It takes a lot of time and patience to develop a garden. Here at my farm, I pay close attention to all the beds and planting spaces - how the specimens grow, what varieties work best, and what areas need filling. And then, every so often I plant a few more colorful and interesting additions.
One area I've been working on is the stone wall outside my Winter House. It is planted with different stonecrop sedums. These hardy ground covers grow rapidly and can thrive with very little soil. Yesterday, my gardeners filled in more of the cracks, softening the stones with colorful sedum foliage.
Enjoy these photos.
Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants, also known as stonecrops. Sedums are members of the succulent family. They have fleshy, water-storing leaves and are drought tolerant.
I first planted sedum in walls many years ago at my Connecticut home on Turkey Hill. I wonder how it is doing now?
Sedum adds nice soft texture to hard stone and is considered very low maintenance.
I had trays of sedum left over from other planting projects, so I planned these for the wall and steps surrounding the terrace outside my Winter House kitchen.
Sedum will thrive where other plants do not. It is native to parts of eastern Asia.
They can be used in slopes, tight spots, embedded in or tumbling over walls, rock gardens, and hanging baskets. I also use sedum as under plantings in large urns or just planted in a shallow pot on their own.
Our NYBG garden intern, Matthew, is tasked with planting this tray of sedum along the wall.
Matthew divides the plants into smaller sections to fit some of the crevices and between the stone steps.
The roots of sedum plants are shallow and fibrous, and they help the plants take anchor and absorb water and nutrients.
Many sedums are grown for their bold and colorful foliage and for their draping form.
Matthew selects an adequate void between the stones and places the sedum securely into the crevice.
Next, he simply tucks in the roots. Sedum, like other succulents, retain water in their leaves and can thrive in dry climates. They need little soil and water to survive, which makes them excellent for planting here.
My Chow Chows Empress Qin and her younger brother, Emperor Han, watch with some curiosity – or maybe hope that something edible will fall their way. What do you think?
Once sedums become established, they need little else to develop and flourish.
After the roots take hold, the plant wedges itself and begins to spread.
Most plants have a trailing nature and will begin cascading down the side of the wall as it grows.
I’ve also planted sedum in between the stone pavers.
And in corners, where the steps meet.
Sedums do well nearly anywhere as long as they get good drainage and full sun.
The sedum along this wall was first planted in 2012. And every so often, we add more and more. It is growing so nicely and looks as if it has been here so much longer.
As an impassioned gardener, I have many ornamental urns filled with lush, green plants around my home. Some of them needed a little extra maintenance care and attention.
A selection of these plants are small evergreen specimens such as Hinoki Cypress, white spruce, balsam fir, and creeping juniper. This week, my head gardener Ryan McCallister, pruned and groomed them, separated those that had gotten too big, and repotted all in fresh, nutrient-rich potting mix.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I always instruct my crew to gather all the necessary tools and supplies before starting any project. This area is located just outside my main greenhouse and head house. It is set up for repotting several evergreens.
The planter housing this balsam fir and juniper is timeworn and in need of replacing. Some of the other evergreens have also grown too big for their containers.
Ryan removes all of the plants to assess what pots they would go into next.
To prepare the pot for planting, Ryan first covers the drainage hole with a shard. I save all clay shards from broken pots so they can be repurposed in this way.
The shard keeps soil from falling through the hole and also allows for better drainage.
I use Scotts Organic Potting Mix, which can be used for potting or repotting foliage, tropical and flowering houseplants as well as potted vegetables and herbs.
A quality potting soil must have good water retention capacity and good porosity. It should also feel light, airy, and not show any signs of mold.
Ryan also sprinkles a generous amount of fertilizer and mixes it in with the potting soil.
Ryan removes these plants from the container and separates them. The two had been planted together but are now big enough to be planted separately.
Before putting it in its new pot, Ryan grooms it and removes and dead, diseased, damaged or deranged branches. This specimen is in excellent shape and just needs a bit of trimming.
Here it is in its new pot. Ryan positions it firmly before backfilling.
Ryan does the same with this cypress. Proper trimming rejuvenates mature plants and encourages new growth.
This one is cut in two. It is crucial that any cutting be done with a sharp knife to reduce any risk of crushing or tearing the plant’s tissues.
When selecting a pot, consider plant size and growth habit as well as root size. The pot should be at least one inch wider than the plant’s root mass.
This dwarf Hinoki cypress is a charming evergreen shrub prized for its rounded and compact habit and soft fernlike foliage.
There are different types of Japanese cypress. Most are slow growing and great in full sun. It is most loved for providing year round bold green color.
Ryan places the plants in pots to see if they are the right size and shape for the specimens before planting. I use clay pots which are very sturdy and durable.
Ryan sprinkles a little more Scotts fertilizer on top of the soil. Be sure the food used does not burn the foliage. This food will encourages vigorous root growth and lush foliage and feed for up to two months.
The right pot for the right plant provides the right amount of space and stability for proper watering and feeding. These evergreens will continue to thrive here at my farm.
Planting evergreen shrubs is a great way to layer in color and texture in the garden.
Near my Winter House were some potted evergreens that were in need of transplanting. While a couple of the pots had broken, other plants had just grown too big for their containers. I instructed my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, to transplant some of them into the pinetum, an arboretum of pine trees and other conifers. This time of year, late summer into early fall, is ideal for transplanting specimens into the ground as temperatures are cooler and less stressful on the plants.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
As a serious and passionate gardener, I am always looking for ways to add more beauty and texture to all my garden beds. One area that is constantly evolving is my pinetum – an arboretum of pine trees and other conifers.
Some of these hypertufa pots had chipped or cracked, so I wanted the plants to be moved. This is a hypertufa container. Hypertufa is a lightweight, porous, man-made material that looks like stone and is often used to make garden containers and ornaments. It’s made from a mixture of Portland cement, peat moss, and either sand, vermiculite, or perlite.
The plant removed is a long-lived, fast-growing, needled evergreen juniper with lemony fragrant leaves.
Ryan starts by digging the hole at least twice the size of the plant.
Ryan sprinkles a generous amount of food into the hole and mixes it with the existing soil.
Then he place the evergreen into the hole and backfills.
Ryan is removing another evergreen from a container so it can be transplanted into the ground. It had outgrown this small container and will do much better here in the pinetum.
Ryan removes as much of the root ball as possible to minimize root damage.
He places specimens strategically around the pinetum taking into consideration the size of the plant at maturity, its light needs, and its proximity to other plantings.
On this shrub, Ryan lightly packs the soil around and under the root ball to eliminate air pockets.
Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. They are hardy evergreens that thrive in most US growing zones. Junipers are deer resistant, salt tolerant, and extremely low maintenance.
On this evergreen, Ryan trims out the four Ds of pruning – dead, damaged, diseased, and deranged – those branches that cross or rub against each other.
He also cuts off the bottom of the root ball. Scarifying helps promote healthy growth and nutrient absorption by loosening the roots and allowing them to expand into the new soil.
These were actually two plants in one container, so Ryan splits it up to plant separately.
Once again he sprinkles a goodly amount of fertilizer into the hole.
Notice that the hole is about twice the size as the root ball itself.
In time, this cypress will fill out in this space. Cypress are loved for their gorgeous and deep blue-green color. This will grow nicely in the pinetum.
Here’s Ryan planting a taller evergreen tree. Some of these newer specimens had grown fast. When planting be sure specimens are planted at the right depth. Planting a tree too deep can kill it. Plant it only at its flare – the bulge just above the root system where the roots begin to branch away from the trunk.
My pinetum collection has grown so well over the years. I am pleased with how it looks, and so happy these trees are thriving here at the farm.
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