On cold winter days when it’s more productive to work indoors, my head gardener Ryan McCallister keeps busy seed starting and tending to the many plant maintenance tasks inside the greenhouse.
Recently, I purchased four new orchid plants from White Plains Orchids, a family-operated nursery not far from my farm. Once home, they went straight to the head house for repotting. Caring for orchids can be daunting for many, but if one takes the time to understand their basic needs and get all the proper orchid care supplies, there’s no reason why they won’t continue to thrive and bloom.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This is one of my new specimens from White Plains Orchids. Optimum temperatures for orchids in winter are 45 to 55-degrees Fahrenheit at night and 65 to 75-degrees Fahrenheit during the day. When plants are in bud, temperatures must be as constant as possible. I am fortunate to have greenhouses, where temperatures and humidity levels can be closely monitored.
When potting orchids, choose a pot that can accommodate two years of growth, or about two inches larger than the one before. Specialized orchid containers have holes all around the surface to increase the air circulation in the roots – these are the best.
Ryan is able to use some of the orchid medium from the plant’s original pot. Orchids don’t grow like other houseplants. Instead, they exist in a container of loose materials such as bark, charcoal, and moss.
I also like to create my own mix, but there are pre-made orchid mixes available at garden supply stores. Ryan combines materials and mixes them all together in a gardening trug bucket.
Then he adds more mix to the pot. He uses a coarse orchid bark, which allows air to circulate naturally around the roots of the plant.
Next, Ryan places the orchid inside the pot to see if it is sitting properly – it should be at the same height as it was in the original container. If it is too high, he takes some of the medium out from underneath the plant.
Ryan moves the bark mix around the roots and firms the bark down, making sure the orchid rhizome or crown of the plant is flush with the top of the bark.
Then Ryan fills the rest of the pot with orchid bark and charcoal until it is well secured.
In this pot, Ryan fills about a third of the pot with orchid mix. Whenever potting any plant don’t forget to place a shard or stone over the hole at the bottom for good drainage.
It is not unusual to see orchid roots growing in so many directions. In the wild, epiphytes are able to extend their roots looking for moisture. Managing the roots and the repotting process will ensure your orchid is healthy and strong.
Ryan places this Cymbidium Patricia Kerwood ‘Paso Robles’ orchid into its new pot. Orchids can be pot-bound, which encourages the plant to produce more roots and blooms and become more self-sufficient.
Ryan gently presses the medium into the pot to ensure it is well packed, adding more potting mix if needed.
The potting mix should be about a half-inch below the top of the pot, so none of it overflows when watering.
Orchids are such gorgeous plants. These new ones will be added to my giant greenhouse collection of interesting plant specimens.
Here, Ryan carries the potted Brassolaeliocattleya Mahina Yahiro Ullii AM/AOS into the greenhouse. These cattleyas are loved for their large, showy blooms.
When placing potted plants near each other, make the best use of vertical space where possible. Turn an extra and empty pot upside down and raise the potted plants. This consolidates space while also giving the plants room.
When this Angraecum orchid started to bloom, Ryan brought it in to display in my servery. These orchids have unique large, star-shaped flowers.
Cut orchids are also displayed in my sitting room – one of the first rooms I walk through in the morning.
These long-lasting sprays are so beautiful. Depending on the variety, some cymbidium orchids can bloom for several weeks. Some are also quite fragrant.
I love to bring in as many of these gorgeous flowers indoors whenever possible, so they can be enjoyed by me and my guests. I hope this inspires you to bring some pretty flowers and plants into your home this weekend.
It's winter and bitterly cold here in the Northeast, but I'm already preparing for the next growing season here at my farm.
I start sowing seeds indoors soon after the New Year. Starting from seed is not difficult to do, but it does require careful attention and patience. And once the seedlings start to develop, it’s important to keep up with maintenance care - thin out seedlings that are weak, prick out those that are growing too big for their seed starting trays, and transplant them into larger pots and flats. This week, Ryan transplanted the artichokes.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Artichokes are in season late spring and early summer. The globe artichoke is an heirloom vegetable grown for its tender, edible flower buds. I love artichokes and grow many every year.
I like to pick them young and small, but always look for those that are plump, firm, and heavy for their size. Artichokes are among the finest sources of dietary fiber and antioxidants. They are also an excellent source of vitamins C, K and B6 as well as folic acid, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
Here at my farm, all my delicious artichokes start as seed. It’s important to start vegetable seeds early, so they are ready in time to plant outdoors once the weather is right.
I enjoy trying seeds from various vendors, but Johnny’s Selected Seeds and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds are two of my go-to sources.
Artichoke seeds are small, so one must take time dropping them – one per cell. It’s a good idea to keep a record of when seeds are sown, when they germinate, and when they are transplanted. These observations will help organize a schedule for the following year.
After a few weeks, the tiny seeds have sprouted and grown enough to move into bigger containers.
These tools are great for transplanting seedlings. The tools include small cutters to remove any dead leaves, a pair of large tweezers, and a widger from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It has a convex stainless steel blade that delicately separates the tiny plants.
