Manicuring My Summer House Garden
Late summer gardening chores continue in the sunken garden behind my Summer House.
Some of you may recall, I began this formal garden more than 10 years ago. The focal point is the great old ginkgo tree at the back of the space that is original to the property. Over time, I've planted American and English boxwood, smaller ginkgo trees, smoke bushes, Siberian weeping pea shrubs, peonies, hostas, lilies, and so much more. This week, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew trimmed, pruned, shaped, and weeded the entire area and it looks beautiful.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- All the boxwood at my Bedford, New York farm has grown wonderfully this summer. All the hedges are so lush and green, and now they need a good trimming. This is the low hedge growing in my sunken Summer House garden – waiting its turn for a cut.
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- Buxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood. The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The leaves on boxwood branches are arranged opposite from each other, making pairs.
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- A couple times a year, we groom and prune the boxwood. This is done with hand shears to give them a more clean and manicured appearance.
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- We’re also using our new STIHL HSA 25 Battery-Powered Garden Shear. The hedge shear attachment with double-sided cutting blades cut both directions. It’s one of our favorite tools – it’s very light and handy.
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- I give everyone on my crew a personal bag of tools and supplies. Some of the tools include pruners and these Okatsune 30-inch long Hedge Shears. Okatsune shears are light and precise, and come in a range of sizes.
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- Phurba uses the shears to shape this low hedge. I lined both sides of the path with a low boxwood hedge and then larger shrubs within the garden.
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- The corners and sides are a bit rounded in shape.
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- Ryan works on another section. Here he is assessing the work done and making sure the hedge is leveled and shaped properly.
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- Meanwhile, Pasang works on pruning the smoke bush, Cotinus. For smaller branches, Pasang uses his trusted Okastune pruners. Cotinus requires little or no pruning which makes it easy to grow. A light pruning can be done if needed just to remove diseased, spindly or crossing branches.
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- For hard to reach branches, he uses a telescoping pole pruner. This tool is great for trimming branches that are at least an inch thick.
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- Pasang works from the ground to reach the higher branches with the telescoping pole pruner. All the cut branches will be chipped and returned to the woodland as top dressing.
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- This section of boxwood lining the footpath is waiting to be trimmed.
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- Here is the matching section of the hedge on the opposite side all trimmed and shaped – what a difference!
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- Next, Phurba works on the cone shaped boxwood shrubs.
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- The result – well-manicured specimens. I love the tapered tops. Boxwood is naturally a round or oval shaped shrub that can reach up to 15 feet in height.
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- The finished hedges look great. During the cold months, I always cover my boxwood to protect them from frost and wind.
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- Surrounding the sunken garden on three sides is a tall American boxwood hedge. I love how it encloses the space. And because the Summer House faces a rather busy intersection, the wall of boxwood also provides a good deal of privacy.
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- All the beds are also thoroughly weeded. Hostas are a perennial favorite among gardeners. Their lush green foliage varying in leaf shape, size and texture, and their easy care requirements make them ideal for many areas. Hosta is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name, giboshi. They are native to northeast Asia and include hundreds of different cultivars. I have many in this garden, but may move them to a more shady location.
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- Here is the finished smoke bush after a nice pruning. I have many smoke bushes around the farm – it is among my favorite small trees. These can grow to a moderate size – up to 15-feet tall and 10-feet wide.
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- The urns on the large terrace overlooking the garden are all planted in spring. It is a great place to display tropical plants that do best in indirect sunlight and container plants are an easy way to dress up any terrace or patio. I have four Lunaform planters potted up with thuja on this side of the terrace. Thuja is thick, dense, and easy-growing, with greenery that’s hardy, pest-resistant, and disease resistant. This thuja is planted with bright, lime green Lysimachia – a low-growing, creeping ground cover which forms a leafy mat about two to four inches tall.
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- On this side – split-leaf philodendrons, Philodendron Selloum, native to South America. It belongs to the group of philodendron plants that are among the most common of houseplants for their ability to thrive without much maintenance. They look so pretty in these faux bois containers.
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- I have smaller ginkgo trees on both sides of the footpath. The ginkgo biloba is one of the most distinct and beautiful of all deciduous trees. It prefers a minimum of four hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day. The ginkgo has a cone-like shape when young, and becomes irregularly rounded as it ages.
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- The main focal point is the mighty old ginkgo tree at the back of the space. This tree is about 250-years old. Although not as large as others I’ve seen, my tree is quite massive. Looking closely, growing beneath the ginkgo is a beautiful chocolate mimosa tree, a fast-growing, deciduous tree with a wide, umbrella-shaped canopy.
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- Here is a view from the side entrance to the garden. I am so pleased with how it has developed over the years.
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- This view is from the back looking at my Summer House. It is such a beautiful space. When it is safe again, I really should plan a gathering here, don’t you think?
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