See What's Flowering at my Farm!
NOTE: I find it very interesting to compare weather patterns from one year to the next. Last winter was especially mild, forcing many spring flowers to bloom quite early. Although there is a bit of evidence of new spring growth, it's all pretty normal for this time of year. Please enjoy this blog posting from last February and let me know how your transition from winter to spring is going.
Yesterday, February 22, the temperatures here in the Northeast were above 55-degrees Fahrenheit! Things are certainly much different than what we experienced last winter when, at this same time, we still had about a foot of snow on the ground. As you can imagine, with such mild temperatures, plants are emerging from the soil way too early and many of them are blooming away. I thought I’d show you what is flowering outdoors at the farm, as well as inside the greenhouse, where you’d expect to see lovely flowers in February!
1 The snowdrops at the farm have actually been blooming since mid-January. With this warm spurt, they are now blooming like crazy!
2 Snowdrops, or Galanthus, are in the Amaryllis family, and they usually bloom in my gardens in early March.
3 These spring-flowering colchicums are blooming in the woodlands.
4 As are these Eranthis hyemalis, or buttercups.
5 These delicate flowers are Puschkinia, members of the hyacinth family and are growing right outside a doorway. Look closely and you'll see the finely detailed, sky-blue stripes that adorn each floret.
6 Crocuses are popping up everywhere.
7 As are doffodils
8 The crocus tommasinianus ‘Whitewell Purple’ are blooming away!
9 Even though they're blooming quite early, it's good to see that these crocuses are multiplying below ground very nicely.
10 The honeybees have so many flowers to visit!
11 With their swollen buds, these daffodils will be blooming in a day or two!
12 It's very interesting to see how active the hives are in late February.
13 As mentioned in a blog last week, the witch-hazel is in full bloom, another plant that honeybees love to visit.
14 Witch-hazel is a medicinal plant and extracts from its bark and leaves are used in lotions for treating bruises and insect bites and other soothing lotions for the skin.
15 Another crocus in the woodland
16 There is color beneath the linden trees. You may recall that two autumns ago, we planted these beds with 116,000 blue spring-flowering bulbs.
17 Inside the toasty greenhouse, my rex begonias are blooming away.
18 These rather insignificant flowers grow upon tall stems.
19 Begonia 'Selph's Mahogany'
20 Begonia 'Northern Lights'
21 The African violets are also blooming nicely.
22 This mottled purple one is called ShaZam.
23 And this one is Sassy Sadie.
24 I call these Christmas orchids and they are in full bloom.
25 A closer look at these amazing flowers
26 The many colors of each flower are so unusual.
27 A gorgeous spotted yellow orchid
28 Another amazing orchid in bloom
29 The sweet face of a white Phalaenopsis orchid
30 A rather exciting bromeliad flower
31 This aloe plant is blooming.
32 The tubular flowers of aloe are densely clustered on a long stem.
33 This tall, spiny cactus is flowering.
34 This is a cactus mimic succulent called Trichodioadema denesum. It flowers abundantly.
35 This is a type of kalanchoe, a genus of flowering succulents that....
36 Is in full bloom with bell-shaped flowers.
37 The still unopened and unusual flower of an Aristolochia, or Dutchman's pipe
38 Even the papyrus in the water garden is blooming.
39 And this striped one is Yukako.
40 And so is the Rhypsalis next to the water garden. Rhypsalis is a genus of epiphytic cacti.
41 Rhipsalis is also called mistletoe cactus.
42 We are now inside the hoop house where many tropical plants are stored for the winter. This is a clivia, a herbaceous evergreen with fabulous blooms.
43 The colors of clivia range from yellow to orange to red.
44 Camellia Japonica is sometimes called the rose of winter and is a member of the tea family.
45 These flowers are scented geraniums and they are edible, with flavors ranging from rose, to lemon, to nutmeg.
46 This giant kalanchoe, also known as donkey ears, is blooming in the lower greenhouse. Its flowers are rather nondescript.
47 Unlike citrus blooms, which are so highly fragrant. This is the flower of a Buddha's hand citron.
48 And this is a young Buddha's hand citron fruit.
49 More citrus flowers
50 And more citrus fruit
51 These are figs. Fig trees do not produce visible flowers. Rather, the flower blooms inside the fruit itself.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
I've already picked 2 bouquets of Heirloom Jon Quils. I picked one last week and another one today, or yesterday, now...as the case may be.
My Yellow Bells are starting to bloom, as is the Blooming Quince.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | February 26th, 2013 at 12:11 am
Do you have a source for the scented geraniums? I would like to find a rose scented one and our local greenhouses have not had any scented geraniums for several years. Thanks.
Posted by: Barbara | February 26th, 2013 at 12:35 am
Martha,
Thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | February 26th, 2013 at 1:22 am
Amazingly beautiful photos of the flowering at your farm, you are blessed.
