So much is growing around my Bedford, New York farm. This week, many of my tulips are in full bloom.
Tulips, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes, are perennial plants that open up each spring. They're grown for their graceful leaves and bright, cheery blooms. Some are traditional and cup-shaped, some have fringed petals, others have pointed ones, and some are full of fanciful ruffles. Some varieties even carry a soft, subtle scent.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
It’s so exciting to see the swaths of color in the garden beds after a gray, dreary, winter. Look at these perfectly formed tulips.
Just before last year’s Thanksgiving holiday, we planted all of our tulip bulbs in a handful of raised beds in the vegetable garden. We received hundreds of tulip bulbs from The Flower Hat. These look so healthy. Any kind of bulb should be firm and free of soft spots or visible rot.
All tulips are planted in the fall and bloom in the spring. They grow best in zones 3 to 8 where they can get eight to 12 weeks of cold temperatures while under the soil.
Once all the bulbs were in their designated rows, each one was placed into a hole made with a dibber. Tulip bulbs are medium sized, so they should be buried at least six to eight-inches deep. As a rule of thumb, bulbs should be planted about three times the height of the actual bulb.
And always place each bulb with the pointed end faced up. This is important for all bulbs. If the pointed end is not obvious, look for the flat side of the bulb, which is the bottom.
The beds were raked carefully so as not to disturb any bulb placements. Finally, they were left to nature for the duration of winter.
This week, many were blooming beautifully! Tulips have a fascinating history. Although closely associated with Holland, tulips were first cultivated in Turkey. The name tulip is believed to be derived from the Turkish word for turbans, “tulbend,” because of their resemblance. They gained popularity in Europe in the 17th century, peaking in 1636 to 1637.
This is Tulip ‘Columbus’ with its rich deep pink double flowers and petals tipped in silvery cream.
From above, one can see the large cupped, peony-shaped blooms and pointed petals.
‘Foxy Foxtrot’ is a double tulip with shades of apricot, yellow, and hints of rose orange.
Its delicate blooms show slightly curved inner petals with a tinge of contrasting color.
Most tulip plants range between six to 24-inches tall. Taller ones should be shielded from any winds, so they don’t topple over.
The broad, strappy leaves of tulips have a waxy coating that gives them a blue-green color. There are usually two to six leaves per plant.
Tulips are stunning when planted en masse. Tulip ‘Spryng Break’ starts with dark pink-red blooms, but then changes ever so slightly as the white turns creamy yellow over time.
The inside is so geometric. Like many spring bulbs, tulips contain alkaloid compounds that are moderately toxic to pets as well as humans. The bulbs contain the highest concentration of toxins, but trace amounts are also found in the tulip flowers and leaves.
Tulip ‘Sanne’ has impressive, elegantly tapered flowers that open deep rose-pink and creamy-pink edges. As it matures, it turns lilac-pink with pink-ivory edges.
There are currently more than 3000 registered tulip varieties, which are divided into at least 15-groups, mostly based on the flower type, size, and blooming period.
Tulips have been hybridized in just about every color except blue. Most tulips have one flower per stem, but there are some multi-flowered varieties.
Tulips need well-drained soil. Sandy soil amended with some organic matter is perfect. They also prefer a slightly acidic soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5. I am fortunate to have such great soil here at the farm.
Tulip bulbs should be planted in full sun to partial shade. Too much shade will diminish blooming in spring.
By planting varieties with different bloom times, one can have tulips blooming from early to late spring. These should open within the next week – I’ll be sure to share more photos, stay tuned.
Every year I always plant a collection of interesting and beautiful trees. It is such a joy to watch the gardens, groves, and allées evolve and expand around my Bedford, New York farm.
Not long ago, as part of a delivery of plants from the wholesale nursery, Monrovia, I received several magnolias - spreading evergreen or deciduous trees or shrubs characterized by large, fragrant blooms, which may be bowl-shaped or star-shaped, in shades of white, pink, purple, green, or yellow. In many of the deciduous species, the eye-catching flowers often appear in early spring before the foliage. I already have several mature magnolias growing around my home. These younger specimens, Magnolia 'Black Tulip' and Magnolia 'Yellow Bird' will make wonderful additions.
Enjoy these photos.
Magnolias are believed to be one of the earliest known flowering plants, with fossils dating back millions of years. Researchers say Magnolia trees existed before bees, when flightless beetles were nature’s main pollinators. This is one of many Magnolias at my farm, and it’s blooming beautifully right now in a grove outside my new vegetable garden and up the carriage road from my stable.
I have several pink, white, and creamy yellow Magnolias. Magnolias produce impressive flowers that range from three to 12-inches in diameter. Some species of Magnolia flowers are also protogynous, meaning they appear with or before the tree’s leaves.
Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol. Magnolia blooms do not have true petals and sepals; instead, they have petal-like tepals.
These creamy yellow magnolias are outside my Summer House – also putting on a beautiful floral display this week.
Though it depends on the weather conditions, Magnolia flowers can last about two to three weeks, before falling.
Magnolias come in a vast array of cultivars and species that can grow successfully in most gardens. Eight Magnolia species are native to the United States. Many others are native to Asia. And most Magnolias do best when planted in full sun or partial shade.
