Spring is officially here and all the gardens are beginning to transform at my Bedford, New York farm.
It always amazes me how quickly plants can grow from day to day. I have crocuses, hellebores, irises, puschkinias, and many more. Here’s a glimpse at the flowers blooming in my gardens now.
Enjoy these photos.
So much can change in just a couple of weeks. There are many more crocuses blooming around my farm.
Crocus is an early season flower that pops up usually in shades of purple, yellow, and white. There are about 90 different species of crocus that originate from Southern Europe, Central Asia, China, the Middle East, and Africa. I have a dark purple crocus patch growing beneath some bald cypress trees across from my studio. These are big favorites here at the farm.
Croci can be found in alpine meadows, rocky mountainsides, scrublands, and woodlands.
Golden crocus bears vivid orange-yellow bowl-shaped flowers.
And so many white crocus have naturalized beneath my allée of pin oaks.
This crocus produces several upright, cup-like, purple and white striped blooms on stems rising to four to six inches above basal, grass-like leaves.
The flowers close at night and open up in the morning, but usually remain closed on rainy or chilly cloudy days.
Up in a field near what I call my “Contemporary House” is this – a large area of purple croci. It’s a sight to see every spring.
There are also lots of irises blooming. These are dark purple irises. The blooms have a very light and subtle violet-like scent. Irises come from a vast genus of plants, but nearly all show the recognizable iris flower form – three standard petals and three hanging outer petals.
These dwarf irises are good for use in borders, along walkways, by ponds, or woodland areas in mass plantings.
This is ‘Natascha’ miniature iris – a lovely ice blue color. They bloom in early spring and grow to about four to six inches tall.
And here it is in creamy yellow located in a small yellow garden bed near my chickens.
Puschkinia is a genus of three known species of bulbous perennials in the family Asparagaceae. It is native to the Caucasus and the Middle East. The leaves are green, strap-like, and grow in pairs. The flowers open in early spring in racemes up to about 10 inches high.
I have puschkinia growing in a lot of beds, including a large patch near my Tenant House. Puschkinia is best grown in moist, fertile, well-draining soil in full sun to partial sunlight.
Chionodoxa, known as glory-of-the-snow, is a small genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, often included in Scilla. The blue, white, or pink flowers appear early in the year. These are planted in the Stewartia garden under my majestic bald cypress trees.
Squill or Siberian squill, is also known widely by its botanical name, Scilla. It is a spring bulb with green grass-like foliage and arching flower stalks that support one to three nodding blue or white flowers.
And the hellebores continue to open down by my linden allée and up outside my Tenant House.
Hellebores can come in a variety of flower forms – single, semi-double, fully double, and anemone.
And do you recognize this? These are new fresh leaves on one of my tree peonies. The flowers won’t bloom until May, but they’ll soon be filled with foliage.
The daffodil border that stretches along one side of my farm is growing fast. There are many daffodil varieties planted in large groupings, providing a stunning swath of color when in bloom. The original daffodil border was begun in 2003. I will continue to share more photos with you as more of my flowers emerge.
I hope you saw my blog earlier this week when I shared photos of the pond cleaning process - the removal of old trees, stumps, and decades of silt, that decaying organic material that had accumulated and settled on the pond floor. The next step was to repair and reinforce the pond walls and rebuild a more functional and appealing spillway.
Enjoy these photos.
Once the pond was cleaned and emptied, work began on the repairs. My main goal was to restore the pond so it supported a healthy ecosystem and was aesthetically pleasing.
Boulders and rocks which I already had here at the farm were put to good use at the pond. They were transported from my compost and materials yard to the pond’s edge.
And then the rocks were placed strategically and thoughtfully to bolster the walls of the pond.
As the pond walls were reinforced, so was the littoral land, the area surrounding the pond. It was leveled and smoothed.
The team from Pennella Contracting Inc. in Brewster, New York used concrete and more of my giant rocks to rebuild the spillway.
The plan was to create a crenellated wall to allow the water to pass through easily and naturally.
It took a few weeks to build the structure properly. Work also depended largely on the weather. Thankfully, we had more good days than bad.
To keep the rocks level and in place, concrete slabs were made.
Concrete was also used to bond the rocks together. Here, one can see the spillway taking shape.
