My home is filled with gorgeous, bright, and colorful dahlia blooms - I just love them all.
As you know, we planted our first all-dahlia garden this year at my Bedford, New York farm. Many of you have seen some of the photos on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48. The garden was planted in June and through the summer, we all watched its progression. By late August, we had many beautiful dahlias with flowers ranging from small to giant dinner plate size. Some of the dahlia tubers are from Floret, a family farm and floral design studio in the State of Washington that specializes in organic, handcrafted arrangements for special events. Others came from Brent and Becky’s, a family-owned farm and garden in Gloucester, Virginia. And this week when the garden was at its peak, we cut a variety of dahlias to make several cheerful arrangements.
Enjoy these photos.
Look at all the colorful dahlias just cut from my garden – white to orange to pink in a variety of sizes and forms.
Some of you may have seen the very beginning of our dahlia garden back in June. This bed behind my main greenhouse was previously used for growing gooseberries.
By early July, the dahlias began sprouting. There’s no magic soil formula for growing good dahlias. They thrive in soil that drains well, with plenty of nutrient-rich compost, and a pH of 6.5, which is slightly acidic.
Late last month some of the plants were about waist high with beautiful blooms.
This week, they all hit their peak, just at the perfect time – late summer, when many other flowers have already gone.
Enma cut a few blooms to decorate my kitchen, but they were so beautiful, I asked her to cut many more.
This is ‘Karma Corona’. The Karma series was developed for the cut flower market. This variety has strong stems and flowers that open with a blend of beautiful salmon, yellow, and bronze.
The darker blooms are ‘Nuit d’Ete’ – a cactus type, very dramatic. Enma places them in bins topped with simple baking cooling racks from the kitchen. The stems just fit through the holes – and are free to dangle underneath without getting damaged.
‘Maltby Pearl’ has soft, creamy pink petals edged with lavender and tipped with white. This unique color combination gives them an almost metallic effect.
This is Dahlia ‘Hugs N’ Kisses’. Its three-inch blooms are a beautiful lavender with a deep purple reverse on the back of each petal. Each petal rolls slightly making it quite unique.
‘Myrtle’s Brandy’ is a red dahlia with white tips whose petals fold back towards the stems. It is an excellent cut flower variety.
And ‘Bright Diamond’ has large, white flowers with dark red streaks throughout. These blooms reach two to three inches in diameter.
This is Dahlia ‘Castle Drive’. It has a soft blend of pink and yellow and is great in arrangements and gardens. This plant is also very attractive to bees and butterflies.
Among the most popular varieties is ‘Cafe Au Lait’. This late summer bloomer grows up to 48-inches tall with 10-inch flowers. Many dahlia varieties grow tall and cannot support themselves when they reach maturity. Be sure to stake them once they grow above a foot high.
And if you like yellow, you’ll love ‘Kelvin Floodlight’. It’s a classic, butter-colored flower that’s dinner plate-size.
Within minutes, we had two bins overflowing with dahlias. To prevent wilting, cut only in the early morning or late afternoon. And only cut them after they open to mature size – dahlias will not open after cutting.
Here, Enma is ready to transport them up to my Winter House. It is easy to see how well these cooling racks work for these cut stems. And once they are inside, they can be placed in water.
These three single blooms look so pretty right on my kitchen counter.
I used these big dinner-plate dahlias in my servery.
And then created several colorful arrangements in glass vases. The stems don’t have to be too long – we cut these to about a foot each and then trimmed them indoors to fit these vessels.
I love this one in my small dining room – orange, and pink, and dark burgundy. Dahlias come in almost every color except true blue.
Another arrangement sits on the dining table. At the end of the growing season, dig and store dahlia tubers for the winter to replant next year.
This blossom is on a table in my foyer.
And nearby is this arrangement – so many different kinds of dahlias and every one of them pretty. If you don’t already, I hope this inspires you to grow your own dahlias. What are your favorite varieties? Share them in the comments below – I can’t wait to hear from you.
I am always on the lookout for innovative, sensible and easy-to-use tools and supplies to use around my Bedford, New York farm.
