Another beautiful garden is being planted at my Bedford, New York farm.
For months I've been restoring an old pond on my property - removing surrounding unstable trees, dredging decades of pond silt, repairing the spillway, and reinforcing the walls with huge rocks and boulders already here at my farm. Next, the pond water was tested and aerating bubblers were installed. And then compost was laid down and the entire area was prepared for planting. I wanted the pond garden to be filled with beautiful shady trees and bright, colorful azaleas. I planned a variety of unique specimens in yellow and orange hues to mix with the bold glossy green foliage of ferns and birch trees. I am so excited - it will look spectacular in the coming years.
Enjoy these photos of the next phase of my pond project.
Last month, the heavy work in and around the pond was completed. This is the newly repaired spillway I designed – a crenellated wall to allow the water to pass through easily and naturally. Spillways are crucial for water control. They ensure surplus water flows through safely and efficiently, preventing any flooding.
The pond is now clear of debris and silt. Reflections of the bare trees can be seen in the water.
The surrounding landscape is also cleared and leveled.
Next, an aerating system is installed to keep the water moving and to control mosquitoes, minimize algae, and increase oxygen for pond wildlife.
This is a rocking piston compressor that creates the air pressure needed for oxygenating the pond.
And this is a weighted diffuser plate which is installed under water to create the air bubbles.
One can see the bubblers working – these provide continuous operation to maintain proper circulation through the water.
Chhiring transports compost to the planting areas using our trusted Kubota tractor and loader. I am so fortunate to be able to make my own nutrient rich compost here at the farm.
Using a hard rake, Adan spreads a layer of compost in the areas to be planted.
Ryan sprinkles fertilizer all around the planting area.
These birch trees are now about six to seven feet tall, but they started out as bare-roots about a foot in height. I prefer to nurture bare roots in pots before they are planted in more permanent locations. And one can see why my method works – these trees are so beautiful and lush.
I purchased ferns for the pond’s edge. Most ferns prefer dappled or shaded areas. Be sure they are also protected from strong winds.
And here are lots and lots of azaleas in shades of creamy to crisp yellow and orange.
These stunning azaleas are from White’s Nursery, LLC in Germantown, Maryland. White’s specializes in evergreen, deciduous, and native azaleas as well as rhododendrons.
Owners Mike and Debra White grow all their plants and nurture them in their greenhouses.
Here is one Mike grew from seed with light and dark orange flowers.
Here are Matthew and Ryan sorting all the plants for the area. When planning a garden, it is important to consider size of inventory, light needs and growth habits of the plants, and the location of any necessary footpaths.
Ryan positions the trees first, followed by the azaleas and then the smallest plants by the pond’s edge.
There are a lot of trees and plants to place. It is exciting to see this new garden take shape. Keep following…
A planting transformation project is now complete and looks absolutely terrific.
Not long ago, I received 105 'Little Mister' boxwood shrubs from Star Roses and Plants in West Grove, Pennsylvania - a company of brands that focuses on breeding and introducing stronger, more disease resistant specimens. I decided the boxwood would look best as a border along the carriage road to my Winter House, on one side of my Stewartia garden and across from my long pergola. All this week, my outdoor grounds crew was busy preparing the space, removing the sod, carefully lining up each shrub and then planting. It was an arduous task, but the weather was cooperative and it's now done and looking great.
Enjoy these photos.
This is my winding 300-foot pergola that runs along one side of a carriage road leading to my home. It is among the first garden areas visitors see when arriving at the farm.
Across from the pergola and outside my Tenant Guest House, is what I call my Stewartia Garden, a large space planted with perennials, Japanese Maples, Cotinus, and of course, Stewartia trees.
I decided the gardens would look so pretty bordered on one side with the boxwood shrubs, matching the pergola border.
I love boxwood, Buxus, and have hundreds of these bold green shrubs growing all over my farm. 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. Boxwood shrubs are slow-growing with dark green glossy leaves arranged opposite from each other, making pairs. Leaf shape depends on the variety; some are round while others are elliptical.
Gardener’s twine and small stakes are used to mark a guide for the motorized sod cutter. There are different types of sod cutters, but they all essentially cut grass at the roots so entire sections of sod can be removed to expose the bare ground underneath it. Phurba pushes it carefully and slowly to make sure it is following the twine.
After the sod is cut, it is carefully lifted up, rolled, and removed. The sod is two inches thick, and with the soil can be quite heavy.
I never like to waste anything around the farm. I always try to repurpose and reuse as much as possible.
Here is a section of the area cleared of sod and ready for planting.
The boxwood is transported to the space and lined up along the edge of the cleared garden bed. Best looking specimens are placed strategically where they’d be seen the most.
