I love visiting gardens and attending flower shows whenever I can - for me, it is such a pleasurable escape from my busy work schedule.
Last week, I was thrilled to find enough time to attend the 23rd Annual Redland International Orchid Festival in Homestead, Florida with my friend, Ilene. Over the years, this three-day event has become one of the most anticipated festivals for orchid fanciers. More than 65-vendors from around the world participate in the exhibit to share their orchids and orchid growing supplies. While I was in South Florida, I also had the opportunity to visit some other sights including the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, the Deering Estate, and the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami. Over the next couple of days, I'll share photos from all these wonderful places.
This orchid festival runs every year in mid-May, at the end of the regular orchid season – late enough to avoid any conflict with the traditional orchid shows, but early enough to enable the many wonderful late spring and summer blooming orchids to be displayed at their peak.
Here I am with a very tall orchid, Myrmecophila Christinae, that caught my eye – it was more than 10-feet tall. The orchids in this tent have been submitted for judging and are on display throughout the three-day event.
This is an orchid hybrid – Cattleya Lily Pons.
This orchid was also on display in the show tent with its beautiful long yellow petals.
Orchids comprise the largest family of flowering plants on earth, with more than 30-thousand different species, and at least 200-thousand hybrids. Orchids can be found in the equatorial tropics, the arctic tundra, and everywhere in between.
The Orchid Inn Ltd. is based in Bloomington, Illinois and specializes in Paphiopedilums, Phragmipediums, and other unique hybrids. http://www.orchidinnusa.com/
Many orchid seedlings are sold in flasks. Because orchids need to be grown in a sterile medium these flasks help in preventing disease during transport.
This bright pink cymbidium orchid is from Joseph Wu, an orchid expert who traveled all the way from Taipei, Taiwan. He is one of 27 vendors who attended the festival from other countries.
Joseph Wu also had some beautiful staghorn ferns in his tent. I love staghorns, Platycerium, and have quite a collection of them in my Bedford, New York greenhouse.
Platycerium grande is a solitary species with upright, fan-shaped sterile fronds forming a nest up to four-feet across and large, drooping, strap-like, unbranched fertile fronds up to six-feet long.
OFE International is a family-run business in Homestead specializing in orchid supplies including growing mixes and media, orchid containers and pots, food and other tools. https://ofeintl.com/
Here is just a sampling of orchid fertilizers. OFE International is constantly seeking new products, new cultivation techniques, and practices to help clients grow orchids successfully, with environmentally responsible supplies that are practical and reasonably priced.
Here I am in the Odom’s Orchids tent with the owner John Odom, who has been growing orchids for more than 50-years.
I loved this Lady’s Slipper orchid in the Odom’s Orchid tent. With over 90-thousand square feet of greenhouses, Odom’s Orchids is one of the largest retail growers and shippers of orchids in the United States specializing in Cattleya orchids, Vandas, Phalaenopsis, Lady Slippers, and Oncidiums. http://www.odoms.com/
Specimens in this tent are from Florida SunCoast Orchids in Myakka, another longtime family-run business focused on orchid growing and care. The key to growing these plants is to keep the root systems strong and healthy. These plants have no bulbs or stems to store moisture and nutrients, so it is important to maintain their roots.
http://floridasuncoastorchids.com/
Pots made specifically for orchids have holes on the sides to allow air to circulate through the loose medium and around the leaves and roots.
Cholla wood is the skeleton of a cholla plant after it dies. The cholla wood is made up of a ton of holes and is hollow through the center. It is often used for mounting orchids and other air plants.
Another vendor at the festival was Krull-Smith Landscapes in Apopka, Florida, a leading orchid hybridizer in the world for award-quality show plants.
Krull-Smith Landscapes displayed a variety of colorful specimens in their tent. Orchid flowers come in hundreds of shapes and many different sizes, from very large blossoms to tiny ones. They also bloom in dozens of colors, often combining one or more shades to produce bicolored varieties.
Most orchid genera are epiphytic, meaning they grow on trees and rocks rather than in soil. Orchid roots need to breathe and therefore cannot live buried in dirt.
We also spotted this plant – the shingle plant, a unique and fascinating climber native to southeast Asia. These plants plaster two-inch leaves against any vertical surface. The velvet green leaves with silver veining sit closely on the stem and often overlap. Once it reaches a vertical structure and starts to climb, the leaves increase in size and the internodes shorten up.
