Among my favorite trees is the Japanese maple - I've planted so many of them here at my farm.
Yesterday, a nearby friend contacted me and told me she was redoing the landscaping around her home and had a 40-year-old Japanese maple she no longer needed. She asked if I would be interested in taking it and of course, I said yes. My outdoor grounds crew picked it up right away. It's a big task to plant mature specimens, but I had the perfect spot for it in mind.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I was happy to be able to transplant this Japanese maple at my farm. Few trees are as beautiful as the Japanese maple. With more than a thousand varieties and cultivars including hybrids, the iconic Japanese maple tree is among the most versatile small trees for use in the garden. Here it is getting loaded up onto a flatbed truck at its original home.
I sent my crew with large dump truck to get the tree, but it was not wide enough to accommodate this specimen. Luckily, it wasn’t traveling a great distance – just a few miles – and the owners had their own flatbed vehicle.
Meanwhile, back at my farm, Adan started digging the hole for the Japanese maple. I decided to plant it across from my long pergola and behind my gym building not far from my stand of bald cypress.
The hole did not have to be too deep, but it did have to be wide. As each scoop of soil is removed, it is carefully placed on a tarp and saved for backfill later. The best location for Japanese maples is a sunny spot with afternoon shade. Red and variegated leaves need relief from the hot afternoon sun but need the light to attain full color. This area is perfect.
Ryan pours a generous amount of fertilizer in the hole and on the surrounding soil. It is very important to feed the plants and trees.
Phurba then mixes the fertilizer with the existing soil.
I use Miracle-Grow Shake ‘n Feed for trees. This feeds the tree above and below the soil for three months.
Carter and his wife, Kirsten, are so happy the tree could continue to thrive in another garden. Here’s Carter ready to unload.
Carter, Kirsten and their baby Colette, are so happy to see the tree go to a good home.
My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, uses our trusted Hi-Lo to transport the tree from the flatbed to its new location.
Slowly and carefully, Chhiring positions the tree over the newly dug hole.
But the crew needs to make a few adjustments to the hole to get it just right. Adan is widening it on all sides, and adding back soil to the bottom, so it does not sit too deep. It is crucial for the tree’s longterm health and stability to be planted properly. Too deep could suffocate the roots – too shallow and the roots could be exposed and dry out.
Once the hole is correct, the tree is gently lowered into it with the best side facing the carriage road. I instructed the team which side looked best. Once in place, the crew looks at it from all angles to make sure the trunk is completely straight.
Phurba begins to remove the twine wrapped around the root ball.
Then he removes the burlap and roughs up, or scarifies, the root ball to stimulate new growth.
Some gardeners prefer to leave the burlap in place, but I always remove all the wrapping to ensure there is nothing blocking the tree’s natural root growth.
More fertilizer is spread on the top of the root ball.
A generous layer of mulch is spread over the area surrounding the trunk or the tree pit. Phurba rakes the soil, so it is spread evenly.
Notice the interesting growth habit – I wanted this side facing the carriage road, so it could be seen when driving by. It reminds me of the Japanese art of bonsai.
Phurba removes any soil too high up on the tree’s flare. The rule of thumb is “bare to the flare,” meaning do not bury above this point, where the first main roots attach to the trunk. The roots need oxygen to grow. By placing the root flare at or slightly above ground level when planting gives the specimen the best chance for survival, growth and development.
Using a hard rake, Adan finishes the raking around the tree.
Japanese maples grow slowly, but they can live more than a hundred years. I am looking forward to seeing this tree develop and flourish here at Cantitoe Corners. Thanks Kirsten and Carter.
My dahlia tubers are now well-protected for the winter.
When in bloom, dahlias provide some of the garden's biggest and most spectacular flowers in many different sizes, forms, and colors. However, native to Mexico, dahlias are not winter-hardy and tend to split in freezing temperatures or mold in soggy, wet soil. In most areas outside the warmest regions of the United States, dahlia tubers must be dug up and stored or covered before the cold season. In previous years, I always uprooted my dahlias and kept them indoors for the winter. Now, I cover the entire bed with a thick layer of compost and an industrial strength tarp, bordered by bales of hay. It's proven to be a great solution for protecting the plants so we have viable dahlias come spring.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Remember all the gorgeous, colorful dahlias I had this year? Dahlias are among my favorite flowers. They begin to bloom with great profusion just as other plants pass their prime, and they last right up until the first frost – this season, they lasted through Halloween.
I grow many flowers every year, so they can be cut and used for photography shoots, videos or to display in my kitchen, servery, and sitting rooms. I always make lots of dahlia arrangements to decorate my home.
The dahlia garden is located behind my vegetable greenhouse, in an area protected from any damaging winds.
After the season, when the petals are wilted, faded, or have started to turn brown around the edges, it’s time to start cutting them and leaving them to dry.
Once the plants are dried out, they are cut all the way down to the ground. Wait until all the foliage has turned brown before any winterizing. This is important so the plant can gather energy for the following year. It will store starches in the tuber which will fuel the initial sprouting in summer. The best time is a couple weeks after the first frost when they’re well into dormancy yet haven’t been harmed by the cold.
Dahlia stems are hollow making them quickly susceptible to rot. This is also why dahlias often have to be staked to help support their very large flowers.
My process for winterizing has changed over the years. I now keep my dahlias in the ground. First, all the tubers are covered with an eight to 10-inch thick layer of nutrient-rich compost.
Matthew rakes the compost evenly over the dahlia tubers.
This thick layer acts as a barrier to protect the plants. At the edges of the bed, Cesar blows any compost clumps back into the garden, so everything is neat.
