Developing any garden takes time, planning, and lots of patience.
Three years ago, I decided to create an azalea border along one side of the carriage road between my Summer House and my stable. I wanted to plant lots of colorful azaleas - a variety of unique specimens in shades of pink, orange, crimson, and white. I already have many azaleas growing and flourishing in this area, but I wanted to expand the collection. First, we planted about 170 azaleas on one side of the carriage road, and then another 200 on the other side. Every year, my gardeners and I watch how the plants grow and add more where needed. This week, we're planting another 104!
Enjoy these photos.
Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the Ericaceae family, which includes blueberries and mountain laurel. They are also all rhododendrons and members of the genus Rhododendron. This week, we’re planting a large selection of azaleas where they get lots of filtered sunlight throughout the day.
Many azaleas have two to three-inch flowers and range in a variety of colors from pink to white to purple, red, orange, and yellow. Azalea petal shapes range from narrow to triangular to overlapping rounded petals. They can also be flat, wavy, or ruffled.
When I expanded the azalea garden, I added a variety of different azaleas and arranged them by color.
The first step is to choose the locations for planting. I strategically place each specimen – keeping like colors together and always keeping the plant’s mature size in mind.
When buying azaleas, always select plants that are sturdy, well-branched, and free of insect damage or diseases. And, avoid plants with weak, spindling growth and poor root systems. Azaleas are generally healthy, easy to grow plants. Some azaleas bloom as early as March, but most bloom in April and May with blossoms lasting several weeks.
It’s also important to keep azaleas where they can be protected from midday and winter sun to prevent leaves from drying out and burning.
All our azaleas this year came from White’s Nursery in Germantown, Maryland. White’s Nursery specializes in azaleas as well as rhododendrons. It has more than 350 varieties of evergreen azaleas such as Glenn Dale, Bowie Mill, Satsuki, Robin Hill, and many others. In addition, there is a wide selection of deciduous and native azaleas, and some fragrant varieties.
Chhiring starts by digging the hole at least twice the size of the plant. Azaleas thrive in moist, well-drained soils high in organic matter.
Next, he adds a generous handful of good fertilizer formulated for new plants.
Scarifying stimulates root growth. Essentially, one breaks up small portions of the root ball to loosen the roots a bit and create some beneficial injuries. This helps the plant become established more quickly in its new environment.
Next, the plant is placed into the hole and then checked to be sure it is at the right depth and backfilled.
The length of azalea leaves ranges from as little as a quarter-inch to more than six inches. Leaves of most azaleas are solid green, with a roughly long football-shape.
There are still many more azaleas to get into the ground, but I am so pleased with this grouping. As plants are added, there will be less lawn to maintain. Some of the varieties include ‘Sunrise,’ ‘Cherry Red,’ ‘Phil Louer,’ and ‘Mary Lou Kehr.’
Azaleas are generally healthy, easy to grow plants. Some azaleas bloom as early as March, but most bloom in April and May with blossoms lasting several weeks. The garden is full of color right now!
Some azaleas, including native types, can reach towering heights of 20 feet or more. Dwarf azaleas grow two to three feet tall, and many garden azaleas stay four to six feet in height with as wide a spread.
It is always a good idea to keep track of those varieties that do well in the garden.
The best time to shop for azaleas is when they are in bloom, so one can see their bright colors and forms.
These are white azaleas with dark pink striping.
And these are bold orange.
I am so proud of this developing azalea garden – I can’t wait until next spring when there are even more blooms to enjoy.
I'm always looking for ways to improve my gardens.
Earlier this year, I decided to change the garden near my front gate. I removed the remaining trunks of a stand of white pines that were battered by Super Storm Sandy in 2012. In their place, I decided to plant a group of medium sized boxwood that would add both color and texture to the bed. I called on my friend, George Bridge, who first introduced me to boxwood more than 20-years ago to help me select just the right ones. George is a leading grower and supplier of one of the largest collections of unique and mature plants, trees, and boxwood in the United States. George delivered and planted three beautiful American boxwood shrubs and they look just perfect.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Here at my farm, it’s always exciting when new plants arrive. I enjoy designing outdoor spaces and watching the gardens evolve and flourish. Adding rich foliage is also good for the landscape – they improve air quality, absorb pollutants, and help purifying the air.
A couple months ago, I cleared this space of several tree trunks that had been here covered in beautiful climbing hydrangea. While they looked very pretty, it was time for a change.
I love boxwood, Buxus, and have hundreds of these bold green shrubs growing all over my Bedford, New York farm. We continued this border of small boxwood all the way around the bed.
Buxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood. 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. Boxwood 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 elliptical.
