It's always so exciting to see my gardens evolve and transform.
This week, I turned my attention to a bed near the front of my farm outside my main greenhouse. I had already replaced a stand of white pine trunks with a selection of medium sized boxwood and planted hostas and other perennials around them. Recently, I decided to change the space once again, adding about a dozen more boxwood shrubs of different varieties and shapes. Yesterday, while I was in New York City for a long day of business meetings, my gardening team worked hard to get all the specimens in the ground before an afternoon of rain showers.
Enjoy these photos.
The boxwood are all positioned where they should be planted. Boxwood prefers well-drained soil with a lot of organic matter. Loamy soil or sandy conditions are best. Most boxwoods like some shade, but some varieties handle full sun exposure better than others.
Boxwood has upright, naturally cone-shaped habits making them excellent for planting free-form or for a sculpted hedge or border. I use a lot of boxwood in my gardens.
This newest grouping of boxwood is from Select Horticulture Inc., in nearby Pound Ridge, New York. Their specimens are always so lush and healthy.
Once they are in place, the digging begins. Holes are dug twice as wide as the boxwood root balls, but no deeper.
The surrounding soil is sprinkled with a generous amount of fertilizer formulated to maintain deep, lush green foliage. The food is always mixed in, so the fertilizer does not have too much direct contact with the roots, which could burn them.
Scotts Evergreen Flowering Tree & Shrub food is a fertilizer that is ideal for acid-loving trees and shrubs. It encourages vigorous root growth and lush foliage, and is easy to use.
For this project, I called in some help to plant. Norman and his team are fast and efficient and started planting right away.
Norman removes the protective burlap from around the root ball. I believe removing all the material is very important, so there is nothing blocking its root growth.
All the wrapping materials are piled in one area, so the team knows everything was taken off.
Each shrub is slowly rolled into its designated hole.
The shrubs are then backfilled. When planting boxwood, the root ball should be about 1/8 to two inches above the soil surface. This allows the plant to settle properly and ensures proper drainage.
The weather forecast called for showers in the afternoon, so the team worked hard to get everything into the ground.
Here’s another shrub getting planted. All these shrubs are in good condition, but we always position plantings with the best side facing out.
All these shrubs are backfilled properly, but in a few weeks, they will also get a two to three inch layer of mulch made right here at my farm. It helps to retain soil moisture, regulate soil temperature, and insulate the root ball.
Meanwhile, José transplants a smoke bush, Cotinus, to a better location where it could get more light and space to thrive.
After planting, José rakes the area, so it is tidy. Cotinus can grow to a moderate size – up to 15-feet tall and 10-feet wide. It also has an upright, multi-stemmed habit.
Norman also rakes after all the boxwood shrubs are planted.
These shrubs are spaced about three feet apart – enough room to grow but close enough to fill in the area nicely.
In winter, these boxwood will also be covered in protective burlap to prevent snow and ice damage.
I was so excited for this garden to be finished, I asked for photos to be sent to me while I was still busy working in New York City. I think it looks great – what do you think?
I'm always looking for ways to improve and add interest to my gardens - and fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs, so the roots have ample time to get established before the first frost.
Last spring, I decided to change the garden near my front gate. I removed the remaining trunks of a stand of white pines battered by Super Storm Sandy in 2012. In their place, I planted a group of medium sized American boxwood shrubs. Now, I want to plant a few more boxwood shrubs in various sizes for additional color and texture. Watch the transformation with me.
Here are some of the first photos of this latest project, enjoy.
This garden is the first guests see when they come to visit my farm. Earlier this year, I cleared the area and decided it would look so beautiful planted with medium to large boxwood shrubs.
The bed is near the front entrance of my main greenhouse. I have many smoke bushes and perennials planted in this area and wanted everything to blend in nicely.
Along the edge, i planted a row of smaller boxwood to create a border.
This is what the garden looked like after planting the boxwood last April.
Here is another view. My gym building is in the background.
These boxwood shrubs are from Select Horticulture, Inc. in nearby Pound Ridge, New York. I knew I wanted to add more to that front garden bed. Designing a garden requires a lot of time and patience. It takes several seasons for plants to fully mature and for the garden to reach its full potential.
I moved a group of the boxwood in various sizes up to the garden – ones that would best fit the area when fully developed.
Among the varieties I’m planting – Buxus koreana, Buxus ‘Green Velvet,’ and Buxus sempervirens.
Buxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. 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. Shrubs are slow-growing with dark green glossy leaves arranged opposite from each other, making pairs. Leaf shape depends on the variety; some are round while others are more elliptical.
Boxwood shrubs can come in a variety of shapes, including rounded, upright, pyramidal, spreading, and conical. I am using a mix of shapes for this bed.
Meanwhile, my gardener Josh removes some of the hostas that are already planted, but don’t worry, they will be planted in another garden where they will also thrive.
