There is always so much to see around the farm this time of year - everything is looking so lush and green.
As many of you know, I am a serious and very passionate gardener, and over the years have designed many gardens around my home. One area that is constantly evolving is my pinetum - an arboretum of pine trees and other conifers. I developed mine about 13-years ago in a field behind my Equipment Barn and near my weeping willow grove. This collection has grown extremely well, and I continue to plant additional specimens every year.
Here is an update on the trees in my pinetum, enjoy.
Behind one side of the Pin Oak Allee is my pinetum. This collection includes pine trees, but I have also included many spruces, firs, and other evergreens. When I first bought my farm, I knew I wanted to plant many, many trees – young trees, to replace the older ones when their lives ended. I love all the different sizes and varieties.
I try to add a few specimens to the pinetum every year. Many of the specimens I add are small, such as this pine, but this will grow quickly.
Here is another small pine tree. Pines are conifer trees in the genus Pinus. There are at least 175 different varieties and subspecies of pines. Pines range from dwarf size to more than 265-feet tall. Pines have needles that are arranged and attached to the branches in clusters of two, three, or five.
This is a fir. Firs, Abies, have needles that are softer, flatter, and cannot be easily rolled between the fingers. And fir needles are usually attached only on the upper side of the branch. They are most closely related to the genus Cedrus or cedar.
Picea abies ‘Pendula’ is used as a collective term that describes the myriad weeping and pendulous forms of Norway spruce. The Norway spruce or European spruce is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe. Its uniquely trained form adds so much interest in this pinetum.
Picea orientalis is a medium to large tree that commonly grows up to 50 feet tall. It has a dense narrowly conical form, horizontal to upward sweeping branches, and drooping lateral branches.
Here is another Picea orientalis. This tree is commonly known as the Oriental spruce or Caucasian spruce. It is a species native to the Caucasus and adjacent northeast Turkey.
Picea orientalis ‘Skylands’ has bright yellow needles in full sun or yellow-green needles in part shade. The yellow color typically fades as summer progresses. The interior needles are always green. This is one of my favorite trees in this pinetum because of its name, but the name ‘Skylands’ has no relation to my home in Maine. Actually, this tree was introduced by Skylands Botanical Garden in New Jersey, in 1979.
Picea glauca, the white spruce, is a species of spruce native to the northern temperate and boreal forests in North America. Picea glauca was originally native from central Alaska all through the east, across southern-central Canada to the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland. It typically grows up to 80 feet tall with a cone-shaped crown.
This tree is often seen at nurseries as Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ‘Pendula’. At botanical gardens, it is also called Cupressus nootkatensis ‘Pendula’ or Callitropsis nootkatensis ‘Pendula’. It is commonly known as a weeping Alaskan cedar, a slender, strongly weeping form that grows to as much as 35 feet tall. It has widely spaced ascending to horizontal branches with flattened sprays of blue-green leaves.
Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Filifera’ is commonly known as Sawara cypress, a large, pyramidal, evergreen conifer that grows in the wild up to 70 feet tall with a trunk diameter to five feet. In cultivation, it more typically matures to a much smaller 30 feet tall. It is native to the Japanese islands of Honshu and Kyushu.
This Cunninghamia lanceolata or China fir is an evergreen conifer that is native to forested areas of China and Taiwan where it may reach 150-feet in height.
It has sharply-pointed, finely-toothed, blue-green needles with very small oval-shaped fruiting cones that appear in small groups at the shoot ends.
I also plant some dwarf specimens. This is a dwarf Alberta spruce with interesting yellowish new growth.
Pinus mugo is a multi-stemmed shrub or broad-rounded small tree, which is typically very dense and grows wider than tall. It has bright green needles, scaly brown-gray bark, and small cones, which appear at the tips.
Pinus mugo is also known as creeping pine, dwarf mountain pine, mugo pine, scrub mountain pine, or Swiss mountain pine. It is a species of conifer native to high elevation habitats from southwestern to Central Europe. A single shrub produces both male and female cones.
Pinus densiflora ‘Jane Kluis’ is a dwarf, globular form with a flat top. It typically grows to four feet tall and six feet wide over the first 10 years.
