Outdoor spring chores at my Bedford, New York farm continue with a good pruning of the shrubs around my pool.
Around the outside of the pool fence, I have about 200 Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’ and Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple' shrubs. I always try to incorporate unique and interesting plantings into my gardens - both these shrubs have superlative color and appealing form. They were first planted in 2018 and have done so well in this area. Yesterday, I instructed my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, to prune them down so they were level with the fence - some of the shrubs had grown more than a foot above this line.
Here are some photos.
Three years ago, when planning the gardens around my pool, I wanted to create a natural border along both sides of my pool fence, so I chose a dark purple color palette. The taller hedge is made of purple columnar beech trees, Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck Purple’ – a splendid tree with deep-purple foliage. The smaller shrubs are the alternating Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’ and Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’. They were still quite small when they were planted three years ago.
But they grow fast – here they are last summer when they were all leafed out. One can see which are the Cotinus and which are the Physocarpus – all of them look so lush.
This year, they’re even taller, and I decided they needed to be pruned down to fence level, so the beautiful purple columnar beech trees could also be seen.
Yesterday, Ryan, Brian, and Fernando pruned all the specimens – cutting down more than a foot off the tops in some areas.
Here is Ryan trimming from the top, making sure everything is in line with the fence and with the shrubs already pruned.
Brian also cuts off any dead or crisscrossing branches. The rule of thumb when pruning is to cut the dead, diseased, damaged, non-productive, structurally unsound, or otherwise unwanted plant material.
Here is one of the dead branches – it is very woody and quite brown.
Here, Ryan also trims any branches that are sticking out too much from the front, making the shrub look less manicured.
Physocarpus is commonly called ninebark, and is an upright, spreading, somewhat coarse, deciduous, Missouri-native shrub which is closely related to the genus Spiraea. It boasts a deep burgundy foliage with ovate to rounded, usually three to five lobed leaves that are dull green in summer changing to an undistinguished yellow in fall. Then its color veers toward bronzy red by the time the leaves fall in late November.
There were also a few interesting bi-colored leaves – perhaps in the process of changing colors.
The common name ninebark refers to the peeling bark of mature branches, which comes away in strips. Here’s an example of a branch with the peeling bark.
If you follow my blog regularly, you may know I love Cotinus – I have many of these around the farm. Also known as smoketree or smoke bush, Cotinus is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, closely related to the sumacs. They are a great choice for massing or for hedges. The stunning dark red-purple foliage turns scarlet in autumn and has plume-like seed clusters, which appear after the flowers and give a long-lasting, smoky haze to branch tips.
Brian starts working on the other side of the fence, pruning in the same manner, so all the shrubs are at the same height. In most cases, pruning is best done when it is dry. Pruning when it’s wet outside can encourage the growth of microbes and spread disease; however, because these particular plants are very hardy and less susceptible to disease, it was okay to prune them on this rainy day.
Here is what the new growth looks like on the Physocarpus – the stem is still quite soft.
Once all the pruning is done, Fernando helps to gather the trimmed branches. Everyone uses my Multi-Purpose Reusable Heavy Duty Tote Bag – it’s so useful for carrying debris from the garden. It’s made from rugged, rip-resistant woven polypropylene fabric – perfect for holding anything and everything. Each bag measures approximately 20-inches wide by 20-inches long by 24-inches tall. They’re available at my shop on Amazon.
And here are the newly pruned shrubs on one side of the pool. They’re the perfect height and still disguises the fence very well.
Here is a view from the other side.
The growing hedge of purple columnar beech trees, Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck Purple’ is also doing so well and are just starting to show off their gorgeous foliage colors – they will all look so much more full in a month or so.
And beneath the shrubs, these Hyancinthoides are just about to bloom. Hyacinthoides hispanica, commonly called Spanish bluebell or wood hyacinth is a bulbous perennial that is native to Spain, Portugal and northwest Africa. Each bulb produces a clump of two to six strap-shaped leaves. This rigid flower stem typically contains up to 12 to 15 hanging, bell-shaped, bluish-lavender flowers that will rise from the center.
Yesterday, we also opened the pool – it looks so inviting, even on this damp spring day. I’ll be enjoying lots of afternoons poolside very soon – I can’t wait.
I am always so glad to see new gardens thrive around my farm.