Not long ago, I received several pieces from Kubota USA, a leading manufacturer of farming machinery, lawn and garden equipment, hay tools and spreaders, turf products, and utility vehicles. Some of the pieces I received include a tractor and loader, a zero turn mower, a stand-on mower, and a push mower. My outdoor grounds crew uses all these machines on a daily basis - to mow the paddocks and fields, pull the hay wagons, transport compost and mulch, and many, many other chores. I’ve been using Kubota products for years and love how easy they are to maneuver. If you follow me on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48, you probably saw me mowing my large party lawn. These machines are great additions to my working farm and I am excited to use every single one.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
Here I am on my SZ22-48 stand-on mower. We use this to mow areas where the riding mower cannot go. https://bit.ly/2kQnPPh
We have to do a lot of mowing around my farm. We mow the orchard on the left of my long Boxwood Allee. We also have to maintain several paddocks for my horses, donkeys, and pony.
Here are all the new Kubota machines in their signature orange, ready to use. All my large farming vehicles and tools are stored in this big Equipment Barn.
This is the ZD1211-60 zero turn riding mower. It has a 24.8 horsepower diesel engine and a wider mower deck than older models. https://bit.ly/2kQnGeH
Pete does a lot of the mowing in the paddocks – he loves the speed and efficiency of the new mower.
And I love the vacuum, which collects all the clippings so we can put them directly into the compost pile – nothing is ever wasted on my farm.
All the machines are easy to maintain. Here, the crew is getting a maintenance lesson on the zero turn mower from Tom Patterson, one of Kubota’s regional sales managers.
Tom also goes over the stand-on mower. This mower allows the user to comfortably stand behind the machine as it mows. Stand-on mowers are easy to maneuver through tight spaces and can be used on uneven landscapes.
It has a tool-less adjustable front reference bar, so all the controls are easy to see and access.
And it provides good visibility over the controls. Here is Chhiring giving the stand-on mower a test run.
For even tighter areas, we have Kubota’s WGC6-21 push mower. The 21-inch mowers provide sharp cutting and easy bagging. And the controls are built to be ergonomic in design, making it comfortable to use throughout the day. Phurba uses this push model to mow around this hedge by my pool. It can also get around the other garden beds. https://bit.ly/2kI3Imv
Here is Phurba mowing between my stone staddles and the pool’s edge – a narrow, delicate spot.
All the mowers have powerful Kawasaki engines, cast aluminum wheels and decks, and edge guards to protect the machines.
And here is my new model M7060HD12 tractor – a vehicle that’s sure to get lots of use at the farm for pulling or pushing agricultural machinery or trailers, for plowing, tilling, transporting and so much more. https://bit.ly/2knE1XZ
Look at the size of these wheels.
The tractor comes with the built front-end loader LA1154, which we use for carrying my heavy planters, trees, mulch, etc.
Here, Chhewang lowers the bucket as Dawa loads it up with mulch made right here at the farm on one of my back fields.
These tractors are designed to work on large farms with many acres. This vehicle is designed with comfort in mind and easy to access, ergonomic controls built into a console for more efficiency.
Here I am in the driver’s seat – ready to mow the hayfield. My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, is at my side giving me some direction on the new equipment. The turbocharged four-cylinder engine is designed to reduce noise and vibration, so we can communicate while it moves.
Behind me is the attachable brush hog. A brush hog is a rotary mower that’s used to mow down thicker brush and vegetation over large areas.
This is a view from above as I mow the edge of the hayfield.
This tractor is so comfortable to ride and so easy to use – I could have mowed all day.
Unfortunately, on this day, I still had to go to our New York City offices for many, many meetings, but I can’t wait to get on the tractor again! Thanks, Kubota – I am very excited to use these great machines. If you are looking for dependable and durable farming equipment, go to the Kubota web site for more information. https://www.kubotausa.com/
Thank you for all the wonderful comments you’ve shared - I’m glad you’re enjoying these photos from my annual trip to Maine.
I always enjoy the time I spend at my Skylands home. My daughter, Alexis, and my two grandchildren stay there for the entire month of August. We love nature - the hikes, the lakes, and the many picturesque views. And of course, all the great food from the local fisheries and restaurants, the farmers’ markets, and my garden. During my visit, I also hosted a lovely brunch for the Garden Club of America, took a seaplane ride over Mount Desert Island, and attended the Blue Hill Fair with my grandchildren.
