Pruning Trees and Hedges at the Farm
There's a lot of garden work underway at my Bedford, New York farm.
This time of year, everyone is weeding, watering, mulching, fertilizing, and pruning. Pruning is about more than just looks; proper pruning improves the health of the plants, prevents disease, and encourages better flowering. There are different pruning strategies for different times of the year, but overall the goals are the same - to control the shape, to keep bushes and trees fresh and open, and to allow for better air circulation through the center of the specimen. Last week, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew pruned various plantings - the grapevines, the hornbeam hedges surrounding my new white lily garden, and the many fruit trees in my orchard.
Enjoy these photos.
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- My large orchard is full of developing fruits – right now there are many apples. This orchard surrounds three sides of my pool. We planted more than 200-fruit trees in this area.
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- To keep them looking their best, Ryan and Chhewang often check for dead, broken, and diseased branches that need to be removed. This can be done at any time of year.
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- Ryan also removes suckers and any competing or downward bending branches.
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- Chhewang trims a bit to keep the trees well-shaped.
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- Later, Chhewang is in front of the main greenhouse setting up bamboo poles and twine to guide the pruning of the hornbeam hedges that border my lily and hosta garden.
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- The bamboo is measured and then marked, so all the hedges are trimmed to the same height.
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- And then twine is wrapped around the poles securely to provide a level line guide.
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- Here it is easy to see the line extending down the hedgerow. These hedges grow very quickly, and they’re thriving in this area. It is important to keep them well-groomed, so they don’t look overgrown and unruly.
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- Here is Chhewang checking the line around the perimeter of the garden.
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- A level specially made for a line like this one is placed in the center of the twine.
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- Chhewang checks it several times and continues to make adjustments until it is perfectly level.
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- Remember the adage, “measure twice, cut once.” After Chhewang is sure the twine is completely straight, he begins to cut the hedge at the top using hand pruners.
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- Using hand tools is always more time consuming, but these hedges are still quite small, so the task doesn’t take long. I always prefer that pruning be done by hand so it is exact – this is most important when sculpting formal hedges.
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- Look closely at the back of the garden bed – the hedge is completely straight.
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- Here is the garden bed on the other side – perfectly equal. Hornbeam hedges can grow about four to five feet per year. I keep a close eye on all the hornbeams, so they can be tended to regularly.
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- These sides are also the same height.
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- Here’s a close look at the top – it is level the entire way down the row.
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- Ryan also takes some time to prune the grapevines located behind my vegetable greenhouse.
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- The grapevines were pretty productive this season. These concord grapes will make lots of delicious jars of jelly.
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- When pruning grapevines, remove the majority of wood produced the previous season. There’s no need to evaluate shape and size – the most fruitful canes will be those that were exposed to light while growing.
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- Afterward, Ryan heads to the tree peonies to feed them before an expected rain shower.
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- Azomite is great for tree peonies. It is a crushed volcanic rock powder that contains 70 different minerals and trace elements. Azomite is used to improve soils and add micro-nutrients.
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- For established plants, Ryan feeds about a half-cup to one cup per specimen.
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- On the way back to the greenhouse, Zoe is seen carting away all the brown stalks from the orange tiger lilies in my winding pergola. Lily stems are pruned down to the base when they are done blooming. The growing season for many plants may be complete, but the work continues to maintain all the gardens at the farm.
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