This photo was taken in June 2013, four years after I first planted all these trees in a back field adjacent to my compost yard.
By 2015, the trees had grown several feet tall.
Here they are in February 2019.
And this is how they look now – it’s amazing how much they’ve grown. Every tree is so lush and green.
But walking through the rows on the inside of the trees, it was clear many of the inner and lower branches were not getting enough light. Many of the branches grew bare.
And many of the branches died.
So Pasang went to work, cutting all the Ds – dead, diseased, damaged, and deranged or those branches that crisscross or rub against each other causing abrasion.
Pasang uses his hand tree saw carefully cutting from the bottom branches up.
Pasang cuts just outside the branch collar, which is the slightly swollen area where the branch and trunk meet.
It is important to always use sharp tools whenever pruning so that the cuts are clean. Dull tools are difficult to use and could even damage the tree. A straight, clean-cut promotes quick healing of the wound and reduces stress on the specimen.
For small branches, Pasang is able to use his pruners.
As branches are taken down, they’re gathered and placed into tidy piles, so they can be cleaned up easily and quickly. After the job is done the crew will chip the branches and use the wood chips as top dressing in another area of the farm. Everything is always reused, repurposed or recycled when possible.
There are a lot of branches cut from these evergreens, but already there is more light and air circulating through the rows, and one can see more clearly underneath the trees.
Pasang is doing what is called “limbing-up” the trees and removing any low inner branches that block sunlight or disturb an open and airy appearance.
Adan helps to move the branches that are cut down. My crew always works in teams, so there is always help for every project.
Remember, this is what it looked like before – dark and overcrowded.
… And this is how they look after. Pasang cleared the entire space.
One can now walk in between every row.
This view is the center row looking all the way down. One can see end to end. It’s just gorgeous. Thanks Pasang.
Another big summertime task is checked off the list.
Along one side of my home overlooking the farm, I have a large stone terrace constructed with formal hedged gardens. For the upper parterres, I selected contrasting evergreen shrubs – boxwood, and golden barberry. To provide interest, these shrubs are sheared to different heights, creating a step effect. In the lower parterres, carefully designed and manicured boxwood hedges surround two hand-casted antique fountains. On one side, a low hedge shaped with an inverted V pattern, or chevron. Maintaining all these plantings requires extra maintenance and grooming from time to time, but I think it’s well worth the effort.
Enjoy these photos.
I am so pleased with how well these formal gardens have developed over the years. I’ve worked hard to maintain the detailed shapes of the hedges and shrubs. This is the lower terrace that is located just outside my Winter House. It’s a lovely place to sit and conduct meetings or enjoy a lovely summer lunch.
It’s important to groom the specimens every few months when they all appear overgrown.
This is the golden barberry before it is trimmed. Golden barberry takes on its brightest coloring when it gets at least six hours of direct sun a day.
Golden barberry, Berberis thunbergii, is a deciduous shrub that is compact, adaptable, very hardy and shows off striking small, golden yellow oblong leaves.
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 are arranged opposite from each other, making pairs.
Both barberry and boxwood are known for being robust. Phurba is excellent at trimming these shrubs and takes on the task whenever it’s needed.
Phurba works on the lower parterre, shaping the boxwood by hand.
These are Okatsune 30-inch long Hedge Shears. Okatsune shears are light and precise, and come in a range of sizes.
This pair has shorter handles and longer blades.
Phurba uses STIHL hand-held HSA 26 garden shears to trim the sides and top of this low hedge. I love this tool and use it often around the farm. The hedge shear attachment with double-sided cutting blades cuts in both directions.
There are always lots of clippings to clear away, but that’s because these hedges are doing so well. Good, regular pruning stimulates new growth, controls unwanted growth, and removes dead or damaged branches.
Pruning is also important to keep these defined shapes. Boxwood is a popular choice for formal gardens because of its versatility, ability to be pruned, and year-round bold green foliage.
Here, Phurba works on the upper terrace quadrants, again hand trimming the big boxwood shrubs.