Last week, my crew planted several young Magnolia trees. They were strategically placed before getting planted. Magnolias have wide, shallow root systems, so they need lots of room to grow. To prevent any confusion, the sod was removed from the exact planting location before the pot was moved and the hole was dug.
When planting a tree or shrub, measure the height of the root-ball to determine the approximate hole depth. Measure the diameter of the root ball to determine the width of the hole. The hole should be no deeper than the calculated depth. The rule of thumb is that the width of the hole should be a foot wider than the root-ball diameter.
And always have a good quality fertilizer on hand to mix with the soil of the new specimen being planted. Here, a sprinkle of fertilizer is mixed with bottom soil.
And then some is also mixed with the backfill soil. We use Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed Flowering Trees & Shrubs Plant Food, which contains micronutrients to nourish above and below the soil.
The coated particles are formulated with kelp, earthworm castings, feather meal, and bone meal that support root strength and tree development.
As with every tree planted, once it is removed from its pot, the roots are scarified. Scarifying stimulates root growth. Essentially, intentional cuts are made to loosen the roots and create beneficial injuries.
Here is a closer look. scarifying helps the plant become established more quickly in its new environment.
Once the tree is properly positioned, the hole is backfilled. “Bare to the flare” is the general saying when planting trees – the top of the root flare should always be above ground.
And then the top soil is tamped down around the root ball to ensure there aren’t any air pockets.
I always like young trees staked to protect them as they develop. A bamboo stake came with this tree, so it will be left with it until it is well-established. This is a ‘Black Tulip’ Magnolia, the darkest, most dramatic tulip Magnolia. When in bloom, it shows rich, deep burgundy-red six-inch-wide flowers that appear before the foliage emerges.
There was one bloom left on this tree when it arrived a couple weeks ago.
Magnolia tree leaves vary from shiny or waxy to soft, green, and saucer-shaped.
This is Magnolia ‘Yellow Bird’ has bright canary yellow three-and-a-half- inch flowers that emerge with the foliage later in spring after the danger of frosts. This one is starting to bloom now.
This magnolia tree is planted in the garden just outside my home, where I can see it every day. What magnolias are blooming where you live?
It’s always important to keep up with lawn maintenance chores, especially during this time of year when everything is growing so quickly.
Here at my farm, my outdoor grounds crew is busy edging the carriage roads, so they look crisp and clean. Edging roads, lawns, and around garden beds can be done manually with a variety of spades, but depending on the size of the space, it can become very time-consuming. Rotary edgers, powered by gasoline, electricity, or portable battery reduce the time it takes to complete this job. These machines feature a spinning blade that cuts through the turf as the edger is pushed along the road where it meets the grass border. For this chore, we used our Troy-Bilt TBE550 Lawn Edger. It works really well for creating that beautiful, smooth edge.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I have four miles of gravel-covered carriage road at my farm. Every spring, we all notice how much the grass has grown into the gravel making it difficult to see the exact edge where the carriage road meets the lawn.
Our Troy-Bilt TBE550 Lawn and Driveway Edger is a single purpose machine used for making good, crisp lines along the edges of garden beds, driveways, and lawns.
The covered nine-inch triple edge blade is self-sharpening and has three different bevel options for trimming. The machine is also very easy to maneuver and guide.
Pete and Fernando use bright colored twine and long nails to mark the straight edge of the lawn where the edger will go. The twine is saved and used over and over for making straight lines for a variety of projects.
Once taut, it is easy to see the guiding string for the edger.
It’s always important to wear long pants and closed shoes to avoid injury from any flying debris. Edgers can cause small stones to fly up to nearly 10-feet. Pete also wheres eye protection while using this machine. As it is running, Pete listens to the edger to guide the speed. The machine works harder when cutting through the turf and is generally quieter when it finishes.
In this section, one can see where the edger has passed and made a clean line through the turf.
Once a section has been edged, Pete pulls away the unwanted vegetation between the cut edging line and the lawn using a paddle hoe. The hoe has a six-inch blade on a 52-inch wooden handle attached with a goose-neck for good alignment.
Look how much is pulled away. Pete stops often to check his work. The carriage roads are all about 12-feet wide, which is what it should be after any overgrowth is removed.
This area is alongside my pergola. It looks so different after it is edged.
Fernando follows behind ad uses a soft rake to gather all the debris into one place.
Here’s a finished edge – it looks so straight and clean.
Next, Fernando brings a small load of gravel to the site.
I like to use native washed stone in a blend of gray tones. This gravel is used all over the farm.
The gravel is dropped in small sections along the road for easy spreading. Pete uses a a landscape rake to spread and level the gravel.
This razor-back aluminum landscape rake has a wide head and teeth to level gravel quickly and smoothly. These landscape rakes are easy to find at home improvement shops and some gardening centers.
Gravel roads are attractive, easy to maintain, and accumulate less pollutants over time. It’s important to edge and shape the roads regularly, so they drain properly and look tidy.
This day was cool with little wind, so flying dust from the gravel was minimal.
After a few hours, this section of carriage road looks completely different with its new edge and surface layer of gravel. There’s a lot more road to edge – keep up the good work, Pete and Fernando!
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