Maintaining a large farm of gardens, groves, hayfields, and woodlands is a time consuming job. Whenever I am home, I drive around the entire property daily to make sure everything is in good condition.
I especially love all the trees, and have planted thousands here at Bedford. Unfortunately, sometimes trees need to be cut down due to poor growth, damage, or disease. Recently, I instructed my outdoor grounds crew to remove a dead ash tree at the edge of my pinetum.
Here are some photos and a couple of videos showing our process, enjoy.
This is my pinetum – an arboretum of pine trees and other conifers. I first planted it almost 15-years ago in a field behind my large Equipment Barn and near my weeping willow grove. This collection has grown extremely well and I continue to add additional specimens every year.
The collection includes pine trees, but I have also included many spruces, firs, and other evergreens. I love all the different sizes and varieties.
However, just to the side of the weeping willow grove, at he edge of the pinetum, one can see a diseased and dead, or dying, tree – most of it is already bare of foliage.
Here is another picture. The tree was an eyesore – visible whenever one drove down the carriage road. It had to be removed. This particular tree is an ash tree – one of many infested and killed by the emerald ash borer.
The borer larvae kill ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves water and sugars up and down its trunk. On this ash tree, in another part of the farm, one can see the bark beginning to peel away. Eventually this tree will also be cut down.
This is the lower part of the same tree – also quite damaged by the borer. These insects kill small trees within one to two years and large trees within three to four years once it is infested.
And here is an image showing the damage done by the emerald ash borer under the bark. The ash borer, also known by the acronym EAB, is responsible for the destruction of tens of millions of ash trees in 30 US states since it was first identified in this country in 2002.
I instructed my outdoor grounds crew to take down the ash tree last week. Pasang is our resident arborist. He is very strong and very skilled at taking down many of the smaller trees around the farm. Here he is in the bucket of our Hi-Lo preparing to climb into the tree.
Here, Pasang starts by removing the smaller branches first. It is quite a process – an arborist must work carefully to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
Pasang then moves onto slightly bigger limbs, taking them down one by one – and always securing himself to the tree with the proper safety equipment.
Each long section of tree is cut by chainsaw. The ash tree grows at a moderate rate of about a foot to two feet per year. At maturity, they tend to reach between 50 and 80 feet tall.
In this image, one can see most of the top is already cut down. As all the branches are cut, they are neatly placed in piles, so they are easy to remove later.
This day was quite warm. Here’s Pasang stopping for a moment before tackling the rest of the tree.
As soon as he is low enough, Pasang works from the safety of the bucket.
He is able to take off chunks of the trunk.
Here, Pasang stops for a quick photo. The tree is now low enough to cut down from the bottom.
And here is the stump. Ash is a hardwood, along with cherry, oak, walnut, and maple. Thanks Pasang and Chhiring for taking down the tree. See the two videos below.
My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, watched from below and positioned the Hi-Lo wherever it was needed. He narrates this short video as Pasang starts to work on the tree. Pasang is using one of our trusted STIHL extended reach trimmers.
In this video, Pasang is in the middle of the tree and cutting off one of the larger sections.
My Stewartia Garden continues to thrive at my Bedford, New York farm.
My Stewartia Garden is located across from my long clematis pergola. The space was once planted with rows and rows of ferns and lilies. Now, the garden still has growing tiger lilies and ferns, but it is also filled with beautiful Stewartia trees and lush shade-loving specimens including Cotinus, Epimediums, Syneilesis, Astilboides, and more. I am so pleased with how well it’s matured over the last few years.
Enjoy these photos.
Behind my Tenant House, I designed lovely gardens of shade-loving plants that are thriving. Beautiful views of these gardens can be seen from the large windows of the home where my daughter and grandchildren stay when they visit.
Right now, the garden is dotted with gorgeous tiger lilies. Native to China and Japan, these robust flowers add striking beauty to any border. I love how they look with their bright and showy orange colored blooms.
Tiger lilies, Lilium lancifolium, bloom in mid to late summer, are easy to grow and come back year after year. I also have them across the carriage road in my long and winding pergola garden.
One can see them here. And on the left is a row of towering bald cypress trees, Taxodium distichum – a deciduous conifer. Though the bald cypress is native to swampy areas, it is also able to withstand dry, sunny weather and is hardy in USDA climate zones 5 through 10.
