It's no secret how much I love planting trees, and this year, we're planting so many interesting and beautiful specimens.
Every year, my gardeners and I go through the inventory of potted seedlings and plan where they will go - some in the woodlands, and some in designated areas around my home. I have planted thousands of trees since I purchased my Bedford, New York property. I feel very strongly about giving back to the earth - the more trees planted, the better. Last week, the crew planted a collection of sweetgum trees, Liquidambar styraciflua, in a clearing outside my Northeast paddock and near my American beech tree grove.
Enjoy these photos.
Every year around this time, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew plant as many trees as possible before the ground freezes. I purchase a lot of trees as bare-root seedlings. A bare root tree is a dormant tree shipped with no soil around its roots. We pot them up and nurture them for a couple of years before they are placed in more permanent locations. I think doing this gives the trees a better chance of survival.
So far this season, some of the trees we’ve planted include the tulip tree. Our tulip trees are the tallest at the farm – these trees can grow more than 120-feet. In the late spring bright yellowish-green and orange flowers bloom which resemble tulip flowers. The silhouette of the tree’s leaves is also tulip-shaped. Together, these features give the tulip tree its name. The tulip tree is also known as tulip poplar, yellow poplar, whitewood, and tulip magnolia. However, tree is not a true poplar. Instead, it belongs to the magnolia family.
We also planted bur oak trees. Quercus macrocarpa, commonly spelled burr oak, is a species of oak tree native to eastern North America. It is also called mossycup oak, mossycup white oak, blue oak, or scrub oak.
We planted butternuts, Juglans cinerea, also known as white walnut – a species of walnut native to the eastern United States and southeast Canada.
We planted evergreens such as these spruce trees, Picea glauca, a species of spruce native to the northern temperate and boreal forests in North America.
And of course, maples. The maple tree, Acer, has recognizable leaves with pointed lobes and with deep indentations between the lobes. The leaves are a bold green color.
Most recently we planted a selection of sweetgums. American sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua, also known as American storax, hazel pine, redgum, satin-walnut, star-leaved gum, and alligatorwood. It is a deciduous tree in the genus Liquidambar native to warm temperate areas of eastern North America and tropical montane regions of Mexico and Central America. Sweet gum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the southeastern United States, and is a popular ornamental tree in temperate climates.
The sweetgum features star-shaped leaves with five lobes, occasionally seven, that are medium green in color, toothed along the margins and four to seven inches in length.
Sweetgum trees have light gray bark with vertical, irregular ridges covering a tall, straight trunk.
Here, Ryan has already placed a good number of sweetgums for planting. When mature, these trees will grow to about 60 to 70 feet tall with up to a 45 foot spread, so they must have ample room between them. Always consider the size of a mature specimen when planting.
Domi digs all the holes. He is a fast and strong digger. Each hole is about 10 to 12 inches deep. These holes are also quite wide – one should be at least two to five times as wide as the root ball. The hole sides should be slanted and the hole should be no deeper than the root ball is tall, so it can be placed directly on undisturbed soil. Digging a wide planting hole helps to provide the best opportunity for roots to expand into its new growing environment.
Then Pasang follows behind to plant each tree. He places it into the hole to ensure it can be planted at the proper depth – planting a tree too deep causes bark deterioration at the soil line, which can eventually kill the tree. Pasang also positions the tree so the best side faces the carriage road.
Next, Pasang inspects the roots. He scarifies the root ball and loosens up the roots to stimulate growth. This is very important to do, especially if the roots are densely bound in a circular pattern or have started growing in the shape of the container. These specimens have healthy roots, so only a light scarifying is needed.
A scoop of good fertilizer is then sprinkled on the surrounding soil. Always feed! My soil is filled with nutrients, but I still make sure everything is well fed. Often, plants can’t get all the necessary nutrients from garden soil alone, so they need a boost from extra soil amendments.
Then Pasang backfills the hole with the nutrient-rich soil.
And lightly tamps down with his foot to pack the soil around the plant roots. This ensures good soil to root contact and eliminates air pockets that could otherwise result in dead roots.
Soon after the tree is planted, Chhiring drops a bamboo stake just next to the tree. I feel it is very important to stake every tree, so it is well supported and well-marked as it develops.
Chhiring drives the stake at least a foot into the ground several inches away from the newly planted tree.
All the ties are made of jute twine. Chhiring cuts all the twine to the same size so nothing is wasted. And, we double the twine to provide added security in case of strong winds.
The twine is twisted before knotting, so the tree or vine or cane is not crushed or strangled. Each piece is tied just tight enough to keep the tree secure, but not break it.
