My dahlia tubers are now well-protected for the winter.
When in bloom, dahlias provide some of the garden's biggest and most spectacular flowers in many different sizes, forms, and colors. However, native to Mexico, dahlias are not winter-hardy and tend to split in freezing temperatures or mold in soggy, wet soil. In most areas outside the warmest regions of the United States, dahlia tubers must be dug up and stored or covered before the cold season. In previous years, I always uprooted my dahlias and kept them indoors for the winter. Now, I cover the entire bed with a thick layer of compost and an industrial strength tarp, bordered by bales of hay. It's proven to be a great solution for protecting the plants so we have viable dahlias come spring.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Remember all the gorgeous, colorful dahlias I had this year? Dahlias are among my favorite flowers. They begin to bloom with great profusion just as other plants pass their prime, and they last right up until the first frost – this season, they lasted through Halloween.
I grow many flowers every year, so they can be cut and used for photography shoots, videos or to display in my kitchen, servery, and sitting rooms. I always make lots of dahlia arrangements to decorate my home.
The dahlia garden is located behind my vegetable greenhouse, in an area protected from any damaging winds.
After the season, when the petals are wilted, faded, or have started to turn brown around the edges, it’s time to start cutting them and leaving them to dry.
Once the plants are dried out, they are cut all the way down to the ground. Wait until all the foliage has turned brown before any winterizing. This is important so the plant can gather energy for the following year. It will store starches in the tuber which will fuel the initial sprouting in summer. The best time is a couple weeks after the first frost when they’re well into dormancy yet haven’t been harmed by the cold.
Dahlia stems are hollow making them quickly susceptible to rot. This is also why dahlias often have to be staked to help support their very large flowers.
My process for winterizing has changed over the years. I now keep my dahlias in the ground. First, all the tubers are covered with an eight to 10-inch thick layer of nutrient-rich compost.
Matthew rakes the compost evenly over the dahlia tubers.
This thick layer acts as a barrier to protect the plants. At the edges of the bed, Cesar blows any compost clumps back into the garden, so everything is neat.
Next, to keep excess moisture from saturating the tubers, the crew covers the compost and the tubers with an old industrial tarp left from another project.
It is big enough to cover the entire bed. Adan neatly unfolds the tarp and lays it down carefully, making sure to cover all the tubers and compost.
I grow a lot of hay here at the farm. The newer bales for my horses are kept in the stable hayloft; however, the bales that my horses won’t eat are saved and used to help winterize and insulate areas around the farm.
The bales are delivered to the dahlia bed in large batches.
And a border of hay bales is created on top of the tarp at the edge to help keep the bed protected and insulated.
Here, one can see how the tarp is placed under the bales and weighted down by the hay.
Each standard two-string hay bale weighs between 40 and 75 pounds each – they will keep the tarp in place nicely.
Chhiring counts how many bales are still needed. It’s important to weigh it down all around the bed, so wind cannot blow the tarp off the tubers.
And finally, aside from the hay to help keep the tarps in place, Pasang uses old, heavy chains on top of the bed. Here he is placing one across the center.
I am always looking for better, more efficient ways to care for my gardens. This process of burying my dahlias and protecting them in the soil has worked for me for several years. Store your dahlias or cover them like this now. Protecting them this way through the winter will ensure lots of healthy plants next spring.
Bonsai is the centuries-old Japanese practice of dwarfing trees and growing them in containers.
In fact, the word "bonsai" implies it - "bon" refers to a tray or shallow container, while "sai" means to plant or to grow. Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, is home to an incredible collection of bonsai trees. It includes nearly 200 trees - some of them rare Japanese species. The bonsai trees are displayed in rotating groups of about 50 in a tranquil 12,500 square-foot garden courtyard. And inside Longwood's historic Potting Shed is a Bonsai Workshop where specimens are meticulously prepared and refined by experts, visiting artists, and volunteers.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Longwood’s Bonsai Courtyard is surrounded by trees, walls and hornbeam hedges, and decorated with a subdued combination of natural hues, crushed stone, and charred wood.
The Bonsai Collection was started in 1959 with 13 trees from renowned bonsai artist, Yuji Yoshimura. Today, Longwood has more than 150 trees in 14 different styles cultivated by some of the world’s most prestigious masters in the art of bonsai.
This is a Chinese Juniper, Juniperis chinensis ‘Shimpaku.’ Adaptable and appealing, the Chinese juniper is popular among bonsai enthusiasts. Training on this specimen began 26 years ago.
This is also a Chinese juniper tree, Juniperus chinensis ‘Shimpaku.’ Training on this bonsai began in the year 2000. For bonsai beginners, it is important to select a hardy and forgiving species like the juniper.
Training on this Hinoki False Cypress, Chamaecyparis obtusa began in 1930. It has dark green leaves that form fanlike layers on branches that resemble ferns. While it grows quickly, it needs a lot of maintenance to retain its beautiful bonsai form.
Ginkgo bonsai trees, Ginkgo biloba, have the same unique fan-shaped leaves that turn golden yellow in fall. This Ginkgo first started developing as a bonsai in 1909.
Trident Maple, Acer buergerianum, is another popular bonsai tree because of its fast growth and thick trunk.
The Japanese black pine, Pinus thunbergii, has a naturally thick trunk with dark green foliage. The bark of the tree is gray and turns black as it matures. This bonsai is 95 years old.