It has rigid green needles that radiate from around the stems. This cultivar was discovered in the mid-1970s by Rudolph Kluis of Marlboro, New Jersey.
Pinus thunbergii ‘Thunderhead’ is a compact black pine that only grows to about 15 to 20 feet tall. It can grow upright, but with an irregular spread, and often grows wider than tall. This iconic Japanese tree is known for its beauty as a garden specimen.
This is a Cedrus deodara ‘Wells Golden’ – an upright true cedar with rich, golden color, which is beautiful in winter. It can grow up to 30-feet tall.
Cedrus evergreen needles are borne primarily in dense clusters that arise from stout, woody pegs.
On one side are the tall and gorgeous weeping willows. Over time, this area will fill out more and more. I am so pleased with how it looks, and so happy these trees are thriving here at the farm.
This summer is a great time to get all those home projects checked off your list.
I've been very busy during these last few months on my farm. In between all the phone calls, video conferences, media shoots, and remote appearances, I've tackled many organizing and home-improvement tasks - among them, transforming the apartment above my Carriage House where my friend and colleague, Kevin Sharkey, stays when he visits. For this project, I decided to use The Everyday System ™ from California Closets - the high-quality modular components I designed with the company. It was a perfect way to create a functional and elegant modular office space for the room. Once I selected the configuration, California Closets scheduled a professional installation using their new TouchLessService. The Everyday System is practical, stylish, and fits in with any room decor.
If you're thinking about redoing an area in your home this season, I encourage you to consider California Closets to help - just click on the highlighted links to learn more. I also decorated the unit with organizing products from my Office Collection at Staples. Here are some photos, enjoy.
This wall was the perfect space for the modular home office unit I wanted to create. It measures about 22 feet long and could accommodate a large piece with lots of shelves and drawers. The most important measurement to consider is the ceiling height – The Everyday System is 90 inches tall.
Considering the symmetrical lines of the wall and the measurements of the space, the California Closets design team and I came up with this great arrangement using their special CAD technology. California Closets offers virtual design consultations to design just the right configuration.
The next step was the installation. California Closets Master Installer, Brandon McWayne, came to the farm to put it all together. He came well prepared with his mask and gloves. These units can also be self-installed over a weekend.
The most time-consuming part of the process is laying out the guidelines for the pieces, so once assembled, the unit would be completely straight and level. Brandon places blue painter’s tape on the wall to mark where the pieces should be.
I selected the “Perry St. White Woodgrain with White Metal” finishes combination. All the pieces arrived at the farm, packaged neatly, and with all the necessary screws and bolts for assembly.
The detailed instructions make assembly very easy to do.
First, Brandon secures the brackets to the wall. These supports will keep the piece upright and well-anchored. These uprights sit one-inch away from the back wall to allow for baseboards, outlets, and uneven wall textures.
The metal wall-mounted uprights are now attached to the wall studs. Each one measures 20 inches deep by 87 inches high. And the window looking out onto the paddocks and landscape is not blocked one bit.
Brandon then starts installing the shelf supports. The shelves can be adjusted to fit specific needs. Here, he is placing them a little more than a foot apart.
The shelving and drawers are made of eco-friendly wood in bright white.
A desk surface fits right in the middle and under the window. I chose to create The Everyday System configuration to match my specific needs, but one can also shop their pre-configured system online. There are so many variations.
In a couple hours, Brandon has most of the shelving complete. The piece focuses on open shelving, so it looks clean and has an easily-accessible design for visibility as well as function.
Brandon opens another box to find all the drawer parts – labeled and well organized. Everything was designed to be simple and straightforward to install, reinstall, and adjust as storage needs change.
Brandon works in an assembly line fashion, placing all the pieces, out, then securing all the screws and then assembling the drawers. Doing it this way is faster and more efficient.
Brandon screws everything together. When assembling the unit, be sure to have a drill, a level, a tape measure, and a wrench on-hand – everything else is included.
And then Brandon moves on to installing the tracks for the drawers.
It does not take long before one section of drawers is completely installed. These drawers also include the popular soft-close feature.
Brandon completes final adjustments on this desk drawer before placing it into the unit. Shallow drawers keep all those small office supplies off the desktop.
