Potting and planting projects continue at the farm with a group of beautiful evergreen specimens.
The outdoor grounds crew worked hard to plant hundreds of trees that arrived - most recently, Colorado blue spruce trees, white spruce trees, Norway spruce trees, and Serbian spruce trees. I also ordered Osage orange trees, two varieties of boxwood, rhododendrons, and some pachysandra ground covers. They all came from Musser Forests, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based company specializing in conifer and hardwood seedlings and transplants. The bare-root trees were potted temporarily, so their root systems can develop. The boxwood shrubs were planted directly into the ground in a field down by my vegetable garden.
Enjoy these photos.
I’ve bought many trees from Musser Forests Inc. over the years and have always been very pleased with their specimens. As soon as they arrive, the roots of the plants are immersed in water, so they can soak – doing this gives the plants a better start. http://www.musserforests.com
Musser Forests, Inc. was established in 1928. Every year, Musser produces more than 35 million conifer and hardwood seedlings and transplants – plus, ground covers, landscaping shrubs, perennials and ornamental grasses. They offer one of the broadest selections of plant material available from one nursery.
Healthy bare-root cuttings should not have any mold or mildew on the plants or on their packaging. The branches should be mostly unbroken, and roots, rhizomes, and other parts should feel heavy – not light and dried out. These bare-root cuttings are Osage orange trees.
The Osage orange, Maclura pomifera, is actually not an orange at all, and is more commonly known as a hedge apple, horse apple, bowwood, yellow-wood or bodark. Their distinctly ugly, almost otherworldly-looking fruits are considered inedible because of the texture and taste, but they are very interesting and fun to grow. I have a long row of them planted along one of my horse paddocks.
Here’s Fernando with the first load of newly potted Osage orange trees. They’re being transported by wheelbarrow to their new location outside my Hay Barn.
Next, Phurba moves onto some spruce seedlings. Phurba keeps the cutting centered in the pot as he fills it with soil.
All our tree potting projects are done in the Equipment Barn where the seedlings can be kept in water and protected from the elements during the potting process.
Fernando is nearby ready to sprinkle fertilizer onto the plants. The crew can pot hundreds and hundreds of trees a day – they have developed a good production line process.
Osmocote provides a steady supply of nutrients for even and continuous development throughout the growth cycle. The coated granules contain a blended mix of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.
They don’t need too much – just a sprinkling for each pot.
These are weed guards, which help to prevent weeds from growing around the potted specimens.
Fernando places one disc around each tree. These discs come in a variety of sizes and are available at many garden supply shops.
I also ordered a selection of rhododendrons – pink and orchid varieties. Rhododendrons are medium-sized, dense, broadleaf evergreen shrubs that have large, glossy, dark green leaves. These will thrive in a site with part shade and moist, acidic, highly organic soil that is perfectly drained.
These came to us as small potted seedlings, which we will repot into slightly larger vessels, so they have room to develop.
These are Norway spruce, Picea abies, cuttings. This is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce variety. These are small now, but when they are mature they will be 60-feet tall and 25-feet wide.
And these are Serbian spruce, Picea omorika. Tall and slender, with graceful upswept branches, the Serbian spruce is an elegant evergreen. It has glossy dark green needles with slender streaks of white and distinctive purple cones. It is a threatened species in its native Serbia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina, where it has only a few patches of habitat left, but is an adaptable, drought tolerant tree in the Midwest.
Phurba makes sure the pot is the right size for the cutting and then gently places the specimen into the container.
Next, he carefully works the soil in and around the roots and lightly tamps the soil to establish good contact.
There are now more than a thousand tree seedlings potted and kept in this area. They are all organized by type and kept in sectioned rows for easy identification.
The boxwood, Buxus, varieties include ‘Green Velvet’ and ‘Green Mountain’. ‘Green Velvet’ is a hybrid boxwood cultivar. It is a broad, compact shrub that grows up to three or four feet tall and three to four feet wide. Buxus ‘Green Mountain’ is a vigorous evergreen shrub with bright green foliage that retains good color throughout winter.
Here’s Dawa tilling the soil in a patch where the boxwood will be planted.
Zoe goes over the area with a rake to level out the bed and to remove any organic matter left over from the last planting season.
