If you grow these wonderful fruit trees, the best time to prune them is now - in winter - or in very early spring before any new growth begins. Pruning not only helps to develop proper shape and form, but also encourages new growth, promotes high fruit yield, and maintains good tree health. At my Bedford, New York farm, I have many, many apple trees that are pruned every year. My outdoor grounds recently tackled some near my tennis court.
Enjoy these photos.
Every year, my apple trees produce bounties of delicious fruits. I have many apple trees here at my Bedford, New York farm.
These were some of the gorgeous apples from last fall. The apple tree is a deciduous tree in the rose family best known for its sweet, pomaceous fruit, the apple. I have many different varieties. Some of them I use for eating. Others are better suited for baking and for making applesauce and cider.
This dwarf apple orchard is just behind my long carport and flower room. Father Legendre of Hannonsville, France is credited with pioneering the espalier growing method in 1684. Because sunlight reaches every piece of fruit that these trees bear, espalier pruning continues to be a standard procedure at commercial orchards in France. Traditionally, apple trees were always encouraged to stay shorter, so apples were easier to reach.
A good number of my apple trees are at least 60-years old, so they were already here when I purchased the property.
Apples come in all shades of red, green, and yellow. My fruit trees are extremely healthy, in part because of all the care and maintenance that is done to keep them doing well. They need regular pruning once a year.
This tree is near my tennis court. It is one of several in this area ready for pruning. The tree takes up a dormant state after shedding its leaves and before sprouting new buds.
Phurba Sherpa is a longtime member of my outdoor grounds crew. He is an excellent pruner. Pruning is best completed before growth starts as cuts will heal quickly. There are two main goals of pruning trees. On young trees, pruning encourages a strong, solid framework. And on mature trees like this, they usually already have their shape determined, so it’s important to maintain their shape and size.
I prefer much of the work be done by hand. Smaller twigs are snipped off with regular secateurs. Each member of my outdoor grounds crew has a pair.
The crew also likes to use our STIHL bypass loppers for slightly larger branches up to two-inches in diameter.
Cutting by hand gives my trees a more natural appearance and shape.
And, because my crew is very diligent about keeping all our tools sharp and well-conditioned, the cuts are clean. Pruning cuts should be made fairly flush to the branch from which it grew. The idea is to leave slight stubs. By removing any more, the remaining branch has too much of an opening for disease to enter.
A bow saw, or pruning saw, cuts on both the fore stroke and back stroke and is designed for cutting thicker branches that cannot be removed with secateurs or loppers.
Pasang Sherpa, our resident tree expert, cuts branches that are rubbing or crisscrossing each other, preventing any healthy new growth. Basically, we want to create a tree with well spaced lateral branches. Any branches which interfere with the tree’s shape or create a dense framework should be removed.
Water sprouts are the thin branches which normally grow straight up from lateral branches and do not bear fruit. These grow very fast every year.
Phurba removes all the water sprouts.
Pruning stimulates the tree to grow more fruiting spurs by eliminating competing suckers and unproductive wood.
As he prunes, Phurba stops occasionally to see how the tree looks – the sections he has pruned and what he still has to do.
After the branches are cut, they are gathered, piled, and then either saved for kindling or processed through a wood chipper and returned to woods.
And here are some of the apple tree buds. Tree fruit have two types of buds, terminal and lateral buds. Apples flower and fruit on terminal buds. A terminal, or apical bud, is located at the tip of a shoot. A lateral bud develops along the developing shoot at the base of the leaf blade.
By late afternoon, these two apple trees look great after pruning.
And so does this one nearby – a big favorite here at the farm. This tree produces delicious green apples. I am looking forward to many lustrous trees heavy with fruits come autumn.
I always enjoy creating flower arrangements and using fresh, fragrant blooms to display in my home. Over the years, I’ve shared lots of information and tips for cutting and arranging flowers.
Yesterday, following a spring themed production shoot, my housekeepers, Enma Sandoval and Elvira Rojas, made several arrangements using the gorgeous flowers left over - tulips, roses, peonies, and lilies. It makes me so happy to reuse and repurpose.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Flowers are enjoyable inside and out. These fragrant roses remind me that warmer weather and colorful garden blooms are just around the corner.
A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae. There are more than a hundred species and thousands of cultivars. Roses come in many different colors, such as pink, peach, white, red, magenta, yellow, copper, vermilion, purple, and apricot.
For this arrangement in a wide-mouthed square vase, Elvira uses tape to give the stems some added support. She cuts strips of tape and begins placing them across the vase in a grid pattern. The tape strips are first placed in one direction…
… and then the same amount going in the opposite direction. Cut any extra tape that lies too long over the edges, so it remains hidden from view. The vase was already filled half way with cool water.
Enma and Elvira remove any leaves under the water line to prevent any rotting and then cut the stems to the appropriate height before placing them in water.
The stems are placed one by one into the vase. Always make sure the stems are sitting in fresh water to ensure they stay hydrated and protected from bacteria buildup. And try to replace the water in the vase daily, as the cleaner the water the longer the lifespan of the arrangement and the flowers.
The tape grid will also help to keep the stems in place, no matter the size.
Enma works her way around the arrangement, filling any empty spaces with flowers.
I like arrangements to be done by color. This arrangement includes a combination of light and dark pink roses.
Almost any vessel or container will work. Think creatively – use pitchers, bowls, antique urns, etc. These are two rectangular glass vases – a bit taller than the one used for the roses. Enma fills three-quarters of each vase with water.
