Our Spring Burlap Removal Process Continues
This year’s spring burlap removal project is almost complete.
Every autumn, I cover all my boxwood shrubs and outdoor urns to protect them from the heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures. We use strong steel frames and custom fit burlap casings sewn by hand. And just before Easter, everything is removed to expose all the lush green foliage - it's a complete transformation around my farm. This week, my outdoor grounds crew removed the protective coverings and frames around my herbaceous peony bed and behind my Summer House. And timing is just perfect - Easter is just four days away.
Enjoy these photos.
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- One of our annual outdoor spring chores includes removing all the burlap that surrounds my precious boxwood shrubs during winter. Here at my farm, we had a mild winter season this year – not much snow, and no damaging cold or wind. We were lucky. All my boxwood was well encased all season long.
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- Here is the burlap covering the boxwood behind my Summer House. We remove the burlap once the temperatures are consistently above freezing and before Easter. The crew spends several days removing all the burlap.
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- All of the coverings are custom wrapped and sewn to fit each individual shrub, hedge, or bush. The burlap and all the supplies are removed gently, so as to preserve as much burlap as possible.
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- The tall American boxwood that surrounds my sunken garden is protected with plastic netting to keep the branches from splaying. It’s not as sensitive to the cold as English boxwood, so no need to wrap it in burlap.
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- Here is a closer look at the protective netting, which is wrapped around the tall hedge and held tight with metal pipe framing. When removed, the netting is rolled and put away until fall.
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- All these rolls of fabric will be placed in our stable storage barn where it can be kept dry. One of the few downsides to this fabric is that it will start to fray and disintegrate after time, especially if exposed to moisture.
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- Fortunately, the weather here in the Northeast has been pleasant this week and the crew is getting a lot done outside in the fresh air. Here, the burlap is pulled off the boxwood hedge surrounding my herbaceous peony bed.
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- These pipes are made from rolled galvanized 16 gauge industrial tubing. The ground piping is pounded into the ground – each one about four to five feet from the next. The top pieces are 10-foot wide bow sections – these frames will last quite a while, I hope. Chhiring uses a socket bit on the drill to remove the metal fasteners.
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- These fasteners are called tension purlin brackets. They connect the center piping to the bow sections of the frame.
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- Chhiring and Phurba also remove the wooden stakes and strips that connect the pipes to the burlap. Everything is separated, so it can be stored properly. We make our own wooden strips out of unused pieces of wood.
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- Team work is necessary to complete this task quickly and efficiently. Here, the burlap and frames are gone, showing just the beautiful green boxwood underneath. Some question whether covering plantings each winter really helps, but look how lush and intact the plantings are when uncovered – I definitely feel it is worth the time and effort.
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- This is a view inside the herbaceous peony bed and the exposed green boxwood hedge – a great sight to see.
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- Burlap is also removed from the boxwood hedges and shrubs in my Summer House garden.
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- The burlap removal reveals what we hope for every year – green, healthy boxwood.
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- My large urns behind the Summer House are also unwrapped – they’re now ready for spring planting.
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- Buxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood. The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The leaves on boxwood branches are arranged opposite from each other, making pairs.
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- My sunken Summer House Garden is a more formal garden with both English and American boxwood. In just a few more weeks, this garden will once again look different. All the ginkgo trees will be filled with gorgeous green leaves.
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- Here are the dismantled metal frames removed from around the peony bed and behind the Summer house. It is all organized and stacked and ready to be stored.
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- This year, outside my Winter House Green Parlor, we used these round hoop house frames to hold up the burlap. It was a perfect solution for accommodating the growing shrubs. We will use the same metal piping next year.
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- The rounded pipes are removed and lifted by our trusted Hi-Lo. Chhiring slowly drives them to a back field where everything is stored.
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- Here, the pieces are organized and kept off the ground. I always impress upon the crew that staying organized saves lots of time later.
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- Straight pieces are also stored by size on top of wooden pallets. I am glad we are able to protect the boxwood efficiently and successfully every winter. Next task – removing all the burlap and framing from my long Boxwood Allée.
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