Most of the garden tours at my farm are conducted in the spring and early summer. Yesterday, I welcomed a group of winners from an auction run by Wave Hill, the charming non-profit 28-acre public garden and cultural center in the Bronx, New York. Despite cloudy skies and light showers, the guided walk took them through my various gardens, groves, and allées. They learned a bit about the history of my farm, the many changes I've made over the years, and about the plants and trees they saw along the way. Following the tour, we all gathered for a pleasant lunch al fresco.
Enjoy these photos.
Every now and then I agree to guided tours of my farm to show guests what is blooming in the gardens. Here I am with Linda Walker, Ruth Melillo, Director of Horticulture at Wave Hill Cathy Deutsch, Michele Logan, Janet Mavec, and Clelia Biamonti.
The day was cloudy, but the temperature was pleasant and many of the gardens were filled with early summer growth. The tour started on my terrace parterre outside my Winter House kitchen where I welcomed the small group of six and started with a little introduction about the history of the farm and how it has evolved over the years. I also gave them a brief rundown of what they would see during a guided tour.
The group loved my weeping katsura. I have three of these beautiful trees around my Winter House. The weeping katsura is a deciduous ornamental tree known for its cascading branches, heart-shaped leaves, and vibrant seasonal colors.
My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, lead the morning tour. Here he is with Cathy and Janet.
One of the early eye-catchers was the climbing hydrangea on some of the sugar maples. Everyone was inspired by the beautiful flowering vines – which, if planted correctly, do not hurt the trees.
Ryan walked the group through my half-acre vegetable garden. They admired all the growing vegetables. Everything is doing so well.
They stopped at the brassicas and loved the lush green kale. I always grow such beautiful kale.
Ryan also led the group to my long Boxwood Allée. Some stopped to say hi to the donkeys in their pasture. This view is of my stable complex and courtyard, where I always display large potted plants during the warmer months. The trees on the left and right are horse chestnuts.
And no tour is complete without a stop at the bird enclosures. Here are two of my peacocks – with one perched showing his lustrous tail feathers.
Every garden tour is different depending on what looks best at the time. The group also stopped at the flower cutting garden down by chicken coops to see the Martha Stewart hybrid tea roses. My rose has large pink blooms, dark green foliage, and a most wonderful and sweet fragrance.
Ryan stops at various locations to point out specific plants and trees. He also answers many gardening questions. Here he is pointing out the climbing hydrangea on another tree.
This energetic sextet also walked under the weeping willows all the way to my pond.
Ryan guided the group through the Pin Oak Allée, Quercus palustris, which looks so full with its distinguishable lower, middle and upper branches – such a lovely collection of trees. Thee group could not believe I planted them when they were just about five feet tall.
The tour walked to the pool, where guests saw my antique staddle stones. Staddle stones were originally used in the 17th and 18th centuries as support bases for granaries, hayricks, and game larders.
Under my pavilion, I hang staghorn ferns during spring and summer. I grew them myself from pups and they’ve matured so excellently.
I always serve refreshments during my tours. It’s a nice break for my guests and a good time to answer any questions they may have about my farm. The handmade yew table under my pavilion was set for lunch. We had some light rain, but the cool breezes were comfortable and perfect for our light meal. Some asked what I do with all the flowers I grow. Aside from using them for various video and photography shoots, I always cut fresh flowers whenever I entertain.
Our lunch was prepared by Mast Market & Cafe, a local, organic grocery and café in Bedford, New York. It included green salad with a side of fresh avocado mash.
There were also fresh chicken salad sandwiches with freshly baked bread.
This is a plate of spring kale salad.
And for dessert, fresh watermelon slices.
… and of course, for everyone’s sweet cravings – cranberry oatmeal cookies and traditional chocolate chip.
It was a fun tour with a very fun, enthusiastic, and curious group of gardeners and garden admirers. Please visit the Wave Hill web site to learn more about its beautiful garden and how you can support it.