There were also several booths dedicated to orchid information – there was every book imaginable on the history and care of orchids.
Here I am with a fun and colorful orchid blouse! What do you think? I had so much fun at the Redland International Orchid Festival – I can’t wait to return. If you love orchids as much as I do, try to make the trip! Tomorrow, I will share more images from my busy day in Florida.
It’s always so nice to see entrepreneurs succeed in their small businesses - especially when the company focuses on promoting sustainable farming practices and providing healthy, delicious foods to its clients.
Last week, Mike’s Organic, a delivery service and warehouse retail shop in nearby Stamford, Connecticut, celebrated its 10-year anniversary. More than 150-friends, farmers, clients, and members of the press attended the event. Mike's Organic was one of the first 10 "farm to home" delivery services in the United States when it opened in 2009. Since then, founder and CEO, Mike Geller, and his team have partnered with at least 200 small farms across the region and distributed organic and flavorful offerings to hundreds more.
Unfortunately, I was out of town on business and was unable to attend the milestone gathering, but friends and colleagues who stopped by had a wonderful time. Congratulations, Mike - here's to another 10-years. Enjoy these photos.
This is Mike with his mother-in-law, Marina Varshisky. Mike founded the company 10-years ago after leaving his corporate advertising job and spending three months in the African bush where he realized his passion for wholesome, fresh foods. (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
Mike’s Organic is located in an old, industrial warehouse building. It’s been described as “the underground market for cool kids”.
Inside the retail shop are shelves lined with wholesome products carefully selected for their natural ingredients and manufacturing processes. (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
The party was held right inside the shop. On the left is Chef Geoff Lazlo plating sweet pea salad in a bacon vinaigrette. Before opening his own restaurant and farm to table catering and event company, Chef Geoff worked at Chez Panisse in California, Blue Hill at Stone Barns in nearby Hudson Valley, New York, Gramercy Tavern in New York City, and leFarm and The Whelk in Westport, Connecticut. https://geofflazlo.com/ (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
At another station, guests enjoyed Vermont wagyu brisket and pickled ramps, foraged by Mike himself, and served with whole grain mustard on rye bread. (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
Here are some of the Vermont wagyu burgers sizzling on the grill. https://vermontwagyu.com/ (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
These wagyu sliders couldn’t be served quickly enough – everyone loved them. (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
My personal executive assistant, Shqipe Lulanaj, and my friend, Terre Blair, attended the event. Terre is one of Mike’s longtime clients. (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
This is grilled asparagus spears with sesame seeds waiting to be served – everything was so fresh. (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
There were lots of small bites to go around – these are hand rolled egg crepes with Adamas black caviar, sour cream and herbs. (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
Heather Sandford is co-owner of The Piggery, a farmer-owned butcher shop featuring pork and house-made charcuterie located in Trumansburg, New York. Here she is slicing porchetta. http://www.thepiggery.net/pigblog/ (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
This is Emily Wilson with Stelios Stavrianos, owner of Cylinder Vodka. They are enjoying the evening’s signature cocktail – beet and blueberry smash with vodka, elderberry liqueur, berries, beets, and citrus. (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
Chelsea Danburg serves lamb pita bites at this station. (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
The lamb pitas are made with braised Sepe Farm lamb shoulder in pita bread with Greek yogurt, homemade pickled red Peppers and cucumbers. http://www.sepefarm.com/ (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
Another appetizer – English peas with pea puree and pickled baby carrots on cracked wheat toast. (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
During the event, Mike stopped to welcome guests, and to thank them for all the help they’ve given over the last 10-years to build Mike’s Organic. (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
Mike thanked his family, his team, all the vendors and farmers – especially Pete and Carol Sepe of Sepe Farm, Sheila Patinkin from VT Wagyu, Heather Sandford from The Piggery, Amy and Gail Hepworth, and Gerry Greco from Hepworth Farms, Amy Freidenrich and Haley Scott from Ross Breads + Coffee, and Jack Algiere from Stone Barns, and then wished everyone a great, long night of celebration. (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
Haley Scott is head baker from Ross Bread + Coffee in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Here she is serving warm pain au chocolate. https://rossbread.com/ (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
Here, Mike offers Amy Hepworth a taste of the pain au chocolate. Amy is co-owner of Hepworth Farms in Milton, New York – one of Mike’s sources for organic farm fresh organic vegetables. https://www.hepworthfarms.com/ (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
Dessert was also passed around to guests – these are warm mini almond cakes from Ross Breads + Coffee. (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
At the end, every guest left with a Mike’s Organic Gift bag containing Bixby Chocolates, Bjorn Qorn popcorn, Harry’s Berries, and Recess seltzer water. It was a great time celebrating a great business. What are some of your favorite small businesses? Share your comments in the section below. (Photo provided by Unger Media for Mike’s Organic)
My azaleas are putting on quite a show at my Bedford, New York farm - I hope you saw some of my photos on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48.
