Many of you comment on how much you love seeing photos of my farm’s landscapes and gardens.
When I’m home, I always take time to tour the property, take note of what needs to be done, and visit with all my dear animals. This time of year, the scenery at Cantitoe Corners changes rapidly from day to day, week to week, especially with all the glorious spring blooms.
Enjoy these photos.
Here in the Northeast, May is when we see so many trees and flowers show off their beautiful spring colors. The trees are leafing out and so many blossoms are emerging in the gardens. This view shows the tops of my majestic pin oaks near the entrance to my farm.
Muscari is a genus of perennial bulbous plants native to Eurasia. Most may know it by its common name grape hyacinth. Muscari appears as spikes of dense urn-shaped flowers resembling bunches of grapes in shades of blue.
They also come in light blue, pink, white, and two-toned. Muscari grows to about six to eight inches tall – and deer don’t seem to like them.
The boxwood are growing wonderfully every year. There are more than 300 boxwood shrubs planted here on both sides of the pergola. These boxwood shrubs were grown from small saplings nurtured in one area of my vegetable garden next to my chicken coops. They’ve grown so much since we planted them.
The alliums, with their bold purple colors, are starting to open in this pergola garden – wait until you see all of them in full blooom.
Of all the shrubs that flower in spring, azaleas provide some of the most brilliant displays. I have many planted outside my Summer House. 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. They’re all just starting to flower now – I’ll share more photos of my azaleas in another blog.
And look, one of the first tree peonies of the season. Like a rose bush, tree peonies drop their leaves and their woody stems stand through the winter.
And here’s another tree peony in deeper pink, almost red – about to unfurl.
This tree peony is called ‘White Lotus.’ When fully open, its flowers can be up to seven inches wide and each flower held high above its bold green foliage.
The herbaceous peony bed is growing beautifully. Soon, this garden bed will be overflowing with giant peonies in pink and white. We just finished staking the plants. The stakes and twine will keep the plants upright with their heavy flower heads.
Leucojum vernum, or the spring snowflake, is a perennial plant that produces green, linear leaves and white, bell-shaped flowers with a green edge and green dots. The plant grows between six to 10 inches in height and blooms in early spring. Leucojum is a genus of only two species in the family Amaryllidaceae – both native to Eurasia. These bulbous perennials have grass-like foliage and are quite fragrant.
Mertensia virginica, or Virginia bluebell, is a perennial that is native to North America. Its buds are actually pink, but the flowers are blue. They can grow in any garden and bloom in early to mid spring and continue blooming through early to mid summer. Mertensia virginica will grow to a height of 18 to 24 inches tall, so they’re great naturalization plants for use behind other, smaller ones. They do best in peaty, sandy soil, but once planted, they require very little maintenance.
Dicentra spectabilis, or bleeding heart, is a genus of eight species of herbaceous plants with oddly shaped flowers that look very similar to hearts. These flowers are native to eastern Asia and North America. The flowers have two tiny sepals and four petals. They are also bisymmetric, meaning the two outer petals are pouched at the base and curved outwards at the tip. They are shade loving woodland plants that bloom in the cool of spring and stay in bloom for several weeks.
Here they are in a bold red color.
This viburnum is growing in my white garden outside my Winter House. There are more than 150 species of Viburnum; many are native to North America, growing in USDA Hardiness Zones 2 to 9. Most viburnums flower in spring. The sometimes-fragrant flowers range from white and cream to pink-flushed or wholly pink.
I love Camperdown Elms. I have two outside my Winter House kitchen and outside my main greenhouse. Camperdown Elms slowly develop broad, flat heads and wide crowns with weeping branch habits. Its leaves are broad oblong-obovate to elliptic, rough-textured, and serrated. In spring, Campberdown weeping elm trees are covered with blossoms. Although the flowers are small and, individually, insignificant, many of them appear at the same time. When the entire dome is covered, the plant turns from dark green to light, silvery green – it’s so beautiful to see.
And the Japanese maples everywhere at the farm are all looking so bold in color. Many of my Japanese maples are varieties of Acer palmatum – trees that have been cultivated in Japanese gardens for centuries. Over the last several years, I’ve planted many of these trees.I just love them and always look forward to their gorgeous display every fall. These specimens provide countless variations in size, leaf shape, and color.
Solomon’s Seal is a hardy perennial native to the eastern United States and southern Canada. These plants produce dangling white flowers, which turn to dark blue berries later in the summer.
In my shade garden outside the Tenant House, I have lots of beautiful ferns. Every day more and more unfurl. A fern is a member of a group of roughly 12-thousand species of vascular plants that reproduce via spores. These are ostrich ferns.
Bloodroot plants are early spring bloomers and may be found growing wild in dappled sun in wooded areas, producing beautiful white flowers. Bloodroot plants, Sanguinaria canadensis, get their name from the dark red sap found in the stems and roots.
Fothergilla is a slow-growing, deciduous ornamental shrub that is native to moist lowland coastal plain bogs and savannahs in the southeastern U.S. from North Carolina to the Florida panhandle and Alabama. It grows two to three feet tall and as wide. The whimsical flowers are bottlebrush-like spikes that bloom in spring.
And here is my orchard, which surrounds three sides of my pool. We planted more than 200-fruit trees here, many of which started as bare-root cuttings. These trees are all growing very well – in part because of the nutrient-rich soil.
And here is the entrance leading to my allée of London planetrees and cotinus and the woodlands beyond. Spring is here, and there is so much to look at and appreciate. I hope you are able to enjoy the stunning blooms where you live.
