It's that time of year again, when the hornbeam hedges around my farm need to be pruned and groomed.
This week my outdoor grounds crew trimmed the tall hornbeam hedges in front of my main greenhouse. The English hornbeam, Carpinus betulus, is a fast-growing deciduous tree. It can grow about four to five feet per year. From a distance, it appears solid, but light streams in through the leaves providing a pleasing and dappled space. I keep a close eye on all the hornbeams - it’s crucial to prune them regularly, so they never look too overgrown and unruly.
Enjoy these photos.
This tall hornbeam hedge grows along one side of the parking lot directly in front of my main greenhouse. It is quite pretty here but serves primarily as a privacy hedge and noise barrier from the road. Carpinus betulus is a hornbeam native to Western Asia and central, eastern and southern Europe, including southern England.
The English hornbeam is related to the beech tree, with a similar leaf shape. On the hornbeam, the leaves are actually smaller and more deeply furrowed than beech tree leaves. They become golden yellow to orange before falling in autumn.
Looking inside the hedge, the hornbeam has pale grey bark with vertical markings. The sturdy branches grow outward and slightly upward.
I always instruct my gardeners and outdoor ground crew to bring all the necessary tools to the work site. Among the tools needed for hedge pruning they need landscape twine, long handled shears, gloves, and a STIHL HLA 85 Lithium-Ion Powered Adjustable Telescopic Hedge Trimmer, which has a durable 20 inch blade that cuts easily and precisely.
The crew does a lot of the hornbeam pruning by hand. These Japanese Okatsune shears are specially made for trimming hedges. These shears are user friendly, and come in a range of sizes.
My resident tree expert, Pasang Sherpa, prunes the front of the hedges first. The shears allow the crew to sculpt and groom as well as prune the foliage. I like to use a traditional English style of pruning, which includes a lot of straight, clean edges. A well-manicured hedge can be stunning in any garden but left unchecked, it could look unruly.
Although slower, this method of trimming by hand ensures careful precise, clean cuts.
Looking at the front, one can see what has been pruned and what Pasang still has to do.
Looking closely from the top, It’s a big difference and shows the growth from the past year. These hornbeams are so healthy and lush.
Pasang uses the long handled shears to cut the edges. When pruning, Pasang keeps the shears close to shoulder level. This allows the best control. He also holds the shears closer to the base of the blades. Here he is working by hand on the upper sections from our trusted Hi-Lo.
Then he uses his STIHL HLA 86 commercial grade extended reach, telescopic hedge trimmer, which is very lightweight and easy to control.
Down below – all the cut leaves. These are raked up as they work, so cleanup is easier at the very end.
My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, sits in the Hi-Lo ready to move teammates safely from place to place. From ground level, he can also check the work done from a different vantage point.
The next day, a younger hedge is also groomed in the parking lot right in front of my glass greenhouse. We planted this hedge in the spring of 2019 – it has grown quite a bit. An identical one is on the other side of the greenhouse entrance. To keep the hedges straight on top, I instruct everyone to use landscaper’s twine to create a guide. It’s an easy way to make sure everything is cut properly.
Chhiring looks carefully to make sure the twine is straight and in line with all his other markers.
Then he uses the STIHL trimmer to cut the top. These STIHL tools are great for so many jobs around the farm.
Meanwhile, Pasang works from the back of the hedge. This area is also cut with the STIHL trimmer – quickly and efficiently.
Pasang uses his Okatsune bypass pruners to trim small branches. Everyone on my crew has his own pruners.
Here’s is a view looking down the top of this hedge.
And here is another section of the hedge. It looks great.
Here is a side view of the big hedge showing how the front is sculpted with the taller sections protruding just a bit.
Pruning and grooming the hornbeams is a big task – it takes about two weeks to get all of them done around the farm, but once they’re finished they look so terrific – thanks to my hardworking crew!
Clematis are among the most decorative and spectacular of all the flowering vines and they're just beginning to bloom beautifully at my farm.
