Our big seedling planting project continues at the farm.
As many of you may know, this week my outdoor grounds crew was very busy planting nearly three-thousand bare-root trees and other small potted seedlings. Among them, about 700 young boxwoods. These boxwoods are still too small to plant in the garden beds, so they were planted in a section of my vegetable garden, where they can be carefully maintained until they are large enough to transplant.
Enjoy these photos.
Last September, I decided to line both sides of my clematis pergola with small boxwoods. There are more than 300-shrubs now planted here, and they continue to thrive.
All the boxwood shrubs were grown in this patch located in one area of my vegetable garden next to my chicken coops. The soil is rich with nutrients, so they grew well and quickly.
I decided it was time to plant some more specimens in this area, so I ordered another several hundred boxwood seedlings.
These are bare-root seedlings, meaning they arrived free of soil on the roots. This helps reduce the price of the seedling and makes them more adaptable to the soil in which they are planted.
Before planting, Chhiring secures twine at the fence line and to the stems of the existing boxwoods, so everything can be planted perfectly in line with the others.
We use bright orange landscape twine that is easy to see through all the greenery.
Once the twine is secure, the boxwood seedlings are placed evenly along the length of the twined row.
My two Pomeranian geese are very curious and very protective. While they love watching all the activity, they are also guarding my flock of chickens.
Next, Chhewang begins digging holes for each of the seedlings.
Each hole is about six-inches deep. We had a lot of rain earlier in the week, so the soil was still moist and soft.
Phurba follows closely behind to plant each specimen in a hole.
These two to three year old seedlings are only a few inches tall, but they will grow quickly in this soil. Known as “man’s oldest garden ornamental” according to the American Boxwood Society, ancient Egyptians used boxwoods as decorative plants as early as 4000 B.C.
The seedlings are perfectly lined up under the twine. This variety is called Buxus ‘Green Mountain’. It is a vigorous evergreen shrub with bright green foliage that retains good color throughout winter. The upright, naturally cone-shaped habit makes it an excellent candidate for planting free-form or for a sculpted hedge.
Because there are so many to plant, the outdoor grounds crew coordinated an efficient production line to get them all in the ground.
Here is Fernando placing more boxwood specimens along the twine. Boxwood shrubs have shallow root systems, so proper mulching after they are planted will help retain moisture and keep the roots cool.
Here is Chhewang planting another row, perfectly under the designated twine. Until established, these boxwoods will need at least weekly watering.
We also planted Buxus ‘Green Velvet’. This variety is a full-bodied boxwood well-suited for dense, low hedges. Its foliage also retains its rich green color throughout winter and develops a vigorous, rounded form if not pruned.
Phurba stopped for a quick photo.
While the Pomeranian geese rested nearby.
Once each row was planted, the twine was removed.
These young boxwoods will remain here for a couple years before they are transplanted into the garden beds.
It is wonderful to be growing these gorgeous specimens right here at my farm. I will continue to share photos with you as they mature.
Springtime weather is off to a slow start here in the Northeast. This week brought rain and even a bit of snow in some areas, but the gardens continue to transform.
It always amazes me how quickly plants and trees grow from day to day. I am constantly noticing something new blooming at my farm. And, while many of the flowers are erupting with vibrant color, we've also been taking photos of the various trees and all the precious buds just waiting to open on their branches.
Enjoy these images. What trees are starting to bud near you? Share your comments below.
Here is one of two weeping cherry trees down behind my stable. This one is showing a bit of color on its branches. A weeping cherry tree is at its best when the pendulant branches are covered with pink or white flowers.
Here is a closeup of its branches.
And this is what the weeping cherries looked like a year ago with its pretty canopies – they’re a little late this season. The various species and cultivars offer a wide range of sizes, from eight-foot dwarfs to 40-foot types. These trees are big eye-catchers when guests are lucky enough to see them in bloom.
Aesculus hippocastanum is a large deciduous tree commonly known as the horse chestnut or conker tree. The flowers provide a rich source of nectar and pollen to insects, particularly the bees. I have two of these large specimens in front of the stable at the foot of the Boxwood Allee.
See the buds just waiting to open.
This is the horse-chestnut in late spring when it shows off many beautiful flowers.
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.
Not far from my tropical hoop house is this magnolia – one of many here at the farm. 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.
This is a weeping larch, Larix decidua ‘Pendula’. It has bright green needles in spring, which turn gold before dropping in fall.
Looking closely, you can see all the many buds.
This is the same tree in June. This curvaceous tree is located at “the triangle” where the carriage roads leading to the Boxwood Allee, the Pin Oak Allee and the woodland, all converge.
We’ve planted many larch trees in the woodland. Larches are conifers in the genus Larix. They are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south.
These are the pink buds of one of my apricot trees in the new fruit tree orchard by my pool.
Malus sargentii, occasionally called Sargent’s apple or Sargent crabapple, is a species of crabapple in the genus Malus. The plant is a shrub growing about six-feet tall. I have four of them flanking the carriage road between my Tenant House and my blog studio.
These too are showing many buds on their branches.
These are ‘Miss Kim’ lilacs, which bloom in May. They are some of the most fragrant of all the lilac bushes. The light lavender blooms stand out nicely against their dark green leaves. These lilacs prefer full sun, but will also live in partial shade.
Here is a closeup of its branches. ‘Miss Kim’ lilacs are very popular for borders or as specimen plantings. It will grow to about seven feet with a mature spread of five to six feet.
And here are the ‘Miss Kim’ lilacs in bloom. This photo was taken in late May – so beautiful. They thrive in rich, moist, somewhat neutral soils and good air circulation.
