I've been covering my boxwood specimens with burlap since I first started to garden. Burlap covers protect the tender branches from splaying and breaking from the weight of snow, while shielding the foliage from freezing windburn. I think it also provides a cozy and pretty look to the winter landscape. Yesterday, my outdoor grounds crew enveloped my entire Boxwood Allée, transforming its appearance for the season.
Enjoy these photos.
The burlap gets reused from year to year whenever possible. When it is removed in spring, it is rolled up, labeled and then stored in the dry stable barn until it is used again. This is one of last year’s burlap covers – still in excellent condition. Depending on the quality of the burlap, these covers can last through two seasons, sometimes three.
The framing for the burlap covers was already completed. These are the metal pipes typically used for building hoop houses.
Phurba and Adan unfold the ends of one burlap cover and make sure it is matched properly to the boxwood the way it was made.
Then the burlap is slowly draped over the boxwood one section at a time.
Here’s Phurba placing the fabric over a tall boxwood shrub…
… and then over the metal frame. It takes a couple of crew members to get the burlap over the frame peaks.
Adan carefully pulls it over the metal ends, so the fabric doesn’t snag and rip.
Boxwood grows every year, but these covers still fit the shrubs with plenty of room.
Here is a section of the allée completely draped with burlap.
Scraps of wood can be repurposed for various projects. Here, Pete cut small strips from unused wooden pieces. The strips are about six inches long – just long enough to accommodate two screws that will keep the burlap secure. Pete secures crews into the strips to quicken the process.
Meanwhile, Adan holds the fabric taut over the framing and wooden stakes at the bottom.
And Phurba screws the strips to the stakes, sandwiching the burlap in between.
It looks very tidy once several strips are well attached. Both the metal piping and wood stakes can be seen through the fabric.
At the row ends, the burlap is pulled snug and jute twine knots are positioned to keep it closed.
Phurba sews an opening closed and snug.
All the sewing is done using five-inch or eight-inch long craft needles specifically made for working with jute – every member of the outdoor grounds crew has his own needle. These needles have large eyes and bent tips.
Here is what the end sections look like all sewn together. The fabric is pulled taut and secured – all by hand.
Some of the sewing is still intact from last year, saving lots of time.
Here is one finished section of the Boxwood Allée. The burlap still allows the boxwood to “breathe”, and get sunlight, which is important even during the colder months.
Here is a view with the stable at the end. I’ve been “burlapping” for many years and find that this is really the most reliable way to protect my hedges and shrubs. Covering this allée with burlap gives me comfort that all will survive the winter unscathed.
And here is the full length of my long Boxwood Allée. It is so pretty to see all done. And this is just the beginning. There’s a lot more to cover up.
Protecting homes and maintaining the landscape sometimes means cutting down trees.
I always feel badly when trees are cut down. Trees are important to our environment - they are the world’s single largest source of breathable oxygen. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and potentially harmful gasses, and they create an ecosystem to provide needed habitat and food for birds and other animals. However, occasionally trees need to be removed. I had two very tall larch trees outside my Summer House that were not doing well and for safety reasons had to be cut down. The crew from The Arborist in Bedford Hills, New York carefully severed each section of tree in 12-foot lengths until they were both down to stumps. Fortunately, the large logs can be milled into usable boards and repurposed for another project.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I never like to see trees come down, but the two larch trees had been in decline for some time.
The Arborist crew came with their own equipment including a crane that could reach the top of the trees easily and efficiently.
The crew prepares the crane so it is level on the ground and very secure. This is called an outrigger, which is an extendable support that adds stability to the crane during lifting operations.
This crane sling is used to tie around the top of the section to be cut. The sling is designed to handle the full weight of the log until it is safely lowered to the ground.
After all the branches are manually removed, the operator is carefully hoisted up the tree again to start cutting it down. Each 12 to 14 foot long section of tree is cut by chainsaw. The section to be cut is secured and the crane holds it taut, so that it is lifted upwards as soon as it is completely separated from the rest of the tree.
The first section of this tree is removed and carried by crane to the designated open area below.
Thankfully this day was not too windy and the section was brought down smoothly.