Large hostas, particularly those with more than two eyes can easily be divided. Phurba cuts this one into sections, so it can also be transplanted eslewhere.
Phurba successfully divided this one in two. It will be moved to my giant hosta garden under the shade of my stately dawn redwoods behind my chicken yard.
Other plants carefully removed for replanting include Syneilesis – a tough, drought-tolerant, easy-to-grow woodland garden perennial that prefers moist, well-drained, slightly acid soils. Over time, these plants form a sizable patch of green umbrella-shaped leaves. Mature foliage can be more than a foot across with deeply toothed, narrow leaves – it is really an interesting plant.
And leafy spurge, or Euphorbia, which does best in areas where it can get full sun.
The boxwood border will remain and I think I will plant some Epimediums in front of it. Epimediums are long-lived and easy to grow and have such attractive and varying foliage.
My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, places each boxwood where it will be planted.
Ryan places them thoughtfully considering their space and light needs, as well as their sizes when mature.
Cesar and Phurba move this taller boxwood into place. Always place the plants first before putting them into the ground to ensure they are in the best locations. Another tip is to look at the plant from afar and turn the specimen so its best side is facing out for guests to see.
By afternoon, all the plants were in position. Next is planting! I’ll be sure to share photos of the finished garden bed in my next blog. Stay tuned.
Fall is a lovely season for horse drawn carriage rides - especially here at my Bedford, New York farm.
I share my stable with 10 equines - four handsome Friesians, a Fell Pony, and five donkeys. I horseback ride regularly, but I also enjoy driving and riding carriages. Two of my Friesians, Hylke and Geert, are well-trained carriage horses. They are from Holland and joined my herd in 2022. This week, we had a visit from Dutch horse trainer Anne Okkema, who had worked with Hylke and Geert abroad. We pulled out my marathon carriage – suitable for both marathon and pleasure driving - and enjoyed a few rides along my four miles of carriage road here at Cantitoe Corners.
Here are some photos and a short video, enjoy.
While my busy lifestyle is currently better suited for horseback riding, I have long enjoyed horse drawn carriage riding. In fact, my neighbor and friend, the late Mr. David Rockefeller and I enjoyed carriage rides through Acadia National Park up in Maine on the same roads built as a gift by David’s father, John D. Rockefeller Jr. from 1913 to 1940. I was excited to get back in a carriage and ride again. Here I am with Anne out for a ride at my farm with my stable team and our leaders, Hylke and Geert.
This is my marathon carriage. It is lightweight, aerodynamic, and designed for safety.
Because the automobile is now the main form of transportation, it’s easy to forget the importance that horse-drawn carriages and sleighs once played in transportation. When I acquired my Friesian horses and the farm, I had a strong interest in driving carriages and started collecting a few carriages of my own. This marathon carriage safely seats four.
Anne spent some time in my stable going over how to properly attach the harnesses and carriage to the horses.
My stable manager, Helen Peparo, and Juan Londoño, take excellent care of all my horses and have their ultimate trust.
The harnesses and breast collars are all padded for safety and comfort.
A carriage breast collar should fit a horse snugly, but not too tight, and should always allow the horse to move freely.
When well fitted and properly positioned on the horse, the equipment should distribute the weight evenly and never rub against the horse’s shoulders. They should be snug, allowing just two or three fingers to fit between the leather and the horse.
The Friesian is most often recognized by its bold black coat color. They have long, arched necks and well-chiseled, short-eared, “Spanish-type” heads. They also have powerful, sloping shoulders, compact, muscular bodies with strong hindquarters, and low-set tails.
Blinders block surrounding views, so the horses can safely focus on pulling and not on all the other happenings at the farm.
The last piece hooked up is the carriage itself. A horse can typically pull up to three times its own weight on a flat, smooth road. My Friesians weigh about 1500 pounds each.
Here is Anne with my Friesian, Geert.
Before lunch, Anne, Helen, Juan, and Jimmy go out for another brief ride around the farm. Keeping horses primed for pulling a carriage requires a great deal of time and effort, which is very difficult to maintain.
And although they have not pulled a carriage in quite some time, Hylke and Geert remember everything.
It was also a big treat for my stable kittens who watch everything with curiosity. Here is Cinco.
Anne and his family are all true horse marathon enthusiasts and own a horse training facility in Holland. In fact, Anne also sold me the harnesses the horses are wearing.
Friesian horses are excellent for pulling carriages because of their powerful trot, elegant appearance, and high-stepping gait.
Horses also have a natural sense of direction and can memorize patterns easily, but it is crucial to train them with positive reinforcement to maintain trust and develop effective communication skills.
After a ride, the last pieces of equipment that were attached are the first pieces detached. The carriage, harnesses, lines, and collars are removed in a certain order – all for the comfort and safety of the horses.
Helen starts unhooking the equipment right away, and thanking my hardworking steeds for a good, safe ride. Well done my stately Friesians!
And here's a short clip from that first morning we went out for a ride.
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