I lam loving my Martha Weddings Spring digital issue, 3 of my favorite and inspiring people! You Martha, Darcy and Kevin
http://instagram.com/p/WMK_-VKp5_/
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | February 26th, 2013 at 5:54 am
Good Morning Martha! What a treat to revisit the blog posting from last February showing us all the beautiful spring blooms at your farm.
I never tire of seeing your orchid collection, especially the christmas and yellow orchids, so lovely.
We're having normal temps for this time of the year in our area, South Texas. I have seen signs that Spring is around the corner. The mesquite trees are getting their leaves and my garden mums have new growth emerging.
Have a wonderful day!
Posted by: Cindy F | February 26th, 2013 at 7:29 am
Not a sign of blooms here as Dakota is covered with same snow that fell in October but there is hope as temp was up enough to melt some ice from dangerously covered walk. Why anyone would winter here is a difficult question.
Thanks for these lovely photos and isn't it good to have corporate retailers realize your value?
Posted by: ann | February 26th, 2013 at 8:38 am
Oh, the snowdrops are beautiful.
Posted by: topazshell (Hattie) | February 26th, 2013 at 9:13 am
Beautiful!
Posted by: Tiff | February 26th, 2013 at 9:15 am
Oh, snowdrops are something I really miss here in Florida. But your photos are a wonderful way of remembering them!
Posted by: Becky | February 26th, 2013 at 9:16 am
Great start to the day, made me happy to see all the blooms. Spring is coming!
Posted by: Glen Nyhus | February 26th, 2013 at 9:19 am
Hi Martha, Sure love to see last year's beautiful blog about flowering at your farm compared to your latest blogs about what is blooming this year and everything looks so awesome! Even the Daily Wag has shown some lovely flowers blooming lately and I love their blog, also! Every one of your photos and comments are superb and very inspiring about spring coming fairly soon! I love viewing these beautiful photos many times! Happy Birthday to your farm member, Ryan McCallister! Will he be working out in your gardens today?! He always does a marvelous job! Many of my flowers are finally coming up and my Rhododendrons are getting ready to bloom! Our weather has been kind of unusual this year with only a little snow about one day and lots of rain and heavy wind making it feel rather cold here and somewhat uncomfortable. I have a very small greenhouse and will use it when it gets a bit warmer. Can't wait to be able to plant my tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, spinach, etc. when spring finally arrives! Hope you have another lovely day! Off to see The Daily Wag with F&S having an "Antst for Spring!" Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | February 26th, 2013 at 9:22 am
Do you do anything on the farm yourself or do you employ people for their expertise..not being being American I'm tryin to figure out if Martha Stewart designs or does Martha Stewart Inc manage designers
Posted by: Denise Smith | February 26th, 2013 at 9:23 am
My daughter has a new place, almost full shade; its a north facing patio with a 10'x6' bed, and a 1 foot skirt around the concrete pad. Not much to work with! She and I used to plant standard sized city lot beds every year, about 40'x 16' and south facing, so this is a challenge! I know the light will change by 30 degrees with the spring and summer, but even with that she will get at most partial sun. That blows her plans for sunflowers, peonies, and roses LOL.
I was looking at hydrongia and fern, ringing it with violas or impatients. We think we're going to try verticle garden on the walls of her patio. Suggestions? I heard lemon balm and oregano, but I don't know much about shade plants..
Posted by: Michael | February 26th, 2013 at 9:26 am
Snowdrops are favorites of mine also. Blooming here right now in Atl
Posted by: Tim Harper | February 26th, 2013 at 9:32 am
Oh Martha! Please please tell me how it is you split your beautiful cycad. I have two and would like more. Any tips you have or if you could show us how you split them it would be amazing, educational and increadiby helpful!
Posted by: Nadia | February 26th, 2013 at 9:45 am
Hi Martha,
I love the rose of winter flower picture #44. It's softness is beautiful. It's color and feel reminds me of Anne Hathaway's Academy Awards Oscar gown on Sunday night!! It's been a rough ride weather wise for the Northeast this winter between Hurricane Sandy, Nemo and all the other one off episodes of snow, rain, high winds, periods of freezing cold and then temps in the 50s. I hope our spring and summer is a little more quiet. I look forward to see what's flowering on your farm in the months ahead!
Lisa
Posted by: Lisa Gordon-Miller | February 26th, 2013 at 9:56 am
Hi Martha,
I don't think many of us down here in South Florida notice a transition from winter to spring as much as we notice spring to summer when the grass gets greener and needs mowing more often. We mow all winter long too but only every two weeks or so. My one sign of spring is my cute little Crossandra plant that blooms brightly with its orange flowers and rich green leaves. It gets bigger every year and now I want to plant more of them now that I see how this one matured. Thanks for another look at your many blooms from last year. It is always a joy to see such a variety. Trish
Posted by: Trish | February 26th, 2013 at 11:23 am
Good Morning Martha,
Your snowdrops are especially pretty. I need to investigate as whether I could have them in my garden. My garden is defined by its trees and shade. The temps here in the Houston area have been cool to mild which has many of my plants beginning to leaf out. My azalea has begun to flower and my redbud tree has one little pink flower. The temps are expected to drop to 32 by the end of the week and I hope that doesn't harm any of the plants. I had recently taken my plumerias out of the garage and now I need to move them back for a bit longer.