Next, to keep excess moisture from saturating the tubers, the crew covers the compost and the tubers with an old industrial tarp left from another project.
It is big enough to cover the entire bed. Adan neatly unfolds the tarp and lays it down carefully, making sure to cover all the tubers and compost.
I grow a lot of hay here at the farm. The newer bales for my horses are kept in the stable hayloft; however, the bales that my horses won’t eat are saved and used to help winterize and insulate areas around the farm.
The bales are delivered to the dahlia bed in large batches.
And a border of hay bales is created on top of the tarp at the edge to help keep the bed protected and insulated.
Here, one can see how the tarp is placed under the bales and weighted down by the hay.
Each standard two-string hay bale weighs between 40 and 75 pounds each – they will keep the tarp in place nicely.
Chhiring counts how many bales are still needed. It’s important to weigh it down all around the bed, so wind cannot blow the tarp off the tubers.
And finally, aside from the hay to help keep the tarps in place, Pasang uses old, heavy chains on top of the bed. Here he is placing one across the center.
I am always looking for better, more efficient ways to care for my gardens. This process of burying my dahlias and protecting them in the soil has worked for me for several years. Store your dahlias or cover them like this now. Protecting them this way through the winter will ensure lots of healthy plants next spring.
Bonsai is the centuries-old Japanese practice of dwarfing trees and growing them in containers.
In fact, the word "bonsai" implies it - "bon" refers to a tray or shallow container, while "sai" means to plant or to grow. Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, is home to an incredible collection of bonsai trees. It includes nearly 200 trees - some of them rare Japanese species. The bonsai trees are displayed in rotating groups of about 50 in a tranquil 12,500 square-foot garden courtyard. And inside Longwood's historic Potting Shed is a Bonsai Workshop where specimens are meticulously prepared and refined by experts, visiting artists, and volunteers.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Longwood’s Bonsai Courtyard is surrounded by trees, walls and hornbeam hedges, and decorated with a subdued combination of natural hues, crushed stone, and charred wood.
The Bonsai Collection was started in 1959 with 13 trees from renowned bonsai artist, Yuji Yoshimura. Today, Longwood has more than 150 trees in 14 different styles cultivated by some of the world’s most prestigious masters in the art of bonsai.
This is a Chinese Juniper, Juniperis chinensis ‘Shimpaku.’ Adaptable and appealing, the Chinese juniper is popular among bonsai enthusiasts. Training on this specimen began 26 years ago.
This is also a Chinese juniper tree, Juniperus chinensis ‘Shimpaku.’ Training on this bonsai began in the year 2000. For bonsai beginners, it is important to select a hardy and forgiving species like the juniper.
Training on this Hinoki False Cypress, Chamaecyparis obtusa began in 1930. It has dark green leaves that form fanlike layers on branches that resemble ferns. While it grows quickly, it needs a lot of maintenance to retain its beautiful bonsai form.
Ginkgo bonsai trees, Ginkgo biloba, have the same unique fan-shaped leaves that turn golden yellow in fall. This Ginkgo first started developing as a bonsai in 1909.
Trident Maple, Acer buergerianum, is another popular bonsai tree because of its fast growth and thick trunk.
The Japanese black pine, Pinus thunbergii, has a naturally thick trunk with dark green foliage. The bark of the tree is gray and turns black as it matures. This bonsai is 95 years old.
Here is another Japanese black pine – its training began in 1970. These trees prefers lightly moist soil, with time to dry out between waterings.
One of my favorite trees is the Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum. This bonsai version was started in 1979. The natural and graceful forms of the Japanese maple make these trees easier to shape and maintain.
This is a Japanese Zelkova, Zelkova serrata. It is also known as the Japanese greybark elm. It thrives in full sun and some shade during the hottest weeks of the summer.
And this is a Nippon Daisy, Nipponanthemum nipponicum. It is one of the younger bonsai trees in this collection – training on this began in 2018. It responds well to bonsai pruning and shaping and features the same charming white daisy-like flowers.
At Longwood, the historic Potting Shed is dedicated to garden operations and now the care and maintenance of nearly 200 bonsai trees. It is one of the original Conservatory buildings constructed by founder, Pierre S. du Pont in the 1920s.
The Bonsai Workshop also displays many pots for its specimens. The pairing of trees with the proper pots is critical in bonsai art. There are more than 500 artisanal pots here – crafted by potters from around the world.
Displayed on tables in the Workshop are bonsai chrysanthemums. These range from two to six years old with thick trunks and well defined branches.
Almost any tree can be trained and shaped into a bonsai. Gnome chrysanthemums are among those types that work well for bonsai because of the smaller leaves and flowers. This is an example of a Cascade Anemone Mum. It is Chrysanthemum x morifolium ‘Ugetsu.’
This Cascade Anemone Mum Chrysanthemum x morifolium ‘Fukuyama’ features plentiful blooms and a gorgeous cascading growth habit.
This Anemone Mum bonsai tree is so carefully pruned and groomed. In bloom, it shows off small orange and yellow flowers.
A single mum bonsai is grown from one rooted cutting known as a “mother.” This is Chrysanthemum x morifolium ‘Satomi Orange.’
And this Single Mum is NYBG Bonsai selection number 5 with beautiful yellow, pink, and white flowers.
Part of Longwood’s Kusamono Collection is this arrangement. Known as a companion to bonsai, kusamono translates to “grass thing.” The arrangement includes a variety of grasses, mosses, and flowers. If you are ever in the area, visit Longwood Gardens – learn its history and walk through its beautiful spaces.
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