Enma holds the stem up to the vase to see where it should be trimmed. Then she cuts the first flower stem and then uses it as a guide for the others.
When arranging, be sure not to overcrowd the flowers. Too many can prevent some flowers from getting adequate water.
This is an all white arrangement. Most freshly cut flowers should last up to one week if properly tended.
The peony is any plant in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, Europe, and Western North America. Peony blooms range from simple blossoms to complex clusters with a variety of petal forms. The peony is among my favorite flowers.
Here, Enma finishes up a tulip arrangement. Tulip colors can be mixed depending on preference. Tulips have been hybridized in just about every color except blue.
There are currently more than 3000 registered varieties of tulips – separated in about 15 divisions based on shape, form, origin, and bloom time.
This arrangement has lighter shades of green pink, and cream. When displaying roses, be sure to keep them away from heat and bright light, which will shorten vase life.
And her are the lilies. Lilium is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with prominent flowers. Lily flowers are large, often fragrant, and come in a range of colors including white like these.
The anthers were already taken off of each flower before the shoot. Pollen is notorious for staining flesh and fabric. Removing the anthers prevents any pollen from getting on the flower petals, which can eat away at the delicate flower parts and shorten the life of the blooms. If you happen to get a pollen stain on your clothing, do not rub. Instead, reach for a roll of tape and use the sticky side to gently dab the area – the particles will adhere to the tape.
Enma arranges them, so they look full from all sides. When cutting flower stems always cut at a 45-degree angle rather than straight across to allow for greater surface area and increased water uptake. Lilies are one of the top cut flowers in the world because of their long vase life and flower form.
And periodically take a step back and look at the display to decide whether any adjustments are needed. Every arrangement is so pretty. While you’re out running errands this weekend, get yourself some cut flowers and bring a little bit of spring indoors.
I always enjoy seeing photos from others taken during their vacations.
Earlier last month, my outdoor grounds crew foreman Chhiring Sherpa and his son, Mingmar, returned from a brief trip to Hawaii. Once described by Mark Twain as "the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean," the Hawaiian Islands form an archipelago in the North Pacific Ocean encompassing a land area of 6400 square miles. Hawaii consists of 137 volcanic islands. The eight main islands are Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, and Hawaiʻi or the Big Island. On this eight-day trip, Chhiring and Mingmar visited Maui and O'ahu.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This grove of eucalyptus trees in Maui is located along the Hana Highway. Eucalyptus can grow hundreds of feet tall.
They can also have a diameter of up to six-feet. Eucalyptus trees thrive in warm, humid climates.
Hawaii is the only US state situated entirely on an archipelago, and the only state not geographically connected with North America. The United States incorporated the region into the state of Hawaii in 1959. The islands are exposed peaks of a great undersea mountain range known as the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain, formed by volcanic activity over a hotspot in the Earth’s mantle.
Chhiring and Mingmar spent one day driving to Hana on this winding road along Maui’s lush eastern coast. The popular road trip includes 620 curves and 59 single lane bridges. They described the roads as “like a roller coaster” with all the ups and downs.
Wai’anapanapa Black Sand Beach is located in Wai’anapanapa State Park on the Road to Hana. This type of black sand is formed by volcanic materials and lava fragments left millions of years ago – very different from the tan and brown sand found on mainland beaches.
The weather was pretty dry during their vacation, but the father-son duo did pass a waterfall during one of their hikes.
Here is Chhiring surrounded by growing bamboo. Bamboo is not native to the Hawaiian islands. It was brought to Hawaii by Polynesian voyagers who used the versatile material to make canoes and fishing poles. Bamboo grows very fast and has become invasive in some areas.
This is the Iao Valley State Park and the historic natural rock formation called the Iao Needle, a 1200-foot-tall pinnacle of greenstone that towers over the park’s lush valley. In 1790 King Kamehameha I defeated the Maui army in a pivotal battle in his quest to unite the islands under one rule. That battle took place here.
Chhiring and Mingmar visited The Maui Dharma Center founded in 1974 – a well known and respected place for the practice and study of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Great Paia Lha Bab Peace Stupa is the gateway to the Maui Dharma Center. It stands 27-feet tall and houses a large prayer wheel inside.
Look carefully and see the beautiful rainbow Chhiring photographed. The islands’ abundance of sunlight and water, combined with geographical location, make rainbows a common occurrence on the islands of Hawaii.
They also visited the famous Pearl Harbor National Memorial constructed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Oahu Island. This is where we remember one of the most pivotal moments of US history – the attack on Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service launched a surprise military strike on the United States, drawing it into World War II.
These are ficus trees. Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees, they are native throughout the tropics. Many have aerial roots like these and a distinctive growth habit.
Many beautiful palm trees dot the Hawaiian landscape.
This is a grove of screw pines, with their distinctive stilt roots that harvest rain water.
Here is a group of rainbow eucalyptus trees with their beautiful trunks. Because these trees shed bark, the bark colors are in a constant state of change.
Chhiring and Mingmar made it a point to visit Lahaina, the town ravaged by the August 2023 firestorm. This ferocious storm killed 100-people and left the area in ruins.
It was difficult to see the devastation, especially up close.
But then they noticed a Buddha that was left undamaged. This 12-foot-tall copper statue was in front of a temple. Luckily, there was nothing immediately around the statue that could burn.
And here is a gorgeous sunset. Because Hawaii is far from any landmass, there is little atmospheric disturbance and the horizon remains unobstructed. This, and the sun’s perfect angle over the water make Hawaiian sunsets stunningly dramatic. Thanks fo the photos, Chhiring – what a nice trip.
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