Last year around this time, we planted hundreds of hosta plants in a new garden down behind my chicken coop yard. I first got these plants as bare-root cuttings and kept them in a cold frame for several months until they were big enough to transplant. In all, about 700 hostas in a variety of cultivars including 'Wide Brim,' 'Francee,' 'Regal Splendor,' 'Elegans,' and 'Blue Angel.' Yesterday, we added a generous layer of mulch to the garden bed. I'm happy to report, all of the plants are doing great and growing wonderfully.
Here are some photos.
If you follow this blog regularly, you may recall we transformed this space behind the chicken coops last year. We cleared the area and prepared the soil for planting.
The plan was to plant lots and lots of hostas. Their lush green foliage varying in leaf shape, size and texture, and their easy care requirements make them ideal for many areas. Hosta is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name, giboshi. They are native to northeast Asia and include hundreds of different cultivars.
Before planting, the hostas were strategically positioned and spaced, paying attention to variety, color, and growth habit. Hostas are grown primarily for their ornamental foliage. The stalked, veined, often dense, basal leaves rise up from a central rhizomatous crown to form a rounded to spreading mound.
This is what they looked like earlier this week. All of them are coming up so lush and green – every one of the 700-hostas looks great.
Yesterday, I instructed the crew to top dress the bed with a generous layer of mulch. This mulch was made right here at the farm. It will deter weeds and help retain moisture for these plants.
Mulch refers to a layer of some type of material on the surface of the soil. It is usually coarse in texture and makes the bed look well manicured, while helping to keep the soil cooler in summer. This is different from compost, which is used as a soil amendment.
The crew works in a production line process to spread the mulch over the bed. While Pasang scoops the mulch into the wheelbarrow, Domi transports loads to the bed, and then Chhiring spreads it across the garden and around each hosta plant.
Here is half the bed all done – it’s looking great. All the hostas are planted under a grove of dawn redwoods, Metasequoia. These trees grow faster than most trees. I planted these about 10 to 12 years ago.
The foliage of the dawn redwoods is just starting to emerge. The leaves are deciduous needles held in branchlets. Needles are dark green in summer, changing to a russet color in fall.
The bark of the dawn redwood is a reddish orange color and becomes deeply fissured as the tree matures.
And here is the bed all mulched. I am so pleased with how it is developing. I will share more photos of this garden later in summer.
This variety is called ‘Francee’ with dark green, heart-shaped leaves and narrow, white margins. A vigorous grower, this hosta blooms in mid to late summer.
‘Elegans’ has huge, rounded, blue-gray leaves with white flowers that bloom mid-summer.
And ‘Regal Splendor’ is a large hosta featuring thick, wavy-undulate, blue-gray leaves with irregular creamy white to pale yellow margins and cuspidate tips. Bell-shaped, lavender flowers bloom in mid to late summer.
Across this bed is another smaller area planted with hostas. It also includes Hyacinthoides hispanica, commonly called Spanish bluebell or wood hyacinth – a bulbous perennial that is native to Spain, Portugal and northwest Africa. Each bulb produces a clump of two to six strap-shaped leaves. Soon, a rigid flower stem typically containing up to 12 to 15 hanging, bell-shaped, bluish-lavender flowers will rise from the center. The flowers typically bloom in early May.
Also in this bed is Dicentra – an elegant, easy-to-care-for perennial for shady gardens. More commonly known as bleeding heart, it is named for its heart-shaped blossoms that dangle from slender, arching stems. Dicentra is a great companion for other shade loving perennials such as hosta, astilbe and ferns.
I love Continus – a few are also planted in this space. The smooth, rounded leaves come in exceptional shades of clear pinkish-bronze, yellow, deep purple, and green.
Nearby is an allee of trees I started planting in 2016. This allee leads to my tennis court and is made up of 44 ‘Marley’s Pink Parasol’ Japanese Snowbell trees – a dainty, weeping small tree, featuring pink bell-shaped flowers hanging from gracefully weeping branches in spring.
It has green foliage throughout the season, and the large glossy pointy leaves turn an outstanding orange in fall.
Behind the Styrax japonicus ‘Marley’s Pink Parasol’ – Styrax japonicus ‘Evening Light’ – purple trees with fragrant, white, bell-shaped flowers. I planted two rows of these trees in 2018.