Phurba and Alex dig holes twice as wide as the root ball, but no deeper. Once in the hole, the top of the root ball should be a half-inch higher than the soil surface.
All the holes are dug before planting begins.
The holes are uniform in size and measured precisely. When selecting a location for a border always consider growth habit of the plants and their lighting needs.
Each hole is sprinkled with a generous amount of fertilizer and then mixed in with the existing soil.
I use Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed All Purpose Plant Food. It contains all the essential nutrients to nourish the boxwood above and below the soil.
The burlap is completely removed from the root ball. I do this with all my trees and shrubs, so there is nothing blocking the roots from growing.
Phurba teases the roots to stimulate growth and then places the boxwood into the hole and checks its positioning. Boxwoods have a shallow root system that spreads out horizontally rather than growing deep into the ground. The roots of boxwoods are thin and fibrous, which allows them to absorb nutrients efficiently from the surrounding soil.
Phurba also measures the center of the boxwood to the edge of the bed.
And then he measures from plant to plant. It should be two and a half feet from center stem to center stem of the neighboring specimen.
Phurba levels the boxwood, backfilling with soil wherever necessary, and then tamps down for good contact between the soil and root ball.
As the boxwood is planted around the curved carriage road, measuring is even more crucial. The entire process took a few days, but it looks great and will eventually match the opposite side of the carriage road nicely.
Here is another section planted. Boxwood can grow in full sun and partial shade.
Boxwood prefers well-drained, loamy soil that contains organic matter. My soil is filled with lots of nutrient-rich compost made right here at the farm. This border will look even better as time progresses. I’m excited to see it mature – lush and green.
It's hard to miss the large, showy, brightly colored tulips blooming at my farm.
Tulips, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes, are perennial plants that open up each spring. They're grown for their graceful leaves and cheery blooms. Some are traditional and cup-shaped, some have fringed petals, others have pointed ones, and some are full of fanciful ruffles. Some varieties even carry a soft, subtle scent.
Here are photos of the tulips growing in my vegetable garden this week, enjoy.
All tulips are planted as bulbs in the fall and bloom in the spring. I planted hundreds of tulips in the vegetable garden and they’re putting on such a gorgeous show. Many of these tulips are from The Flower Hat in Bozeman, Montana.
Although Holland is the largest producer of tulip bulbs and flowers, the flower actually originated in Central Asia and Turkey.
Tulips hold many different meanings around the world. In Western societies, they represent love. In Persian and Turkish traditions, tulips signify spring and renewal. Dutch cultures associate tulips with wealth and prosperity.
Tulipa is the Latin word for tulip and is believed to be derived from Tulipan, meaning “turban” in Turkish – inspired by the shape of the tulip flower.
They come in a wide variety of colors. And while red varieties remain the most popular, they range from white and pale yellow to deep mahogany and violet.
This variety is ‘Sanne’ – a dainty two-tone of rose on the outside of the petals and soft pink on the inside.
The inside is also very geometric.
The broad, strappy leaves of tulips have a waxy coating that gives them a blue-green color. There are usually two to six leaves per plant.
From above, one can see the large cupped, peony-shaped blooms and pointed petals of this flower.
This tulip is a double fringed variety. It has rosy colored petals accented with light pink ruffles and serrated edges. The flowers can grow to five-inches across and up to 14-inches tall.
Most tulips have one flower per stem, but there are some multi-flowered varieties.
Here’s one in deep burgundy. Like many spring bulbs, tulips contain alkaloid compounds that are moderately toxic to pets as well as humans. The bulbs contain the highest concentration of toxins, but trace amounts are also found in the tulip flowers and leaves.
There are currently more than 3000 registered tulip varieties, which are divided into at least 15-groups, mostly based on the flower type, size, and blooming period.
Tulips can range from six-inches to 32-inches in varying shapes and forms. Taller ones should be shielded from any winds, so they don’t topple over.
And do you know… tulips continue to grow after they are cut? Tulips grow about an extra inch after cutting and bend toward the light. Kept well-watered and away from heat, tulips can last about a week.
Tulips require full sun for the best display, which means at least six-hours of bright, direct sunlight per day.
And yes, Tulip Mania was real! It was a period during the Dutch Golden Age when prices for some tulip bulbs reached extraordinarily high levels. It started around 1634 and then dramatically collapsed in February 1637.
Here’s light cream tulip accented with pink and light yellow green in the center.
‘Foxy Foxtrot’ is a double tulip with shades of apricot, yellow, and hints of rose orange.
Tulip ‘Estella Rijnveld’ is a flamboyant bicolor flower with bold red and white flames that vary in width and intensity.
By planting varieties with different bloom times, one can have tulips blooming from early to late spring.
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