The landscape at my farm is constantly evolving, and keeping it healthy sometimes means cutting down trees.
Trees are crucial to our environment - they provide breathable oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, help create an ecosystem of food for birds and other animals, and they're beautiful when full of foliage or flowers. However, occasionally trees need to be removed. Yesterday, I instructed my resident tree arborist, Pasang Sherpa, to take down two almond trees behind my main greenhouse. I felt they were declining and preventing much needed light from reaching the berries below. Fortunately, the trees can be recycled into wood chips and used as top dressing for other trees in the woodland.
Here are some photos.
Almond trees thrive in mild, wet winters, and hot, dry summers. The almond belongs to the rose family Rosaceae, making it a relative of several well-known fruit trees. There are different types, ranging from small ornamental shrubs, Prunus glandulosa, grown only for their pretty flowers to medium-sized trees, Prunus dulcis, that produce edible nuts, such as these. In spring, these trees show off beautiful pink and white flowers. Here they are last April.
Here is a view from the side in between rows of growing raspberries. Guests always admire these trees, but I felt they were beginning to fail and had to come down.
Almond trees produce drupes. These drupes grow from fertilized flowers and mature in autumn. These are the trees in October. In previous years, we’ve harvested hundreds and hundreds of almonds. The hairy, green fruits are oblong in shape and the leaves of the almond tree are long – about three to five inches.
These drupes often fall to the ground. Some of them open on their own, exposing the shells, but most are opened manually. At maturity, the flesh of the fruit becomes leathery and splits. And inside the shell is the kernel, which we eat.
Early yesterday morning, Pasang went to work carefully cutting down one branch at a time.
Pasang is our resident arborist. He is very strong and very skilled at taking down many of the smaller trees around the farm.
Pasang starts by removing the smaller branches first. It is quite a process – an arborist must work methodically to ensure the safety of himself and everyone involved.
Down below, my foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, helps by removing the cut limbs.
He takes them to the nearby tractor and transfers them to the dump truck, so they can be dropped off in the designated compost pile awaiting chipping.
Pasang moves onto slightly bigger limbs, taking them down one by one – and always securing himself to the tree with the proper safety equipment.
In between, Pasang takes quick breaks and assesses which branches he needs to cut next.
Within minutes, he is down to the main branches of the tree. Mature, fruit bearing almond trees grow six to 12-inches per year.
Almond tree wood is considered a hardwood, so it is quite dense and heavy. For this job, Pasang uses his trusted STIHL chainsaw. I have used STIHL’s equipment for years – always dependable and durable.
The tree’s bark is grayish, which can be scaly in older specimens. The bark also exhibits “lenticels” or dark gray spots. In addition, these trees had lichens growing on them. Lichens are often found on tree trunks, branches and twigs as the bark provides a stable place to grow and get needed sunlight, rainwater and air. Lichens are simple slow-growing plants that form low crusty, leaflike, or branching growths on rocks, walls, and trees.
Thankfully, thus day was mild and not windy. Any sawdust just fell to the ground.
Here, Pasang is just several feet high working on the biggest limbs of the tree.
Almond trees can live for 40 to 50 years or more in the best conditions. Orchard trees usually last about 25-years. These trees were about 20-years old.
Peak production from almond trees is usually between 10 and 15 years. After that, the number of almonds produced declines, but the tree still produces fruit until the end of its life.
It is sad to see these trees go, but I will grow new almond trees elsewhere on the farm.
Now the area is clear and bright – the best light for my growing raspberries. Shall I plant boxwood here, or leave it bare?
Up at Skylands, my home in Maine, summer is also a good time to take care of important outdoor maintenance work.
I'm not at Skylands as much as I would like, so whenever I am there I try to schedule big projects, including the repair work to any stone walkways, steps, and walls that have shifted or moved over time. This year, I asked my longtime stone masons from Luppino Landscaping and Masonry in Mount Kisco, New York, if they would travel to Maine to evaluate the stonework and make any necessary repairs. Thankfully, they said yes, and for the last couple of weeks, they leveled pavers and repointed any deteriorated masonry joints all around the giant structure. Doing this not only restores the integrity of the stone, but also prevents water damage and erosion, and improves the overall appearance of Skylands' stately exterior.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Skylands was originally built in 1925 by architect Duncan Candler. The home as well as all the carriage roads leading to it are made from local pink granite – a very distinctive color caused by the high potassium feldspar content. Since I purchased the property in 1997, I’ve worked very hard to care for the structure and maintain its historical beauty.
This year, I decided it was due time to give some of the stonework some attention, especially the many walls that surround the great “cracked ice” terrace.
I wanted all the joints to be checked and repointed where necessary. This means replacing the mortar joints between the stones in the walls.
From afar, one can see the spaces where the mortar has deteriorated.