Nearby are several more mature sweetgums. American sweetgums grow in a pyramidal shape, becoming more oval or rounded with age. These trees also grow at a medium to fast rate, with height increases of anywhere from 13 inches to more than 24 inches per year. The trees’ seeds are eaten by eastern goldfinches, purple finches, sparrows, mourning doves, northern bobwhites and wild turkeys. Small mammals such as chipmunks, red squirrels and gray squirrels also enjoy the fruits and seeds of the sweetgum tree.
And in fall, these trees provide brilliant fall color, with leaves turning vibrant shades of yellow, orange, red, and purple. These newly planted sweetgums will look wonderful in the landscape. I am so fortunate to have the room to plant lots of beautiful and interesting trees.
Beautiful, colorful dahlias continue to bloom at my Bedford, New York farm.
Dahlias begin to bloom with great profusion just as other plants pass their prime, and they last right up until the first frost. This year, my all-dahlia garden was planted in a large bed behind my vegetable greenhouse. We planted the garden in June and through the summer, we all watched its progression. We have flowers ranging from small to giant dinner-plate size in all different colors and shades - many from Swan Island Dahlias in Oregon, from Floret in the State of Washington, and from The Flower Hat, a flower farm based in Bozeman, Montana.
Here are more of the gorgeous flowers in bloom right now, enjoy.
I have already cut many dahlia flowers to decorate my home, but there are still so many to enjoy.
The dahlia garden is in a new location this year – in a space behind my vegetable greenhouse that was previously used for growing grapes. When planting dahlias, always choose the location carefully – dahlias grow more blooms where they can have six to eight hours of direct sunlight. This spot was perfect, and because it is behind the glass structure, the flowers are also protected from any strong winds.
There are about 42 species of dahlia, with hybrids commonly grown as garden plants. A member of the Asteraceae family of dicotyledonous plants, some of its relatives include the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia.
The genus Dahlia is native to the high plains of Mexico. Some species can be found in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Costa Rica as well as parts of South America where it was introduced.
Dahlias were first recorded by Westerners in 1615, and were then called by their original Mexican name, acoctli. The first garden dahlias reached the United States in the early 1830s. Today, dahlias are grown all over the world.
The Dahlia is named after the Swedish 18th century botanist Anders Dahl, who originally declared the flower a vegetable, as the tubers are edible.
Flowers come one head per stem. The blooms can be as small as two-inches in diameter or up to one foot across.
It can also vary in height, leaf color, form, and shape. This is because dahlias are octoploids, meaning they have eight sets of homologous chromosomes, whereas most plants have only two.
This dahlia is called ‘Zorro’. The ruffled petals accentuate its deep red color. “Zorro’ blooms can reach eight to 10 inches wide on stems that can grow up to four feet tall.
Dahlias produce an abundance of wonderful flowers throughout early summer and again in late summer until the first frost. This large bloom is a beautiful white with a hint of creamy yellow in the center.
Yesterday afternoon, I asked Elvira to pick some of the most beautiful blooms. To prevent wilting, cut only in the early morning or late afternoon. And only cut them after they open to mature size – dahlias will not open after cutting.
The majority of dahlia species do not produce scented flowers or cultivars, but they are brightly colored to attract pollinating insects.
Josephine Bonaparte, wife of the French Emperor, was so enamored of dahlias she grew prize varieties in her garden at Malmaison.
Dahlias come in white, shades of pink, red, yellow, orange, shades of purple, and various combinations of these colors – every color but true blue. In the 19th century, a London newspaper offered a pound, or a little more than a dollar, to the first breeder to create a blue dahlia—the reward was never claimed, but there have been many attempts that are near-blue. Like many flower varieties, there is also no pure black variety—only dark red and dark purple. This one is white with soft lavender tips.
This one is creamy white with a yellow center. There are some 57,000 varieties of dahlia, with many new ones created each year.
This is a single with just one row of petals surrounding the center disc.
Dahlias are borne from tubers and are popularly grown for their long-lasting cut flowers. This is a cactus dahlia with its beautiful ‘spiny’ petals rolled up along more than two-thirds of their length.
Dahlias thrive in rich, well-drained soil with a pH level of 6.5 to 7.0 and slightly acidic.
From the side, many dahlia petals grow all around the flower head giving it a very full appearance.
Experiment with the varieties – dahlias look great arranged in different colors. Look at all the pretty blooms.
Elvira places them in a bin topped with simple baking cooling rack from the kitchen. The stems fit through the holes – and are free to dangle underneath without getting damaged. Using a cooling rack atop a plastic storage container for collecting flowers… it’s a good thing. Enjoy your dahlias.
