Planting Trees in the Shade Garden
A garden at my Bedford, New York farm goes through another transformation.
If you follow my blog regularly, you may recall our giant tree removal project in January when I had several trees taken down from the shade garden near my Tenant House. Six 125-foot trees were leaning dangerously close to the structure and had to be removed for safety reasons. The area looked very pretty without the trees, but the plantings below still needed adequate shade to thrive. Last week, I purchased two 10 to 12-foot Japanese maples I knew would look perfect in this space. It was a big task to plant the heavy specimens, so it was all hands on deck to get the job done.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
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- Few trees are as beautiful as the Japanese maple. With more than a thousand varieties and cultivars including hybrids, the iconic Japanese maple tree is among the most versatile small trees for use in the landscape. Japanese maples are native to areas of Japan, Korea, China, and Russia. In Japan, the maple is called the “autumn welcoming tree” and is planted in the western portion of gardens – the direction from which fall arrives there.
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- The trees are extremely heavy. My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, uses our trusted Hi-Lo to transport this tree as close to its new location as possible.
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- Meanwhile, boards are placed from the carriage road to the garden to protect the lawn below.
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- The areas where the trees are going are already pretty clear. This space was previously occupied by one of the giant Norway spruce trees we removed.
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- Here is Phurba digging one hole and cutting through some of the old Norway spruce roots. Norway spruce trees have fibrous deep spreading root systems that help keep them stable in high winds.
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- Carlos and Phurba take turns digging and cutting through the old, thick roots. This process was the most labor intensive – it took several hours to complete.
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- Dawa is about 20 to 25-feet away working on the hole for the other tree.
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- Next, the crew carefully wheels the two trees into the garden using a large hand truck that is able to carry the weight of the trees.
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- Here they are in position and ready to plant. It will be nice to see them from the expansive windows of the Tenant House. Some of the small plants were removed from the beds temporarily during this process.
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- It is very important to feed the plants and trees. I always say, “if you eat, your plants should eat.” Here, Chhewang sprinkles fertilizer into the hole that’s made especially for new trees. We use M-Roots with mycorrhizal fungi, which helps transplant survival and increases water and nutrient absorption.
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- Here is the deep hole with a generous amount of fertilizer – it is now prepared and ready for the tree.
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- Slowly the crew rotates the tree on its root ball closer to the hole. When moving heavy trees, only hold it by the root ball and the base of the trunk – never by its branches, which could easily break.
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- A wooden plank allows the crew to slide the tree carefully without it dropping straight into the hole.
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- Before it is completely inside the hole, Ryan cuts off the bottom of the wire basket using my handy stainless steel Hori Hori knife available at QVC. He and Gavin are also wearing my Nonslip Gardening Gloves – Ryan in black, and Gavin in mint.
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- The crew lowers the tree the rest of the way down.
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- Once it is in place, the remaining wire from the cage, along with the burlap wrapping, are also removed. Wire baskets were designed to support the root ball during loading, shipping, and transplanting. Some cut the cages and leave them in the ground, but I prefer to remove them completely, so there is nothing blocking the growing roots.
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- Here, Carlos and Phurba hold the wire basket after it is completely removed from the root ball.
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- Half the hole is backfilled, and then Chhiring waters the tree thoroughly to remove any air pockets and to settle the soil.
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- Finally, backfilling continues until the hole is filled. And remember, don’t plant it too deeply – leave it “bare to the flare.”
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- The crew moves onto the next tree, using the same process for lowering it into its new hole.
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- Gavin removes the burlap and wire cage.
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- Here is Chhiring with the wire cage in hand.
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- Both trees are now in the ground. Japanese maples typically grow about one-foot per year for the first 50-years, but they can live to be more than a hundred years old.
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- Both trees will thrive in this location – they look so pretty with all the green foliage surrounding them.
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- Red-leafed cultivars are the most popular of the Japanese maples. Japanese maple leaves range from about an inch-and-a-half to four-inches long and wide with five, seven, or nine acutely pointed lobes. These trees will look more and more vibrant as they grow.
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- The best location for Japanese maples is a sunny spot with afternoon shade. Red and variegated leaves need relief from the hot afternoon sun but need the light to attain full color. This area is perfect.
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- I am looking forward to watching these trees grow and flourish.
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