Shopping for Japanese Maples
You may recall one of my blogs from last autumn when I took you on a photo tour of my friends, Michael and Judy Steinhardt's, most gorgeous Japanese maple grove. I have always loved Japanese maples and really wanted to plant such a grove at my farm in Bedford. This dream moved a step closer to reality this past summer, when I went shopping for plants on the North Fork of Long Island, New York, with my television gardener, Andrea Mason. One of the wholesale nurseries that we visited in Cutchogue, New York, is called Environmentals, owned by my friend, Connie Cross. Environmentals specializes in rare and unusual plants and when I was there, I noticed an entire hoop house filled with potted Japanese maples. Last week, I sent Shaun, my gardener, to do a little shopping. Shaun went through the entire hoop house and brought back 117 trees, consisting of forty different cultivars. Shaun and his crew got busy with the planting and I'll show you that entire process very soon.
1 The ivy-covered wholesale office at Environmentals
2 A really fun planting in a garden cart - dahlia, sweet potato vine, and lantana
3 This is Bob who oversees the nursery - he is also a poet and passed along two of his poems for Shaun to read.
4 This is Frank who helped with the sale of the plants and gave a tour of the gardens at the nursery.
5 The owner of Environmentals is Connie Cross and this is her home nicely situated in the garden.
6 The chicken coop
7 A cascading Japanese maple at pool's edge
8 I love the aged worn look of these chairs.
9 The pool and cabana
10 Another beautiful Japanese maple in the garden
11 A very cutleaf form
12 Many conifers can be found planted throughout the gardens and nursery areas of Environmentals.
13 Here is a rather large specimen of Pinus aristata.
14 A very beautiful Cedrus deodara thriving in the sandy, well-drained soil of the Northfork
15 The is the hoop house which was filled with many varieties of Japanese maples.
16 Shaun was happy that here was a great deal of variation in color, size, and form.
17 My truck with trailer was parked and ready to be loaded.
18 This trailer is great for transporting furniture, equipment, and plants.
19 As Shaun pulled the trees, Fernando put them into groups of three of a kind.
20 These are some of the bigger trees in 15-gallon pots.
21 TJ of Environmentals got busy loading the trees.
22 As did Bidal
23 Baulilio took the lead in loading the trailer.
24 Many were loaded but will all 117 trees fit?
25 These are the last of the trees to be carefully loaded into the trailer.
26 This is all that was left in the hoop house after Shaun picked all of the best specimens for Bedford!
Stunning!
Posted by: Isle Dance | October 6th, 2009 at 12:25 am
WOW!!! so beautiful Martha, I love Japanese maples. Looking forward to seeing the entire process.
Bonne chance!
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | October 6th, 2009 at 1:45 am
Martha - WOW 117 Japanese Maples - that is a lot of trees. We have a very large one in the front of our house and it is just beautiful. This time of year the leaves start to turn red and it looks like a ball of fire. This tree happens to be my husbands favorite. He takes great pride in his maple and makes sure it is pruned perfectly. I can't wait to see pictures from where you plant them at your home.
Posted by: Ann | October 6th, 2009 at 6:46 am
Japanese maples are so delicate - like lace on a tree.
Posted by: Lynn from For Love or Funny | October 6th, 2009 at 9:07 am
So when Shaun headed out was he to bring home: 117 trees of specific number /cultivar or a trailer load of trees?
Posted by: Margie | October 6th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Do you have a lot of ash trees on your property? Planting trees not susceptible to the emerald ash borer (that seems to be making its way east through Pennsylvania) seems like good continuity planning.
Posted by: Vanessa | October 6th, 2009 at 9:44 am
I m so excited 4 u, i luv maples, favorites, shishigashira, lions head maple, neat neat maple, i 2 have a very fine cut leaf, filigree, enjoy moon, cinnamon bark (neat in winter 2) they r some of the most interesting plants, oh the red bark maple, beautiful in the winter after a snow, I no u will enjoy ur arboretum and I can hardly wait 4 u 2 share.
