I have many hornbeam hedges around my farm. They're hardy and provide changing texture and color during the year - green foliage in summer, golden yellow leaves in fall, and natural gray bare branches in winter.
Last week, I decided to plant 22 hornbeams, Carpinus betulus 'Frans Fontaine,' in my orchard, just outside the north end of my pool - two rows, 11 on each side, creating an allée all the way to the carriage road fence. All the hornbeams are from Select Horticulture, Inc. in Pound Ridge, New York. My gardeners and outdoor grounds crew worked quickly - the area was measured, the holes were dug, and then the trees were transported, positioned, fed, and planted.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
The handsome European hornbeam, Carpinus betulus ‘Frans Fontaine,’ is slow-growing and has an upright oval form and lush green foliage that provides multi-season interest.
I decided to plant them outside the fence surrounding my pool at this end.
Planting any row of specimens always starts with a carefully measured line. Landscape flags indicate where each specimen will go.
Chhiring uses the trusted Kubota and its forklift to transport each tree to its designated location.
All the trees are positioned first before any planting begins.
Alex continues the hole digging started by the backhoe.
Remember the rule of thumb for planting – dig a hole that is two to three times wider than the root ball, but only as deep as the height of the root ball.
The protective wrapping and any wire or rope are removed from the root ball. If left untouched, these wrapping materials could reduce the ability of a tree’s roots to grow out into the surrounding soil. Some gardeners leave them in the ground, but I prefer to remove everything, so there is nothing blocking the root growth.
Alex cuts the strong wire cage, so it can also be removed.
Here is Phurba removing the protective burlap.
Next, fertilizer is sprinkled into the hole and the surrounding soil.
Our go-to fertilizer is Miracle-Gro Organic All Purpose Plant Food specially formulated to help grow stronger, vibrant, and more productive plants.
Each tree is carefully rolled into its hole by its center stem, trunk, or base – never handle by its branches, which could break.
The tree sits in the hole at the right depth, which is “bare to the flare,” or where the first main roots attach to the trunk. Tree roots need oxygen to grow. By placing the root flare at or slightly above ground level when planting gives the tree the best chance for survival, growth, and development.
Pasang and Alex step back and look at the tree from afar to assess its position – they agree it needs a little adjusting.
The two turn the tree slightly to make it level and perfectly straight.
The European hornbeam, Carpinus betulus is native to Western Asia and central, eastern, and southern Europe, including southern England. Because of its dense foliage and tolerance to being cut back, this hornbeam is popularly used for hedges and topiaries. Hornbeams are often confused with the common beech because of their similar leaves; however, the hornbeam leaves are actually smaller and more deeply furrowed than beech leaves. The leaves are deciduous and alternate, with serrated margins. These are the leaves in summer…
… and these are the leaves now, golden yellow in autumn. All the leaves will soon fall completely off the trees for winter.
Once the specimen is positioned correctly, it is backfilled.
Alex uses a hard rake to give the area a finished look.
Here, one row is complete and looks great. These trees are sure to develop so beautifully here in my orchard – the soil is so rich with nutrients.
For anyone passionate about gardening, it's always so rewarding to plant new specimens and watch them flourish.
This week, I received a delivery of Japanese maples from Monrovia, a wholesale plant nursery specializing in shrubs, perennials, annuals, ferns, grasses, and conifers with several nursery locations across the country. They're widely known for their Japanese maples and grow more than 30 varieties of Acers. These plants will be added to existing gardens around my farm. Among them - Ryusen Weeping Japanese maples, Waterfall Japanese maples, Coral Bark Japanese maples, Shaina Japanese maples, Autumn Moon Fullmoon Japanese maples, and more.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Monrovia grows such beautiful specimens. These Japanese maples are in such excellent condition.
Once plants arrive at my farm, they are immediately placed in organized rows according to type so they are easy to see, count, water, feed, and access when it is time to plant.
This is a Ryusen Weeping Japanese maple, Acer palmatum ‘Ryusen.’ It is known for its cascading branches and vibrant seasonal foliage.
The leaves are generally green and palmate with five lobes each.
Coral Bark Japanese maple, Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku,’ is a beautiful small deciduous tree that thrives in bright dappled shade in warmer areas or in full sun in cooler regions.
During spring and summer, its foliage is a light yellow to almost neon green in color that turns a striking yellow or salmon-red hue in autumn.
Autumn Moon Fullmoon Japanese Maple, Acer shirasawanum ‘Autumn Moon,’ is admired for its vibrant fall foliage and interesting leaf shape.
The leaves are fan-shaped and emerge in spring with a bright yellow to burnt orange color. As the season progresses, the leaves display a range of shades ,including peach and apricot, especially when grown in full sun.
This is the foliage of a Shishigashira Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum ‘Shishigashira’ – a compact, slow-growing tree that typically reaches seven to 15 feet tall. It features heavily curled and crimped green leaves that turn to brilliant yellow with fiery orange and red highlights in autumn.
