Planting Weeping Camperdown Elms in the Maze
My garden maze here at my Bedford, New York farm now includes three weeping camperdown elm trees, Ulmus glabra 'Camperdownii.'
As many of you know, I am in the process of building a living maze, a botanical puzzle of interesting trees, hedges, espaliers, and shrubs. I started this three-acre maze project in the spring of last year, and it's already beginning to stump some of those who stroll through its pathways. Some of the other specimens include European beech, European hornbeams, boxwood, parrotias, espaliered apple trees, American sweetgums, barberry, London planetrees, privets, yews, and now these camperdown elms.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Just outside the kitchen to my Winter House, I have two of these weeping camperdown Elms. Camperdown elms slowly develop broad, flat heads and wide crowns with weeping branch habits that grow down towards the ground. This is how it looks in spring.
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- The tree’s seed pods are a light, silver green. This photo was taken in late April.
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- This is what it looks like now in summer. This is one of three young weeping camperdown elms to plant in this area of the maze.
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- I also have weeping camperdown elms in front of my maine greenhouse. Here is a more mature specimen in summer.
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- Its leaves are dark green, oval or egg-shaped with a pointed tip. The leaf has double-serrated leaf margins. Since it is deciduous, it will shed all its leaves in winter.
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- The bark of the camperdown elm is grayish. When it matures, it will have a darker colored bark and a more twisted form.
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- Once Chhiring marks the exact locations for the trees, the digging begins. Chhiring maneuvers our Kubota M62 tractor loader and backhoe to dig a hole for each camperdown elm.
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- Backhoes are extremely versatile. I am fortunate to have this attachment for our tractor. Backhoes come with a bucket and digging arm that can perform many different tasks, such as digging, moving materials. We use it very often here at the farm.
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- Camperdown elms prefer partial to full sun, but will also grow in light shade. The maze is a perfect environment for these trees.
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- After all the holes are dug, Chhiring uses landscaping twine to make sure the trees will be aligned properly. When choosing trees or plants, be sure to consider the size of the specimens when they are mature.
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- Here, Chhiring manually digs a bit more soil out of the hole. The rule of thumb when planting a tree is to dig the hole two or three times as wide as and no deeper than the bottom of the rootball to the trunk flare. The flare of the tree should be at or slightly above the soil grade. Remember, planting a tree too deep can kill it.
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- These camperdown elms were stored and nurtured at Skylands, my home in Maine. They were planted in pots, so there is no wrapping to remove or wire cages. Here, Chhiring pulls out the tree and exposes the rootball.
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- Next, he scarifies the rootball. When a tree has been growing in a container and the roots have reached the sides of the container, it’s important to scarify or tease the roots to stimulate growth.
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- Chhiring uses the end of his pruners to rough up the surface of the rootball on all sides and on the bottom.
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- Then he slowly and carefully rolls the tree into the hole. The twine is where the trunk of the tree should be.
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- This task takes a few minutes to get into the perfect position. Once it is placed, Chhiring checks that the trunk is straight and that the best side of the tree is facing the path.
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- Then he gives it a generous sprinkling of fertilizer specially made for transplanting.
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- He sprinkles fertilizer on the rootball and on the surrounding soil.
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- The camperdown elm is now ready to be backfilled. He does this manually to ensure it is done to the right depth. Once he is finished, he steps on the soil, so it has good contact with the rootball.
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- Chhiring does the same for all the camperdowns. Later, I may decide to plant some bulbs underneath the canopies.
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- Lastly, the tree pits are top-dressed with a two inch layer of composted mulch and given a thorough drink. These deciduous top-grafted weeping ornamental trees will ultimately reach a mature height of 15 to 20 feet with a spread of 20 to 30 feet – they all have ample room to grow and flourish here in my maze.
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