Removing the Burlap Around My Farm
This year’s spring burlap removal project is almost complete.
This week, my outdoor grounds crew is busy removing the rest of the burlap around the farm - in front of my Winter House, behind my Summer house, and along the Boxwood Allee. The entire process is a large undertaking. Every autumn, I cover all my boxwood shrubs and outdoor urns to protect them from the heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures. We use strong steel frames and custom fit burlap casings sewn by hand. And just before Easter, everything is removed to expose all the lush green foliage - it's a complete transformation.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Fortunately, the weather here in the Northeast has been mild and the crew is getting a lot done outside in the fresh air. For as long as I’ve been gardening I’ve covered my boxwood shrubs and outdoor ornamental urns. When the ground begins to thaw, it’s all removed. Here is the Boxwood Allee about to go through its spring transformation.
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- The first step is to remove the wooden strips that help sandwich and secure the burlap. These strips are at the bottom of the metal frames. The strips are collected in one bucket and stored for next year.
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- Pasang removes the burlap from one section of the Boxwood Allee. All of the coverings are custom wrapped and sewn to fit each individual shrub, hedge, or bush.
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- For these boxwood shrubs, I use the same metal used to make hoop houses – strong industrial steel ground uprights and purlin pipes. These materials not only provide the necessary support frames for the burlap but also accommodate any growth. I ordered all the piping from Growers Solution, a family-owned business in Cookeville, Tennessee.
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- The burlap and all the supplies are removed gently, so as to preserve as much burlap as possible. Once a section is removed, it is folded neatly on the ground.
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- And then rolled carefully. We use industrial burlap that’s available in giant rolls of 40-inches or 60-inches wide. These covers are used for about three seasons before being replaced.
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- Domi carefully rolls the fabric for storage. The boxwood has grown so much over the years. Every winter, these burlap tents are made taller and taller to accommodate their size.
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- Here is one roll of fabric. It may not look it, but this roll is quite heavy.
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- Domi then ties the sections of burlap with jute twine – we use this natural twine for many projects at the farm.
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- Once the burlap is rolled and tied, Phurba labels the roll indicating what it covers and where. The label will make it easy to identify next fall when the boxwood is covered again.
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- Meanwhile, Pasang removes the wooden stakes that hold up the metal structures along the allee. He places them all into one of my extra large Multi-Purpose Garden Totes available on my shop at Amazon.
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- These stakes, which are an inch-and-a-half by an inch-and-a-half, were milled right here at the farm. These wooden stakes are gathered and stored again for use next year. It is important to me that nothing is wasted here at my farm.
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- Look at the boxwood – it’s so green. Taking down the burlap is a much faster process than putting the burlap up, but it’s still very time-consuming. The last step is to remove all the galvanized steel pipe frames.
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- All the rolls of fabric are loaded onto the pick-up and taken to the stable barn where they can be kept dry. One of the few downsides to this fabric is that it will start to fray and disintegrate after some time, especially if exposed to moisture.
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- Domi stops for a quick snapshot before putting the burlap in storage. But in general, burlap is very strong and can withstand weathering with minimal loss of durability. I also like the natural tan color.
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- The burlap was already removed from the boxwood hedges and shrubs in my Summer House garden.
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- It all looks so green after it is uncovered.
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- This boxwood surrounds my herbaceous peony bed – also in very good shape.
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- This is the boxwood along my winding pergola. Some question whether covering plantings each winter really helps, but look how lush and intact the plantings are when exposed – I definitely feel it is worth the time and effort.
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- Here is my upper terrace parterre once all the burlap is gone – removing the burlap changes the entire appearance of the area.
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- The burlap removal reveals what we hope for every year – green, healthy boxwood.
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- And here is the lower parterre showing the boxwood hedge around one of two antique fountains with the stable and green paddocks in the distance. What a gorgeous time of year.
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