Maintaining a productive orchard is a lot of work.
The large orchard surrounding my pool includes more than 200-fruit trees. There are apple trees, plum trees, cherry trees, peach, pear, medlar, and quince trees. Since it was first planted in 2017, these trees have provided so many wonderful fruits. To keep them healthy and looking their best, we prune and feed them regularly. And yesterday, my outdoor grounds crew started the task of manicuring the pits under every tree, adding nutrient-rich mulch made right here at my farm.
Enjoy these photos.
This is my orchard in summer when all the trees are filled with sweet, juicy fruits.
I grow lots of peaches. Peach trees thrive in an area where they can soak up the sunshine throughout the day. Growing peach trees are self-fruiting, which means the pollen from the same flower or variety can pollinate the tree and produce fruit.
In another row are the Asian pears – we had so many pears last year. I planted many types of Asian pear, Pyrus pyrifolia, which is native to East Asia. These trees include Hosui, Niitaka, Shinko, and Shinseiko.
Some of the other pears in the orchard are Bartlett, Columbia, D’Amalis, Ginnybrook, McLaughlin, Nova, Patten, Seckel, Stacyville, and Washington State.
These are the fruits of the medlar, Mespilus germanica – a small deciduous tree and member of the rose family.
And of course, I have a section of delicious apples. I already grow hundreds of apple trees here at the farm – some that were here when I acquired the property and others I planted soon after moving here. These orchard apple trees include Baldwin, Black Oxford, Cortland, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Esopus Spitzenburg, Fuji, Golden Russet, Grimes Golden, Honeycrisp, Liberty, Redfield, Roxbury Russet, Windham Russet, and more.
We almost always have a good amount of apples during apple season which is late-August to November. My granddaughter, Jude, loves to come up to the farm to make apple cider in the fall.
But in order for an orchard to be productive, it must get regular and good care. Orchards need proper fertilizing, irrigating, pruning, and mulching. This was my orchard yesterday after the pits were cleaned and the edges redefined.
My compost and mulch is made right here at the farm. Do you know the difference between the two? Mulch is mostly cut down wood chips. It serves as a good insulator to keep in moisture. Compost is the biologically active material that results from decomposition of organic matter – it feeds the soil. This mulch is a combination of chips, horse manure, and leaf mold double processed through the tub grinder.
Wheelbarrows full of mulch are transported to each tree pit, or area directly beneath each tree.
This is done in a production line process. Mulch is dropped at a number of tree pits first, so there is no waiting later.
Compost heat is produced as a by-product of the microbial breakdown of organic material. Here, one can see a little bit of the steam as it cools.
Phurba makes sure each pit is evenly covered. The edge helps to keep the mulch inside the pit when it rains. And notice, there is also a bare circle around the tree trunk to make sure the mulch does not keep the tree from aerating properly.
He uses a hard rake to make it tidy and creates a slight mound for good drainage away from the tree. Keep in mind, these tree pits do not need a lot of mulch – just about two or three inches deep. Too much mulch will suffocate and kill the tree. And always remember, “bare to the flare”, which means nothing should ever be above the tree’s flare – the point where the tree stops widening at the bottom.
It’s a good idea to mulch around trees in spring as soon as the ground is workable. Mulch reduces weeds, conserves moisture, and improves the soil, which helps the trees stay healthy.
Tree pits can be any shape. I decided to make each of these four-feet square. In a few years, after the trees have matured, we may enlarge the pits, but this size is perfect for now.
I love the geometric design of all the square pits.
Many of the trees are already flowering. Depending on variety, peach tree blooms range in color from pale pink to bold pink, with deep magenta or pink blushing near the center.
Apple blossoms range from white to dark pink. And In late spring, after the blossoms are pollinated, the petals drop off and small apples begin to form.
And here are the flowers of a pear tree. Pear blossoms first appear as small, tightly closed green buds that open to broad, slightly wavy white petals. I am looking forward to a bountiful fruiting season.
The plants around my farm are growing so beautifully. There are gorgeous spring blooms in every garden.
