Planting Japanese maples and a TV shoot behind the scenes
Yesterday, I blogged about choosing and purchasing 117 Japanese maple trees from Environmentals, a nursery in Cutchogue, New York. After unloading the trees, Shaun affixed metal nametags onto each specimen and started positioning them in the shade garden, paying close attention to size and shape. Because I think it's very important to document such projects, I asked my field television crew to visit last Friday and take footage for a segment, which will air in early November. It was a perfect day for planting and I was impressed when Shaun reported that all 117 trees were in the ground and watered by day's end. Francesca and Sharkey were also involved with the planting and posted it on their blog today, as well.
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- The Japanese maples that Shaun bought at Environmentals were unloaded down in the shade garden.
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- The great variety will so much color to this area.
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- Going over the order of taping with Laurie Hepburn and Gary Nardilla.
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- The rest of Gary’s crew standing by along with Mary Curran – hair and makeup
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- When planting trees, we like to use this organic Bio-tone Starter fertilizer to help promote root growth.
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- The camera is rolling.
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- Laurie is happy with what she sees in the monitor.
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- Shaun is describing the characteristics of Japanese maples.
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- Rich and moist compost from the compost yard
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- Preparing the hole for planting
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- This is so much fun! Now, we only have 116 more to go!
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- When TV was done taping, the real work began. This is Phurba Sherpa.
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- Wilmer, digging away
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- This is not the easiest task with so many roots and rocks.
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- The Biotone
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- Shaun sprinkles 1-1/2 cups per 2 gallon container.
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- This beautiful maple will be planted in this hole.
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- Aptly named Acer palmatum ‘Sunrise’
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- Very pretty leaves
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- Shaun is demonstrating the planting process again for the blog camera.
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- Removing the tree from the pot, Shaun uses his garden knife to scarify the root ball.
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- It’s important to break up the roots this way, all the way around the root ball, to stimulate new outward growth.
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- Lifting the compost
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- To blend it into the soil and Biotone
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- Placing the tree into the hole
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- Shaun checks to see that the trunk is perfectly upright.
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- He then begins filling in the hole with the amended soil. It’s important to mound a dam around the tree to hold in water.
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- Busy at work
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- The Japanese maples from Environmentals were grown from grafts. You can see the ‘V’ cut where the graft took place. Hybrid trees are multiplied by grafting.
Photos By Eliad Laskin
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
