A Late June Tour of My Farm and Gardens
It's been quite rainy here in the Northeast this month, but that hasn't deterred guests from touring my Bedford, New York farm to see my gardens, groves, and allees.
Every now and then I agree to a handful of private guided walks to show visitors what is blooming at the time and to share how we care for all the many plantings. Unfortunately, yesterday my busy schedule had me in several meetings and a photo shoot in New York City, so I could not lead this latest tour myself, but the group was in great hands with my head gardener, Ryan McCallister.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
-
- It poured for much of the morning, but the group still got to see many June blooms in and around the gardens. This is a view under my long and winding clematis pergola.
-
- The clematis are at their peak right now. Clematis is a genus of about 300-species within the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. In this area, I grow a palette of lavender, purple and white cultivars.
-
- The group also walked through the flower cutting garden where this poppy just opened – so unusual and so gorgeous. Poppies produce open flowers that come in many colors from crimson red to purple, lavender and pale pink. Poppies require very little care – they just need full sun and well-drained soil.
-
- There are poppies everywhere in the garden. They were all grown from seed in my greenhouse. I love the variations in color, size, and shape.
-
- Here is another variety of poppy. Be sure to visit my Instagram page @MarthaStewart.com to see more of these beautiful blooms and the clever way my gardener, Ryan McCallister, arranged them for display.
-
- The group learned about my greenhouses. I have a total of five located in different areas of the farm. This is the smallest structure where we keep topiaries and various seedlings.
-
- Next on the tour was the long Boxwood Allee. The group learned how much time we put into caring for the boxwood so they remain healthy. Earlier this spring, we started using TopBuxus Health Mix, which prevents the fungal disease called box blight and is available on Amazon. They’ve been sprayed three times so far, and I am so pleased to report, they look so green and lush.
-
- From the Boxwood Allee, Ryan pointed out my home and long carport in the distance.
-
- The group was fascinated by the peacocks – many of the males were showing off their big, beautiful tail feathers – both the front and the back. I have a new while adult male peacock that I will show you in a future blog – he is still a bit shy and just getting used to his new home.
-
- As you may know, peafowl are members of the pheasant family. This is a Bronze peacock. Bronze peafowl are very rare – not all breeders will have them. This male is so beautiful with his brown tail and elongated covert feathers.
-
- This peahen doesn’t seem so interested. A peacock will open his tail during mating season or when defending his harem from other males.
-
- Here is another, younger blue male with shorter tail feathers. Peacocks shed their feathers once a year after breeding season and then grow them back – each time looking more showy and beautiful. The train gets longer and more elaborate until five or six years old when it reaches maximum splendor.
-
- The tour passed by one area filled with potted saplings. We originally got these trees as bare-root cuttings and they’ve already grown quite a bit. These young trees will eventually be transplanted into the woodland or in various areas around the farm.
-
- The day was very cloudy, but it stayed relatively dry during the tour. From a distance, everyone could see the great white pine trees – visible from almost every location on this end of the farm. Pinus Strobus is a large pine native to eastern North America. Some white pines can live more than 400-years.
-
- Everything is growing so wonderfully in the vegetable garden – we will harvest soon.
-
- This is my granddaughter Jude’s garden – it is looking fantastic. Jude planted all the seeds herself in these beds.
-
- The group also strolled through my Japanese maple grove. Few trees are as beautiful as the Japanese maple. With more than a thousand varieties and cultivars including hybrids, the iconic Japanese maple tree is among the most versatile small tree for use in the landscape.
-
- The group was offered a light snack of cookies and punch – all the cookies were very popular and went quickly.
-
- Art and Cydney Wade own Rose Petals Nursery in Florida. They focus on Heritage Roses, including Old Garden Roses, Antique Roses, Species Roses, and other rare varieties. https://www.rosepetalsnursery.com/
-
- Here’s a photo of charity auction winners Jenni, Traci, Lisa, and Marilee.
-
- And here are Michael, Debbie and their daughter, Hannah. Michael and Debbie actually lived in one of the houses on the property before I purchased it – it’s changed quite a bit since they were last here. They are the owners of Sgaglio’s Marketplace, a specialty foods and butcher shop – one of my favorite stops in Katonah. http://sgagliosmarketplace.com/
-
- After their refreshments, the group walked down the carriage road to see these Malus ‘Gravenstein’ espalier apple trees.
-
- There are already lots of fruits growing. I love this crisp and juicy apple, an antique variety, which is wonderful to eat and great for cooking and baking.
-
- As they walked back to their cars, the group passed the tall bald cypress trees – so full and majestic. It was a lovely tour with a wonderful group of visitors. I am glad the rain stopped just in time.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
