It's mid-October and the ground is still pretty soft, so planting projects continue here at my farm.
The three-acre lush pasture just outside my Winter House is the setting for my living maze, which I started in the spring of 2022. I've planted a variety of interesting trees, hedges, espaliers, and shrubs - rows of plantings that branch off with pathway options and dead ends, with only one correct route to the center. It's now more than half way complete. Most recently, I decided to add a beautiful row of 'Green Mountain' boxwood as part of a newly designed space within the maze. It will look so pretty once it's all finished.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This large collection of boxwood is from Select Horticulture in nearby Pound Ridge, New York. I get many of my bigger specimens from Select Horticulture – they are always very healthy and lush.
Pete and Ryan go over my sketches and instructions for planting the boxwood.
It’s important to take the time to plan out a new garden bed and put up lines so plantings are straight and properly measured.
I wanted these boxwood shrubs to be placed in a row east to west in this maze next to my tall London plane trees. Pete measures and runs the bright landscape twine across the field.
Next, Pete cuts the sod with our Classen Pro HSC18 sod cutter. He goes up and down twice to cut the sod in two long strips.
Alex cuts the sod in sections, so it is easier to pick up.
And then José rolls up the sections, so they can be removed. The sod is two inches thick, and with the soil can be quite heavy.
All these sod pieces will be used in another section of the farm, so nothing is wasted.
Phurba sprinkles generous amounts of fertilizer along the entire length of the area. Remember what I always say, “if you eat, so should your plants.”
And then he starts tilling the bed with our Troy-Bilt Pony Rear-Tine Tiller. The machine is set to till the soil at about six to eight inches deep. On some tillers, the speed of the rotating tines helps determine the speed of the machine.
Meanwhile, Pete transports small groups of boxwood to the planting area.
Meanwhile, the boxwood is lined up next to the bed where it will be planted.
Buxus is a genus of at least 70-species in the family Buxaceae. ‘Green Mountain’ boxwood is a woody, broadleaf, evergreen shrub with bright green foliage that retains good color throughout winter.
And then the digging begins. Our Kubota M62 tractor loader and backhoe are positioned to dig a trench for the boxwood. Digging a trench is not only faster when planting a number of specimens in a row compared to individual holes, but it also allows more break up of the soil for new roots to grow and for better circulation of oxygen and water.
Phurba follows to remove any excess soil and manually smooths out the trench as needed.
The wire caging, plastic, and burlap are removed from each root ball as it is placed into the trench.
Here’s Phurba placing one of the boxwood shrubs. All these shrubs are in good condition, but when planting, my crew knows to always face the best looking side out.
José measures the space between each boxwood – not once, but twice. It should be three feet from center stem to center stem.
Also check the height of each one against its neighbors and line plants accordingly to create a cohesive and attractive row.
The shrubs are then backfilled. A good tip is to “plant bare to the flare,” meaning do not bury above the flare, where the first main roots attach to the main stem or trunk. The roots need oxygen to grow. By placing the root flare at or slightly above ground level when planting gives the shrub the best chance for survival, growth, and development.
The bed is raked and blown, so it looks tidy.
Next, these newly planted shrubs will get a good and deep drink.
When fully mature, ‘Green Mountain’ boxwood can grow to be three to seven feet tall and two to three feet wide. Eventually, the boxwood will create a handsome hedge. This is still a work in progress – wait until you see what happens next!
Have you ever been to Hudson River Park? It continues to be one of the most vibrant spaces in New York City. I encourage you to visit the next time you're in the area - you will see why it is so special.
Hudson River Park is considered the largest open space project in Manhattan since Central Park. At four miles long, it is the longest waterfront park in the country and attracts millions of visitors each year. Last week, hundreds of dedicated supporters gathered to celebrate the Park’s continued growth and its many members, visitors, volunteers, staff, and partners at the annual Hudson River Park Gala. The event raised more than $2.5 million to support the Park’s initiatives and care. The evening included cocktails followed by dinner, a live auction, and a musical performance at Manhattan's Chelsea Piers overlooking the Hudson River. It was a beautiful evening and a successful event.
Enjoy these photos.
