Here at my farm, I always try to impress upon my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew to "use the right tool for the right job" - for efficiency and for safety. Among our favorites are the durable, easy-to-use items from STIHL.
I've been using STIHL products for a long time. STIHL is recognized as a worldwide leader in outdoor power equipment and offers an extensive lineup of different pieces including professional-grade chainsaws, blowers, trimmers, pressure washers, and so much more. Last week, I received several of STIHL's new mowers - both gas powered and battery operated. They're great for using in large lawn spaces as well as any flat, narrow, tight areas around my home. They're easy to maneuver and provide good, precise cuts.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
It was so nice to have STIHL Territory Manager Michael Calyer and STIHL Regional Sales Manager Robert Pulver come by the farm to teach me and my crew all about the newest mower models.
Here are three STIHL zero-turn mowers – the RZA 748 and the RZA 760, which are both run on batteries, and the RZ 560 K gas powered mower.
The zero-turn mowers are excellent for my large lawn spaces, such as this one between my long pergola and my orchard. This gas-powered unit is built for durability.
The rear has a space for supplies, a trailer hitch for towing additional accessories, and safety bars around the rear base and above the unit. The safety bar above protects the operator during a rollover.
The controls are easy to access and use…
Adjustments to cutting can be done easily while seated.
Padded handles offer comfort while operating. And a flexible side rubber discharge chute for grass clippings is within good view from the seat.
In addition, a majority of STIHL products sold in America are made in America.
These specific units are from a local distributer, Ossining Lawn Mower.
For tight places, such as between my raised garden beds, we use push mowers. A push mower is a walk behind unit that an operator pushes forward or backward to mow the lawn. Here are STIHL’s RM 756 gas mower and two RMA 453 PV battery mowers.
All these mowers are built with professional grade use in mind – powerful, efficient, and long lasting.
This mower is lightweight, making it easy to maneuver. And the controls are built to be ergonomic in design, so it is comfortable to use all day.
This 22-inch gas powered push mower provides really sharp, accurate cutting and easy bagging.
It’s also easy to fill from the top of the unit.
Adan Morales is my resident mower. He knows exactly which mowers are best for every area of the farm. Here he is mowing the strips of grass on one side of my pergola. Another benefit of this mower is that it is equipped with a blade brake clutch system that allows one to stop the blade without restarting the engine to remove obstacles in the path.
There is a mono-comfort handlebar, which is sturdy and secure. It also has a large capacity foldable fabric grass bag that is easy to empty.
This machine has a cutting height range from .98 to 3.54 inches to accommodate a variety of different grass types, terrains, and weather conditions.
Here is Adan on the gas powered zero-turn. This day was a good one for mowing. Try to always mow when the grass is dry. We only mow dry grass at the farm. Mowing a wet lawn doesn’t harm the grass, but it can fill and clog a mower, and make the cut look uneven. Mid-morning mowing is the healthiest for your grass – it’s cooler, drier and allows time for the grass to recover after cutting.
Also remember to avoid scalping the grass, which means cutting it too short. A scalped lawn is vulnerable to grass burn, diseases, and weed infestation. Scalped turf also tends to be more weak and sparse.
And adjust the mower height throughout the growing season. Shift higher in summer and allow the grass to grow longer. Taller grass helps shade the soil, which prevents weed growth and slows water evaporation. Taller grass also develops deeper roots, which help the lawn to withstand drought. In late autumn lower the cutting deck for the last mowing of the season to help prevent snow mold from forming on the grass.
And always be ready to mow with the proper safety gear. Luna and I took some photos before I tested the zero-turn myself. I’ve used STIHL equipment for years. I’m looking forward to using the right tool, the right mower, for the right lawn space at the farm.
I'm always looking for ways to improve my gardens. Sometimes that means changing an entire space - removing plants and trees, selecting new specimens and designing how they will be placed. It doesn't have to be a daunting task. In fact, it can be one of the most rewarding.
I decided to make some big changes to the gardens near my front gate. I carefully removed what was there and transplanted them in other areas of the farm. In their place, I wanted to put in a group of small, medium and large sized boxwood that would add both color and texture to the beds. I called on my friend, George Bridge, owner of George Bridge Landscape Design, Inc. George first introduced me to boxwood more than 25-years ago. George is a leading grower and supplier of one of the largest collections of unique and mature plants, trees, and boxwood in the United States. Earlier this week, he and his crew delivered 10 American boxwood shrubs and planted every single one - they all look perfect.
Enjoy these photos.
I love boxwood, Buxus sempervirens, and have hundreds of these bold green shrubs growing all over my farm.
I also enjoy designing outdoor spaces and watching my gardens evolve and flourish. Adding rich foliage is good for the landscape – it improves air quality, absorb pollutants, and helps purify the air.
Earlier this week, George personally delivered 10 handsome boxwood shrubs. I knew they would be perfect for the space. Boxwood has upright, naturally cone-shaped habits making them excellent for planting free-form or for a sculpted hedge or border.
Buxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood. The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Boxwood shrubs are slow-growing with dark green glossy leaves arranged opposite from each other, making pairs. Leaf shape depends on the variety; some are round while others are elliptical.
