Come spring, I'll have more gorgeous peonies blooming than ever before here at my Bedford, New York farm.
I simply adore peonies and have been collecting them for quite some time. I have a long tree peony border planted under the semi-shade of giant sugar maples at one corner of the farm. I have a giant bed completely dedicated to pink and white herbaceous peonies just across the carriage road from my home. And, I also have tree peonies planted in the sunken garden behind my Summer House. Recently, I received a large collection of intersectional Itoh peonies grown by Monrovia, a wholesale plant nursery specializing in well-nurtured shrubs, perennials, annuals, ferns, grasses, and conifers with several nursery locations across the country. I decided these hybrid peonies would be perfect in the formal Summer House garden beds surrounded by my green boxwood hedges. Yesterday, my gardeners planted about 50 yellow and salmon Itoh peonies - I just can't wait to see them bloom in May.
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. When these peonies arrived, I already knew where to place them. All of them are from Monrovia, where they grow more than 18 different varieties of these “Itoh” peonies.
The varieties we received include this gorgeous ‘Bartzella’ Itoh peony. Itoh peonies are hybrids of herbaceous peonies and tree peonies. Dr. Toichi Itoh, a Japanese botanist, was the first person to successfully combine the pollen from a tree peony with the ovary of an herbaceous peony in the 1940s. This one features extra-large, vibrant yellow blooms. The outer layers are a lighter lemon meringue color, becoming a more rich yellow toward the center. And tucked within the fluffy blossoms are flares of red. ‘Bartzella’ also has a slightly spicy aroma. (Photo by Doreen Wynja for Monrovia)
This Itoh peony is called ‘Singing in the Rain,’ which features huge, semi-double, creamy flowers delicately flushed in apricot-salmon. The flowers have a soft, pleasing scent, and are displayed on long stems, which are perfect for cutting. (Photo by Doreen Wynja for Monrovia)
This is ‘Pink Double Dandy.’ When blooming, it shows off large, semi-double to double, lightly fragrant flowers on strong stems above a compact mound of dark green foliage. The blooms are dark lavender-pink when mature. The petals then fade to a soft pink, revealing a cluster of yellow stamens in the center. This cultivar was hybridized by Don Smith, a leading Itoh Peony breeder. Some of these pink peonies will be placed in my tree peony border. (Photo by Doreen Wynja for Monrovia)
I wanted the yellow and apricot peonies to be planted in the formal rectangular beds behind my Summer House. The hostas were moved to another area make room for the peony plants.
Here is one of the beds all cleared and ready for planting. Beneath the soil, there are also hundreds of spring blooming white snow drop bulbs, which also bloom in spring.
Ryan carefully positions all the peonies in the beds – all in lines and grouped by color.
These peonies are planted about three feet apart to give them ample room to grow. Itoh peonies are prolific bloomers. They can grow vigorously to three feet tall and four feet wide and will grow a second set of blooms – up to 60 blooms on a healthy and mature plant.
Here’s Brian as he starts to plant – more than 20 in this bed. Also called intersectional peonies, Itoh peonies share qualities with both parent plants, tree and herbaceous peonies. Like tree peonies, they have large, long lasting blooms and strong stems that do not require staking. They also have dark green, lush, deeply lobed foliage that lasts until autumn. Itoh peonies are also resistant to peony blight.
These plants are dormant now, but look at all the stems. These are also mature plants, so they should flower very beautifully next year with enormous blossoms up to eight inches across.
Brian starts by digging the hole at least twice the size of the plant. Itoh peonies are best planted in full sun to part shade and in rich, well-drained soil.
This hole is about a foot-and-a-half deep and wide.
Once the whole is dug, Brian tests its size by putting the potted plant into the hole.
Next, Brian sprinkles a good amount of fertilizer in the hole and on the surrounding soil. I always say, “if you eat, so should your plants.” For these plants, we’re using Roots fertilizer with mycorrhizal fungi, which helps transplant survival and increases water and nutrient absorption. Itoh peonies are sensitive to high levels of nitrogen, so when fertilizing in spring and summer, be sure to use a fertilizer that contains a low level of nitrogen.
Brian gently releases the plant from its container – these peonies are in excellent condition. He then uses his hands to gently loosen the roots to encourage growth.
Here he is placing the peony into the hole – the tops of the stems should just be level with the ground.
This peony is at the perfect height and should do just fine through the cold season.
