Shin-Boku News

Greetings from Shin-boku & Baker Valley Nurseries

March 8, 2010

Below is a reprint of Shin-boku Nursery's first email newsletter. If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter, please use the signup box on our front page.

This has been a gentle winter, so far. There has been very little wind burn on the evergreens, and the temperatures only went below zero two times and then only briefly. There has been snow cover most of the season, which is a very good thing. Snow slows the frost penetration into the ground and if the snow is deep enough and arrives early, it sometimes prevents any frost from entering the ground.

We had a major wind storm the last week in February. Damage to the nursery was minimal, but many larger trees went down along the highways and some nearby folks were without power for almost three days. But now that the days are growing warmer and the daylight longer, Deb and I will be down in the nursery doing early pruning. It's always enjoyable to take those first cuts in the spring when there is still snow piled on the ground and rivulets of water-soaked mud encircling our feet. Early in the season we often come upon nests that are perched on joining limbs in the conifers, with colorful eggs ready to hatch or just hatched. Once the nests have been abandoned they need to be removed, however, as they can be a harbinger of insects.

Last fall we started work on the new Shin-boku Japanese Garden, which is just inside the entrance of our nursery, and will ultimately run 500' ± behind the long berm on Beech Hill Rd. This will be a demonstration & stroll garden, with a Karesansui garden (dry garden). The garden will contain various bridges, specimen Japanese Garden Trees, lots of weathered granite boulders, Japanese stone lanterns, and stepping stones. We will also be planting Zoysia Grass, and lots of trimmed shrubs and other plants consistent with Japanese Garden traditions. Long-term plans include an Azumaya (in this case a covered bench for contemplation).

In the Beginning: below, Shin-boku's stroll garden (early winter and mid-winter)

Last fall, Deb and I traveled south to see our friends Brian Funk and Chris Roddick of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Chris is the head arborist of the BBG and Brian is the head curator of the wonderful Japanese Garden at the BBG. It was raining quite heavily when we arrived and so we had the garden to ourselves. By late morning the rain had stopped and the rain-soaked trees were glistening in the sun. The Japanese Garden was a magical place! It was a great time but too short, so we do plan a return trip and spend more time. We highly recommend a visit. This garden is extensive and also has a number of climate-controlled greenhouses with plant material from most corners of the earth. We also traveled to Marty Brooks Nursery, Doyelstown Pa. and Hanselman Landscape Nursery in Mannheim Pa. Jim Hanselman is a Licensed Landscape Architect and does beautiful, very high end projects, many of which are Japanese inspired. Both were very rewarding stops. Marty Brooks sells trees into six figures. Of course, he has been growing many of these trees for many decades and they are worth the price! I encourage you to peruse these Web Sites.

Hopefully 2010 will be a better time economically, the landscape community has been badly damaged by the recession.

Our next news letter - mid summer.
Thanks,
Palmer

Shin-Boku Featured in Journal of Japanese Gardening

May 22, 2009

Shin-Boku Nursery was recently featured in Sukiya Living: The Journal of Japanese Gardening's May/June 2009 issue. Included below is the full text of the article. We hope you enjoy it.

JOJG readers often contact us with "Where can I get such-and-such?" type questions. All too often we've had to comment that the object of their query can be found in Japan but isn't available in the West. In the case of Japanese garden specimen trees there hasn't been much available in the West other than "poodle" trees and other low-quality ball-on-a-stick options. This situation has started to change, however, with the establishment of a few Japanese garden specimen nurseries. The most exciting among them is most definitely Shin-boku Nursery, located in the heart of New Hampshire's White Mountains in the small town of Wentworth.

Started a few years ago by Palmer and Debbie Koelb, Shin-boku Nursery has about 500 carefully groomed specimen trees in stock. Most are 20-25 years old and 2-4 meters in height. About half of the trees are Scots, White, or Jack Pine. The other half is a mix of weeping hemlock, spruce, and other cold-hardy conifer cultivars. Each tree is grown in its own container and painstakingly groomed year after year with the goal of creating the distinctive shapes seen in the gardens of Japan.

The idea for Shin-boku Nursery first took root almost 50 years ago when Mr. Koelb (rhymes with "kelp") visited Japan for the first time when he was on leave from his duties in Hawaii with a U.S. Army Band. As a young nursery-man in the 1960s he knew instinctively that he wanted to create the same kind of beauty that he witnessed in Japan. From the mid 1960s he owned and operated a series of nurseries, first in Weston, Massachusetts, then in Salisbury, New Hampshire, and then finally in Wentworth, where he stills owns and operates Baker Valley Nursery. Shin-boku's plant stock comes from grafted conifers that he first propagated decades ago at his other nurseries.

Each Shin-boku tree is treated as a distinct individual. The trees are labeled and the nursery keeps a record of each tree's history as well as the plans for its development. Each tree is groomed at least twice each year, and at that time the tree pruner has a clear idea about how to proceed. Some trees are trained to grow into tall forms. Other trees are grown as mid-size specimens. Still others are intended to cascade over water.

That kind of careful grooming, combined with nature's irregularity, means that each tree develops its own distinct character. The trees are then marketed as such. At Shin-boku each tree in the nursery has its own nickname. And each "individual" is ready to be shipped anywhere in North America where it will someday play a role in a Japanese garden, perhaps your own.

JOJG readers will no doubt be interested to take a look at Shin-boku Nursery's website or perhaps even visit the nursery in person. For experienced pruners there will also be a JOJG-sponsored pruning workshop held there this September.

Shin-Boku Goes to Japan

December 14, 2008

The Mother of All Shin-Bokus

Palmer & Deb spent three glorious weeks in Japan in November ‘08. The weather was mild, Palmer wore shorts most of the time, and Fall colors were spectacular. The species Japanese Maple (green foliage) had extraordinary Fall color. We visited 36 beautiful gardens and many other important sites, including a stop at Hiroshima. We pursued and acquired some new tree trimming skills and have the greatest respect for those who have been pruning these trees. Some trees that we viewed have been maintained for over 400 years. Truly works of Art!

Our trip began with a 14-day walking tour, arranged and led by Doug Roth & Tamao Goda (see JOJG website). It was a 5-6 mile per day walk through “off the beaten path” areas of Kyoto, visiting very high quality gardens, both public and private. The intimate “private” gardens were particularly delightful. No one was rushing you along, no crowds, and there was ample time to ask questions of the always friendly residents and hosts.

The last week we were on our own, traveling to The Adachi Museum in Yasugi, Ritsurin-koen in Takamatsu, and Korakuen in Okayama. All these stops brought us to more of the very best Japanese gardens in the world. We found the “Mother” of all Shin-boku trees at Ritsurin-koen. This tree is over 400 years old, about 40” through the trunk, 20' wide and about 15' tall, and sitting on a small mound of soil and rocks. The Garden keepers call it the “Tortoise and Crane”.

It is no wonder the Japanese are noted for their craft; they have been perfecting this art for over four centuries. All of the gardens are truly magnificent! The artists, construction people, and caretakers know how to create Naturalistic gardening to the highest level of the Art. Some of our Shin-boku trees will get an improved look next Spring, incorporating some of the styles and techniques that we learned on our trip. So be sure to check us out!