I love this time of year when I can tour my Bedford, New York farm and see all the wonderful blooms - everything looks so amazing this season, including my roses.
As many of you know, I adore roses and have grown them for more than 25-years. Many of my rose cultivars were transplanted from the gardens at Lily Pond, my home in East Hampton. I also have various David Austin roses and a selection from Northland Rosarium - all highly prized for their lovely petal formations and beautiful fragrances. Most of the roses are in the flower cutting garden, but I also have a large collection planted near my tennis court along both sides of my lilac allee.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
This collection of rose bushes is planted just past my chicken coops and vegetable garden. During late spring and summer, this area is filled with various shades of pink, fragrant rose blooms.
A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae. There are more than a hundred species and thousands of cultivars.
Roses come in many different colors, such as white, pink, red, magenta, yellow, copper, vermilion, purple, and apricot.
This rose is ‘Charles de Mills’. It has large, opulent flowers with many closely packed petals giving the impression of very flat, ‘sliced-off’ blooms. They are rich magenta in color and have a medium-strong fragrance.
To produce an impressive show of flowers, always use nutrient-rich compost, composted manure, and other organic and natural fertilizers, such as fish emulsion. Organic amendments also help to encourage beneficial soil microbes and a well-balanced soil pH. This rose is ‘Ispahan’, also known as ‘Rose d’Ispahan’ and ‘Pompon des Princes’ – a pink, half-open kind of Damask rose with exquisite large, double blooms and a glorious fragrance.
Rose bushes need six to eight hours of sunlight daily. In hot climates, roses do best when they are protected from the hot afternoon sun. In cold climates, planting a rose bush next to a south or west facing fence or wall can help minimize winter freeze damage.
And be sure to plant them in a location with good drainage. Fertilize them regularly and water them evenly to keep the soil moist.
Rosa ‘Therese Bugnet’ is a hardy shrub rose with large, double flowers that are very fragrant and bloom from mid-June until frost.
Rosa ‘Mme Zoetmans’ is another lovely variety. It has full-petalled, rosette-shaped flowers with a button eye and a strong fragrance.
And one of my favorites is the swirled ‘Variegata di Bologna’ with its large, cupped flowers and petals of creamy white cleanly striped with purple crimson. It is one of the most striking of the striped roses providing a fantastic display in any garden.
The flowers of most rose species have at least five petals. Each petal is divided into two distinct lobes and is usually white or pink.
The flat bloom is just as it sounds, with petals generally flaring out.
Single blooms are fully opened and almost flat, consisting of one to seven petals per bloom.
Double blooms consist of 16 to 25 overlapping petals in three or more rows.
The cupped bloom has outer petals that are a bit longer than the petals toward the center of the bloom, curving slightly inward.
Some blooms are very full with many petals in at least three or more rows.
And this is a rosette bloom with many slightly overlapping petals of different sizes.
Rose leaves are borne alternately on the stem. In most species, they are about two to five inches long, pinnate, with at least three leaflets and basal stipules. The leaflets also usually have a serrated margin.
Rose stems are often armed with sharp prickles – they aren’t thorns at all. Unlike a thorn, a prickle can be easily broken off the plant because it is really a feature of the outer layers rather than part of the wood, like a thorn.
‘Constance Spry’ is the original English rose. It has large, glowing pure rose pink, deeply cupped blooms with a strong myrrh fragrance – this one looks perfect.
‘Juno’ has large, very globular full flowers that are blush pink with a small center eye. This variety offers an intense sweet old garden rose fragrance – another beauty in the garden.
When watering, give roses the equivalent of one-inch of rainfall per week during the growing season. Water at the soil level to avoid getting the foliage wet. Wet leaves encourage diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew.
Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach several feet in height. Many of my climbers are planted along the fence in the flower cutting garden. I will show you those gorgeous roses in an upcoming blog.
I also have climbing roses growing along the fence of my vegetable garden.
If properly cared for, a rose bush should live for about 30-years or more. I am so happy my roses are thriving.
Here is an arrangement of ‘Variegata di Bologna’ I made for my kitchen servery. Before placing in the vase, always recut the rose stems to eliminate any air bubbles that will prevent them from taking in water. And cut the stems at a 45-degree angle so they don’t rest flat on the bottom of the vase. What roses are blooming in your garden this season? Share your comments with me below.
Our Martha & Marley Spoon meal kits are delicious, nutritious and save so much time in the kitchen!