Once the tree section nears the ground, crew members remove the strap. This piece will go straight into the chipper – the top of the tree is too narrow to make into usable wooden planks, so it will be chipped and used for ground cover.
Any branches are cut off with a chainsaw and put through the chipper also.
Ray, the arborist, secures the sling to the top and then works his way downward to cut off the next section. Arborists wear climbing spurs designed with spikes to ascend trees by penetrating the tree trunk.
Here is another section of tree on its way down. The crane is maneuvered a good distance from any other trees, structures, or people.
Crew members remain on the ground to guide the log as it is lowered.
And another section comes down.
The logs are then taken to my back compost field where they will be milled into two-inch thick boards that will be used in a future building project – nothing is wasted.
Here is what is left after the tree is completely removed. They were able to save my climbing hydrangea too! The entire area looks different, but also very nice.
I also asked the crew to prune some of the surrounding maples and magnolias.
The job is done from the safety of a lift bucket. From here the arborist can reach high branches and prune while a crew catches the debris below.
Branches closer to the ground are cut with a telescopic long reach pruner.
The crew is very tidy and quick to pick up the cut branches.
I think these trees were pruned very nicely.
If trees need to be removed, make sure it is done by professionals who can get the task completed quickly and safely. Thanks The Arborist!
Every year around this time my farm undergoes a great transformation. It's when all the precious boxwood shrubs and hedges are covered with burlap.
I am a big supporter of "burlapping" shrubbery for the cold season. Burlap casings protect the tender branches from splaying and breaking under heavy ice and snow while shielding the foliage from strong winds. Burlap is more effective than plastic because it allows air to circulate through the plants. It is a practice I've followed for many years, and I think it also provides a cozy and pretty look to the winter landscape. Last week, the crew built the framing for the biggest part of this project - my long Boxwood Allée.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I have hundreds of boxwood shrubs, Buxus, growing on my property. I use boxwood in borders and hedges, as privacy screens, as accent plants in my formal gardens, and of course in the long allée to my stable. Just before it gets really cold, my outdoor grounds crew begins the process of covering all the boxwood with burlap to protect them from the winter elements.
These pipes, which I keep organized in a back field where I store other supplies, are made from rolled galvanized 16 gauge industrial tubing. They are actually the metal parts of greenhouse hoop houses.
A few years ago, I came up with the idea to also use them for the burlap framing. In all, hundreds of ground stakes, purlin pipes, connectors, nuts, and bolts are used for the project.
To start, pieces are placed along the allée in a production line process.
As with many projects at the farm, preparation is key. Here, Alex and Phurba secure twine at one end to provide a straight guide for the pipe placement.
Alex checks several times to make sure the twine runs straight down the allée. These boxwood shrubs grow a lot every year, so the measurement and placement are always different.
Next, Alex pounds the ground pipes into the soil as Phurba holds the wood to protect the pipe from any damage.
Alex is young and strong – it only takes a few hits to get it about a foot deep into the ground.
The ground pipes are installed every four feet along the allée. These hollow pipes will anchor the supports.
These are 10-foot wide bow sections – they will last quite a while and give the boxwood a lot of room to grow. Building the frame at least a foot taller than the majority of the boxwood protects any heavy snow from weighing down onto the tender foliage.
Phurba carries one of the bow sections to its designated location.
Working in pairs, these bow sections are positioned on both sides of the boxwood.
Here’s Pasang on the pother side securing the end of the bow pipe section.
Each end of the bow piece is then checked to make sure they are secure and straight.
The boxwood has grown quite a bit in the last couple of years, but there is still room under the framing to accommodate more growth.
Long center pieces support the perpendicular bow sections.
Holding the center piece in place are these tension purlin brackets. They connect the center piping to the bow sections.
Pete fastens one pair of purlins to the bow section at the center peak.
And then small pieces of wood are pounded into the ground next to each steel ground stake. These short wooden pieces provide points at which the burlap can be secured.
Constructing the frame for the burlap takes several days, but the process is well worth the effort. Any snow that accumulates on top of the finished structures will slide down the sides. This boxwood allée will be fed one more time and then enveloped in burlap for the season.
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