On the other side, rocks were carefully positioned for good flow out of the pond.
And stones around the culvert were also assessed and modified where needed for controlled water flow entering from other sources.
As work was completed, water was directed back into the pond. Here it is almost filled up.
Here is the crenellated spillway complete.
… And look how nicely the water flows through. Spillways are crucial for water control. They ensure surplus water flows through safely and efficiently, preventing any flooding.
The surrounding areas are also looking more finished.
The little structure by the pond’s edge was cleaned and repainted my signature “Bedford Gray.”
The water is much cleaner now that all the silt has been removed. Reflections of the bare trees can be seen in the water.
This is how the pond looked yesterday.
The next phase will include selecting and planting the best trees and other specimens for the pond’s edge. The right plantings will not only look beautiful but will also provide a good habitat for wildlife.
This will soon be such a wonderful area to visit here at my farm. Follow along here and on my Instagram page @marthastewartblog to see the final phase of my pond restoration project.
I've already started my spring planting, have you?
Every year I add lots of plants to both existing gardens as well as new spaces. Earlier this week, I purchased a selection of beautiful potted hellebores for an area outside my Tenant House that gets partial shade and dappled sunlight. I already have hellebores growing in these gardens, but I wanted to fill in the spaces a bit more. Hellebores begin to bloom in March and continue through the spring until the end of May.
Enjoy these photos.
Hellebores are among the earliest perennial flowers to bloom in spring. Hellebores are members of the Eurasian genus Helleborus – about 20 species of evergreen perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. They are very popular because they are easy-to-grow and are able to resist frost.
They are sometimes known as Lenten rose or Christmas rose because of the appearance and early flowering time. I’ve had hellebores in my gardens for many years.
Hellebores come in a wide range of dark and light colors including shades of white and cream, maroon, apricot, yellow, green, metallic blue, slate, and dusky pink with or without contrasting markings.
To me, hellebores are must-haves for any gardener’s collection. I grow them under my allée of lindens, outside my studio, and in the beds near my Tenant House.
Earlier this week, I purchased a variety of flowering hellebores. The plants behind them are azaleas for another exciting gardening project.
I decided these hellebores would be great planted outside my Tenant House, adding to the hellebores planted there last year. Ryan fertilized all the areas to be planted.
We use an all-purpose formula with a good balance of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.
Ryan brings all the hellebores to the planting site, so he can determine which ones will go where.
Then he places the potted specimens in the exact planting locations.
Hellebores should be planted about two-feet apart since they spread. The area is mixed with other perennials with foliage and blooms in similar colors. They will come up soon.
A hole is dug at least twice the size of the plant’s root ball. Fortunately, the ground is pretty soft, but use a spear-headed spade like this if necessary.
This hole is about six to eight inches deep.
Before planting, the root ball is scarified, meaning the roots are teased and sometimes intentionally cut to encourage and stimulate growth.
Matthew places the specimen into the hole so it is at the same height as it was in the pot.
Once the hellebore is in the hole, it is backfilled and the surrounding soil is gently tamped down to create good contact.
Here is one completely planted. Hellebores do best underneath deciduous trees where they are shaded by foliage in summer, but are exposed to full sun after the trees have dropped their leaves in fall.
Unlike the blooms of most other flowering plants, hellebore flowers do not consist of petals, but of sepals, which serve to protect the flower. These flowers also tend to nod.
These plants are also fairly deer and rabbit resistant. Some of the varieties planted in this space include Helleborus ‘Pink Frost,’ Helleborus hybrid ‘Lenten Rose,’ Helleborus ‘Rio Carnivale,’ Helleborus ‘Frostkiss Anna’s Red and ‘Frostkiss Molly’s White,’ Helleborus ‘Frostkiss Pippa’s Purple,’ and Helleborus ‘Pink Frost,’
While hellebores do spread, they are considered slow-growing plants that can take up to 18-months to reach their mature size.
Overnight showers provided a good drink. Once the plants are well-established, hellebores require little upkeep. If you’re out shopping for spring plants, consider the hellebore – you’ll love them in your garden. And please pick up a copy of my latest book, “Martha Stewart’s Gardening Handbook: The Essential Guide to Designing, Planting, and Growing.” It’s out now!
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