The Red Dragon Japanese maple, Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Red Dragon,’ has an attractive lacy appearance and as fall temperatures cool, the foliage changes to a bright, apple red color.
The leaves are deeply cut, feathery, and fern-like. My other Red Dragon Japanese maples do so wonderfully here at the farm and add such great color to the gardens – this one will too.
The Waterfall Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Waterfall,’ is loved for its cascading green foliage, and elegant weeping form.
It is known for its finely dissected leaves that emerge almost fluorescent green in spring, then mature to a dark green in summer, and bright golden-yellow in fall.
‘Shaina,’ or Acer palmatum ‘Shaina,’ is a handsome dwarf Japanese maple with a compact form. The freely branching growth becomes dense with maturity, and its foliage emerges bright red, then a deep maroon.
Twombley’s Red Sentinel Japanese Maple, known botanically as Acer palmatum ‘Twombly’s Red Sentinel’ is columnar and narrow in form and shows off a rich green to burgundy foliage.
It is known for its striking red leaves that emerge in spring, darkening to burgundy in summer, and turning brilliant scarlet in the fall.
In contrast, this is the lacy foliage of a Ribbon-Leaf Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum ‘Atrolineare.’ It is a small tree with elegant, fine-textured, palmate leaves. The finger-like foliage emerges red in spring, is bronze-red and green in summer, then turns brilliant red and orange in fall.
Monrovia also sent me this silver-blue evergreen, The Blues Blue Spruce, Picea pungens ‘The Blues’. It has weeping branches and an irregularly spreading and drooping top.
The Blues Blue Spruce is known for its bright silver-blue foliage and large, bright blue needles. It will do nicely in my pinetum.
Here’s my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, checking each and every specimen as it is unloaded. I can’t wait to place these Japanese maples in their new permanent garden locations. Stay tuned to find out where they go.
It's so much fun to watch the gardens, groves, and allées evolve and expand around my farm.
Over the last couple of weeks, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew have been very busy planting 80-trees from Select Horticulture, Inc. in nearby Pound Ridge, New York. The selection of 15-foot trees includes London plane cylinder and parasol trees, a Chinese Elm, hornbeams, panel lindens, cylinder lindens, and parasol lindens. Many of them were planted in my maze, but others were spread out around the property. One area was outside my peafowl pen, where I already had similar trees growing and thriving. The team planted a group of Tilia tomentosa panel trees before some expected heavy rains.
Enjoy these photos.
Because my peacocks and peahens have grown up here at the farm, they are very accustomed to all the sights and sounds. In fact, they are very curious to watch the projects that go on around their enclosures. On this day, it was the planting of several linden trees.
This peahen is standing on top of a shelter watching all the activity. I am glad these birds are so stable around noise. My birds are also extremely friendly.
This space along the fence of the peafowl pen is perfect for the six linden tomentosa panel trees. Eventually, they will offer some good shade to my fowl and add some nice foliage color to this space. Landscape marking flags are placed where each tree will go.
The area is narrow, so the holes have to be dug manually. Pasang and Alex are very strong and very fast at digging.
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.
Once the holes are dug, Alex begins removing all the plastic and burlap wrapping from around the root ball. This is not done until the tree is ready for planting. These root balls should never be left to dry out. The wrapping protects the roots from dehydration and sunburn and allows trees to be safely moved.
Alex also pries off the strong wiring cage used to contain the root ball until it is properly planted.
Then, the tree is carefully rolled and placed into its designated hole. This is done slowly and carefully, so the root ball stays intact.
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.
Alex rotates the tree until it is perfectly level and in line with the others. Tilia tomentosa, commonly called silver linden or European white linden, is native to Europe and Asia. It is noted for its attractive foliage, which is glossy green above and silvery-white below.
Alex assess the placement of the tree. Look closely and see he guiding landscape twine – the tree should be planted so its trunk is just barely touching it.
Phurba sprinkles a generous amount of fertilizer into the hole and the surrounding soil. I use Miracle-Gro Organic All Purpose Plant Food. It’s full of essential nutrients and won’t burn the plants.
These granules can feed plants for up to three months building strong roots and improving soil quality.
The hole is backfilled and tamped down lightly to establish good contact between the soil and the tree’s root ball.
Phurba continues with some raking until the soil is neat and tidy.
How many trees do you see? It looks like just one, but the crew planted six – and they are perfectly lined up. The best light for thee trees is full sun to partial shade.
Fall color is pale green to pale yellow. Many of the trees here at the farm, both young and mature specimens, are already beginning to show their autumn colors.
The trunk has smooth, gray bark when young, becoming more ridged with age.
This entire row is done. They will get a good watering from the expected showers.
These trees will do very well in this location. The crew has planted a good number of trees, but there are still more to do. Next, the planting of two dozen hornbeams. Stay tuned and find out where.
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