Every day I see something new. Trees are leafing out and flowers are bursting with color and energy - Fritillaria, Leucojum, Muscari, Epimedium, the trout lilies, the Mertensia with their charming blue flowers that open from pink-tinged buds, and of course the daffodils.
Here's a look at what's blooming this week.
There is so much growth in the gardens. My long and winding pergola is just full of lush green foliage. Soon, it will display a palette of blue, purple, and lavender Alliums, Camassia, and Spanish Bluebells.
Muscari, also known as grape hyacinth, is a genus of perennial bulbous plants native to Eurasia. Muscari produces spikes of dense, blue, urn-shaped flowers that look like bunches of grapes in spring. I have them growing by my pergola, under my allée of lindens, and various other locations around the farm.
Commonly known as Guinea Hen Flower, Checkered Lily or Snake’s Head Fritillary, Fritillaria meleagris is an heirloom species dating back to 1575. It has pendant, bell-shaped, checkered and veined flowers that are either maroon or ivory-white with grass-like foliage on slender stems.
These are the flowers of a Korean Spice Bush, Viburnum carlesii, which blooms from early spring when its waxy dark pink buds open to white and light pink petals. Up close, one can smell its strong spicy scent.
The delicate blooms of the trout lily, Erythronium, resemble turks cap lilies and stand out in the dappled light. These are planted in a bed outside my chicken coops, but many others also grow in the woodland.
Mertensia virginica, or Virginia bluebell, is a perennial that is native to North America. Its buds are actually pink, but the flowers are blue. They can grow in any garden and bloom in early to mid spring and continue blooming through early to mid summer.
These are Snowflakes – not to be confused with Snowdrops. The Snowflake is a much taller growing bulb which normally has more than one flower per stem. Snowflake petals are even, each with a green spots on the end, whereas Snowdrops have helicopter-like propellers that are green only on the inner petals.
Dicentra spectabilis, or bleeding heart, is a genus of eight species of herbaceous plants with oddly shaped flowers that look very similar to hearts. These flowers are native to eastern Asia and North America. The flowers have two tiny sepals and four petals. They are also bisymmetric, meaning the two outer petals are pouched at the base and curved outward at the tip. They are shade loving woodland plants that bloom in the cool of spring and stay in bloom for several weeks.
Dicentra cucullaria, or Dutchman’s breeches, is an herbaceous perennial of the Fumariaceae family. It has feathery foliage that is fern-like, and grows to about six to 12 inches tall and wide. Its most interesting feature is the flower, which resembles a pair of pantaloons hanging upside down.
Epimedium, also known as barrenwort, bishop’s hat, fairy wings, horny goat weed, or yin yang huo, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Berberidaceae. The majority of the species are endemic to China. The plant leaves are made up of leaflets, which can range from three to 50 and in size from tiny to six inches long. They are generally heart-shaped, but can vary from round to arrow-like. Epimedium flowers are small and held below and among the leaflets.
All around, I also have lots of ostrich ferns growing. Matteuccia struthiopteris is native to North America. Once established, these grow to a height of three to six feet. Ostrich fern grows in vase-shaped clumps called crowns. The showy, arching, sterile fronds are plume-like and reminiscent of the tail feathers of – you guessed it – ostriches.
The Syneilesis is also coming up. Syneilesis aconitifolia, commonly called shredded umbrella plant, is an herbaceous perennial of the aster family that is native to hillside forest margins and slopes in China, Korea, Japan and eastern Russia. I am so fond of the foliage. The leaves are narrow, dissected, and cascade downward like an umbrella. Emerging foliage is covered with a unique white fur. White flowers on mauve pink calyxes will tower above the foliage midsummer.
There is a lot of forsythia blooming this time of year. They are among the first plants of spring to burst forth in the garden. These specimens like at least six hours of sunlight a day, and well-draining soil. Yellow blossoms cover each elegant branch, producing arches of color that can be seen from a distance.
These are white Anemones. They push through the ground with lacy fern-like foliage topped by cheerful snow-white flowers in mid-spring.
Trillium is named for all its “threes” – usually three leaves, three sepals, and three petals on each stem. This purple trillium variety grows unbranched, begins growing right towards the end of winter, and becomes one of the early harbingers of spring.
