Here in the Northeast, we’re expecting a little break from the unseasonably warm weather we've had the last few days. Forecasters say it should be more pleasant with temperatures in the 70s - perfect for continuing all the tasks that need to be done around the farm.
There's always so much to do this time of year. My outdoor grounds crew is busy moving and planting smoke bushes in my middle field allée, transplanting boxwood shrubs outside my greenhouse, planting large arborvitae evergreens, clearing sod and tilling soil for new flower beds, uncovering the dahlias, and of course, beginning the task of aerating and mowing the lawns.
Here are some photos, enjoy. What's on your to-do list this weekend?
Thuja plicata ‘Green Giant’ is a fast growing evergreen that provides lush, soft foliage and works great for privacy borders. It is commonly known as arborvitae.
When planting anything, it’s always a good idea to scarify the root ball, or make intentional cuts to stimulate root growth.
The tree is placed into the hole at the proper height. When choosing trees or plants, be sure to consider the size of the specimens when mature. These trees will grow pretty wide, so they need a good amount of space.
Matthew backfills and then rakes the area so it is neat and tidy.
Here’s Pete moving a group of Cotinus trees that had outgrown their spaces outside my Tenant House. I decided they would do better in the allée of smoke bushes in my middle hayfield.
The trees filled in areas where others had died. Don’t be afraid to move trees – as long as the trees are in good condition and the transplanting process is done carefully, this should be an easy task.
The trees are planted at the same depth, “bare to the flare,” which means covered with soil only until the point where the roots meet the main trunk of the tree.
Phurba rakes the area after the trees are planted, fed, and backfilled.
This allée of London plane trees and smoke bushes is doing well. They will look great when full of foliage.
Another one of our time consuming spring tasks is the removal of all the burlap and metal framing surrounding the boxwood. The burlap fabric was removed a few weeks ago to expose the plantings to the sun, but now the metal framing and wooden supports are dismantled and stored for the season.
Pete uses our trusted Hi-Lo to hold and move the metal arches.
These young boxwood shrubs were nurtured right here at the farm. I grow them from bare-root cuttings and they all develop so nicely. Now it’s time to plant them in the gardens.
I decided to plant them here in front of my main greenhouse where they will border two garden beds.
Phurba plants them carefully – measuring their distance from each other with thought and precision.
Behind my vegetable greenhouse, Chhiring maneuvers the Kubota tractor bucket to carefully remove the compost that has been protecting the dahlias all winter.
Back in the woodland, Pasang works carefully to cut dead limbs from the trees.
Weeding has also begun in the gardens. Here, spring weeds are pulled from the perimeter of the vegetable garden.
And in another area, sod is removed in preparation for a new garden. I can’t wait to show you what I am doing in this space. The sod is transplanted in the the chicken yard.
Here is where the sod was removed.
The area is then rototilled, which is the process of tilling the soil with a gas-powered machine equipped with tines that cultivate the soil in preparation for planting.
And here’s Adan. He’s aerated all the lawns and is now starting the mowing. Spring is in full swing!
The hellebores always put on a great floral show this time of year.
Hellebores come in such an artful array of colors, markings and formations, it’s hard not to love these fascinating perennials. Sometimes known as Lenten rose or Christmas rose, these plants are long-lived, easy-to-grow and thrive in shady locations. I’ve had hellebores in my gardens for many years, and I find it so rewarding to have blooms that start in March and continue through spring until the end of May - hellebores are must-haves for any gardener's collection.
Here are some photos of the hellebores blooming at my farm now, enjoy.
Hellebores are among the earliest perennial flowers to bloom. They are members of the Eurasian genus Helleborus – about 20 species of evergreen perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. They blossom during late winter and early spring for up to three months.
Hellebores are widely popular because they are easy-to-grow and are able to resist frost. It is common to plant them on slopes or in raised beds in order to see their flowers, which tend to nod.
I have many hellebores planted around my farm – under allées, in the gardens across from my pergola, and in various beds near my Winter House. Hellebores prefer partial to full shade during the warmer months but require more sunlight in winter.
Some of the varieties planted in the shaded gardens across from my pergola include Helleborus hybrid ‘Lenten Rose,’ Helleborus ‘Rio Carnivale,’ Helleborus ‘Frostkiss Anna’s Red and ‘Frostkiss Molly’s White,’ Helleborus ‘Frostkiss Pippa’s Purple,’ and Helleborus ‘Pink Frost,’
Hellebores get their common name, Lenten rose, from the rose-like flowers that appear in and around the Christian observance of Lent. They look so similar to roses when opening.
What’s most impressive is their bowl-shaped blooms.
The bright green foliage looks very dramatic against the colors of their flowers. Hellebore foliage is thick, evergreen, and forms a low clump with leaves that are lobed, palm-like and serrated.
The flowers come in a wide range of colors including shades of maroon, apricot, yellow, green, metallic blue, slate, dusky pink, and white, with or without picotee, spots, and freckles.
They also come in a variety of flower forms – single, semi-double, fully double, and anemone.