My Bedford, New York farm continues to transform with the planting of many beautiful and interesting trees.
Trees are very important to our environment - they help combat climate change, provide habitat and food for birds and other animals, and release oxygen for us to live. Yesterday, my crew planted a group of bur oak trees, Quercus macrocarpa - two rows along the outsides of the boxwood allee, one on the left and one on the right. They will grow so nicely here, and provide beautiful texture and shade when mature.
Here are some photos.
The bur oak, Quercus macrocarpa, commonly spelled burr oak, is a species of oak tree native to eastern North America. It is also called mossycup oak, mossycup white oak, blue oak, or scrub oak. Here’s Ryan driving a load of bur oaks in our new 2021 Polaris Ranger Crew XP 1000 NorthStar Edition. I love these Polaris vehicles – they are perfect for riding around the farm, loading and unloading equipment, plants and trees, and for getting into tight spaces where larger vehicles cannot go. These are also perfect off-road – durable yet light enough so they don’t damage any grass. These are so vital here at the farm – we use them every day.
The leaves of the bur oak are easy to identify. They are alternate, simple, six to 12 inches long, roughly obovate in shape, with many lobes. The two middle sinuses nearly reach the midrib dividing leaf nearly in half. The lobes near the tip resemble a crown, green above and paler, fuzzy below.
And the bark of the bur oak is dark gray, rough, and deeply ridged.
I decided to plant the bur oaks between the paddock fencing and the boxwood allee on both sides.
I wanted them about one foot from the fence posts, so I could still drive my Polaris off-road vehicle through the area.
Domi begins to dig the holes. He is a fast and strong digger. Each hole is about 10 to 12 inches deep.
These holes are also quite wide – one should be at least two to five times as wide as the root ball. The hole sides should be slanted and the hole should be no deeper than the root ball is tall, so it can be placed directly on undisturbed soil. Digging a wide planting hole helps to provide the best opportunity for roots to expand into its new growing environment.
Then Pasang follows behind to plant each tree previously positioned in its proper location. There is one tree every third post, so about 15 to 18 feet apart.
Pasang then pulls out the tree and inspects the roots. He scarifies the root ball and loosens up the roots to stimulate growth. This is very important to do, especially if the roots are densely bound in a circular pattern or have started growing in the shape of the container. These specimens have healthy roots, so only a light scarifying is needed with one’s pruners.
Each specimen is planted to the same height as it was in the pot. Pasang places the tree into the hole making sure it is at the right depth. He also looks at the tree’s foliage and turns the tree so its main branches point sideways so they are not in the way of passing Polaris vehicles or horses.
A scoop of good fertilizer is then sprinkled on the surrounding soil. Always feed! My soil is filled with nutrients, but I still make sure everything is well fed. Often, plants can’t get all the necessary nutrients from garden soil alone, so they need a boost from extra soil amendments.
Pasang tamps down to pack the soil around the plant roots. This ensures good soil to root contact and eliminates air pockets that could otherwise result in dead roots.
When planting trees, look for the root collar or root flare – the bulge just above the root system where the roots begin to branch away from the trunk. The root flare should be just above the soil surface.
Here is Chhiring with the bamboo stakes. I feel it is important to stake every tree, so it is well supported and well-marked as it develops.
Chhiring places a tall bamboo stake next to every tree.
Because these trees are so tall, we use bamboo stakes to secure the trees. Bamboo comes in a variety of lengths and is easy to find at garden supply stores. These stakes are also very light and easy to cut if needed because they are hollow.
Chhiring drives the stake at least a foot into the ground several inches away from the newly planted tree.
All the ties are made of jute twine. Chhiring cuts all the twine to the same size so nothing is wasted. And, we double the twine to provide added security in case of strong winds.
Chhiring ties the twine in three places – this will ensure the tree is well supported and directed as it grows.
I always teach every member of the crew to twist the twine before knotting, so the tree or vine or cane is not crushed or strangled. Each piece is tied just tight enough to keep the tree secure, but not break it.
The bur oaks will look so terrific in this area. These trees are among the largest and longest-lived hardwood trees reaching a mature height of 50 to 80 feet and a crown spread of 40 to 60 feet.
At the other end of the paddocks in a grassy area not far from my grove of Metasequoia is a stand of older, more mature bur oaks. Look at the wide, open crown. These trees are so stately. When fully mature, with their massive trunks, support heavy, horizontal limbs.
The bur oaks are planted just in time. Looking up above the allee and stable are the clouds rolling in before a night of heavy rains. These new trees will be well watered. I hope this inspires you to plant a tree or two around your home this weekend. Planting trees – they’re a very good thing.
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