I am a big supporter of Hudson River Park. When my grandchildren were younger, my family and I spent lots of time enjoying its playgrounds and waterfront views. I am also on the Board of Hudson River Park Friends – an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the development, care, and enhancement of the space, and the designated fundraising partner of the Hudson River Park Trust. (Photo courtesy HRPF)
Hudson River Park includes 550 land and water acres of reconstructed piers, an Estuarine Sanctuary, display gardens, expansive lawns, athletic fields, playgrounds, dog runs, esplanades, public sculptures, and relaxing sitting areas along Manhattan’s West Side.(Photo courtesy HRPF)
Millions of visitors come to Hudson River Park each year to enjoy its waterfront views and public spaces. (Photo courtesy HRPF)
Hudson River Park continues to evolve. Pier 97 is now open. Hudson River Park’s northernmost pier brings 2.5 acres of open space for recreation and lounging to Manhattan’s West Side. Celebrating this major milestone brought together local leaders, the teams responsible for the project, and the community whose input was instrumental in informing the pier’s features and design.
Every year, I make it a point to attend the Hudson River Park Gala in New York City. It is a fun evening and an important fundraising event to support the Park’s operations and public programming, including its year-round educational, environmental, sustainability and cultural programs.
The Gala began with cocktails and oysters by the Carousel at Pier 62. Guests were then led by this jazz band and dancing group from The Juilliard School to Pier Sixty for dinner and the evening’s program. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Friends of Hudson River Park)
I attended this year’s gala with several longtime friends and colleagues including Kevin Sharkey and my attorney, Larry Shire.
Dinner started with Shrimp Jardinière with golden beets, grilled asparagus, ruby grapefruit, carrot purée and citrus gastrique.
Also sitting at my table – Daisy Schwartzberg Toye and Heather Kirkland.
Executive director of Hudson River Park Friends, Connie Fishman, addressed the audience and thanked everyone for attending. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Friends of Hudson River Park)
The Gala honored several supporters including second-generation restaurateurs Miles Pincus and Alex Pincus, Co-Founders of Grand Banks and Crew. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Friends of Hudson River Park)
Our entrée was Branzino Provençal served with lemon fennel leek confit, citrus gastrique, cauliflower purée, artichokes, kale, and maitake mushrooms.
Another honoree was the Terminal Warehouse Development Team. Here is David Levinson, Chairman & CEO of the real estate investment and development business, L&L Holding Company, which he co-founded with Robert Lapidus, accepting the team’s award. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Friends of Hudson River Park)
Madelyn Wils is the former president of the Hudson River Park Trust. She also spoke to the audience. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Friends of Hudson River Park)
Dessert was a tray of family style sweets for each table.
Gabriel Butu hosted the evening’s live auction and paddle raise.
After dinner, guests were treated to an unforgettable performance by Andy Bell of Erasure, who sang Oh L’Amour, Chains Of Love, A Little Respect and Victim of Love. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Friends of Hudson River Park)
Here I am with Andy Bell and his husband, Stephen Moss. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Friends of Hudson River Park)
And here I am with Kevin in front of the step-and-repeat banner. Kevin also lives near the Park and enjoys its gardens and spaces whenever he can. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Friends of Hudson River Park)
Before leaving, Kevin, Daisy, Dr. Daniel Belkin, and fashion designer, Suzie Kondi, and I take some fun photos with our paddles. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Friends of Hudson River Park)
It was a successful and fun evening for all. The event raised more than $2.5 million dollars for the Park. I encourage you to visit New York City’s Hudson River Park. Are you in the area this weekend? It is a spectacular space.
It's amazing how quickly plants and trees grow and change day to day. Starting in September, many of the trees in this area begin their autumn transformations - changing from bold green to various shades of red, yellow, and brown. Now in October, many of those leaves have started to fall. In some cases exposing the season's fruits. We've already picked and enjoyed many apples and pears, but I also have quince, persimmons, medlars, a variety of crabapple berries, and those of the Cornus kousa, osage oranges, and trifoliate oranges, and other autumn treats - some we eat, some we can't, but many provide wildlife with sugar, protein, fat, and other crucial nutrients to sustain them through the coming winter.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This time of year, there are always so many different types of fruit growing here at the farm. Some of the ones collected include: apples, pears, pawpaws, quince, persimmons, trifoliate oranges, osage oranges, crabapples, koussa berries, and medlars.
I have many apple trees here – the large, old ones that were on the property when I bought it, the dwarf espaliered apple trees that I planted soon after I moved in, and the many apple trees in my orchard. My granddaughter, Jude, comes every year to pick crates and crates of apples and then make jars and jars of cider – it’s so delicious.
Some of the newer apple trees in my orchard include ‘Baldwin’, ‘Black Oxford’, ‘Cortland’, ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’, ‘Esopus Spitzenburg’, ‘Fuji’, ‘Golden Russet’, ‘Grimes Golden’, ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Redfield’, ‘Roxbury Russet’, and ‘Windham Russet’.