Before planting, Dawa secures twine at the fence line so everything can be planted perfectly straight. Once the twine is secure, several boxwood seedlings are placed evenly along the length of the twined row.
Dawa 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.
These two to three-year-old seedlings are only a few inches tall, but they will grow quickly in this soil. These young boxwoods will remain here for a couple years before they are transplanted into the garden beds.
Spring is a popular time for fairs and sales of all kinds and whenever my schedule allows, I always try to attend a few of my favorites.
Last week, I went to The New York Botanical Garden’s annual Garden Furniture & Antiques Fair. This year, more than 20 of the country’s leading exhibitors showcased their finest garden antiques for purchase. I also attended the Preview Party Collectors’ Plant Sale, which features hard-to-find trees, shrubs, and plants propagated from NYBG collections, and hand-selected for their rarity and charm. It’s a splendid time of year to be at The New York Botanical Garden - not only to enjoy its many fun and interesting events but to see its stunning gardens and horticultural displays. I hope you take the opportunity to visit the next time you are in the New York City area.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
The Garden Furniture & Antiques Fair is held every spring to benefit NYBG’s Fund for Horticulture, which directly supports curators and gardeners who work tirelessly to make The New York Botanical Garden one of the most important horticultural showplaces in the world.
The event is set-up just outside the NYBG’s landmark Enid A. Haupt Conservatory – the nation’s largest Victorian glasshouse. The Palm Court, with its spectacular 90-foot dome, is often used for receptions and other gatherings.
The Fair includes a variety of 18th, 19th and early 20th-century garden antiques, architectural elements and accessories from both Europe and America. Here is a collection of botanical plates from More & More Antiques in New York City. http://www.moreandmoreantiquesnyc.com
I always like to visit with the dealers to learn about the pieces they exhibit. Here I am with Brooklyn-based modernist dealer, Rayon Roskar, behind some of his decorative garden ornaments and a planter. Rayon also focuses on early to mid-century Swiss lighting design – you can see a few of his lighting pieces behind us. http://rayonroskar.com/
These garden containers are from Milne At Home Antiques. I love this basket – the details of the weave are so beautiful. http://milneinc.com/
Here is a view of the top of the planter.
And here is another pretty planting vessel with its interesting shape and carvings.
Here I am with Judith Milne – I stop at the Milne booth every year. It always has many large and beautiful outdoor planting containers.
Here is a table filled with all kinds of flower frogs. Flower frogs are made of lead, pottery, glass, or bronze and sit at the bottom of a bowl or a vase to hold flower arrangements firmly in place.
There are also many casual and whimsical pieces at the Fair, such as this stone hippo animal ornament.
David Bell Antiques in Washington, D.C. featured this garden ornament – a stone carved collection of fruit. It reminds me of the the ones I have at my Bedford, New York farm, which inspired my fruit basket planters available on QVC.
Here are some other stone planters from David Bell – many of the planters are already filled with lovely specimens.
I also liked this garden chair from Village Braider Antiques in Plymouth, Massachusetts – a family owned business that’s been selling antique elements for more than 35-years. https://www.villagebraider.com/
The Village Braider paired the chair with this curved bench.
Here’s another fun animal figure – a fish presented by Fleur in nearby Mt. Kisco, New York. Fleur specializes in rare and distinctive garden antiques, and other decorative accessories for the home. http://www.fleur-newyork.com/index1.html
I am always drawn to anything faux bois. Fleur also had these fun faux bois stools.
And on the wall – this stunning gold mirror.
Nearby, I stopped to look at these faux bois planters from Finnigan Gallery in Chicago, Illinois. Finnigan Gallery offers a variety of 18th, 19th and early 20th century garden antiques, architectural elements, bold and unusual lighting as well as eclectic furniture and accessories from both Europe and America. http://www.finnegangallery.com
Multiples of a kind are very useful in decorating. Here is a set of three marble stones with scalloped edges from Valaer Van Royen in New York City. https://www.van-royen.com/
And this was a familiar piece – a giant clam shell. My own giant clam shells also inspired products now available on QVC. This one is another beautiful piece from Valaer Van Royen.
Jeffrey Henkel Antiques in Pennington, New Jersey, offers many sculptural elements and antique garden objects, such as this interesting collection of pegs. http://www.jeffreyhenkel.com
Here I am with Jeffrey in front of his display.
