The peony stakes are up, which means the countdown to bloom is on!
It's one of the most anticipated sights on the farm - when my herbaceous peony garden is in full bloom. It's usually late May or early June when the beds are filled with large, imposing flowers. True perennials, herbaceous peonies can live for 100-years, becoming more impressive over time. As soon as the peonies are a few inches tall, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew put up the stakes that support them through the season - stakes I designed myself. At maturity these plants, which grow to about three-feet tall, need propping up, so their massive flower heads don’t droop to the ground.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Have you staked your peonies yet? Herbaceous peonies are very hardy perennials and thrive in USDA zones 3 to 8. In early spring, most of the herbaceous peonies begin emerging from the ground, but they grow very quickly and need to be supported to protect the large heavy flowers.
Once the stems are several inches tall, it’s time to stake each of the rows of peonies, so they are well-bolstered as they mature. I planted various peony flower types in this bed: single, semi-double, double and anemone-type blossoms.
Instead of rings that are available at many garden centers, I use these metal stakes I designed myself for my farm. Each metal support has two eyes, one at the top and one in the middle. The stakes are about three feet tall.
The first step is to insert a stake every four-feet around the perimeter of each row. My peony garden is planted with 11 double rows of 22 herbaceous peony plants, 44 in each row of the same variety.
Once they are in position, they are pushed down several inches deep into the ground. These herbaceous peonies are all surrounded in the garden within a hedge of rounded boxwood shrubs, making it a focal point on the property and in the overall landscape.
Each of the stakes is faced in the same direction, so the eyes are also lined up uniformly.
Phurba begins lacing twine through the middle stake eyes in a zigzag pattern all the way down the row. Herbaceous peonies need an area with fertile, well-drained soil and full sun.
We use a natural jute twine for this project and for many gardening projects around the farm. Twine like this is available in large spools online and in some specialty garden supply shops.
The first pass looks like this, but there is still a lot more to do.
Once the bottom is done, Phurba laces the top row in the same manner.
Matthew works from the middle to make sure nothing gets tangled in the process.
A line of twine is also run down the center. It takes several hours to do all the beds, but it’s the perfect time to stake them since they are not yet full height.
At the end of the bed, the twine is secured to one of the eyes.
Another line of twine is also secured around the entire row to hold all those heavy blooms at the edge.
I designed the eyes to be big enough for the many threads of twine. These have worked so well for me over the years.
Here, one can see there is about a foot of space in between the top and middle eyes – enough room to support the stems at different levels.
Here is what a row looks like all done – very neat and tidy, and every peony plant supported by twine. The stakes and twine create such an artistic and geometric pattern.
This technique allows support from every direction.
Herbaceous peony stems are soft and flexible, allowing them to bend. They grow annually, producing new growth from the crown in spring.
The growing stems are already well positioned in between the strands of twine.
And like clockwork, the buds are now forming. In just a few short weeks, this garden will be filled with stunning shades of pink and white. I am so happy this garden is such a huge success every year.
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.
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