I’ve also planted several types of Asian pear, Pyrus pyrifolia, which is native to East Asia. My trees include Hosui, Niitaka, Shinko, and Shinseiko. Asian pears have a high water content and a crisp, grainy texture, which is very different from the European varieties. They are most commonly served raw and peeled.
The other pears in my orchard are ‘Bartlett’, ‘Columbia’, ‘D’Amalis’, ‘Ginnybrook’, ‘McLaughlin’, ‘Nova’, ‘Patten’, ‘Seckel’, ‘Stacyville’, and ‘Washington State’.
Are you familiar with quince? Quince is a fall fruit that grows like apples and pears, but with an unusually irregular shape and often gray fuzz. These fruits turn a golden yellow when ready to pick in fall.
In another area are the fruits of the medlar, Mespilus germanica – a small deciduous tree and member of the rose family. These fruits are not ready yet – we’ll pick them in late October or early November. This fruit is about one to two inches in diameter, and ranges in color from rosy rust to dusty brown. Medlars are native to Southwestern Asia and Southeastern Europe. The fruits have to be eaten when almost rotten in a process called “bletting”. And, because of this, they either have to be eaten right off the tree or picked early and put aside for a few weeks to blet. The medlar is very pulpy and very sweet. Its taste is similar to an overripe date with a flavor similar to toffee apples or apple butter.
The bright fruits of persimmons ripen in late fall, usually, after most of the leaves have fallen from the tree. I have a grove of these persimmon trees outside my flower cutting garden. The American persimmon, when picked at just the right time, can have a flavor that is rich, deep, and sweet.
Behind the main greenhouse, I have a grove of pawpaw trees. Asimina triloba, the American papaw, pawpaw, paw paw, or paw-paw, among many regional names, is a small deciduous tree native to the eastern United States and Canada. The taste of a pawpaw is a mix of mango-banana-citrus all in one. It’s a big favorite for some here at the farm.
Near the pawpaw trees are two trifoliate orange trees, Citrus trifoliata or Poncirus trifoliata – a member of the family Rutaceae. Also known as the “hardy orange” or “flying dragon,” it is the most cold hardy of all citrus. It is a large, deciduous shrub that produces an unusually sour, downy fruit considered to be nearly inedible when raw, but medicinally beneficial and delicious when cooked. The fruit is commonly juiced, made into marmalades, jams, jellies, or candied. Trifoliate oranges are slightly smaller than conventional oranges and taste like a blend of lemon and grapefruit.
I have Osage orange trees along three sides of my North Maple Paddock surrounding the run-in field and shed, not far from my tennis court. These trees are bold green in summer and change to bright golden yellow in fall. The Osage orange, Maclura pomifera, is actually not an orange at all, and is more commonly known as a hedge-apple, horse-apple, or mock-orange. Each one is about four to five inches in diameter and filled with a dense cluster of hundreds of smaller fruits – some say it even resembles the many lobes of a brain. For the most part, the Osage orange is considered inedible because of its texture and taste, but they’re very interesting and fun to grow.
And beware… Osage orange branches are armed with stout, straight spines growing from the leaf axils.
This is one of the four Sargent crabapple trees outside my Tenant House and studio. Its fall color is usually green to chartreuse before the leaves drop, but…
… looking closely, one can see the Sargent crabapple berries. The Sargent crabapple, Malus sargentii, is a dwarf fragrant, showy shrub with bright red berries. While these fruits are edible, they are also quite tart and are generally not consumed raw.
These are also crabapple berries still hanging off the branches. While related to regular apples, crabapples are smaller in comparison and much more tart than regular apples.
And different crabapples are on the trees outside my stable.
Crabapple fruit can vary in size from a quarter-inch to two inches in diameter.
Along the carriage road near my back hayfield, I have several Cornus kousa trees – small deciduous trees in the flowering plant family Cornaceae. Common names include kousa, kousa dogwood, Chinese dogwood, Korean dogwood, and Japanese dogwood. The kousa has edible berries with soft pulp that is sweet with a similar flavor to a ripe persimmon.
Kousa trees also grow in Nepal, where several of my outdoor grounds crew are from – they always love snacking on the fruits of these dogwood trees.
And then there are the fruits of the mighty female ginkgo tree. The most noticeable thing about these is their smell. Have you ever smelled one? It is hard to miss, and the stench is quite disagreeable. The outer, nasty smelling pulp is known botanically as sarcotesta.
Here is one ginkgo seed separated from its fruit.
While we’re all enjoying the splendid colors of the falling leaves, I hope you also have time to stop and appreciate all the fruits nature has to offer this time of year.
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