Mid-May Around the Farm
Today in the Northeast, we’re expecting partly cloudy skies and a bit of rain, but earlier this week we had some beautiful spring weather - temperatures in the 60s, sunny skies, and clear views of all the transforming gardens around my farm.
Every day, I notice something new blooming. And, while many of the flowers are erupting with vibrant color, we've also been watching all the trees come to life.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
-
- When I first moved to my farm, it was a blank slate. Over the years, I’ve planted thousands and thousands of trees. I love the layers of colorful foliage that one can see from a distance. This view is from my orchard looking at the surrounding trees in beautiful spring colors.
-
- The orchard surrounds three sides of my pool. We planted more than 200-fruit trees here, many of which started as bare-root cuttings. The trees are all staked for added support, and they’re growing very well – in part because of the nutrient-rich soil.
-
- Here is a view of my pool from the other side of the five staddle stones. Stones such as these were first developed through “need”. They were foundation stones that kept wooden structures from rotting, with the cap also acting as a barrier to vermin trying to access the hay, grain, or game stored inside. They typically looked like giant stone mushrooms, but mine are square – a more rare and unique version. They were “planted” on the far end of the pool, so they could be seen when looking out at the fields.
-
- On the inside of the pool fence, I have a growing hedge of purple columnar beech trees, Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck Purple’ – a splendid tree with deep-purple foliage that holds its color all season. For the outside of the fence, I chose to plant Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’ and Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’. I always try to incorporate unique and interesting plantings into my gardens – both these shrubs have superlative color, appealing form, and look excellent in this area.
-
- As many of you know, this is my Pin Oak Allee. At this time, before the trees are full of leaves, it is easier to see its recognizable branch habit, where the lower branches hang down, the horizontal middle branches flare out and the upright upper branches point up.
-
- These Camperdown Elms are in front of my main greenhouse. Camperdown Elms slowly develop broad, flat heads and wide crowns with weeping branch habits.
-
- Lindens, Tilia, are medium to large shade trees that are easy to maintain and beautiful in any landscape. I currently have two linden tree allées at the farm – one near my stable and this newer one that runs from the old corn crib to my allée of boxwood and all the way down to the chicken coops.
-
- The great white pine trees in the distance are visible from almost every location on this end of the farm. Pinus Strobus is a large pine native to eastern North America. Some white pines can live more than 400-years.
-
- At one end of the Boxwood Allee is this beautiful weeping copper beech, Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea Pendular’, an irregular spreading tree with long, weeping branches that reach the ground. Its stunning color and interesting shape always attract a lot of attention from visitors.
-
- I love boxwood, Buxus, and have hundreds growing all over the farm. The boxwood in my long allee looks so lush and green. I put in a lot of time into caring for the boxwood so they remain healthy. They are covered in winter to protect them from the elements, trimmed and pruned yearly, so they maintain good shape and air circulation, and we spray them every few months with TopBuxus Health Mix, which prevents the fungal disease called box blight and is available on Amazon.
-
- At the stable end of the allee are these two large horse chestnut trees. Aesculus hippocastanum is a large deciduous tree also known as conker tree. It is looking very green now, but soon it will have gorgeous pink flowers that provide a rich source of nectar and pollen to insects, particularly the bees.
-
- Along this fence, we’re planting more trees – littleleaf lindens, Tilia cordata, also known as small-leaved lime or small-leaved linden. Tilia cordata is a species of Tilia native to much of Europe. It is found from Britain through mainland Europe to the Caucasus and western Asia.
-
- The leaves show a cordate shape and are approximately three inches long. Tiny yellow flowers appear in early and mid-summer. They are sweetly perfumed and loved by bees.
-
- This photo of the crabapples was taken from the hayloft window in my stable. Very few ornamental trees offer such a variety of tree shapes, sizes, bloom shades, and fruits. The crabapple has more than 35 species and 700 cultivars.
-
- Both crabapple and apple trees have clustered five-petaled blossoms with about 15 to 20 stamens in the center. Crabapple flower buds are attractive even before opening, developing color as they swell. Unfortunately, these blooms don’t last long – they start to fade after about a week.
-
- This is my grove of dawn redwoods, Metasequoia. When leafed out, the dawn redwood has feathery, fine-textured needles that are opposite each other and approximately a half-inch long. Don’t confuse them with the bald cypress needles, which grow alternately. These dawn redwood needles are bright green now, but over the course of the year, they will turn shades of red and brown before falling – it is one of the few deciduous conifers.
-
- They’re not all in bloom just yet, but the lilacs are looking so beautiful. Lilacs appear from mid-spring to early summer just before many of the other summer flowers blossom.
-
- Lilacs come in seven colors: violet, blue, lilac, pink, red, purple, and white. The purple lilacs have the strongest scent compared to other colors.
-
- Of all the shrubs that flower in spring, azaleas and tree peonies provide some of the most brilliant displays. I have many planted outside my Summer House. Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the Ericaceae family, which includes blueberries and mountain laurel. They are also all rhododendrons and members of the genus Rhododendron.
-
- The tube-shaped base of the flower contains a stamen that protrudes from the center. The leaves are often evergreen with wooly undersides. Azalea petal shapes vary greatly. They range from narrow to triangular to overlapping rounded petals. They can also be flat, wavy, or ruffled.
-
- And look, one of the first tree peonies of the season. Like a rose bush, tree peonies drop their leaves and their woody stems stand through the winter. I will share more of these peonies as they bloom.
-
- This view is a popular look through the large paddock with the ancient apple trees and the stable in the distance. The recent weather has done well for the plants and trees – everything looks so green and lush. I can’t wait to share more photos from the gardens in the weeks ahead.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