Yesterday, while I was in Colorado for the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, my personal executive assistant, Shqipe Lulanaj, tested another Martha & Marley Spoon meal kit - Pan Roasted Gnocchi, with Yellow Squash, Almonds & Basil. It was a big hit, and just as promised on the recipe card, the entire dish was cooked in 30-minutes. Our delivery service features so many inspiring recipes and cooking ideas and you can customize your menu and choose the recipes that best fit your busy lifestyle. If you haven’t yet tried Martha & Marley Spoon, just go to the web site by clicking anywhere on this highlighted link for more information on how to subscribe.
Enjoy these photos.
The box arrives at your door just like all our meal-kit deliveries – complete with fresh pre-portioned ingredients.
Everything is well-packaged and labeled, so there’s absolutely no confusion in the kitchen. The kits are designed to feed two or four people. It’s a superior, money saving, time-saving meal-kit delivery system.
The kit comes with a large recipe card complete with a photo of the finished dish on one side.
And on the other side – all the how-to, step-by-step instructions and detailed photos to match.
For this recipe, the first step is to prep the squash. The squash is grated using the largest holes on this grater, but a food processor with a shredding attachment also works.
The grated squash is then placed into a colander to drain while the other ingredients are prepared.
The colander can be left in the sink or over a bowl for easy drainage.
One head of garlic is included with the kit. Each of the segments is a garlic clove and there are about 10 to 16 cloves in one head.
One large clove or enough for one teaspoon of garlic is finely chopped.
The almonds are coarsely chopped. Almonds are a great way to add healthy fats, fiber, protein, magnesium and vitamin E to a meal. Almonds help to lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels and reduce blood pressure. They can also reduce hunger and promote weight loss.
And the Parmesan cheese is coarsely grated.
The squash is then hand-squeezed of any excess moisture.
Two tablespoons are heated in a medium saucepan.
And then the squash and garlic are added and cooked for about 10 to 12 minutes until the squash is very soft and beginning to break down. Everyone loves cooking with my Beech Wood Spoon from my collection at Macy’s – it’s sturdy to use but gentle on non-stick surfaces. https://mcys.co/2KjGWMH
Next, while the squash is cooking, the gnocchi is placed in a single layer in another pan. These are thick, small, soft dough dumplings with potato. Remember, Martha & Marley spoon pre-measures everything, and provides enough food for even the hungriest of eaters. The gnocchi is cooked without stirring until well browned and crisp on one side.
The spinach and half the basil leaves are now added to the pan with the butter and cooked until the spinach is wilted.
This only takes one to two minutes – look how fresh and delicious it looks.
Here, the squash is added to combine and then it is removed from the heat and sprinkled with half of the grated Parmesan.
Shqipe garnishes the plate with more Parmesan and some basil leaves on top.
And it’s ready to serve for lunch or dinner. Pan-Roasted Gnocchi with Yellow Squash, Almonds & Basil is an easy, flavorful meal that you and your family will love. Order your Martha & Marley Spoon meal kits right now! Just click on the highlighted links above and enjoy our menu offerings! We’re adding more and more all the time! Enjoy the weekend!
There’s so much to see and learn at The New York Botanical Garden - I always try to attend their events and visit their exhibits.
Last week, after a long day at QVC, I went to The New York Botanical Garden for their annual Conservatory Ball. More than 550 guests were in attendance. The evening celebrated Chairman Emerita Maureen Chilton and her nine-years of service as NYBG’s Board Chairman. The affair also raised more than two million dollars to benefit the Children’s Education and Plant Research and Conservation Programs at NYBG. But first, since I arrived about an hour early, I had enough time to walk through some of the gardens, including the blooming Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden - one of the most popular NYBG destinations this time of year, when more than 650-varieties of roses are in peak bloom - they were all so beautiful.
Enjoy these photos.
This is NYBG’s landmark Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. It is so pretty any time of day. The Conservatory is the nation’s largest Victorian glasshouse. The Palm Court, with its spectacular 90-foot dome and dramatic reflecting pool, is often used for receptions and other gatherings. (Photo courtesy of Battalion PR)
The NYBG is a 250-acre site with verdant landscapes and more than one-million living plants. I took this photo as we drove past the Library Building in the distance.
This is the Ruth Rea Howell Vegetable Garden – the centerpiece of the NYBG’s Edible Academy, a state-of-the-art educational facility featuring hands-on activities and innovative programs that help children, families, teachers, and the general public learn about growing and preparing vegetables, fruit, and herbs.