George personally delivered three handsome boxwood shrubs. I knew they would be perfect for the space. Boxwood has upright, naturally cone-shaped habits making them excellent for planting free-form or for a sculpted hedge or border.
George specializes in collecting rare, vintage, and mature landscape plant material, including shrubs, hedges, fruit and ornamental trees, and even woody vines. His boxwood collection includes large, mature boxwood ranging from six to 12-feet tall and up to 80 years old. Visit his web site for more information.
The first of three shrubs is put into place. I wanted three here – one larger one and two smaller ones.
Our trusted Hi-Lo carefully lifts each specimen off the truck bed. George and his team meticulously wrap and lace the root balls for transit, so they arrive in the best condition possible.
George oversees every move to ensure the shrubs are placed just right.
Here, the Hi-Lo raises the forklift high up from the side of the carriage road and then gently lowers the boxwood into place.
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.
In winter, these boxwood will also be covered in protective burlap to prevent snow and ice damage. Here is the last one getting lowered into the bed.
And here’s George with his team afterward – thanks, guys! They look just perfect where they are!
Once they are in place, the digging begins. Holes are dug twice as wide as the boxwood root balls, but no deeper. Once in the hole, the top of the root ball should be a half-inch higher than the soil surface.
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.
And then one by one, each boxwood shrub is planted in the ground. When necessary, always water boxwoods slowly and deeply. Overwatering can cause root diseases, while under-watering can cause stress.
Boxwood shrubs have shallow root systems, so proper mulching after they are planted will help retain moisture and keep the roots cool.
With the additional hosta plants and the border of smaller boxwood grown from bare root cuttings, I think the garden bed looks excellent. It was the right choice to make!
The stewartia tree is an excellent, small to medium-sized, deciduous garden tree. It is also one of my favorites.
The Japanese stewartia, Stewartia pseudocamellia, is native to Japan, Korea, and the southeastern United States. It is a slow-growing, all-season performer that show off green leaves in spring, white flowers in summer, and colorful foliage in autumn. It also has attractive exfoliating bark, which peels away in strips of gray, reddish-brown, and orange. Recently, my outdoor grounds crew planted an 18-foot stewartia tree gifted to me by our friends at Select Horticulture Inc. in nearby Pound Ridge, New York because its root ball was misshapen and as a result had grown crooked, making it difficult to sell. But it looks great here at my farm across from my winding pergola and just next to, of course, my stewartia garden.
Here are some photos.
Here it is arriving at the farm. I was so exited to get a call from Scott Richard, co-owner of Select Horticulture, asking me if I wanted this Stewartia tree. I said yes right away. I love stewartias – after all, my name is “Stewart.”
After driving around looking for the perfect spot, I decided to plant it just down the carriage road from my flower cutting garden where I can see it every time I leave or return home. Here, the sod is being removed from the area. This is done with our Classen Pro HSC18 sod cutter. This sod cutter is so easy to maneuver and so sharp.
And then our trusted Kubota M62 tractor and backhoe are used to remove the soil.
The sides are dug manually so they are sightly slanted.
Here is the root ball of the tree. One can see how the trunk was growing out of it. The root ball itself is also malformed.
Always remove any tags that are on a tree. If left too long, these tags will eventually cut into the bark and potentially cut off the flow of nutrients.
The hole is dug deep. For any tree, the rule of thumb for planting is to create a hole that is two to three times wider than the root ball, but only as deep as the root ball.
Our Hi-Lo is then brought over to support the tree while the crew gently guides it into an upright position.
The tree is held in place with the wide straps until it is ready to put into the hole.
The crew cuts the bottom of the wire cage leaving the top of it intact.
Wire baskets were designed to support the root ball during loading, shipping, and transplanting.
The straps are attached to the wire cage for lifting. And then slowly, the tree is moved into the hole.
The crew rotates the tree so its best side faces the road and checks that it is straight. When moving heavy trees, only hold it by the base of the trunk or the root ball – never by its branches, which could easily break.
Once the tree is in, the remainder of the cage was cut and the entire piece removed along with the burlap. Some cut the cages and leave them in the ground, but I prefer to remove them completely, so there is nothing blocking the growing roots.
It is very important to feed the plants and trees. A generous amount of fertilizer specially formulated for transplanted specimens is sprinkled around the tree and the surrounding soil.
The hole is backfilled and tamped down thoroughly to remove any air pockets and to settle the soil. And remember, don’t plant it too deeply – leave it “bare to the flare.”
The leaves of the Stewartia are alternate, simple, elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, and five to nine centimeters long.
The bark of the Japanese Stewartia is multi-colored and peels away in strips.
When fully mature, the Stewartia can reach up to 30- to 40-feet tall.
Here it is from another side. It looks perfect in this location – as if it has always been here. I am looking forward to watching it flourish.
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