Selecting perennials and evergreens for the garden can feel overwhelming. They come in so many forms - from shrubs to tall ornamental trees — and all with different growth habits and foliage colors. It's important to match plants to one's local climate, soil type, sun exposure, and water needs.
Recently, I received a large assortment of beautiful plants grown by the wholesale nursery Monrovia. The collection includes a variety of yews, junipers, cypress, viburnums, holly bushes, spruce trees, pine trees, and so many others. I'm looking forward to seeing these interesting specimens thrive in my gardens.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
It’s so wonderful to see such lush green plants. Thanks to Monrovia, these perennials and evergreens have dense, vibrant foliage that will add color, texture, and vibrancy to the gardens around my farm.
When deciding where plants will go, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, always takes into consideration the plant’s mature size, and the planting area’s sunlight conditions, soil type, and space. These evergreens will go to my living maze.
Mademoiselle™ Holly,
Ilex x meserveae ‘Madez,’ is an upright holly that shows off merlot new growth in spring. In winter, if planted with a male pollinizer, bright red berries provide more color and food for visiting birds.
This holly’s mature leaves are dark blue-green with a glossy texture.
In comparison, this is LittleOne® Blue Holly
Ilex x meserveae ‘MonWilde.’ It is the only true dwarf female blue holly. This variety forms a compact, rounded shrub.
Its leaves are shiny and dark green with toothed edges that give the foliage a high sheen.
Also in this grouping from Monrovia is an Upright Japanese Plum Yew, Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Fastigiata’ – well admired for its vertical growth habit. It has dense, finely textured green foliage that deer don’t like.
The foliage has long, needle-like leaves that are soft and flexible.
This yew is called an Eddie Yew,
Taxus x media ‘H.M. Eddie.’ Use this to create tall hedges or privacy screens. The long, upright-growing branches with dense dark green foliage naturally form a narrow, columnar habit.
This variegated plant is Canadale Gold Wintercreeper,
Euonymus fortunei ‘Canadale Gold.’ It is a sturdy evergreen shrub with a compact form covered with brightly colored, green and golden yellow foliage. This variety is great for use as a small hedge, or low border.
If you love viburnums, consider the Burkwood Viburnum,
Viburnum x burkwoodii. This is prized for its pretty clusters of pinkish white spring flowers and spicy-sweet fragrance.
The Korean Spice Viburnum,
Viburnum carlesii, has large clusters of spicy-scented, waxy pink flowers that fade to white. Its foliage becomes red and burgundy in autumn.
This dwarf shrub is called Tempelhof Cypress,
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Tempelhof.’ It features evergreen foliage in broad overlapping whorls. New foliage emerges yellow-green, changes to deep green, then shows off a bronze color in winter.
Jade Waves® Fernspray False Cypress,
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘MonYur’ has curved branches that hold graceful sprays of fern-like green foliage.
Spartan Juniper,
Juniperus chinensis ‘Spartan,’ is a handsome, fast growing evergreen that forms a dark green, densely branched and symmetrical column specimen.
This interesting Baby Blue Sawara Cypress,
Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Baby Blue’ features soft, bright, silvery blue foliage twists that grow around the branchlets forming a dense, upright shrub. It is prized for its color and unique appearance.
This is Slender Hinoki False Cypress
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Gracilis.’ It is an open-branched, pyramidal tree with arching branchlets.
The needles are tiny, deep green in color, with reddish new growth that adds a subtle contrast in spring.
The Emerald Isle® Leyland Cypress
x Cupressocyparis leylandii ‘Moncal’ grows in a neat, slender, and more uniform shape that needs no trimming.
And this unique plant is called Shear Genius™ Cotoneaster,
Cotoneaster ‘Monshgus.’ It was discovered by my friend, plantsman Dan Hinkley, and shows an upright form that stays narrow. Its small green leaves create a fine texture that is easy to shape.
Shear Genius™ Cotoneaster
has small, oval green leaves that give it a delicate texture. Its habit is similar to boxwood, making it a good alternative for formal hedges.
When shopping for plants, be sure to look out for Monrovia. I will be sure to share more photos of these beautiful plants as they are added to my gardens.
