Planting Linden Trees in My Maze
Here at my farm, my crew is rushing to get lots of beautiful trees planted. Early fall is one of the best times to plant because the soil temperature is still mild.
Last week, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew unloaded and lined up 80 trees from my friends at Select Horticulture, Inc. in nearby Pound Ridge, New York. This selection includes London plane cylinder and parasol trees, a Chinese Elm, hornbeams, and variety of lindens - panel lindens, cylinder lindens, and parasol lindens. I decided to plant most of them near the north entrance to my living maze. 21 are now planted in two separate rows along both edges of this lower section of the space, and it looks great.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- There is always so much happening at my farm. On this day, several truck loads of trees are delivered from Select Horticulture. Every tree is carefully positioned and strapped for the short drive.
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- It’s team work that gets this job done quickly and efficiently, Here is Phurba helping to prepare the tree for unloading.
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- And then using the trusted Hi-Lo, Pete delivers it to the maze field, where it will stay until it is moved to its more permanent location.
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- Here they are – 80 trees in all. 14 London planes, 1 Chinese elm, 23 hornbeam pillars, and 42 lindens.
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- I instructed my crew where I wanted some of the lindens planted. My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, goes over the area with the Classen Pro HSC18 sod cutter. The landscape twine indicates where the trees will be lined up and the flags are where they will be planted – 15 feet apart.
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- And then the digging begins. Chhiring maneuvers my Kubota M62 tractor loader and backhoe to dig holes for the trees.
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- At each carefully measured spot, Chhiring uses the backhoe to remove the soil.
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- When planting any tree, the hole should be twice the width of the root ball and equal in depth. This allows the tree’s roots to spread easily and get the oxygen it needs. The sides should also be at an angle to help the roots get properly established.
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- Alex sprinkles a generous amount of fertilizer into the hole and the surrounding soil. Remember, “if you eat, so should your plants.” I use Miracle-Gro Organic All Purpose Plant Food. It’s full of essential nutrients and won’t burn the plants.
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- Alex manually helps to dig the holes to the appropriate depth.
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- It is all done in an assembly line process. The crew prepares all 10 holes first, adds fertilizer and then some water.
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- Here, Adan and Alex begin the task of removing all the plastic and burlap wrapping and wiring from around the root balls.
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- The materials hold together the root ball so that chunks of heavy soil do not fall out or tear roots. The wrapping protects the roots from dehydration and sunburn and allows trees to be safely moved.
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- Then, one by one, each tree is carefully placed into its designated hole. Each one of these linden cylinders, Tilia cordata ‘Greenspire’ Cylinder, trees is tall and heavy. Adan helps to hold the tree as it is lowered.
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- A crucial step in growing healthy trees is to plant them at the proper depth. Planting a tree too deep can kill it. Plant it only at its flare – the bulge just above the root system where the roots begin to branch away from the trunk. Digging a wide planting hole helps to provide the best opportunity for roots to expand into its new growing environment.
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- Alex and Adan make sure the tree is completely straight with its best side facing inward before backfilling.
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- These trees need a good drink, so Pasang adds more water before they are completely backfilled.
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- Next, the hole is backfilled and tamped down lightly to establish good contact between the soil and the tree’s root ball.
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- These Greenspire Lindens have small heart-shaped green leaves that turn yellow in fall. These are already starting to change. Tiny yellow fragrant flowers appear in early summer.
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- Linden trees thrive in full sun and need six to eight hours of direct sunlight every day for optimal growth. This area is perfect.
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- How many trees do you see? It is important to line them all up just right. The trees are already in their designated holes, but it looks like just one. They are all planted just right. The same is done on the opposite side of the field. One phase of this huge project is done. Stay tuned to see more.
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