If you’re looking for fast-growing, easy-to-care-for evergreen trees to use in your garden as a border hedge or privacy screen, consider arborvitae. These lush, dense, bright green conifers are so versatile.
I'm in the process of planting a living maze in a pasture just outside my Winter House. Much of the three-acre area is now complete and all the plants are growing excellently. Some of the latest plants include Technito Arborvitae, Thuja Occidentals 'BailJohn' and Lemon Burst Arborvitae, Thuja Occidentals 'Rutthu3' - both from First Editions Shrubs and Trees.
Here are some photos.
I’ve been working hard on my living maze since I started planting it in the spring of 2022. I carefully plan and design every puzzling path and row of plants. And then I print a detailed schematic for my gardeners to follow. I am very proud of how it is growing so far. And yes, like a true maze there is only one right way from the entrance to the goal location.
Last spring, we planted these Tiny Tower® Green Giant Arborvitae – noted for its upright, compact habit with lively green foliage that is soft to the touch.
This season while we can still plant in the gardens, I am adding these Lemon Burst Arborvitae, Thuja Occidentals ‘Rutthu3’ which are moderately sized with broadly conical form and tight habit.
Yellow-green new growth keeps its color even when grown in full sun. And then during winter, the foliage turns a lovely orange tone.
First, the team is planting a row of Technito Arborvitae, Thuja Occidentals ‘BailJohn.’
The foliage has attractive dark green color that stays through winter. It grows up to 10-feet tall and five feet wide when mature.
Cesar measures the precise distance between each plant. It is crucial to give plants enough room to grow. Their roots need space to spread out and absorb water and nutrients from the soil, while their leaves need space to access adequate sunlight. If plants are planted too close together, they compete for these vital resources.
These plants are not too big, so Pete uses a post hole digger to make the holes. It actually works perfectly for this task and plant hole size.
Several holes are made before planting begins. Each hole is dug precisely with enough room for the plant’s root ball. The rule of thumb when planting is to dig the hole two times as wide as the rootball and no deeper than the bottom of the rootball, similar to how it is in its pot.
As each specimen is planted, fertilizer is dropped into the hole and mixed in with the existing soil. We use an all-purpose formula from Miracle-Gro.
The best way to release a plant from its pot is to tap on the outside of the pot first to loosen the root ball.
I teach all my outdoor grounds crew members how to scarify. Scarifying stimulates root growth. Essentially, small portions of the root ball are cut to loosen the roots and encourage new development. First Pete scarifies in one direction diagonally across the root ball, then in the other direction…
… and finally at the bottom. Scarifying also encourages the roots to penetrate the soil and grow in different directions.
Pete places it in the hole and makes sure it is planted at the right height. The top of the root ball should be level with the top of the hole when in place.
Then Pete backfills the hole, tamping down as he goes.
Pete also scarifies the sides of the hole with his hori-hori knife. Doing this roughens the surface, allowing roots to grow into the surrounding soil and eliminates air pockets.
Pete does this for all the arborvitae, stopping occasionally to assess the line up of each specimen.
They should all be straight, but if not, adjusting now is easy as the soil is still soft and workable.
Cesar gives the plants a good soaking. Where is the rain? We really need some rain here in the Northeast.
After the water has been absorbed, Pete rakes the bed and removes any tags or labels.
Arborvitae comes in many shapes – from pyramid and conical to ball-shaped. And they are long lived. Arborvitae can survive up to 150-years old if planted in the right environment. I am sure these specimens will thrive in the living maze here at Cantitoe Corners.
My garden maze continues to evolve with each row of interesting plantings. It now includes a beautiful Blue Atlas Cedar and a row of Physocarpus opulifolius, known as common ninebark.
Earlier this month, I received a large delivery from First Editions Shrubs and Trees, a brand of evergreens and perennials from the fifth-generation, family and brand owner Bailey Nurseries in St. Paul, Minnesota. I knew some of the plants would make excellent additions to my growing maze, such as ninebark, the spring-flowering shrub with its unique exfoliating bark. The Blue Atlas Cedar was gifted to me by a longtime fan. This tree, with its silvery blue to green foliage will reach a height of about 60-feet when mature. Both will provide great color and interest to the vast array of plantings already thriving in the space.
Enjoy these photos.
While we are in big need of rain here in the Northeast, we’ve been lucky the weather has been so warm and pleasant. My gardeners and outdoor grounds crew have been able to get many plants in the ground including these Physocarpus opulifolius, known as ninebark.
My maze is drawn out on a map, so it is important to refer to it every time something new is added. The area is measured multiple times before the actual sod is cut and removed.
The sod strips are divided into sections, so it is easier to roll and lift. Here are pieces of sod neatly rolled up and ready to be repurposed in another area of the farm.
José rakes the stripped bed of any extra sod or debris.
And then Phurba follows with our Troy-Bilt Pony Rear-Tine Tiller. Rototilling is one method of turning up the soil before planting. All the plants and trees do very well here at the farm, in part because of the excellent soil. I have worked very hard to ensure my soil is constantly amended and rich with nutrients. If you are unsure of your soil’s quality, have it tested. Kits are available at garden shops, online, and through your area’s cooperative extensions.
Meanwhile, here is the Blue Atlas Cedar sent to me this week from one of my devotees. It is transported to the maze in the bucket of my Kubota M4-071 tractor.