This year's first cut of hay produced 1296 bales! A great amount for my horses and donkeys to enjoy.
Hay is a harvested plant that’s dried and cured after being cut in the field. In most cases, hay is cut during the late bud or early bloom stage to maximize its nutritional value. When I moved here, I designated three separate areas as hayfields, so I could grow lots and lots of delicious, nutritious hay. Last week, my outdoor grounds crew worked hard to cut, fluff, rake, and then bale the hay in all three areas.
Enjoy these photos.
Here is one of my hay fields ready for the season’s first cut. My hay is a mixture of timothy, orchard grass, Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, and clovers – all great for my horses and donkeys.
Mower-conditioners are a staple of large-scale haymaking. Attached to one side of the tractor, it cuts, crimps, and crushes the hay to promote faster and more even drying. It is the first step in the hay baling process.
Here it is from the front. This equipment also works to remove the waxy coat on the crop as it conditions, making the hay dry faster – this means less waiting time and less chance for poor weather to negatively impact the hay quality.
When weather conditions are ideal, these machines allow farmers to cut wide and fast – the best formula for quality field productivity. As the mower-conditioner goes over the grass, it cuts it and then conditions it – all under the protective hood of the machine.
Here is a section of hay cut. The best time is to start as soon as dew is off in the morning, which will maximize drying time. After it is cut, it is left to dry for several hours.
Next, the cut hay is ready for tedding, also known as fluffing. This is our hay tedder. A tedder spreads and fluffs the hay in a uniform swath. It uses a rotary motion to grab the hay with spinning tines and then cast it out the back of the machine.
Here’s a look at the long metal tines when not moving.
The tedder moves up and down the field taking all the greener hay from the bottom and turning it over to dry. The hay turn colors from green to tan. On average, it takes about three days per field, depending on the size of the field and the weather, to complete the entire process of mowing, raking, and baling hay.
Then it is time to make the windrows, which are rows of hay raked up and shaped before being baled. The bar rake is pulled behind a tractor to make windrows from the tedded hay. The bar rake, also known as a basket rake is hydraulically driven. This rake allows for consistent movement across the fields making well-shaped windrows.
I am fortunate to have all this equipment. With a stretch of good weather, the entire process takes less than a week.
Here is a windrow ready to bale. All the windrows are lined up straight next to each other with enough room in between for the baler to maneuver properly around the field.
It’s an efficient process. As one creates the windrows, another bales.
A hay baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store. The tractor rides to one side of the windrow while the baler passes directly over it to collect the hay. All the hay is dry and passing through the machine smoothly. If the hay is properly dried, the baler will work continuously down each row. Hay that is too damp tends to clog up the baler.
As hay is collected, a baled “square” travels up the conveyor belt. A measuring device, normally a spiked wheel that is turned by the emerging bales, measures the amount of material that is being compressed and then knotters wrap the twine around the bale and tie it off. And then it is propelled into the wagon by a mechanical arm called a thrower or a kicker.
Inside, a box behind the baler is where large rolls of twine are positioned and tied to each other, so they can feed into the baler and secure the hay just before it shoots out into the trailer.
The process starts midday when there is the least amount of moisture. The wagon fills up pretty quickly. Each wagon can hold about 150-bales.
The hay is lifted by tines in the baler’s reel. Here one can see the bale shooting upward.
I have two hay wagons. Here is one completely filled and ready to stack.
The crew sets up the hay elevator to the hay loft. Then each bale is placed on the hay elevator which sends it up to waiting hands. Baling hay is a team effort. Each bale is about 15 by 18 by 40 inches large. The number of flakes in the bale is determined by a setting in the baler. Many balers are set for 10 to 12 flakes per bale. The bales are manageable for one person to handle, about 45 to 60 pounds each.
Here is a view from the hay loft as the bales come up the elevator.
The hay loft is full! Once all the fields are cut, they will be re-seeded and we’ll do a second cut at the end of the summer. I’m so glad to be able to make my own hay right here at my farm.
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