This year, I’ve been focusing more on trees since we bought the farm. Now that we have more land and no shaded areas, adding trees will help create much-needed shade. Once we have more coverage, I plan to start incorporating shade-loving perennials.
Most of the trees I’m focusing on are either prehistoric, ancient species or varieties with large leaves that stay out through winter. We’re in Zone 6, so I’m selecting plants accordingly. I’m also experimenting with propagating some of these trees from seeds or cuttings, with the idea of eventually offering them on our website.
In addition to trees, I’m looking at some unique aquatic and bog plants for a few specific areas on the property. I’m particularly interested in tropical-looking species that can survive our winters. I’ve been doing some testing to see what’s truly hardy here.
I’m also experimenting with cold-hardy palms. We have one called ‘Knoxville’ that seems to be extremely resilient. There’s also a hardy Trachycarpus fortunei cultivar called ‘Tesan,’ which has reportedly survived down to -5°F. We might get a little colder than that, but with some protection, it should do well. It has a very tropical appearance and should look great in our garden.
Once I get the area cleaned up, I’ll start sharing more photos and updates on the progress. The space we’re planting has a creek—really more of a dry creek bed—running down the middle, and we’re adding both native and new tree species around it. Over the next few years, I’ll be testing hardiness and collecting data on all these unusual plants we’re experimenting with.
-Brian