Blue Atlas Cedar has a bold, pyramidal form with sparkling silvery blue foliage. It is among the most popular evergreen conifers.
I decided the tree would be planted at the end of a row. Now it’s time for the hole to be dug. Remember the rule of thumb for planting trees – dig a hole that is two to three times wider than the root ball, but only as deep as the height of the root ball.
All the burlap wrapping and any twine are removed from the tree’s root ball. Some leave them in the ground, but I prefer to remove them completely, so there is nothing blocking the growing roots.
José drops generous handfuls of fertilizer on bare soil. Use food that promotes faster establishment, deeper roots, and good soil structure.
I use an all-purpose granular water soluble food from Miracle-Gro.
The tree is placed into its designated hole and then turned so its best side faces the path.
Next, the hole is carefully backfilled. Another rule of thumb is “bare to the flare” meaning only plant up to the flare, where the tree meets the root system.
This tree is easy to care for, have a slow-to-moderate growth rate of about one to two feet per year.
The ninebark is a deciduous spring-flowering shrub often planted en masse. I have ninebark varieties surrounding my pool, in front of my pool house and in other areas of the farm. This variety is Little Devil Ninebark, Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Donna May.’
It has a compact upright habit with burgundy leaves. It features small pinkish-white spirea-like flowers in late spring followed by subtle reddish fruit, and interesting peeling papery bark.
Cesar measures the spacing – four feet in between these plants. Ninebark is fast-growing, so plan for its full width.
Each holly hole is dug with enough room for the plant’s root ball. Ninebark thrives best in an area that gets full sun partial shade and where it can live in well-draining soil.
Cesar scarifies every plant. I have the crew scarify all root balls, meaning make beneficial cuts, before planting to encourage new growth and make the plant more stable. This is even more important if the plant is root bound, meaning the roots have grown too large and too plentiful in its container.
The hole is dug as deep as the container it was grown in so that the crown will be even with the existing ground or slightly above the existing ground.
Cesar backfills, tamping the soil lightly at the end to ensure good contact.
Finally, José gives all the planted ninebarks a good, soaking drink. It’s been so very dry here at the farm. We’re watering all the gardens as if it’s mid-summer. Hope we get some rain soon.
Ninebark can grow 12 to 18 inches per year, but it can also tolerate hard pruning when needed. It will look perfect in this row. We’re still planting – stay tuned to see what’s next.
Temperatures at my farm today are expected to reach 80-degrees Fahrenheit - unseasonably warm, but great for continuing our planting projects in my living maze.
Last week, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew started working on another big section of this garden. I designed an area that includes a long boxwood border across the maze and an allée running perpendicular to it leading to a small, open space. Yesterday, the sod was removed, a trench was dug, and 52 boxwood shrubs were planted - it's coming along very nicely.
Enjoy these photos.
These ‘Green Mountain’ boxwood shrubs are all from Select Horticulture Inc. in nearby Pound Ridge, New York. They’re lined up next to the bed where they will be planted.
My outdoor grounds crew clears the designated beds for more maze planting. This is what the cleared area looks like once all the two-inch thick sod is pulled up. The area will also be tilled.
My trusted Kubota M62 tractor loader and backhoe are positioned to dig a trench where the sod was removed. When there is enough room to work, we dig trenches – it’s faster when planting a number of specimens in a row compared to individual holes.
Digging a large trench like this is also good for breaking up more of the soil for new roots to grow and for better circulation of oxygen and water.
José removes any excess soil and manually smooths out the trench as needed. He also removes any rocks that would be in the way.
The crew works efficiently and quickly. Adan is very skilled with the backhoe, making it the precise depth for the boxwood, about a foot.
It doesn’t take long before the entire trench is dug. Adan also places the removed soil on a tarp, so it is easy to clean-up later.
The entire area is sprinkled with fertilizer. The crew uses an all purpose plant food from Miracle-Gro.
The plastic is then removed from each specimen.
The wire caging and burlap are also removed from each root ball before being placed in the trench.
It is very important to ensure all the protective materials and coverings are removed to prevent any risk of damage to the roots.
To place each one into the trench, José slowly rolls the root ball into position.
‘Green Mountain’ boxwood is a woody, broadleaf, evergreen shrub with an upright, pyramidal form similar to a small tree. It also has
dense, rich, green foliage that holds well through the year.
Cesar measures three feet from the center stem to where the center stem of the next plant should go.
All of the boxwood is placed into the trench before any backfilling is done. This is when they can all be counted and checked carefully to make sure they are both straight and properly positioned. All these shrubs are healthy, but we always position plantings with the best side facing the walking path – in this case, the center of the allée.
Once everything is checked, the boxwood is then backfilled and the area is raked.
Here is a side view of the new boxwood allée. Each one is directly aligned with the one across.
The new row runs perpendicular to the one just finished last week. Once they’re all planted, they are given a very deep and thorough drink. It’s been hot here and very dry and dusty – we’ve been watering everything quite a bit.
And here is a view looking south to the rest of the maze. ‘Green Mountain’ Boxwood is a slow-growing evergreen that matures to four to five feet tall and two to three feet wide. It’s all coming together. We have about a third of the maze left to go. What do you think?
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