My “Perry St. White Woodgrain with White Metal” finishes home office system features additional deep drawers and a spacious desk area. The file cabinets organize documents and supplies, while the shelves provide a place for books and personal items. Brandon ensures every drawer opens and closes just right.
Brandon constantly levels the piece to be sure it is perfectly straight. Checking and rechecking the level is the last phase of the process.
And here it is. These components can change, and improve everyday living. They feature a modern palette of wood and metal finishes that can fit in every home.
The Propriety Hidden Track System feature keeps holes on the inside. All one sees are clean, white lines.
And here it is outfitted with supplies from my Office Collection at Staples such as my magazine holders and storage boxes. (Photo by Stefan Radtke, @Stefan_Radtke)
This home office also has smart storage for all those technology gadgets including power sockets and USB ports so devices can be charged and on-hand. On this desk are my pen and pencil holders, and discbound notebook. (Photo by Stefan Radtke, @Stefan_Radtke)
The Everyday System is modern, modular, and moveable – a great new way to store everything in your home. Please go online to check out The Everyday System now. And let me know what you think of the room transformation!
This week, the outdoor grounds crew trimmed the tall hornbeam hedge in front of my main greenhouse. They also tackled the long hornbeam hedge that runs from my Summer House and along the road behind my Winter House. Botanically known as Carpinus betulus, the hornbeam is a fast-growing deciduous tree. In fact, it can grow about four to five feet per year. I keep a close eye on all the hornbeams - it’s crucial to prune them regularly, so they never look too overgrown and unruly.
Enjoy these photos.
This tall hornbeam hedge grows in the parking lot directly in front of my main greenhouse. It is quite pretty here but serves primarily as a privacy and noise barrier from the road.
Hornbeams grow quickly, so it is important to trim and sculpt them regularly. We do this task every year around this time. Hornbeam is also very hardy and frost resistant, which is good in this region.
Here’s Chhiring working on the front sections. We use a traditional English style of pruning, which includes a lot of straight, clean edges. A well-manicured hedge can be stunning in any garden but left unchecked, it could look unruly.
The English hornbeam is related to the beech tree, with a similar leaf shape. On the hornbeam, the leaves are actually smaller and more deeply furrowed than beech leaves. They become golden yellow to orange before falling in autumn.
Looking up, the new growth can be seen growing wildly above the trimmed lower section.
Using Japanese Okatsune shears specially made for trimming hedges, Pasang is able to prune the hornbeams so they are nice and flat. These shears are user-friendly and come in a range of sizes.
I prefer this way of trimming because the cuts are very clean and smooth when done by hand.
Chhiring continues on the front of the hedges from a ladder. A long pole is used as a guide to ensure everything remains straight.
Here is Pasang working by hand on the upper sections from our trusted Hi-Lo. It is more time consuming to prune the hedge this way, but it is also more exact, and that’s important when sculpting formal hedges.
Pasang moves on to the top of the hedge, so he can trim the sections flat.
Here is what he has completed.
And to the right is what he still has to do – it’s a big difference, but this shows all the growth from the past year. These hornbeams are so healthy and lush.
Pasang is carried from section to section very carefully. This is also a good time for him to assess the pruning from another angle, and to decide where adjustments are needed.
And look at all the cut leaves – this is just from the front of the sections.
It is now beginning to look very straight and square, with the taller sections protruding just a bit.
Here is a side view showing how the front is sculpted.
There’s just a little more to do.
And here is the finished hedge – trimmed beautifully.
Along the back of the Summer House and the Winter House is another European hornbeam hedge. Because it is planted on a gradual slope, it needs to be pruned using a step method. The top and upper sides of a hedge are exposed to lots of light, so they grow more vigorously. Here is the hedge before it was done.
And here it is after it was completed. Carpinus betulus is a hornbeam native to Western Asia and central, eastern and southern Europe, including southern England. Because of its dense foliage and tolerance to being cut back, this hornbeam is popularly used for hedges and topiaries.
Here is a view from the top looking down the length of cut hornbeam – it is very level.
Deer do eat hornbeams, but since the entire property is completely fenced, it isn’t a problem here at the farm.
Look at how beautiful the hedge is when finished – and all done completely by hand. It looks great. Thanks, Chhiring and Pasang.
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