Of all the shrubs that flower in spring, azaleas and tree peonies provide some of the most brilliant displays. I have them planted together in a garden just outside my Summer House, and when they bloom this time of year, they make one corner of my property erupt with spectacular color. I am also developing a new garden of azaleas by a pond at the back of one of my hay fields not far from my grove of weeping willows. Azaleas can thrive in a wide variety of growing conditions, which makes them so useful in many different landscapes. They are popularly referred to as the “royalty of the garden” - long adorned for their brightly colored flowers and evergreen foliage. Plant enthusiasts have selectively bred azaleas for years, producing thousands of different cultivars.
Enjoy these photos.
Every year around this time, I love walking up the carriage road near my Summer House to see the beautiful blooming azaleas at the corner.
Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the Ericaceae family, which includes blueberries and mountain laurel. They are also all rhododendrons and members of the genus Rhododendron.
Two weeks ago, these azaleas were just beginning to flower. Here you can see a tinge of pink from the developing buds.
And this week, the same shrubs are just bursting with bright, bold shades of pink.
Azaleas are generally healthy, easy to grow plants. Some azaleas bloom as early as March, but most bloom in May with blossoms lasting several weeks.
These azaleas share a large bed with my tree peonies. On the right, you can see a couple of the peonies also blooming – I will share more pictures of the peony gardens in upcoming blogs.
Azaleas are native to several continents including Asia, Europe, and North America. These plants can live for many years, and they continue to grow their entire lives.
The tube-shaped base of the flower contains a stamen that protrudes from the center. The leaves are often evergreen with wooly undersides.
Azalea petal shapes vary greatly. They range from narrow to triangular to overlapping rounded petals. They can also be flat, wavy or ruffled.
Azalea flowers can be single, hose-in-hose, double or double hose-in-hose, depending on the number of petals.
Many azaleas have two to three-inch flowers and range in a variety of colors from pink to white to purple, red, orange and yellow.
Azalea blooms produce a light, floral scent. I love the varying shades of light and dark pink in this garden.
Plant height ranges from about three to six feet for most varieties, but rare plants can range from under one foot to well over 15-feet tall.
The best time to shop for azaleas is when they are in bloom so you can see their flower colors and forms. Buy plants that are sturdy, well-branched and free of insect damage or diseases. And, avoid plants with weak, spindling growth and poor root systems.
When selecting a location for planting, be sure you know the mature size of the plants so they can be grouped accordingly in the landscape – tall plants in the background and short plants in the foreground.
Azaleas thrive in moist, well-drained soils high in organic matter. Morning sun and afternoon shade are ideal.
Keep azaleas where they can be protected from midday and winter sun to prevent leaves from drying out and burning.
Once the plants establish their roots, scatter a handful of slow release organic fertilizer near each plant. Do this once in the early spring and again in the fall.
Some of these azaleas have been here for several years, but I am always adding more to my collection.
At my pond located in one corner of a hay field, I decided to grow another garden of azaleas. My goal is to fill this area with shades of yellow and orange.
In general, most azaleas prefer partial sun or filtered shade beneath tall trees. This location offers a wonderful environment for these plants – I am excited to see them flourish.
These yellow azaleas, or honeysuckle azaleas, are only a couple feet tall, but they will grow and continue to flower beautifully.
These flowers are about two inches in diameter, bright yellow, and perfumed. These azaleas also grow in trusses of five to sometimes 25 altogether.
Here is a deep orange colored azalea – so pretty against the bold green of its foliage.
From a distance, these azaleas already add such gorgeous color to the landscape.
This azalea garden is still a very young work in progress, but I am excited to see it develop – I know these plants will be so happy here. What azaleas are blooming in your garden? Share your comments with me below.
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