Here is another Japanese black pine – its training began in 1970. These trees prefers lightly moist soil, with time to dry out between waterings.
One of my favorite trees is the Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum. This bonsai version was started in 1979. The natural and graceful forms of the Japanese maple make these trees easier to shape and maintain.
This is a Japanese Zelkova, Zelkova serrata. It is also known as the Japanese greybark elm. It thrives in full sun and some shade during the hottest weeks of the summer.
And this is a Nippon Daisy, Nipponanthemum nipponicum. It is one of the younger bonsai trees in this collection – training on this began in 2018. It responds well to bonsai pruning and shaping and features the same charming white daisy-like flowers.
At Longwood, the historic Potting Shed is dedicated to garden operations and now the care and maintenance of nearly 200 bonsai trees. It is one of the original Conservatory buildings constructed by founder, Pierre S. du Pont in the 1920s.
The Bonsai Workshop also displays many pots for its specimens. The pairing of trees with the proper pots is critical in bonsai art. There are more than 500 artisanal pots here – crafted by potters from around the world.
Displayed on tables in the Workshop are bonsai chrysanthemums. These range from two to six years old with thick trunks and well defined branches.
Almost any tree can be trained and shaped into a bonsai. Gnome chrysanthemums are among those types that work well for bonsai because of the smaller leaves and flowers. This is an example of a Cascade Anemone Mum. It is Chrysanthemum x morifolium ‘Ugetsu.’
This Cascade Anemone Mum Chrysanthemum x morifolium ‘Fukuyama’ features plentiful blooms and a gorgeous cascading growth habit.
This Anemone Mum bonsai tree is so carefully pruned and groomed. In bloom, it shows off small orange and yellow flowers.
A single mum bonsai is grown from one rooted cutting known as a “mother.” This is Chrysanthemum x morifolium ‘Satomi Orange.’
And this Single Mum is NYBG Bonsai selection number 5 with beautiful yellow, pink, and white flowers.
Part of Longwood’s Kusamono Collection is this arrangement. Known as a companion to bonsai, kusamono translates to “grass thing.” The arrangement includes a variety of grasses, mosses, and flowers. If you are ever in the area, visit Longwood Gardens – learn its history and walk through its beautiful spaces.
If you live in the New York City area, daytime temperatures are expected to be in the 40s and 50s this weekend - a good time to plant those bulbs.
My gardeners and outdoor grounds crew have been hard at work planting spring-flowering bulbs around my farm. The bulbs are from Colorblends Wholesale Flowerbulbs, a third-generation wholesale flower merchant in nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut. Yesterday, they tackled the beds around my Japanese Maple Woodland and the areas near my hoop houses and chicken coops. They planted snowdrops, Spanish bluebells, and crocus. They will all look so marvelous come spring.
Enjoy these photos.
Bulbs are packaged in batches of 50, 100, 500, and a thousand. They come in these breathable sacks and crates. They are also packed in paper bags, boxes, and plastic pouches depending on the bulbs’ humidity needs. They must be kept moist without being wet.
On this day, Ryan and Phurba plant bulbs at the edge of my Japanese Maple Woodland, which continues to show off its vibrant fall colors.
For planting smaller bulbs, my gardeners use T-handled dibbers, which are pressed into the soil to make narrow holes.
Bulbs come in different sizes and forms. Shown here is a Galanthus bulb, or snowdrop. True bulbs can be either tunicate, with a papery covering or non-tunicate without the covering.
Galanthus start out as small bulbs that produce a delicate white bell-shaped blossom atop a sturdy rich green stem.
Each bulb is placed in a hole about three to five inches deep. The dibber is perfect for planting these bulbs.
On many bulbs, it is easy to see which end is the top and which end is the bottom.
Bulbs are always positioned with the pointed end faced up, or root end faced down. This is very important, so the plant grows properly from the bulb. Here is a bulb positioned perfectly.
And look who came to help, hello my “Blue Boys.” My peacocks and peahens are very friendly and very curious.
This is a crocus bulb. These show a flattened shape, slightly pointed head, and a tunic covering. The bulbs are firm in texture and can be identified by their fleshy scales and small hair-like roots.
Crocus blooms are early season flowers that pop up usually in shades of white, yellow, and purple.
I plant crocus in many areas around the farm. They look beautiful planted en masse. And over time, these bulbs will naturalize and multiply to produce more flowers every year.
These bulbs are Spanish Bluebells, which Ryan plants in another bed not far from my allée of lilacs.
Spanish Bluebells, or Hyacinthoides hispanica, are shade-tolerant plants that bear spikes of lightly fragrant, blue flowers.
Ryan carries bags of bulbs to their designated beds and plants them in batches.
Ryan uses the auger attachment to make holes. The ground is a bit hard from the recent cold, but it’s still workable.
Ryan applies pressure to make the holes about four to six inches deep. Holes should be about three times the bulb’s width and depth.
He makes a series of holes in the space first, being very careful not to poke any bulbs previously planted in the area.
Here is a bulb positioned correctly in its hole. If it is planted upside down, the flower will still grow, but it will likely take a bit longer.
Ryan plants an entire section before backfilling, so he knows what holes he has planted.
Once a section is done, Phurba backfills and drops bulbs in any holes that are still vacant.
The crew is excellent at planting, and works in an efficient assembly line process. The team is getting the job done, but there are still thousands of spring-blooming bulbs to plant!
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