Use a pre-made seed starting mix that contains the proper amounts of vermiculite, perlite and peat moss. Seed starting mixes are available at garden supply stores.
I use Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix.
Blackie sits nearby and watches Ryan working.
Ryan fills the pots to the top. A good quality mix designed for seedlings will be fast draining and light. These mixes are formulated to encourage strong, healthy growth in new plants.
Using the widger, Ryan carefully removes the seedling from the tray. All of these are in excellent condition.
Ryan is very careful so as not to break the small root ball.
Using his fingers, Ryan makes a small hole in the pot for the seedling.
Then he places the seedling in its new container.
Once the seedling is in its hole at the same depth it was in the seed tray, Ryan positions it so it is straight and secure.
And then gently firms up the surrounding soil. He avoids handling the seedling by its tender stems, which can bruise easily. The strong and healthy plants now have more room to grow.
The purpose of transplanting is to provide enough room – overcrowding can stress the young sprouts.
The pots are watered thoroughly and fed next door in the greenhouse.
They will sit on one of the long sliding tables where they can be checked every day. The plants will have good exposure to light and can continue to grow until they are ready to plant outdoors.
Daytime temperatures are only expected to rise into the 20s for the rest of this week with more snow expected this weekend.
This last winter storm Fern dropped more than 21 inches at my farm with drifts topping two-feet in some areas. Thankfully we were well-prepared. All the tropical plants are tucked away in temperature-controlled greenhouses, and most of my precious boxwood shrubs and hedges are draped in burlap. The days following have been bitterly cold, with winds at a minimum allowing everyone a chance clean up --- before the next storm system arrives.
Here are more photos, enjoy.
This photo was taken two days after Winter Storm Fern dropped debilitating amounts of snow over much of the eastern United States. Thankfully my farm did not suffer any damage. Here is a stand of eastern white pines, Pinus strobus. White pines are the tallest trees in eastern North America.
Also standing strong are these dawn redwoods, Metasequoia, with their straight trunks. They are impressive trees by any standard, and beautiful in any season.
This is a view from the bottom end of my vegetable garden – completely covered in untouched snow.
This view between the paddocks shows an allée of lindens with my carport in the distance. This linden tree-lined allée runs from my Winter House down to the chicken coops.
Here is my orchard that surrounds the pool. More than 200-fruit trees are planted in this space.
After it snows, my crew sweeps the snow off the burlap that covers most of the boxwood here at the farm. This time of year, I am very relieved the hedges and shrubs are protected. Heavy snow could splay the branches. This snow was light and fluffy and caused by colder temperatures leading to less moisture in the air.
This shows the base of one of my mighty pin oaks, Quercus palustris, that grow alongside my Equipment Barn. My pool house is in the distance.
Notice the holes in the burlap. It’s a “Good Thing” I developed to help our avian friends during winter – they love to take cover inside, especially during storms.
Along many of the stone walls hang icicles. This week is expected to be brutally cold with nighttime temperatures in the single digits.
This is a row of six weeping hornbeams, Carpinus betulus Pendula. They line one side of the soccer field I set up for my grandson, Truman. These are such graceful and shapely specimen trees, very rare and densely branched.
Here is the little Basket House nestled in the grove of bald cypress, Taxodium distichum.
This corn crib has been here since I purchased the farm. Located near my Winter House and long pergola, it’s become a favorite photo for guests. I love how snow collects on this 100-year old white spruce fencing I purchased in Canada. This fencing is what surrounds all my paddocks at the farm.
These small shrubs which I nurtured from bare root cuttings are planted along the carriage road across from my pergola. At about 16 inches tall, these were completely covered in snow and had to be swept clean one by one.
Walking paths for man and beast are dug out through the cobblestone courtyard in front of my stable.
It’s true – birds of a feather flock together. Here is my gaggle of geese walking single file into their shelter. Less than five minutes later, they also walked out – together.
A walk up the carriage road one sees young azaleas peeking through the snow – a totally different look than in spring when these shrubs are full with foliage and blooms. Azaleas go dormant during winter, allowing them to tolerate the colder temperatures more easily.
Whenever it snows, I am always grateful for the stakes we put up delineating the carriage roads. We paint the tips of those stakes that mark the catch basins, so if needed, the side openings can be cleared.
Phurba uses a roof snow rake to remove snow off the tall American boxwood surrounding my sunken Summer House garden. While I do not cover these in burlap, I do wrap them in netting to prevent any snow from splaying the branches.
By late afternoon, it was snowing again. All the bird feeders are full. A series of these feeders hangs from the carport roof for all the 125-varieties of birds that visit my farm.
My donkey, Truman “TJ” Junior, doesn’t seem to mind the winter weather at all, though I do think he may be hungry for a snack.
My outdoor grounds crew is doing a great job digging out the farm from under all the snow. Let’s see what the next storm system brings. If you’re affected, be careful and stay warm.
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