Posted by: Cindy M | February 26th, 2013 at 11:30 am
Martha - I live in Raleigh NC and my crocuses were up and open (blooming) by mid January this year. My hyacinths are up and the flower buds are present, but not yet open and my daffodils have been up and open for almost a month. I have a spirea bush which has set flower buds that are starting to open now. Lastly, I have a deciduous pink azalea whose flower buds are formed and are waiting to open. I hope they stay closed for a while yet - It;s just too soon.
I am concerned about global warming because I don't recall things happening this early 20 years ago - even here in the south. I used to see flocks of migratory cedar-waxwings here in late March, but last year and this year they showed up in mid January. They stripped every berry off of 2 privet bushes in my yard before moving on to a huge old bradford pear tree that is on my property. They, along wityh an accompanying flock of robins picked the entire tree clean of all the fruit.
Posted by: John Dolan | February 26th, 2013 at 11:48 am
I had snowdrops a few years ago and they bloomed in the middle of February in a place that only got morning sun and this is Toronto! They got crushed when we filled in our pool and I have a hard time finding snowdrop bulbs in fall here. There's everything else in the stores. I'd love to start another clump.
Posted by: Maria | February 26th, 2013 at 12:01 pm
Wow! How incredibly beautiful - and encouraging! Surely Spring is on its way! We have freezing rain here today, so your pictures are a real treat for winter-weary eyes! Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Carla Nelson | February 26th, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Hi Martha;
Wow, what a variety of beauty. Nature, sure has a way of saying Hello lol. Thank you so much for sharing in your joy. It made me smile like a breath of fresh air.
Sincerely
Lorraine.
Posted by: Lorraine Laviolette | February 26th, 2013 at 3:18 pm
I have tulips in February there is something wrong I think.
Posted by: birsen | February 26th, 2013 at 3:31 pm
I so wish it was another mild winter and early spring like last year. Just looking at your flowers made me smile. Things are very brown and lifeless in Michigan and it doesn't look like things are going to warm up any time soon.
Posted by: Laura Dembowski | February 26th, 2013 at 3:48 pm
I see many things like hyacinths and daffodils starting to poke through as well as the swelling buds on the lilacs. I also see the fresh green foliage of perennials starting to awaken. I've just finished pruning the rose bushes and the hydrangeas are next up. It has been so rainy here in Vancouver with few breaks in this weather pattern. Getting very antsy to have good weather and garden with abandon.
Posted by: Sherey | February 26th, 2013 at 11:01 pm
wow, they're lovely! wish i have those too here in philippines
Posted by: elma catahay | February 27th, 2013 at 7:43 am
The snowdrops are beautiful! I am definitely going to plant some this Fall for sure. I've thought about it for the last few years.
Posted by: Jeanine | February 27th, 2013 at 2:17 pm
I totally enjoy your blog and photos of any topic. You are an exceptional photographer and capture beauty everywhere! I love beauty and always wondered why I can sense beauty in so many places. Then one day I listened to a sermon on a CD recorded many years ago that was given to me. In the sermon it describes about "The Beauty of Holiness and the Holiness of Beauty" which is in the scriptures. It was my answer! This is why I sense the power and energy of beauty in my life and in the world. I enjoy the beauty of a tree, ocean. sunrise, sunset, mountains, clouds, flowers, animals, insects and numerous more...even a tiny dewdrop! I once developed a course as a preschool teacher called Backyard Friends to teach children to love and respect nature at an early age and to see the beauty around them. I hope the time we had to discover beauty together will always be a part of their lives. So thank you for bringing the beauty of your life to ours with the photos and words on your blog. I am so glad that I met you once at a book signing at the Short Hills Mall in New Jersey a few years ago. We share the same love of beauty!
Posted by: Joyce Kern | February 27th, 2013 at 4:07 pm
I loved your photos of the plants in your greenhouse. Picture #24 is called Nun's Orchid here in Houston. The genus name is Phaius tankervilliae or Phaius grandifolius.
Posted by: Sherrie S. | February 27th, 2013 at 9:10 pm
It is rainy, windy, normal temps in suburban Philadelphia..ground not that hard due to mild winter...Phil saw his shadow..sensing an early spring...
Posted by: Teresa Touey | February 28th, 2013 at 7:08 pm
Can you tell me how to keep the chipmunks from digging up a,l my flower bulbs and eating them. They disappear evey year . I want that spring look but it gets pricey when something is hungry for them
Thank you
Posted by: Pamela Riestenberg | February 28th, 2013 at 7:41 pm
This type of post is my favorite. I love the entire concept of what you are doing at your farm.
Posted by: Paloma Skye | March 1st, 2013 at 9:54 am
Anticipation of Spring! If this isn't your favorite time of the year...the time leading up to your surroundings turning green, the the blast of color from the flowering plants.
Posted by: Steve | March 6th, 2013 at 9:36 am