Unlike the blooms of most other flowering plants, hellebore flowers do not consist of petals, but of sepals, which serve to protect the flower.
The sepals surround a ring of small, cup-like nectaries which are actually petals modified to hold nectar. The sepals and veins on this hellebore are deeply colored to invite pollinators.
Hellebores are well-loved by bees and provide lots of good nectar and pollen.
They do best underneath deciduous trees where they are shaded by foliage in summer, but are exposed to full sun after the trees have dropped their leaves in fall.
Hellebores grow in dense clumps that are easy to maintain. Here are groups in shades of pink and white. When planting, Hellebores should be planted about two-feet apart to accommodate spreading.
These hellebores have created a nice, lush ground cover that fills in the garden and helps to suppress weeds.
Hellebores can reach up to 36-inches in height and width, so be sure to position hellebores in protected areas away from winter winds.
They are considered slow-growing plants that can take up to 18-months to reach mature size.
After the first year, when the plant is well-established, hellebores are very resistant and require little upkeep.
They like to be watered deeply enough to saturate the root zone but then not watered again until the soil feels dry to the touch. These plants are drought tolerant but quite sensitive to soggy soil.
While beautiful to look at, all parts of the hellebore are toxic and should not be ingested.
Given the right conditions, hellebores will spread nicely and look beautiful through the early season. If you’re out shopping for spring plants, consider the hellebore – you’ll love them in your garden.
Here at the farm my peafowl love to get out and explore.
Peafowl are very social birds - they travel in groups, enjoy foraging, and often play together. They are also very loyal and tend to stay where they are well-fed and well-protected. My peacocks and peahens live in a very safe and comfortable pen outside my stable, where they get lots of attention from visitors. Yesterday, I let them out to roam the property - they walked around the stable complex, through the gardens, and even perched on fences and boulders. At the end of the day, they were all led back to their familiar enclosure, where I know they are safe and sound.
Enjoy these photos.
I keep all my birds in large, protected enclosures because of the predators that sometime wander through the property, such as coyotes. On this day, I decided to give the peafowl a little freedom to explore. Here is one peacock just outside the pens.
Where one goes, others are sure to follow.
Here is a mature male with his gorgeous tail feathers behind him. A mature peacock can have up to 200 feathers in his tail, which can weigh about a half pound during mating season.
As beautiful as peafowl are, they don’t make very melodious sounds. Peafowl have 11 different calls, with most of the vocalizing made by the peacocks. And, with their sharp eyesight, peafowl are quick to see predators and call out alarms. Oftentimes, I can hear them from across the farm.
This handsome peacock grew up with the chickens, so he likes to stroll down the carriage road to visit them.
Here’s one hiding under some foliage of an evergreen…
But hard to hide his long lustrous tail. The tail feathers grow to five feet long when the make is mature – that’s longer than the bird’s body.
Peafowl are members of the pheasant family. There are two Asiatic species – the blue or Indian peafowl native to India and Sri Lanka, and the green peafowl originally from Java and Burma, and one African species, the Congo peafowl from African rain forests.
I have both juveniles and adults. Within a year, peacocks are almost completely mature. Two year olds resemble adult males, but their tails are still short and need time to develop like this one. They become sexually active around the age of three. Peahens develop faster than peacocks and can mate as early as one.
Like many birds, peafowl enjoy roosting at higher levels. In the wild, this keeps them safe from predators at night. Here is one peacock up on the peafowl fence just watching all the activities.
Here’s one of the “blue boys” on a boulder. Peafowl also have acute hearing, but can be poor at discerning from what direction certain sounds originate.
Peafowl are very curious. I think this one is eager to go into the stable to visit the horses.
Both male and female peafowl have a fan-shaped crest on their heads called a corona. It may take up to one year for a corona to reach full size.
Here’s a trio walking through the daffodil bed near the allée of lindens. Peafowl are ground feeders. They do most of their foraging in the early morning and evening. As omnivores, they eat insects, plants, grains, and small creatures.
These males preferred the comforts of the pen, venturing only to the adjacent goose enclosure. I am glad these males get along.
Peafowl are smart, docile and adaptable birds. They are also quite clever.
Here is a male showing off his tail feathers to a nearby female. Mating season typically runs from March to October. The male’s neck muscles stiffen to allow for the elegant positioning of its head during the courtship dance.
Even while socializing and grazing, peacocks are alert and aware of all that occurs around them.
Peafowl are happiest when living in small groups. They often walk around following each other. White peacocks are the result of leucism or albinism. While leucistic white peacocks are far more common than albino peacocks, both types are rare.
Here is a curious female coming up to see the camera. Female peafowl are more muted in color and are usually more camouflaged to blend into their surroundings.
Whenever I tour the farm I always call out to them… and oftentimes, they answer. After a day of exploration around the farm, these stunning birds are all led back to their safe enclosure.
Here's a short video of one of my white peacocks doing the mating dance. This display is known as “train-rattling.” The ability to fan out the train is done with very strong and specialized muscles.
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