Enjoy these last photos of my 2019 summer trip to Maine.
On the morning after my birthday, we started off with a walk around Little Long Pond. Here I am by a giant birch tree.
Here you can see its massive size – such a beautiful specimen.
Little Long Pond is located between Northeast Harbor and Seal Harbor. The land was privately owned until 2015 when, in celebration of David Rockefeller’s 100th birthday, he donated it to the Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve. The gift included Little Long Pond and the surrounding meadows, woods, trails, and carriage roads on more than a thousand acres. I was so honored to attend the special event announcing this gift.
Here’s another view across Little Long Pond looking out opposite the trees.
On another day, I hiked with my guests Christopher Spitzmiller, his boyfriend, Anthony Bellomo, Debra Katz and her son, Ari. This group brought a wonderful “joie de vivre” – a French phrase meaning “joy of living.”
Some of our delicious homemade breakfasts included French toast and fresh raspberries picked from my garden. If you follow this blog regularly, you probably know I have many, many berry bushes at my Bedford, New York farm. We pick trays and trays of fresh berries every summer.
There’s also fresh citrus, granola and yogurt.
And on this day, salmon and cucumber toast.
After breakfast, I took a seaplane ride over Mount Desert Island with businessman, Gary Lickle. He loves to fly and often commutes from Maine to Florida in one of his small planes.
We saw nearly half of the island – it was a beautiful and clear day.
Here are some of the cliffs outside Seal Harbor. The views were spectacular from above.
Here is another photo I took from the small, back seat of the two-seater plane.
And here is a photo of us coming back down smoothly.
It was a fun flight. Gary is a very experienced pilot. In 2017, I took an aerial tour of the Florida Everglades with Gary. Gary is on the Board of the Everglades Foundation and is very passionate about its preservation.
My daughter, Alexis, loves jigsaw puzzles, and we all work on them when we’re home at Skylands. This one is almost three-thousand pieces.
For another meal, we enjoyed this delicious kale salad, using kale I grew in my garden.
And lots of fresh tomatoes and lettuces also grown in my gardens.
On this day, I hosted a garden tour and brunch for the Garden Club of America – about 40-guests were in attendance. The tour was part of a week-long series called “Gardens by the Sea” Here is my long dining room table getting set up for brunch.
I guided the walk through the wooded paths, sunny terraces and gardens – everyone was so excited to take photos to share on their social media platforms.
These pathways lead to my guesthouse, playhouse, and main house. Each season, the outdoor grounds crew covers the meandering footpaths with pine needles – they add such charm to the woodland.
For lunch, we cooked a tomato tart using more fresh tomatoes grown at my farm. We had an excellent tomato season this year.
This is a mushroom quiche – all the eggs are from my wonderful chickens.
I made brioche – see my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 for the recipe. I use my favorite recipe from “Baking at Republique” by Margarita Manzke.
Here is our buffet. We sliced the quiche and tarts and also served popovers with spinach and poached eggs. And for dessert – blueberry cake.
Here is a photo of my four precious dogs. They love traveling with me to Maine – Creme Brule, Emperor Han, Bete Noire, and Champion Empress Qin.
That night for dinner, we all went to the Islesford Dock Restaurant – one of my favorite local dining spots. We started with a cup of their famous New England Clam Chowder.
And then enjoyed local steamed lobster.
And for dessert – blueberry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Over Labor Day weekend, I took my grandchildren to the Blue Hill Fair – a true country fair in the small coastal town of Blue Hill, Maine.
We saw some gorgeous cows including this Holstein. Holstein Friesians are a breed of dairy cattle originating from the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Friesland, and Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany and Jutland. They are known as the world’s highest-production dairy animals. Adult females can weigh up to 1300-pounds.
There were many exhibits and competitions at the fair. Here are some of the flowers on display.
There was also a section dedicated to arts and crafts.
Handmade blankets were proudly exhibited – look closely at some of the prize winners.
And here is a blue ribbon hand-knitted stuffed animal. Country fairs always have a long list of competition categories. It is fun to see all the submissions – all handmade with care.
And afterward, we enjoyed lobster rolls, onion rings and french fries. What a fun day at the fair, and a fun time in Maine.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
