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.
There's already so much to see growing in my giant vegetable garden here at my farm.
Having a really good vegetable garden where I can grow lots of fresh, delicious and nutritious produce is extremely important to me. I share the vegetables with my daughter, my grandchildren, as well as other relatives and friends. Every spring, I prepare the soil for planting - till the earth, add natural fertilizers, and top dress raised, well-aerated beds. Then the planting begins. I already have peas, spinach, fava beans, radishes and herbs growing. Yesterday, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, planted beets and turnips. And, I've harvested the season's first stalks of asparagus.
Enjoy these photos.
It’s so refreshing to see the gardens in spring. My vegetable garden is looking spectacular with composted beds all ready for planting, blooming tulips, and vegetables in different stages of growth.
Earlier this month, my outdoor grounds crew top dressed all the fed beds with a nutrient-rich compost mix I make right here at my farm.
A three inch layer of compost is spread over each bed carefully and evenly. When spreading compost, be sure it is not too thick – putting too much could block sunlight from growing crops, trap moisture, and suffocate microbes crucial for compost breakdown.
This is my asparagus bed now. When I created this vegetable garden, I made sure one of the biggest beds was earmarked for asparagus. I’ve already harvested the season’s first spears. On the left is an earthenware cloche specifically for growing white asparagus. The plants are the same, but the spears of white asparagus are blanched, or kept from light while growing.
Asparagus, Asparagus officinalis, are the edible shoots, commonly called spears, that rise early in the season from underground stems called crowns. It’s a perennial, so once it gets established, the tender spears return year after year.
Nearby, another perennial – the fragrant herb, mint.
And this is my rhubarb. Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable, generally eaten like a fruit. It’s very easy to grow and thrives in colder climates. These rhubarb plants were moved from my flower garden and are doing well in their new home here. They should continue to grow nicely for many more years.
Not long ago, Ryan planted the season’s first radishes. One can see them already shooting through the soil.
And look at my fava bed. We planted this crop last month. Fava beans, also known as broad beans, come in pods. They have a slightly sweet, earthy flavor and are full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein. I always grow fava beans in the garden.
The plants are large and leafy with hollow stems. Fava beans’ pods, beans, shoots, leaves, and flowers are all edible.
In the center of the garden, a long bed is set up for climbers, such as my peas.
These plants are several inches tall already. Snap peas are a cross between snow peas and shelling peas – the whole pod is eaten and has a crunchy texture and very sweet flavor.
On the other side of the bed are the shelling peas. Shelling peas are also sometimes called garden peas, sweet peas or English peas. The pods are firm and rounded, and the round peas inside need to be removed, or shelled, before eating. The peas are sweet and may be eaten raw or cooked.
The spinach is also looking good, lush and green. I grow spinach all year long – outside during the warm season, and inside my vegetable greenhouse in winter. It is used every day for my green juice.
And blooming on one side of my garden are a handful of beds filled with gorgeous tulips. 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 bright, cheery blooms.
Ryan keeps a very detailed calendar of when he plants what in the garden. Yesterday, he planted beets and turnips.
Two of my favorite sources for seeds are Johnny’s Selected Seeds and the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. Here, Ryan writes out small markers, so we can keep track of what varieties are growing and which ones we want to grow again.
Ryan uses Johnny’s Bed Preparation Rake to make appropriately sized furrows.
Ryan drops the seeds in the furrows. This is called direct sowing, or planting seeds in the garden, rather than starting seeds indoors earlier and transplanting them outside. Some crops do better planted directly into the ground. These plants won’t experience the stress of transplanting and will not need time to adjust to their new growing conditions.
Here are the beet seeds encased in protective shells. Once they germinate, Ryan will check the young sprouts and pull any that seem to be too weak or not growing properly. I grow both red and gold beets.
Large markers are used to label the bed.
Ryan plants the parsnips next. Here he is creating the variety marker.
White Spear parsnips are are strong growers and packed with essential nutrients. They are a good source of vitamins C, E, and K, as well as folate and fiber.
Ryan carefully plants the bed with rows about 10 inches apart to give them ample room to grow.
Then Ryan carefully back fills all the furrows in the beds until all the seeds are covered with soil.
These newly planted beds don’t look like much now, but one will see sprouts poking through the soil very soon. A new crop is planted every day until the beds are full. It’s going to be a great season.
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