Planting More Boxwood in My Maze
Temperatures at my farm today are expected to reach 80-degrees Fahrenheit - unseasonably warm, but great for continuing our planting projects in my living maze.
Last week, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew started working on another big section of this garden. I designed an area that includes a long boxwood border across the maze and an allée running perpendicular to it leading to a small, open space. Yesterday, the sod was removed, a trench was dug, and 52 boxwood shrubs were planted - it's coming along very nicely.
Enjoy these photos.
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- These ‘Green Mountain’ boxwood shrubs are all from Select Horticulture Inc. in nearby Pound Ridge, New York. They’re lined up next to the bed where they will be planted.
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- My outdoor grounds crew clears the designated beds for more maze planting. This is what the cleared area looks like once all the two-inch thick sod is pulled up. The area will also be tilled.
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- My trusted Kubota M62 tractor loader and backhoe are positioned to dig a trench where the sod was removed. When there is enough room to work, we dig trenches – it’s faster when planting a number of specimens in a row compared to individual holes.
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- Digging a large trench like this is also good for breaking up more of the soil for new roots to grow and for better circulation of oxygen and water.
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- José removes any excess soil and manually smooths out the trench as needed. He also removes any rocks that would be in the way.
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- The crew works efficiently and quickly. Adan is very skilled with the backhoe, making it the precise depth for the boxwood, about a foot.
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- It doesn’t take long before the entire trench is dug. Adan also places the removed soil on a tarp, so it is easy to clean-up later.
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- The entire area is sprinkled with fertilizer. The crew uses an all purpose plant food from Miracle-Gro.
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- The plastic is then removed from each specimen.
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- The wire caging and burlap are also removed from each root ball before being placed in the trench.
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- It is very important to ensure all the protective materials and coverings are removed to prevent any risk of damage to the roots.
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- To place each one into the trench, José slowly rolls the root ball into position.
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- ‘Green Mountain’ boxwood is a woody, broadleaf, evergreen shrub with an upright, pyramidal form similar to a small tree. It also has dense, rich, green foliage that holds well through the year.
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- Cesar measures three feet from the center stem to where the center stem of the next plant should go.
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- All of the boxwood is placed into the trench before any backfilling is done. This is when they can all be counted and checked carefully to make sure they are both straight and properly positioned. All these shrubs are healthy, but we always position plantings with the best side facing the walking path – in this case, the center of the allée.
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- Once everything is checked, the boxwood is then backfilled and the area is raked.
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- Here is a side view of the new boxwood allée. Each one is directly aligned with the one across.
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- Pete uses our STIHL backpack blower to tidy up the newly planted beds.
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- The new row runs perpendicular to the one just finished last week. Once they’re all planted, they are given a very deep and thorough drink. It’s been hot here and very dry and dusty – we’ve been watering everything quite a bit.
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- And here is a view looking south to the rest of the maze. ‘Green Mountain’ Boxwood is a slow-growing evergreen that matures to four to five feet tall and two to three feet wide. It’s all coming together. We have about a third of the maze left to go. What do you think?
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