George specializes in collecting rare, vintage, and mature landscape plant material, including shrubs, hedges, fruit and ornamental trees, and even woody vines. His boxwood collection includes large, mature boxwood ranging from six to 12-feet tall and up to 95 years old. Visit his web site for more information.
George and his team meticulously wrap and lace the root balls for transit, so they arrive in the best condition possible.
The first step was to clear the space of several trees – Cotinus and Stewartia trees, along with various spring blooming bulbs and a collection o hosta plants.
Here is a cart filling fast with hostas. Some will be replanted in different areas of their current garden and others will move down to the hosta garden near the chicken coops.
Here is a Stewartia tree getting dug out for transit.
Cotinus trees are also moved – nothing is thrown away unless it is dead or diseased.
And then digging starts for the new boxwood shrubs.
Holes are dug twice as wide as the boxwood root balls, but no deeper. Once in the hole, the top of the root ball should be a half-inch higher than the soil surface.
And then one by one, each boxwood shrub is brought to its designated hole. And look who is driving the Hi-Lo – it’s George Bridge himself.
The boxwood is slowly and carefully put into place.
Its best side is turned out, since that is what guests will see when passing the garden.
Here it is a shrub just above the hole.
Here is a large shrub being moved to its new location. This specimen was originally planted in 1936 – it’s 90 years old.
I think George is having a good time driving the Hi-LO. This day was actually very pleasant for working outside.
It looks so great in its place already. Boxwood shrubs have shallow root systems, so proper mulching after they are planted will help retain moisture and keep the roots cool.
Backfilling begins.
George oversees every move to ensure the shrubs are placed just right.
Smaller boxwood shrubs grown right here at my farm from cuttings are used to accent the larger specimens and fill the bed. Boxwood prefers well-drained soil with a lot of organic matter. Loamy soil or sandy conditions are best. Most boxwoods like some shade, but some varieties handle full sun exposure better than others.
In winter, these boxwood will also be covered in protective burlap to prevent snow and ice damage.
With the additional hosta plants and the smaller boxwood, I think the garden bed looks excellent. It was the right choice to make!
I am very pleased with how it cam out. These will all grow together so beautifully.
Everyone at the farm loves the transformation.
So don’t be afraid to change your garden. Gardening is an evolving practice and occasionally changing how it looks — it’s a good thing.
We’ve been pretty lucky here at the farm - we've had some rain, but for the most part the weather has been mild enough to continue our long list of outdoor chores.
And there's a lot to do. My outdoor grounds crew is busy with many projects including mulching all the garden beds, planting the vegetable crops, edging the carriage roads, reseeding, and mowing the lawns.
Here's a glimpse of some of the many jobs getting done. Enjoy these photos.
On this day, the skies cleared up just enough so my outdoor grounds crew and gardening team could continue some much needed jobs around the farm. The gardens are growing so nicely and so fast – my pergola beds will be full of gorgeous color in just a few weeks.
This time of year, my outdoor grounds crew is very busy mulching and composting the garden beds. Here, Pasang is filling the wheelbarrow with mulch for my pinetum.
It looks so wonderful with a new layer of mulch. Mulching the garden is one of the easiest ways to improve a garden’s health, retain soil moisture, suppress weeds, and enhance plant growth.
Along the carriage road near my Winter House, Fernando edges the roads – a task we do once a year. Rotary edgers, powered by gasoline, electricity, or portable battery reduce the time it takes to complete this job. These machines feature a spinning blade that cuts through the turf as the edger is pushed along the road where it meets the grass border.
After the edge is cut, Fernando uses a hoe to scrape the unwanted grass, leaving a nice straight edge.
Outside my main greenhouse, Matthew puts down weed cloth in between the rows of peonies.
The same is done in between my rows of raspberries.
Chhiring then covers the weed cloth with a two to three inch layer of mulch.
Here’s is what it looks like after mulching. These areas should be much easier to maintain this year.
In the vegetable garden, Ryan is filling all the beds with wonderful crops started from seed in my greenhouse. This is the artichoke bed. Ryan places the potted plants where they should be planted based on specific spacing needs.
These plants are so healthy – we should have some harvestable artichokes in about 80 to 100 days.
Matthew also plants some of the cabbages in the garden. I always grow red cabbage, green cabbage, and Savoy cabbage in my garden.
Here, Pasang is working in the hosta garden down near my chicken coops. I am so proud of all the mulch and compost I make here at the farm. There is always more than enough to use in the garden beds.
When mulching, manageable piles are dropped in the bed first.
And then each one is carefully spread out and raked around the various plants and trees.
Matthew moves on to the roses – a personal favorite for him. Here he is grooming the bushes in my formal rose garden and trimming out all the dead wood.
Cesar takes care of all my birds. It’s a big job, but he loves the peafowl, pheasants, geese, chickens and turkeys. This day is cleaning day for all the coops.
Phurba is in my large flower cutting garden removing all the pesky early season weeds.
On this day, Justin is helping with the big job of replacing some of the timeworn posts supporting my antique fencing.
And here’s Adan reseeding bare areas around the farm.
Helen is in the feed room checking on the youngest residents at my farm – all the chicks.
Here is one of my baby turkeys – getting bigger every day. It’s always busy here at my farm, but my hardworking crew is getting it all done!
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