To reach the tops of the boxwood shrubs, Phurba uses an orchard tripod ladder. One can see where he has trimmed, and where he still has work to do.
Phurba makes sure to cover every side of the shrubs and hedges, sometimes carefully having to walk in tight spaces.
Every so often, Phurba stops to sharpen his tools. Here he is using his STIHL pruner, axe, and tool sharpener. It is crucial to always work with sharp tools in the garden. They make cleaner cuts that allow plants to heal faster and resist disease, insects, and poor weather. Dull blades can crush and tear plant tissue, which makes healing more difficult and increases the risk of infection.
This entire chore is time-consuming and takes a few days to complete.
Every so often, Phurba stops to assess his work from a distance. He considers the overall shape of each hedge and shrub as well as how all four quadrants look together.
Finally, Phurba covers all the beds with a two inch layer of compost made right here at the farm.
These gardens look so excellent after a good grooming.
It takes time to develop formal gardens. When planning, one must consider type of plants, their size at the time of planting and at maturity, the level of care, the environment, and local weather conditions. It can take up to 10-years for a formal garden to be fully established.
All the hedges are all level around the boxwood. These plants have filled out the areas so nicely.
And here is a look at all four quadrants with my antique sugar pot in the center. Sugar kettles were used on 19th century Louisiana plantations for the production of sugar. In the winter, I use it as a fire pit when entertaining. The terrace looks great. Thanks Phurba.
One of my farm's off-road vehicles is now equipped with a low-maintenance, long lasting lithium battery - and it's working great.
There's a lot that goes into maintaining a farm. I am constantly driving around, talking to my outdoor grounds team, visiting my animals, and checking on the progress in my gardens. The crew is also very busy and needs to get around easily and efficiently. My off-road utility vehicles are extremely useful, but when my electric one began to slow down, I decided to convert the battery system from lead-acid to lithium. Now it runs longer, charges faster, and is much more environmentally friendly. Our new 48 Volt Eco Battery is from Extreme Kartz and comes with a complete conversion kit making the "switch" so easy.
Enjoy these photos.
This is one of my off-road utility vehicles. It is used every single day of the year for a myriad of chores, including carrying harvests from the vegetable garden to my Winter House, transporting mulch and compost to various sites, and hauling supplies for work projects. This particular model was outfitted with lead-acid batteries which were aging and becoming less efficient. It was time for a change.
The first step is to remove the old lead acid batteries. These will be disposed appropriately.
These are two new lithium Eco Batteries – one 160ah for my electric vehicle in Maine, and a smaller, skinnier 105ah battery version for the EV here at Bedford.
Both batteries come with an all inclusive installation kit, complete with brackets, a charger mount, and all the needed nuts and screws.
Here is the 48 volt Eco Battery charger. The entire battery and charger system is much lighter – about 80 percent lighter – than the lead-acid batteries.
Here is the plastic tray that held the lead-acid batteries in place. This also needs to be removed for the conversion.
Here is another view from the side showing where all the wires are located.
The two black brackets will now hold the new lithium battery.
… And the metal mount will support the battery’s charger. The conversion process is not difficult. Anyone with automotive knowledge can replace lead-acid batteries for lithium ones.
Here, the Eco Battery Charger is secured in place within the battery bay.
Everything fits compactly under the seats in the same place the lead-acid batteries were located, but with a much smaller footprint.
The connection wires run from the charger to the new status charge meter. Another advantage of these lithium batteries – they provide the same voltage output at any level of charge.
Finally, the Eco Battery is installed and connected. And it’s actually safer for the environment – they do not emit any toxic gases.
Here is a view from the top – one battery and one charger, which can last up to 10 years or more.
The seats lift up for easy access if needed.
One doesn’t even know the battery is there.
Inside the vehicle is the status charging indicator.
And outside is the vehicle’s new Eco Battery Charger Port. It uses a regular household power cable for charging.
And it’s ready to go once again – back to work at my busy farm. It now runs as good as new. A lithium battery for an off-road vehicle like this or a golf cart… it’s a good thing.
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