The leaves are compound and feathery, made up of many small leaflets that are thin and lance-shaped. Each leaflet is less than two inches long, alternating along either side of a central stem. They are a medium green now and turn russet brown in fall. Like trees with leaves, bald cypress trees drop their needles in the fall leaving the tree – well, bald.
One of the most interesting characteristics of the bald cypress is its knees. Known by the scientific name pneumatophores, these growths are specialized root structures that grow vertically above the moist soil near the tree. It is believed that these structures aid the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange in the roots. Looking carefully at the ground, one can see many of these unique knees.
If you didn’t already guess, I named this garden the Stewartia garden because I planted several Stewartia trees in this space. Stewartia is a species of flowering plant in the family Theaceae, native to Japan and Korea. All varieties are slow-growing, all-season performers that show off fresh bright green leaves in spring, white flowers resembling single camellias in summer, and colorful foliage in autumn. Some of the varieties in this garden include: Stewartia gemmata, Stewartia x. henryae, Stewartia pseudocamellia ‘Ballet’, Stewartia monadelpha, Stewartia rostrata, and Stewartia henry ‘Skyrocket’. And do you know why I love Stewartia trees? Well, Stewart is my last name after all. However, there is no relation. “Stewartia” is named for Scottish nobleman and botanist, John Stuart, who had imported the plant to his personal London garden. He later served as British prime minister from 1762 to 1763.
Stewartias feature stunning bark that exfoliates in strips of gray, orange, and reddish brown once the trunk attains a diameter of two to three inches. This one is maturing so nicely.
I also have Cotinus in this bed. Cotinus, the smoketree, or smoke bush, is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, closely related to the sumacs.
Their smooth, rounded leaves come in exceptional shades of deep purple, clear pinkish-bronze, yellow, and green.
Some of the plants in this area include the Japanese painted ferns – beautiful mounds of dramatic foliage with luminescent blue-green fronds and dark central ribs that fade to silver at the edges.
Lady’s mantle, Alchemilla vulgaris, grows along one edge. It is a clumping perennial which typically forms a mound of long-stalked, circular, scallop-edge light green leaves, with tiny, star-shaped, chartreuse flowers.
This is Pulmonaria, or lungwort – a beautiful, versatile, hardy plant. Lungworts are evergreen or herbaceous perennials that form clumps or rosettes. They are covered in hairs of varied length and stiffness. The spotted oval leaves were thought to symbolize diseased, ulcerated lungs, and so were once used to treat pulmonary infections.
This is Syneilesis palmata. Over time, these plants form a sizeable patch of green umbrella-shaped leaves. Mature foliage can be more than a foot across with deeply toothed, narrow leaves – it is really an interesting plant.
Thalictrum, or Meadow Rue, is a robust, upright, clump-forming perennial featuring clouds of lavender mauve flowers. These flowers bloom profusely mid to late summer on tall burgundy upright stems above foliage of lacy, green leaves.
Astilboides is an interesting plant with huge, bright green leaves that are round and flat and measure up to 24-inches across. The effect is dramatic, and beautiful among other hardy perennials.
I also planted Cotoneaster in one corner of the garden. Cotoneaster is a vigorous, dense, evergreen shrub with soft arching stems studded with leathery, glossy, rounded, dark green leaves. These plants work well for a low hedge – I only wish I had planted more.
The hostas are so lush with their varying in leaf shape, size, and textures. Hostas have easy care requirements which make them ideal for many areas. I have them all around the farm. Hosta is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name, giboshi. They are native to northeast Asia and include hundreds of different cultivars.
Here is a beautiful white hosta flower. The plant flowers feature spikes of blossoms that look like lilies, in shades of lavender or white. The bell-shaped blooms can be showy and exceptionally fragrant.
Epimediums are long-lived and easy to grow and have such attractive and varying foliage. Epimedium, also known as barrenwort, bishop’s hat, and horny goat weed, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Berberidaceae.
In another area, the bright red berries of the Viburnum. These berries replace the creamy-white, flat-headed flowers that bloom in spring.
