An Allee of Flowering Trees at My Farm

May 22, 2018

I love planting allees of trees - they create such beautiful and dramatic canopies over the carriage roads around my Bedford, New York farm.

Not long ago, I ordered another large batch of trees from JLPN, a family owned tree seedling company in Salem, Oregon. Among them was a group of Styrax japonicus 'Evening Light' - purple trees with fragrant, white, bell-shaped flowers. With its profuse blooming character, I decided the trees would make a wonderful addition to the allee of pink-flowered Styrax on the carriage road leading to my tennis court.

Here are some photos - enjoy.

: Along both sides of the carriage road leading to my tennis court, we planted 44 ‘Marley’s Pink Parasol’ Japanese Snowbell trees two years ago. I knew they would be the perfect complement to our new collection of Styrax ‘Evening Light’.

: Styrax japonicus ‘Marley’s Pink Parasol’ is a dainty, weeping small tree, featuring pink bell-shaped flowers hanging from gracefully weeping branches in spring.

: Styrax japonicus ‘Evening Light’ has fragrant all-white bell-shaped blooms.

: The crate of ‘Evening Light’ seedlings arrived in excellent condition. JLPN is a third generation family seedling operation and takes great care in growing and developing their seedlings.

: I wanted the new row of trees to be planted slightly behind the existing row and spaced evenly between the trees, so they alternated in color. The grounds crew started by mowing the grass behind the trees. Wooden stakes planted next to each seedling protects it from mowers, weed whackers and snow plows. We stake all our young trees at the farm.

: When deciding the location of a tree, it is crucial to consider its appearance, eventual size, and growth habit. The trees should be far enough apart to allow them to reach maturity without touching.

: Ryan calculated how far apart the trees should be planted and then made sure they were also lined up correctly across from each other.

: The next step was to remove the sod from the area where the trees would be placed. We rented a Jr. Ryan sod cutter for the day. The Ryan Company has been designing and selling turf care equipment for more than 60-years. Their sod cutter was actually created after the business partnered with a commercial landscaper named Art Ryan.

: 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. It cuts 12-inch widths of sod and can cut more than 100-feet per minute.

: Using a spade, Chhiring cuts through to make manageable sections of sod.

: Phurba follows by rolling up the strips behind Chhiring. Doing this makes it easier to see where the sod has already been cut.

: Here are several neat and tidy rolls of sod ready to be loaded and taken to another location. I never like to waste anything around the farm. I always try to repurpose and reuse as much as possible.

: Here is a close look at the area where the sod was removed.

: Chhiring begins to cut the holes for the seedlings. When planting a tree or shrub, measure the height of the root-ball to determine approximate hole depth and measure diameter of the root ball to determine width of the hole. The hole should be no deeper than the calculated depth.

: There are about 25-Styrax ‘Evening Light’ trees, which will fit perfectly in this area. The soil was already moist after recent rains, so it was easier to dig the holes.

: Chhiring positions a tree into the hole and checks its placement to be certain it is spaced perfectly between the pink Styrax on either side.

: These trees will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the season’s flowers.

: Next, Chhiring sprinkles food in and around the hole and in any soil used for planting. These trees are a bit fussy about soil conditions and must have rich, nutrient filled soil to ensure successful growth.

: M-ROOTS® is a special blend of natural organic ingredients with 18 species of endo and ectomycorrhiza fungi. It works great for newly planted trees to increase transplant survival, and water and nutrient absorption.

: Chhiring makes a few adjustments to make sure the tree is straight from all angles, and then covers the root ball with backfill and lightly tamps on it to ensure there aren’t any air pockets.

: The next step was to add mulch around all the trees in this newly planted row. Because we want these trees to create a canopy, any branches already growing were faced inward toward the center of the road – these will help direct the trees’ growth.

: This entire process took several hours to complete, but it was done carefully and efficiently.

: Here is one row completely finished. As you can see, we kept the bamboo stakes that came with the new seedlings – these will protect the seedlings from any outdoor equipment, and keep them supported as they grow in this new location.