Brian then backfills the hole, making sure it is packed well and all the stems are fully covered.
Because the plants are cut down and show no foliage at this time, Brian uses the empty upturned pots to indicate where they are so he is sure the peonies are planted in perfectly straight lines down the bed.
Once all the peonies in the section are planted, the entire area is top dressed with another layer of soil and then raked smooth. These Itoh peonies are late midseason plants and will flower in late spring to early summer for three to four weeks thanks to the many side buds which open in sequence.
These beds will be bursting with color next May. These Itoh peonies are sturdy, cold-hardy plants. When properly planted and cared for, these fragrant specimens can live for 100 years or even more.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, we love Japanese maples.
Earlier this week, my friend interior designer Steven Gambrel called me up and told me he was redoing the landscaping around his home and had three mature Japanese maples he no longer needed. He asked if I would be interested in taking them and of course, I said yes. My outdoor grounds crew, gardener, and I picked them up right away - 12 to 15 foot trees already dug up and waiting to be transported. Few trees are as beautiful as the Japanese maple. With more than a thousand varieties and cultivars including hybrids, the iconic Japanese maple tree is among the most versatile small trees for use in the garden. It's a big task to plant the heavy specimens, but I knew exactly where the first one would go, and it looks terrific.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I was so happy I could transplant these Japanese maples here at my farm. They will look beautiful wherever they are planted. Japanese maples are native to areas of Japan, Korea, China, and Russia. In Japan, the maple is called the “autumn welcoming tree” and is planted in the western portion of gardens – the direction from which fall arrives there.
Steven lives nearby, so we were able to carefully drive our dump truck over to get them – one by one.
I decided to plant one of them across from my long pergola and behind my gym building not far from this grove of young Stewartia trees and my stand of bald cypress. Look closely – I placed a garden marker right where the tree would be planted. The best location for Japanese maples is a sunny spot with afternoon shade. Red and variegated leaves need relief from the hot afternoon sun but need the light to attain full color. This area is perfect.
Next, plywood boards are placed from the carriage road to the new tree location to protect the lawn below during the planting process.
Meanwhile, my crew foreman, Chhiring, marks where the hole will be dug. The tree’s root ball is six feet in diameter and two feet deep, so the hole must be at least twice that size.
This is our new Kubota M62 Tractor Loader Backhoe. The M62 comes equipped with a 63 horsepower diesel engine, a front loader with 3,960 pounds of lift capacity, and a powerful backhoe, which will help with so many projects here at the farm.
Chhiring is a very skilled large equipment driver. Here, he carefully maneuvers the backhoe into place just above the center of the designated hole. The stabilizer legs secure the tractor, so the backhoe doesn’t cause it to tip when in use.
This backhoe has a maximum digging depth of about 14-feet. It saves so much labor and time during these projects.
As each scoop of soil is removed, it is carefully placed on a tarp and saved for backfill later.
Here is Pasang digging around the sides and cutting through some of the fibrous deep spreading roots of a nearby spruce.
Chhiring uses our trusted Hi-Lo to transport one of the trees to its new location.
Slowly driving over the plywood boards, Chhiring positions the tree over the newly dug hole. Pasang stands nearby to direct him.
And then the tree is gently lowered into the hole with the best side facing the carriage road. Once the tree is in the hole, the crew looks at it from all angles to make sure the trunk is completely straight.
Pasang removes the burlap and roughs up, or scarifies, the root ball to stimulate new growth.
And then Chhiring pours a generous amount of fertilizer over the root ball and the surrounding soil. It is very important to feed the plants and trees. I always say, “if you eat, your plants should eat.”
For all our new trees, we like to use Roots with mycorrhizal fungi, which helps transplant survival and increases water and nutrient absorption.
Half the hole is backfilled and then watered thoroughly to remove any air pockets and to settle the soil.
Red-leafed cultivars are the most popular of the Japanese maples. Japanese maple leaves range from about an inch-and-a-half to four-inches long and wide with five, seven, or nine acutely pointed lobes.
Pasang rakes the soil, so it is spread evenly over the tree pit.
Next, Chhiring brings some mulch made right here at the farm. It is carried in the bucket loader of our Kubota M62 tractor.
A generous layer of mulch is spread over the tree pit. But remember, don’t plant it too deeply – leave it “bare to the flare.”