Over the years I have grown many varieties of this wonderful plant. When I purchased my Bedford, New York farm, I knew I wanted to build a long, winding pergola where I could grow lots of clematis. After the pergola was constructed, I concentrated on creating a palette of blue-flowering cultivars and each year I always enjoy the vivid floral display.
Enjoy these photos.
Depending on the species, clematis can start blooming anywhere from late winter to early spring and then continue flowering through the summer and into early fall. This time every year, there are lots of gorgeous blossoms under my long pergola. Clematis is a genus of about 300-species within the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. The name Clematis comes from the Greek word “klematis,” meaning vine.
Each pair of posts under the pergola supports the same variety. Known as the “Queen of the Climbers,” Clematis plants will train onto posts, trellises, and fences, or arch gracefully over doorways. Right now, the pergola is also showing off tall alliums.
Copper wire is wrapped around each post, so the climbing tendrils of the clematis vines could attach easily. The uprights for this pergola are antique granite posts from China originally used as grape supports. They’re perfect as posts because they don’t rot over time like wood does. A friend of mine acquired a lot of stone from this valley and I purchased a couple hundred of these posts. I only wish I had bought more of them.
Most species are called clematis, but it has also been called traveller’s joy, virgin’s bower, leather flower, or vase vine. It’s also been called “Old Man’s Beard,” because of the long fluffy seed heads that look similar to an old man’s beard.
Clematis are native to China and Japan and are known to be vigorous, woody climbers.
The standard clematis flower has six or seven petals, measuring five to six inches across. Colors range from lavender to deep purple, white to wine red, and even a few in yellow.
Clematis leaves grow in pairs along the stems. The clematis leaf shapes vary with different varieties, but knowing how they grow can help differentiate them from other vines.
For this area, I chose various shades of lavender, purple, and blue.
Many clematis are lightly scented. Flowers vary in shape and sizes. They can be flat, tubular or bell-shaped and can be as small as one-inch wide.
Some of the flowers are very light colored with interesting centers.
Once established, clematis should be watered about an inch or so weekly, and more deeply during dry spells.
Some clematis cultivars will bloom in partial shade, but to really thrive, they need at least six-hours of sun each day. Just think, “head in the sun, feet in the shade.” The vines like sun, but cool, moist soil.
Some of the clematis varieties grown here include ‘Parisienne,’ ‘Blue Angel,’ ‘Jackmanii,’ ‘Sapphire Indigo,’ ‘Arabella,’ ‘Contessa de Bouchard,’ and ‘Eyers Gift.’
It can take several years for a clematis vine to mature and begin flowering prolifically. To shorten the wait, purchase a plant that’s at least two-years old. Clematis also prefer soil that’s neutral to slightly alkaline in pH.
This is Clematis viticella ‘Betty Corning’, which has slightly fragrant, bell-shaped flowers that bloom from summer to fall.
Here is a similar variety in pinkish purple.
And in the center of the pergola, I have Veilchenblau roses. This is a vigorous, almost thornless, spring blooming rambler. The blooms start out reddish purple, then turn a dark violet and fade to lilac and blue.
Anyone who passes just takes in the sweet and strong fragrance of these roses – a mix of citrus and apple.
Across the carriage road from my pergola, I also have some clematis vines planted at the base of several bald cypress trees. On these trees, we used twine to secure the climbing vines.
This long pergola takes on several transformations during the year. Soon this area will be filled with bright orange lilies. Just wait and see…
My large vegetable garden is so much fun to visit right now because of all the growing produce - there’s something new popping up every day.
This garden, which is now in its third growing season, is already planted with many wonderful crops - tomatoes, brassicas, artichokes, fava beans, celery, carrots, sweet and hot peppers, peas, all sorts of herbs, and so much more. I always plant in succession, meaning I seed crops at intervals of seven to 21 days in order to maintain a consistent supply of harvestable produce throughout the season. I can't wait for our first big bounty.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
What a difference a couple of months make. This garden is looking great. It is close to my Winter House, so I am able to walk through every day and see all the crops planted over the weeks.