Adjacent to the ‘Miss Kim’ lilacs is my dwarf apple orchard. If you recall, these trees produced so many apples last season.
So many of the trees are beginning to bud.
Just outside my kitchen on the terrace parterre is this weeping katsura, one of my favorite trees. Cercidiphyllum japonicum f. pendulum has pendulous branches that fan out from the crown and sweep the ground. Caramel-scented foliage emerges bronze or purple-red, turns blue-green, then fades to gold or apricot in autumn.
Tiny red flowers emerge in late March or early April before the leaves.
Here is another katsura on the other side of my Winter House.
The same katsura is on the right in May – it is one of two in this white garden.
Just in front of the katsuras are two smaller viburnums. Viburnum is an upright, rounded, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub or small tree that typically grows to 20-feet tall and up to15-feet wide.
More buds that will soon open with beautiful white blooms.
The sometimes fragrant flowers range from white and cream to pink-flushed or wholly pink. This is what it looks like in May.
Tree peonies are actually woody shrubs, and can reach about four or five feet tall. This is one of the specimens in the tree peony bed outside my Summer House.
Most varieties of tree peonies are hardy in zones 4 through 8. Here is one of many that are just coming to life after the long winter.
And from a distance, the stunning golden-yellow weeping willows. Here is one grove of weeping willows on the edge of my lower hayfield. The golden hue looks so pretty against the early spring landscape.
So many of you comment on how much you enjoy hearing about the animals at my farm, especially when I show photos of the babies.
Earlier this month on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48, I shared images of a peachick hatching from its shell in my poultry incubator. I kept the peachick in my kitchen for a couple weeks where it could be closely monitored until it was big enough to join my flock of baby chickens in the coop. One of my Instagram followers suggested I put a small chick in with the baby peafowl to keep it company, so we did. I am happy to report that the peep and the peachick are now best of friends and doing very well.
Enjoy these photos, and be sure to follow me on Instagram @MarthaStewart48 for other fun pictures.
Here is the beautiful peachick in its safe enclosure on my kitchen counter just two days after it hatched. You can see it breaking through its shell on Instagram @MarthaStewart48.
And here is the chick we put in the bin to keep the peachick company. It didn’t take long before the two became good friends. The reddish tint to the photo is from the heat lamp suspended above the bin.
This week, we moved the two into the chicken coop “nursery”, or brooder, where they could socialize with the other peeps.
Our peachick is still a little small compared to the others in the coop, but it will catch up soon. The other chicks were also incubated and hatched in my kitchen.
Here are some of the older chicks gathered around and in the feeding dish. The chicks will be fed organic chick starter feed for the first six to eight weeks.
Right now, our peachick is still a bit shy, so it is waiting to eat at the feeder.
Dawa, who cares for all my chickens, turkeys, geese, peacocks, and pigeons, makes sure the peachick gets to eat all its meals. Baby chicks need constant monitoring until they are at least a month old. Dawa checks on them several times a day, and will continue to do so for the next few weeks.
Dawa guards the peachick as it eats his food. As soon as any chick is placed in the brooder, each baby is introduced to the waterer and feeder, so they know where to eat and drink. They are all familiar with waterers and feeders, but it is still a good practice to show them when they’re moved to new surroundings.
Most chicks are very curious birds. This chick watches and waits for its turn to eat.
And look, the peachick and his chicken friend are still together. A good chick starter feed will contain protein for weight gain and muscle development, plus vitamins and minerals to keep them healthy and to build their immune systems.
In fact, the chick keeps watch over its smaller, younger buddy.
The chick follows closely behind its friend at all times – so cute.
These chicks are about a month older than the peachick. These chicks have several feeders and several waterers in the brooder.
Here they are at the feeding bowl. This type of feeder allows several chicks to eat at the same time.
These babies love to eat – they are very healthy and very alert. You can estimate that 10-chicks will consume about a pound of starter feed per day.
Our little duo is close by watching all the action. The chicks are very eager to explore their new surroundings – another sign of good health. Chickens and peafowl have their own personalities – some are more active or more curious than others.
Here is another chick heading toward the feeder. These chicks have such clear eyes and clean feathering.
It is important to keep the babies separated but within sight of the other chickens. We designate one coop for the youngest of the flock until they are old enough to socialize with the others. The heat lamps are suspended above the brooder. Raising and lowering them help adjust the temperature.
Here is one of the pullets, or young chicken hen, eating from the other side of the coop. Chickens start to lay eggs at about four or five months of age. A male chicken is called a cockerel until it is a year old – then it is called a rooster.
This pullet is called a Frizzle Naked Neck – an interesting breed combination.
Twice a day, early morning and late afternoon, the adult birds are given cracked corn. They also eat plenty of vegetables and fruit matter, and trays of wheatgrass that I grow especially for them in my greenhouse.
I have more than 180-chickens in my flock. Chickens prefer to roost on high levels. In their fenced enclosure, the chickens are provided ladders and natural roosts made out of felled trees. As you can see, my chickens are very happy birds.
Here is one of my roosters watching over his hens as they dine.
And here is a rooster keeping watch over the hens in this coop. Hanging feeders are filled with organic layer feed. It provides the hens with protein, which helps them lay strong and healthy eggs.
The flock enters the coops as it begins to grow dark. When all are inside, the doors are shut and securely latched until morning. One can’t be too safe when there are hungry raccoons and coyotes around. If you think you may be interested in raising chickens, research your town’s zoning regulations first.
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