Pruning and Grooming My Maze
It's so important to keep up with the maintenance and care of the many trees and plants here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Three years ago, I started creating a garden maze of interesting hedges, espaliers, and shrubs in the pasture across the carriage road from my Winter House terrace. I've planted hundreds of different specimens that add texture and interest - all according to a very detailed map I designed specifically for the space. To keep them healthy and looking their best, I make sure we prune, feed, and mulch them regularly.
Enjoy these photos.
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- A living garden maze is a puzzle of plantings – most will grow tall enough to prevent walkers from seeing the paths ahead. And each row will branch off with various pathway options and dead ends – with only one correct route to the center. I designed the maze in this three acre pasture in front of my Winter House, so I could see it right from my window. This is my giant eagle. I think it’s in a perfect spot to guard this garden.
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- Everything is looking so lush and green, in part because of the maintenance and care I give them throughout the year.
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- Each shrub or bush is planted appropriately with enough space to accommodate its full grown size. These will grow taller and more stout.
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- When needed, the developing hedges are trimmed. Proper and regular trimming helps keep them thick and full, giving them a neat and tidy look. It also promotes new growth, improves air circulation and light through the branches. Pasang is my resident tree expert. He is pruning the tops of the hornbeams. Landscape twine above provides a cutting guide.
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- Every so often, Pasang steps back to assess his work. It’s important to look at it from afar to see where adjustments are needed.
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- Next, Pasang moves onto the apple espalier, trimming any new growth and suckers.
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- I grow a variety of wonderful apples. And, at the right time, those walking through can pick a fruit while they meander through this botanical puzzle.
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- All the apple trees are doing so well here – I already have many fruits growing on the branches.
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- Small pruning jobs can actually be done safely in summer and won’t stress out the plantings. I do bigger pruning chores in winter when the trees are dormant.
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- All the clippings are discarded in my giant compost yard.
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- I also planted several Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Slender Silhouette’ trees, American sweetgums. As these trees mature, they will maintain their erect, columnar form, growing up to 50 feet tall and only about four-feet wide.
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- Its leaves are a lustrous-bold green, which turns to a mixture of deep purples, reds, and yellows in autumn.
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- And in this area, a selection of handsome London planetrees, Platanus acerifolia ‘Bloodgood,’ a relative of the mighty sycamore. These trees are large shade trees with broad open crowns. They were the perfect choice for the center of my maze, where they will surround and shade an open space.
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- The leaves are light to dark green with three to five pointed lobes. These planetree leaves look similar to maple or sycamore tree leaves. The large, pointed leaves with toothed margins measure about seven inches long and up to 10 inches wide.
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- Right now, the privets are blooming. Small white flowers with four petals occur on conical or irregularly shaped clusters. The blooms are a nice source of nectar for honey bees, butterflies, and other insect pollinators. And walking by these privets, one can smell the strong, sweet fragrance.
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- Red Beauty holly has bright red berries combined with glossy, dark green foliage. Many varieties of holly, Ilex, have compact habits and glistening leaves that’s excellent for hedges, borders, and yes, mazes.
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- This is an Ember Waves Western Arborvitae – a colorful evergreen with yellow new growth that contrasts so beautifully with the maturing chartreuse to bright green foliage.
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- Paul’s Gold threadleaf false cypress, Chamaecyparis pisifera, has year-round golden green foliage. It adds nice contrasting color to all the green perennials.
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- And these are the growing Japanese yews. These yew trees, Taxus, a coniferous evergreen, related to pines, spruces, firs, cedars, and cypress fills this row nicely. They are small to medium sized evergreens and are incredibly long lived – in fact they can survive for 900 years before becoming ancient.
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- The leaves are flat, dark green, and arranged spirally on the stem.
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- And here is where we left off last year – just a little more to go. The maze is looking so great – I am very pleased with how it is turning out. Follow my blog online and on Instagram @marthastewartblog and see all the latest updates on all my gardens at the farm.
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