Kevin Sharkey, who attended the Fair with me, took this photo of a bronze leaf – it can be hung on the wall as an art piece or placed on a table.
The Collectors’ Plant Sale attracted many buyers and a flurry of activity. NYBG experts are always on hand at events to help guests make their selections. The Garden is an ideal venue for learning about plants and expanding personal botanical collections. I always make a stop to see the beautiful plants for sale.
Here I am with longtime publicist, Susan Magrino – it’s always fun to attend events like this one with close friends.
In this photo, I’m joined by CEO and President of the New York Botanical Garden, Carrie Rebora Barratt, and two antiques dealers.
In the end, I purchased several plants including red-osier dogwood, Cornus sericea “Cardinal’, buttercup winter-hazel, Corylopsis pauciflora, and a variegated Jacob’s ladder, Polemonium caeruleum, Brise d’Anjou. These will make wonderful additions to my gardens at the farm. What a fun evening at The New York Botanical Garden – please visit the NYBG when you can.
Spring chores continue around my Bedford, New York farm. If you’re thinking of moving any bushes or shrubs, early spring is a good time - when the plants are still dormant.
Last year, I decided to make a few changes to the beds surrounding my main greenhouse. The areas had long been home to many berry bushes - currants in the front and gooseberries in the back. If you recall, we moved the currants last autumn. And just last week, we transplanted four rows of gooseberries. Gooseberries are small, tart fruits that are delicious eaten raw at the peak of ripeness, or used for making jams, jellies, pies, and other summer desserts. They’re low in calories and packed with essential nutrients. I know they will thrive in their new location and continue to produce many, many flavorful fruits.
Enjoy these photos.
Right now, the gooseberry bushes are in a bed outside the head house of my main greenhouse. This area provides morning sun, afternoon part-shade, and buoyant air circulation. I decided to move them to another area where they could also have more room, and then create another colorful and vibrant garden in its place.
Gavin carefully digs around each of the bushes, keeping as much of the root ball as possible.
When transplanting, try to keep soil pH levels about the same so that the plant doesn’t suffer too much shock.
My gooseberry bushes are very prolific. This photo was taken last July, when they were overflowing with fruits.
Well-maintained gooseberry bushes can fruit for more than 15-years.
These gooseberries are very dependable and vigorous as growers. They all yield copious clusters of berries every summer.
‘Pixwell’ gooseberries are medium sized pinkish berries that are great for fresh eating or for making pies and jellies. These medium sized, oval-shaped fruits start off pale and become pink when fully ripe.
Gooseberries can range from yellow, green, and white to red, purple or nearly black. What is most noticeable in all are the veins in the skin of the fruit. ‘Invicta’ gooseberries are large, sweet, greenish-yellow berries that are delicious for fresh eating, and for making pies and preserves. They are also great for freezing and using later.
These garden beds behind the greenhouse and near the raspberries are already established, and had been cleared of a few filbert trees and blackberry bushes. Last autumn, we amended the soil, adding a fresh layer of composted manure to what was already there, and then tilled it. The middle bed is perfect for the gooseberries.
Here is Ryan moving two of the gooseberries over to the new location.
Once all the plants are moved over, Ryan spaces them equally along the bed. For multiple plants, it is a good idea to space the holes at least four-feet apart.
These bushes have also been pruned. Gooseberries need pruning so the plant forms evenly spaced branches that allow air and sunlight into the center, but are also nice and strong for fruit production.
The gooseberries are now ready to be planted, Ryan starts by digging a series of holes along the length of the bed.
Each hole should be deeper and wider than the root system.
Ryan and Gavin work in an assembly line process to get the task done quickly and efficiently.
Ryan sprinkles fertilizer along the bed. We use M-Roots with mycorrhizal fungi, which helps transplant survival and increases water and nutrient absorption.
When placed in the hole, the top of the root ball should be set two-inches beneath the soil surface. A plant’s roots grow out more easily into loosened, enriched soil.
Ryan assesses the placement and makes sure it is straight from all angles before backfilling with soil.
The perfect soil for gooseberries is rich, moist and slightly acidic, but it is tolerant of many soil types.
The bushes are placed in two rows, keeping in mind the size and growth pattern of each one. A well established plant can produce up to six-pounds of berries per-year.
These look great – I am looking forward to the next bumper crop of gooseberries.
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