and lined up all along the bed. These roses are from Star Roses and Plants, a company of brands that focuses on breeding and introducing specimens offering longer-lasting, disease resistant blooms.
And then the crew starts digging the holes.
Every hole and the surrounding soil is sprinkled with food. I use Miracle-Gro Shake ‘Feed Flowering Trees & Shrubs fertilizer.
Garden twine is used again to ensure the boxwood is positioned properly.
Phurba adjusts each boxwood before it is planted.
The same is done for each rose – everything must be perfect.
Here is an area of roses in the ground. Always be sure to bury it to the same depth it was in the pot. The bud union should be at or slightly below the soil surface.
Once the area is planted, the surrounding soil is raked evenly and neatly.
And then every plant is watered thoroughly. I told my crew to water each one for 10-seconds.
And here is one side completely planted. It looks great. Next, the beds will be covered with weed cloth and a layer of mulch. In my next blog, I’ll share images of the rose varieties. Transforming a garden gives it renewed life and appeal. I can’t wait to see it flower.
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