Posted by: Charmayne | October 6th, 2009 at 9:53 am
i wanted to comment to those thinking they live in a place too hot for japanese maples; i live inland southern california and thought i wouldn't be able to keep the trees happy with our heat. but a garden tour in redlands (even hotter than our zone!) proved me wrong. i've found the secret is to trick them with a very close water feature. i've been successful for 2 years now with one in the ground and one in a pot! thanks martha as always for your inspiration.
Posted by: lisa mertins | October 6th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Hi Martha,
As if your property isn't beautiful enough you’ll now have a grove of Japanese maples...splendor! They come in such gorgeous colors; I can't wait to see them as they mature.
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Your friend Connie has a very nice house and I especially like the pool and cabana area. I wonder if she put a sign up in the empty hoop house after you left that read "Martha was here!" LOL.
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If I planted 117 trees at my house, I wouldn't be able to get out the front door! Farms are so nice but you already know that. Trish
Posted by: Trish | October 6th, 2009 at 11:33 am
How exciting!! All of these fabulous trees will really add so much color and interest to your property. I really miss seeing you everyday from Canada. For some reason they stopped your show from airing here as of September!! Guess your guys will have to get on their backs...I am sure you are missed by many!!! I will have to follow your adventures elsewhere!!
Enjoy the rest of your day!! xOxO
Posted by: Nerina | October 6th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
...my tho'ts precisely, Martha! - were all those trees going to fit in your what-once-looked-sizable trailer?! Gee whiz, Shaun left hardly ANY maples in the hoop house! It was good that he bro't the truck along (every farm needs a truck! [giggle]) - to lay those taller specimen trees on their sides, down in the truck bed (which would also protect them from the 'wind' while driving back home.)
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(I know you will, but) you MUST keep us updated on these! 117 trees?! 40 varieties?! Oh, they're going to be magnificent additions there at your farm, especially if you create your muchly-coveted grove like you've said. It'll have a similar effect like a collection displayed on a shelf - they'll be stunning all grouped together! - the different cuts in the leaves and their different colors/shades. (Neato!)
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I will definitely look forward to seeing Shaun's progress as he gets all of these little beauties nestled in!
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'Til then, my Martha,
=^..^=
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"Keep your face always toward the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you."--M B Whitman
Posted by: Cindy Bricker | October 6th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
...oh, and I DO remember the Steinhardts and their beautiful property! They are wonderful stewards of the land, just like you, Martha and are blessed with natural beauty all around them. They're goodgood people!
=^..^=
Posted by: Cindy Bricker | October 6th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Maples, maples. My favorite tree. I love them all, sugar ones and Japanese maples. Its going to be gorgeous to have a grove of 117 japanese maples all changing in the fall. The photos from that will be gorgeous.
Linda
Phila., PA
Posted by: Linda | October 6th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Hi Martha, I love your blogs about gardening of any kind. Shaun's trip to Environmentals Nursery really looks like a lot of fun. These photos are really superb and your link to their website is beautiful. Can't wait to see all of those beautiful Japanese maples when they are planted on your farm. Does Shaun need any help?! I'm available any time! Does the hoop house ever become a covered hot or cold house for growing other plants?. Since you bought so many trees from that hoop house, I'm sure they have other uses for it. Loved your show again today. This is a great season!!! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | October 6th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Your tree planting brought back memories of this Martha and husband Dave, bought 40 acres in Iowa to build a home and decided to sub-divide(mistake). We bought 20,000 seedlings from the state and planted(with the help of high school kids) in this corn field that had mature oaks surrounded it. The deer loved the fir trees as the winter was cold with no snow to cover the trees. What are you doing to keep the deer and rabbits from eating your trees. 22 years later we have great trees that did made it thru the Iowa winters. Plant away Martha!
Posted by: Martha Angell | October 7th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Beautiful. And a far lovelier experience than an average garden center visit, it would seem!
Posted by: The Blushing Hostess | October 8th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Hi Martha: I am a big fan of your show. Recently I went online to enter your contest and found a spot about Japanese Maples. You say you planted 117? I had no idea they could grow much north of the zone6 area.... I am in Indiana which is rated zone 5 but the weather is definitely zone 4 in the winter a lot of the time. How do I choose Japanese maples for my secret garden that I have been working on forever? I really want to get some in this year! Please email me an answer. Thanks so much
Posted by: Dee Waring | November 2nd, 2009 at 12:24 pm