And finally, more fertilizer is spread on top of the mulch. Japanese maples grow slowly, but they can live to be more than a hundred years old. I am looking forward to seeing this tree develop and flourish. That’s one tree planted – now just two more to go! Thanks, Steven.
The youngest residents at my Bedford, New York farm are growing and thriving.
Last month, I shared images of 54 cute, fluffy, and very healthy chicks that arrived from Murray McMurray Hatchery, a 104 year old company in Webster City, Iowa. Among them - Whiting True Blue, Whiting True Green, French Black Copper Marans, and Silver Laced Wyandottes. Upon arrival, they were housed in my stable feed room, where we set up three brooders – heated enclosures that provide warmth and protection. Yesterday, they were all big enough and strong enough to move down to my chicken coop "nursery," where they will stay for several more weeks, until they can mingle with the rest of the flock.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
If you follow this blog regularly, you may recall the arrival of these adorable chicks. They arrived in a well-ventilated cardboard box – all wide awake and peeping.
Right away, they were moved into the feed room at the stable. Each brooder designated for a specific breed. The room is kept warm very warm and these babies are checked several times a day.
The babies were just a couple days old, but already very alert and curious.
Yesterday was moving day to the chicken coops. I have four coops where I house my chickens, Guinea hens and turkeys. The first coop is always used for the young chicks, so they can be closely monitored during these initial weeks.
And look how big they are now. What a difference two-and-a-half weeks make! These youngsters are so happy to be in their new brooder, where they have much more room to roam and stretch their wings.
The chicks are taller, more slender and very eager to explore their new surroundings – a sign of good health. At this stage, they are still confined to an indoor space, with sliding doors for fresh air, but in a few weeks, they will have access to a small outdoor area that is still separated from the bigger birds.
Every time the chicks are moved, they are reintroduced to their food and water dishes, so there is never any confusion. Chickens are also omnivores. Once mature, chickens will eat small insects in addition to their seeds, grass and grains.
These chicks are still on starter. A good chick starter feed will contain protein for weight gain and muscle development, plus vitamins and minerals to keep them healthy and to build their immune systems. The chicks are fed organic chick starter feed for the first six to eight weeks.
These chicks have several feeders and several waterers in the brooder. A chick should never have to “wait in line”. On average, about 10-chicks can consume approximately one-pound of chick starter feed per day. For 54-chicks, that adds up to more than five-pounds of chick starter feed per day.
This is the first time the different breeds are able to mingle. The chicks are getting to know each other. Different chicken breeds can live successfully together in what’s called a mixed flock. Some breeds are known to be very docile and calm, while others have a more dominant personality. I am very glad all my chickens get along very well together.
Chicks drink a lot of water. Baby chicks should drink about one-and-a-half to two times the amount of food they eat. Without it, they will dehydrate very quickly. The water is kept plentiful, clean, and fresh at all times. To drink, they dip their beaks into water and tip their heads back, which allows the liquid to drip down their throats.
Chickens love to roost – and they start practicing within days of hatching. Here’s a chick perched atop the feeder. It’s not far from the ground, but one must start somewhere.
Most birds, including chickens, hear well. Birds have ears on both sides of their heads, and unlike humans, birds do not have external flaps on their ears. Instead, the opening of the ear is covered by a special tuft of feathers. These feathers protect the ear without impairing perception of sound.
Chickens have their own personalities – some are more active or more curious than others. They also have very keen memories – they can recognize more than 100 different faces.
Chicks can be messy. they kick shavings, they kick food, they kick anything that gets underneath their feet. They’re experimenting with foraging and keep busy moving from one side of the brooder to the other.
It’s hard not to notice the large feet, but it won’t take long before these birds grow into them.
Chickens are gentle, shy birds, but because these are being raised around a lot of activity, they will be well-socialized and friendly. This duo is checking out the rest of their flock from a distance.
At this time, most of the chicks stay in their breed groups – birds of a feather, flock together. However, they are also learning to communicate with everyone in the flock. Chickens are capable of at least 30 different vocalizations, each meaning something specific – everything from “I am hungry” to “there’s a predator nearby.” These chicks are already chirping quite a bit.
I am so happy with this group of peeps – they are all strong good eaters, and will be a great addition to my flock.
And in a few months, these hens will start laying pretty, nutritious, and delicious eggs. I’ve raised many different chicken breeds and varieties over the years – they are all wonderful.
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