We also passed this flowering Cornus kousa, a small deciduous tree in the family Cornaceae. You may know it by one of its other common names – kousa dogwood, Chinese dogwood, Korean dogwood, and Japanese dogwood.
And then we came upon the beautiful Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden. The David Austin rose ‘Leander’ greets visitors at the gate with its robust and fragrant rosette shaped blooms and its delightful raspberry scent.
The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden was restored and completed in 1988 in honor of Peggy Rockefeller who loved to garden and felt strongly about conservation.
At the center gazebo – ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’ and ‘Awakening’ roses. I also have a few ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’ rose plants in my flower cutting garden. It has beautiful little flowers held in large, open sprays of pale pink. ‘Awakening’ produces fragrant, old fashioned, three-and-a-half-inch fully quartered blooms of soft, silvery pink with a fresh, sweet fragrance.
Here is a closer look at the gazebo with all its beautiful roses in bloom.
There are blooming roses everywhere making this one of the most visited spots at NYBG from May to October. In the foreground, low growing ‘Peach Drift’, and the red climbing rose is ‘Winner’s Circle’.
Here is a view across the beds of some modern-day roses that require little or no spraying. Some of them include ‘Wedding Bells’, ‘Karl Ploberger’, and ‘Soeur Emmanuelle’.
‘Soeur Emmanuelle’ is a pink and lilac colored rose with strong, anise-lavender fragrance. It has large, very full cupped blooms which show off lots of petals throughout the season.
‘Mother of Pearl’ has an almost perfect flower shape. It is very hardy and disease resistant and was selected as the “Best Shrub Rose” by Birds & Blooms in 2014.
‘Divine Miss M’ is a luscious white rose with a little vanilla fragrance, named after singer Bette Midler to honor her work as founder of the New York Restoration Society.
‘Garden Delight’ has a yellow center with vivid pink edges that deepen with exposure to sunlight. The blooms grow in clusters and are old-fashioned, large and double in form.
‘In Your Eyes’ is a gorgeous new shrub rose that produces luxuriant clusters of three to five roses on its full, rounded form. Blooms start out a creamy yellow color accented by a red eye, maturing to soft lavender-pink with a rich purple eye. A delightful fruity fragrance accompanies these beautiful flowers.
‘Dark Desire’ has a nearly black bud that opens to a violet, red bloom. It has an enticing, strong perfume of apricot, geranium, honey, lemon, myrrh, and rose.
‘Celestial Night’ is deep plum purple in color with strong disease resistance and incredible flowering. Full blooms have a cupped and quartered, old-fashioned form that makes a stunning presentation both on the bushy plants and in a vase.
And look who it is next to ‘Celestial Night’ – the “Rock Star of Roses” himself, Stephen Scanniello. What a great surprise.
After seeing the Rose Garden, we were off to the Conservatory for the Ball. Here I am in the Palm Court in front of the dome and reflecting pool.
The black-tie event began with an hour of cocktails outside where guests were invited to see the exhibition “Brazilian Modern: The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx.” (Photo courtesy of Battalion PR)
The exhibit is the first-ever to combine a horticultural tribute to Brazilian artist, landscape architect, and plant explorer, Burle Marx, and his design work, with a curated gallery of his paintings, drawings, and textiles. Here is his sculptural waterfall. (Photo courtesy of Battalion PR)
After cocktails, we were all directed to go into the Conservatory tent for dinner. (Photo by Angela Pham/BFA)
The tables were dressed in beautiful spring colors and seasonal flowers. (Photo by Angela Pham/BFA)
Here is the centerpiece at our table with gorgeous shades of pink roses. (Photo by Angela Pham/BFA)
Here is Chairman Emerita, Maureen Chilton, as she took to the podium to thank everyone for celebrating her nine-years of service as Chairman of the NYBG Board. (Photo by Angela Pham/BFA)
Here is a photograph of NYBG President, Carrie Rebora Barratt, Maureen, and current NYBG Chairman of the Board, J. Barclay Collins II. (Photo by Angela Pham/BFA)
Dinner included flavorful fish and salad. (Photo by Angela Pham/BFA)
And a tasty, light berry dessert. (Photo by Angela Pham/BFA)
It was another fun evening at The New York Botanical Garden. Please visit the NYBG the next time you’re in the NYC area. “Brazilian Modern: The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx” is a magnificent exhibit and runs through Sunday, September 29th.
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