This garden bed continues to be a work in progress, but I love how it looks. Every year, more and more plants cover the space and create a lush, green carpet of beautiful foliage.
Temperatures here at my Bedford, New York farm are expected to be in the mid-80s - about 20-degrees cooler than yesterday, but still no sign of any significant rain in the forecast. It's been such a dry summer that it's hard to keep all the gardens well-irrigated.
Because of the weather, the hoses and sprinklers have been very busy. One of my favorite sources is Gilmour, a Madison, Wisconsin-based company that’s been manufacturing hoses and other watering solutions for more than 65-years. I use several of their products at my home in New York and at Skylands in Maine. With so many trees, shrubs, and plants to maintain, it’s important we use only the best quality outdoor tools.
Enjoy these photos.
In spring, when it starts to warm up, my outdoor grounds crew puts out all the sprinklers and hoses around the farm, so they’re ready to use. During the driest, warmest days of summer, we have to do lots of watering. Fortunately, I have two deep wells – all of the hoses and bibbs are connected to an elaborate underground irrigation system.
Gilmour has a very durable collection of gardening supplies – I have been using Gilmour products for years. The hoses are always put to great use in the gardens and wherever thorough watering is needed. Plus, these hoses curve without kinking, connect without leaking, and are easy to store.
A hose and at least one sprinkler are placed at every bibb, or faucet. And here’s a tip… to keep it from kinking, when it’s new stretch it along a path or the edge of the lawn and then loop the business end back to the tap.
When ready to use, the collar of these tripod sprinklers can be adjusted for partial to full circle coverage. A pin diffuser allows for a customized spray from powerful jet to gentle mist. I show every member of my crew how to use the sprinkler, so they can water properly and efficiently.
The round dial on top makes it easy to set the direction and length of the spray.
Each of the legs is also adjustable. Here, one can see the spiked feet of the tripod sprinkler which provide lots of stability on varied surfaces.
Mornings are the best times to water – when water pressure is high, evaporation is low, and the soil can absorb the water before the sun heats up the ground. The height, distance, and spray patterns of these tripod sprinklers can be adjusted to suit so many garden needs.
Never direct hard spraying sprinklers at trees – this may mar the bark. Instead, use harder sprays for open spaces and wide lawn areas.
Well-established trees with strong, deep root systems will be more drought tolerant.
To avoid dry spots, sprinkler heads should be positioned so they overlap slightly in their coverage areas. During the summer, a good watering is done to a depth of about six to eight inches. An even, intermittent sprinkling is best for thorough, deep watering.
On hot, humid days, each person on the crew manages a specific section for watering. This way, everything can be monitored and timed appropriately.
Look how far the sprinkler can reach – and the spray is very consistent. This sprinkler is in my pinetum, where I grow many different evergreen plants, trees, and shrubs.
This is the Gilmour® Adjustable Whirling Sprinkler with Stationary Base. It is ideal for gentle, easy watering of delicate flowers, plants and seedlings. Its whirling motion provides full circular coverage while reducing water pooling. The adjustable tips allow one to direct the spray lower to the ground. And, the no-tip base is shaped for stability and is great on harder grounds where spiked bases don’t work.
We also use the Gilmour® Adjustable Spot Sprinkler with Spike Base. These are great for use around my Winter House, where there are planters and garden beds. The durable metal spike provides stability in softer soil and on uneven ground.
These sprinklers are easy to push into the ground wherever needed and offer full circular coverage.
Here is one watering under the trees near my terrace parterre.
Gilmour also makes oscillating sprinklers that are easy to control in a variety of areas. They provide thousands of square feet in water coverage.
They feature a tube with multiple openings that move back and forth to provide even watering.
The dial makes setting the sprinkler’s coverage area very quick and easy.
I have many of these oscillating sprinklers, Some models are older, but they hold up so well through the seasons.
Here’s another tripod sprinkler in my flower cutting garden. The adjustable tripod can reach a height of 58-inches and can water everything from above. Once the watering in one area is done, it’s extremely important to turn off the water at the source. Just turning off at the sprinkler puts a lot of pressure on the hoses and pipes.
And every so often, observe sprinklers in action, looking for clogged or leaking heads that may need minor maintenance. Wherever you live, I hope all your gardens are getting the water they need.
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