Its leaves emerge purple-maroon, becoming maroon-green later in the season.
Across the tennis court and along the fence of one of my horse paddocks are my osage orange trees. These trees grow so quickly. The Osage orange, Macular pomifera, is more commonly known as a hedge apple, bow wood, or bodark. It is a small deciduous tree or large shrub. During the mid 19th century, the sharp-thorned trees were often planted as cattle-deterring hedges before the introduction of barbed wire in the 1870s. Afterwards, the Osage orange trees became an important source of fence posts. The Osage orange is also known as a Bois D’arc, a name that was given by French settlers meaning “bow-wood”.
And here’s a little tease of what’s blooming just feet away and across the carriage road from the hosta garden – the lilac allee. I will share more photos of these fragrant lilacs later this week. Everything is emerging with such vigor this spring. What is blooming in your garden? Share with me in the comments below.
Here at the farm, it's time to wash my new Polaris Ranger XP 1000.
There's a lot that goes into maintaining a farm. My outdoor grounds crew is always busy working in the gardens, on the carriage roads, and in the woodlands. Whenever I am home, I am also very busy outdoors - I visit all my animals, check on the many plantings, plow the roads in winter, and harvest vegetables in summer. It is extremely important that we can all get around easily and efficiently. Here at Cantitoe Corners, we use Polaris Off Road vehicles. These mid-sized utility vehicles are very useful - I like how they can get into narrow spaces and drive off-road without damaging the grassy landscapes. They can get pretty dirty with all the use they get, but fortunately, these vehicles are also very easy to clean.
Enjoy these photos.
Here I am in my newest Polaris Ranger XP 1000. It is among the newest models available with 82 horsepower – one of the most powerful in its class. We use these Polaris vehicles every day for so many tasks.
We have several Polaris vehicles here at the farm. Here is one filled with plants. The back cargo area makes it very convenient to transport plants to and from my greenhouse. We do so much carting around the farm, it is important to have a roomy and durable back space for tools, supplies, plantings, etc.
This Polaris is being used to pull my sprayer when it’s time to treat the boxwood. Our Polaris vehicles have excellent pulling power.
In summer, the Polaris is used to carry all our fresh vegetables from the garden to my Winter House kitchen.
In autumn, we use three Polaris vehicles to haul all our pumpkins and gourds from the pumpkin patch to various locations around my home.
Once it gets cold, all my tropical plants displayed on the terraces and in the courtyards are moved indoors. The Polaris can carry heavy pots with ease.
And in the dead of winter, we hook the plow onto one of our Polaris vehicles, so I can plow the four miles of carriage road around the farm.
Because they get used so much, they need to be washed every couple of weeks. Here is my Ranger parked right in front of my carport ready for a good cleaning.
Here, one can see the dust that has accumulated on the front hood.
Andres starts by sweeping any debris from the cargo area.
Next, he hoses down the entire body. These massive wheels are built for off-road terrain in all kinds of conditions, so we can drive this vehicle through all areas of the farm where a car cannot go.
It has a durable, precision engineered front windshield and roof that protects the main compartment. It is helpful to have a roof on the vehicle in case it is raining or snowing. The roof has a lot of clip closures, which keep it completely secure.
Andres hoses down the inside floors. The interior has a good amount of space with 13.5 gallons of built-in interior and convenient under-seat storage.
Using a long-handled brush specifically for cars and soaked in a car-safe soap, Andres rubs the Ranger down in sections, starting from the top and working to the bottom. Be sure to always use a soap specially designed for washing cars, so the paint is not damaged during the cleaning process.
He soaps the doors inside and out. This model Polaris is also equipped with heating and air conditioning and power windows.
Andres tips the cargo box back and soaps it down. The cargo box is quite large, and has a hauling capability of 1000 pounds.
The ProStar® engine is designed to be easy to maintain – a very good feature since it is used every day.
Next, Andres dries the vehicle. Another great feature is the windshield wiper washer system which is standard on this model.
Inside, it has comfortable bench seating for three which is great when I have guests come to see my gardens.
Lastly, Andres wipes down the 29 inch tires, which provide excellent traction and strength.
My Ranger XP 1000 is now all clean and ready to tour the farm again. Thanks, Andres – it looks great.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