Here’s a closer look. There’s no set schedule for repointing stone, but one should consider maintenance work if the mortar is crumbling or falling out. My walls definitely needed some repair.
Here is another area showing voids in the joints.
I’ve worked with Luppino Landscaping and Masonry for years. In fact, Carmine Luppino and his team, did all the stonework at my Bedford farm.
Alfonso evaluates the joints and decides where he needs to make repairs. Any loose mortar and debris are removed. This is an important step because if any deteriorating mortar is left, the new mortar may not bond properly.
Here’s my French Bulldog puppy Luna Moona watching all the activity.
Chow Chow Emperor Han is also curious.
Here, Alfonso carefully mixes the new mortar. The right mortar mix is crucial for a long-lasting, sturdy structure.
The new mortar is carefully put into the joint cavities of the stone wall and leveled.
Alfonso uses a pointer trowel to properly compact and shape the mortar. Alfonso has been a mason for many years and is extremely knowledgeable and skilled at repointing all kinds of stone and brick work.
This concave jointer tool makes the mortar consistent through the joint and helps to ensure a watertight seal.
Here are some of the areas that are now completely repaired. The joints are filled and match all the other joints perfectly.
Repointing generally takes up to 48-hours to reach about 60-percent of its final strength, but in a week’s time, all the walls will be set and secure.
Regular repointing is the best way to keep a structure strong. This is important especially in Maine, where extreme cold can accelerate wear and tear on the exterior.
After working on the walls, the team moves on to check the pavers. They checked all the footpaths and adjusted any stone that may have shifted over time because of inclement weather and growing roots underneath.
Old stone dust and debris are removed, the area is re-leveled and the paver is repositioned, dropped carefully in place on new stone dust, and checked for level again. If it is not perfectly level, it is removed and stone dust is added or taken away as needed. It is a trial and error process that takes lots of patience. All neighboring pavers are also checked.
The terrace stone is also sealed by my outdoor grounds crew. And now the entire area is done and looking so beautiful once again.
Whenever I go to Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor, Maine, the days are always filled with lots of activities and good quality time with family and friends.
This summer was especially memorable. Aside from all the wonderful meals, I also enjoyed boating, hiking, visiting seals and cormorants, touring nearby gardens, shopping, and of course, spending time at my beloved home. The weather was pleasant. The flowers from my gardens were abundant and beautiful.
Here are more photos from my summer in Maine, enjoy.
I always try to pack as much into my trips as possible. Here I am “emerging from the door” at Skylands.
I visited the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden. The garden was designed by the legendary landscape architect, Beatrix Farrand, for John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and his wife Abby Aldrich Rockefeller in the 1920s.
This is a reproduction of the Moon Gate created by Beatrix Farrand in 1926.
Set within acres of beautiful moss-carpeted woods, the Garden is designed to be at floral peak this time of year.
This frog did not seem to mind me getting up close to capture this photo.
The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden is enclosed by a high pink stucco wall. The wall is capped with orange tiles imported from China.
The Garden contains many Asian structures and statuaries. These are called the Garden Spirits.
On another day, I ventured out to Duck Island where we almost always see seals sunbathing or swimming around the rock pile.
These seals are curious from a distance. I was able to get a few great photos of these beautiful animals as they watched our boat.
Both gray and harbor seals are found on and around Duck Island.
Along the Maine coastline, there are also many cormorants – medium-to-large aquatic birds.
This year, I was asked to christen the Lady Clare, a day excursion boat offered by the Claremont Hotel for trips to Acadia by the Sea, lighthouse tours, and sunset cocktail cruises.
Here I am with the bottle of champagne before the breaking ceremony, when the bottle is broken against the boat’s bow.
At Skylands, my gardeners Mike Harding and Wendy Norling, worked hard in the woodland gardens, planting moss in bare areas along the footpaths.
Wildlife love to walk through the woods at Skylands. This wild turkey was seen strolling between the trees on a warm, but quiet afternoon.
This is my West Terrace, where I always display plants during summer. These planters are new to Skylands this year. They were large terracotta planters we painted Bedford Gray and sent up here to Maine from my farm.
Here is a lovely lily arrangement in my Living Hall – all flowers are grown right in my garden.
I also road aboard the sailing yacht, Rebecca. Here I am at the helm, the steering station of this gorgeous vessel.
Rebecca is a 138-foot luxury sailing yacht built at the prestigious Pendennis shipyard in 1999, designed by the world-renowned yacht designer German Frers.
And here I am with my loyal and gorgeous dogs – out for a refreshing hike around Jordan Pond in Acadia National Park. The pond covers 187 acres and has a maximum depth of 150 feet. I walk around it every time I am in Maine.
And here’s a view that never gets old – looking out to Seal Harbor from Skylands. My trips to Maine are always chock full and so enjoyable. I only wish my time there didn’t go by so fast. What a lovely summer.
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