Kale always grow so well here. Kale is a group of vegetable cultivars within the plant species Brassica oleracea. They have purple or green leaves, in which the central leaves do not form a head.
Nearby, I also plant cabbages. To get the best health benefits from cabbage, it’s good to include all three varieties into the diet – Savoy, red, and green. Savoy cabbage leaves are ruffled and a bit yellowish in color.
The broccoli is still small, but developing so perfectly. Broccoli is a hardy vegetable of the cabbage family that is high in vitamins A and D. And, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA, the average American eats more than four-pounds of broccoli a year.
These are the leaves of my artichokes. Globe artichokes, Cynara scolymus, are popular in both Europe and the United States. Artichokes are actually the flower buds, which will emerge from the center of the plants.
Artichoke plant leaves are silvery-green in color with long, arching shapes. The plant stems are thick and fleshy.
On this day, my gardeners planted a crop of edamame or young soybeans. They are known for being nutrient-rich, gluten-free, and low in calories, making them a healthy addition to a meal or appetizer eaten alone. The term “edamame” translates to “beans on a branch” in Japanese.
One of my go-to seed sources is Bakers Creek Heirloom Seed Company.
Edamame seeds are pretty large – easy to see and plant in the garden bed.
The seeds should be planted about an inch deep and four inches apart in rows that are spaced about 15-inches from each other.
Once the seeds are pushed into the soil, the rows are raked, marked and watered. The growing time for edamame is about 95 days.
In another center bed along this trellis are lots of peas – one section for shelling peas, which need to be removed from their pods before eating, and another for edible pods, which can be eaten whole, such as our snap peas.
The peas are best grown on supports to keep them off the ground and away from pests and diseases.
Pea plants produce beautiful flowers that range from white to purple.
It’s easy to spot where the tomatoes are growing by all the bamboo stakes. If you’ve ever grown a vining plant, you know how important it is to provide strong structures to which the vines can cling and climb. I stake my tomatoes in stages, using taller, stronger supports as the plants develop.
I always grow an abundance of tomatoes to share and to make all the delicious tomato sauce I enjoy through the year. It’s a good idea to grow a range of varieties, including at least one or two disease-resistant types.
This is a bed of basil – both green and purple are planted here. Basil is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae. Basil is native to tropical regions from central Africa to Southeast Asia. It is a tender plant, and is used in many cuisines. Since basil grows in tropical climates, it grows well in hot weather.
My garlic bed is also looking good. I planted the garlic last November. Do you know… Americans consume about two to three pounds of garlic per year? And consumption continues to increase because of the many flavors and health benefits.
Right now, there are many scapes. Garlic scapes are the flower buds of the garlic plants. They’re ready about a month before the actual garlic bulbs. Scapes are delicious and can be used just like garlic. Scapes can be cut when the center stalks are completely formed and the ends are curled.
This week, we’re starting to see some of the first jalapeño peppers growing.
At the edge of all the beds, I planted herbs. This is sage. Sage is an aromatic herb of the mint family, cultivated for its pungent edible leaves. It is native to the Mediterranean and is often used fresh or dried as a flavoring in various dishes.
Also always growing here at the farm is parsley. This will find its way into my morning green juice. Parsley is rich in vitamins K, C, and other antioxidants. It has a bright, herbaceous, and slightly bitter taste.
This is curly parsley. This comes from the same family, but curly parsley leaves are thicker and ruffled. Some also say its flavor is a bit stronger in curly parsley than in the flat-leaf varieties.
Everyone always asks what I do with all the vegetables I grow. I share them with my family, but I also love sharing the bounties with friends, colleagues, and my hardworking crew here at the farm. I also provide fruits, vegetables, and eggs for photography and video shoots. And, of course, all my birds get vegetables too.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