Tulips are grown for their graceful leaves and bright, cheery blooms. Some are traditional and cup-shaped, some have fringed petals, others have pointed ones, and some are full of fanciful ruffles. Some varieties even carry a soft, subtle scent. Tulips normally begin emerging from the ground in late winter or early spring. These are in my flower garden, but I have beds of them growing elsewhere – wait until you see those in bloom!
The first azalea is also blooming. Of all the shrubs that flower in spring, azaleas provide some of the most brilliant displays. I have hundreds planted outside my Summer House and down the carriage road to the stable.
Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol. Growing as large shrubs or trees, they produce showy, fragrant flowers that are white, pink, red, purple or yellow.
And the daffodils just keep coming – look at these crisp, white beauties.
And here is a view of my long daffodil border – this section is under the allée of lindens. So many flowers are pushing through, and there are so many more to come. Happy Spring!
Every year I add lots of plants to both existing gardens as well as new spaces. Over the weekend, I placed dozens of potted hellebores in the beds outside my Tenant House, in areas that get partial shade and dappled sunlight. I already have hellebores growing in these gardens, but I wanted to fill in the spaces a bit more. These hellebores are part of a recent shipment from the wholesale plant nursery, Monrovia. Yesterday, my gardeners planted all of them and they look great. Hellebores begin to bloom in March and continue through the spring until the end of May. We'll all enjoy the low lying clumps of bold green foliage with their colorful rose-like blossoms for several more weeks.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Whenever possible, I often like to place the specimens myself, where I know they will look best. We received about 80 of these hellebores from Monrovia and I knew they would be perfect in the beds outside my Tenant House.
Hellebores should be planted about two-feet apart since they spread. Here they are also mixed with other perennials with foliage and blooms in similar colors.
The varieties we’re adding include ‘Cascade Blush,’ Ice N’ Roses ‘Bennotta,’
Ice N’ Roses ‘Bianco,’ and
Ice N’ Roses ‘Red.’
My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, makes sure all the plants are in good condition, removing any browned leaves before they are planted.
A hole is dug at least twice the size of the plant’s root ball.
All the areas to be planted are given a good sprinkling of fertilizer.
We’re using Scotts Rose & Bloom, which provides a steady feeding that boosts blooms on roses, annuals, and perennials.
Before planting, the root ball is scarified, meaning intentional cuts are made to encourage and stimulate growth. A Hori Hori gardening knife like this is perfect for many tasks such as scarifying, loosening soil, measuring soil depth, digging up weeds, and dividing plants.
The same is done at the bottom of the plant’s root ball.
Once the hellebore is in the hole, it is backfilled and the surrounding soil is gently tamped down to create good contact.
Hellebore foliage is dark green, glossy, and palmately divided. It contrasts nicely against the bright colored flowers.
Hellebores are members of the Eurasian genus Helleborus – about 20 species of evergreen perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. They are very popular because they are easy-to-grow and are able to resist frost.
Here is one now completely planted. Hellebores do best underneath deciduous trees where they are shaded by foliage in summer, but are exposed to full sun after the trees have dropped their leaves in fall.
They are sometimes known as Lenten rose or Christmas rose because of the appearance and early flowering time. I’ve had hellebores in my gardens for many years.
Hellebores come in a wide range of dark and light colors including shades of maroon, apricot, yellow, green, metallic blue, slate, dusky pink, and white with or without contrasting markings.
These hellebores are white with tinges of pink.
Unlike the blooms of most other flowering plants, hellebore flowers do not consist of petals, but of sepals, which serve to protect the flower. These flowers also tend to nod.
These plants are also fairly deer and rabbit resistant.
While hellebores do spread, they are considered slow-growing plants that can take up to 18-months to reach their mature size.
It’s amazing how much a garden can change with the addition of plants. After the hellebores are all planted, they’re given a good drink. And, once the plants are well-established, hellebores require little upkeep.
They already look so lovely near my existing hellebores. I hope this inspires you to add some to your garden. Hellebores are a good thing.
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