I always enjoy hosting outdoor gatherings at my Bedford, New York farm, but it's a lot of work to get everything ready!
Preparing for any special affair takes a lot of effort, a lot of time, and a lot of advanced planning. With so much to do all hands are on deck. Among the many spring cleaning tasks on our list - edge the carriage roads, weed the garden beds, clean the windows, polish the silver, power wash the stable floors and shine up the stalls. Fortunately, Mother Nature cooperated these last couple of weeks and the farm looks gorgeous.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Every year around this time, I often host at least one large party here at the farm. One of my favorite areas to entertain is down by my stable and Carriage House where there is lots of room for guests. But before any gathering, my team and I spend many days preparing so everything is perfect.
I have four miles of gravel-covered carriage road at my farm. Gravel roads are attractive, easy to maintain, and accumulate less pollutants over time. It’s important to edge and shape the roads regularly, so they drain properly and look tidy. Here, Fernando uses a hoe to remove weeds and overgrown grass from the edge.
Here’s a closer look – the edge of this section of carriage road is straight and clean.
Here is the section all done. Spring chores can be tedious, but they are all worth the effort.
Around the stable, Pete uses a long landscape rake to push gravel that has washed to the sides back where it belongs. Over time, rain and traffic cause the gravel to shift or run-off a specific area.
He does this all around the stable, Carriage House and office building. This razor-back aluminum landscape rake has a wide head and teeth to level gravel quickly and smoothly.
Afterward, Fernando spreads a new layer of gravel around the stable, leveling the road and filling in any bare spots. I like to use native washed stone in a blend of gray tones.
Nearby, Carlos cleans the window panes of my giant stable barn doors.
My handsome Friesian Hylke watches all the activity from his stall – he is very curious.
Inside the stable, Cesar carefully power washes the floors. I like to keep the stable as clean as possible.
The stalls are also cleaned so they look their best. The walls of each stall are wiped down with a furniture restoring tonic.
Christophe Pourny is my favorite go-to source for furniture care. His line of specialty tonics, serums, and soaps make it possible to polish, clean, restore, and shine nearly every surface and piece of furniture in the home – and my stable. I’ve known Christophe for years and have used all his products.
Here is Juan cleaning another area of the stall – one can see how different it looks after it is treated with Furniture Tonic. It restores the luster of the wood. And, the tonic is made from natural, non-toxic ingredients that are friendly to the environment.
Carlos is now cleaning the lower windows of my Carriage House – each pane wiped down until it is free of dirt, dust, or any streaks.
Moises is tending the garden beds beneath my linden trees – weeding and edging.
The tree pits are also given a fresh layer of mulch made right here at the farm – look how dark and rich it is. This mulch is also combined with tree mold and manure.
And here’s Brian grooming my Fernspray Hinoki cypress bushes. We planted a group of these conifers last autumn along the carriage road just past my allée of lindens near the entrance to my Japanese Maple Woodland. Everyone loves them here, and they’re doing so nicely.
Phurba is weed whacking under the Asian pear espalier – cutting those pesky tall grasses that cannot be reached with the lawn mower. Details are so important when preparing for any party.
When it starts to get warm, I bring out the potted plants and display them around the farm. Brian and Ryan are carrying one of two giant pots I borrowed for my party – and hopefully a little longer.
And here’s Enma carrying just one of the many bins of supplies and items needed for this first big spring gathering.
Ahead of any entertaining event, big or small, try to get polishing done early – select the pieces needed and polish them days in advance. It will surely save time and worry on the day of.
Spring is such a wonderful time to entertain – the weather is comfortable and all the gardens are coming alive. I hope you enjoy all your spring season gatherings with those near and dear.
If my busy schedule allows, I always try to attend the "Hat Luncheon."
Earlier this week was the 41st annual Frederick Law Olmsted Awards Luncheon hosted by the Women’s Committee and the Board of Trustees of the Central Park Conservancy. More than 1300 attendees filled the park’s Conservatory Garden for what is popularly known as the “Hat Luncheon” - a festive affair where guests don their most extravagant chapeaus. Frederick Law Olmsted was an American landscape designer and widely considered the father of American landscape architecture. Olmsted was made famous for co-designing many well-known urban areas including Central Park. This yearly gathering is among the Conservancy’s most important philanthropic events supporting its mission to preserve, maintain, and enhance New York City's iconic public green space.
Enjoy these fun photos.
Here I am in my “hat luncheon” ensemble. I always wear one of my own hats for the affair. I chose this old fedora and wore it with a Carolina Herrera by Wes Gordon coat and Prada shoes.
It was a bit cool and cloudy on this day, the first Wednesday of May, but hundreds of guests wearing their fanciful toppers came out for the well-known gathering at Central Park’s Conservatory Garden located at Fifth Avenue and 105th Street.
Waiters in white dinner jackets escorted all the ladies down the steps leading toward the awards ceremony venue. The event was held under the giant white tent ahead.
Inside, cheerful tables decorated with bright spring flower centerpieces.
The main mission of the Central Park Conservancy is to preserve and celebrate our iconic New York City Central Park. This is the Conservatory Garden – Central Park’s formal garden and one of the most significant public gardens in New York City.
The event raised more than four-million dollars for the Central Park Conservancy. This year’s event was completely sold out.
Here I am with ceramist and friend, Christopher Spitzmiller. This lamp maker donned a lamp shade for his hat.
There are always all kinds of hats at the luncheon. This is author and television host, Christopher Mason, in his cornucopia of flowers hat.
And look at this hat featuring the Central Park Wollman Ice Rink.
It shows the rink, skaters, and some of New York City’s famous skyscrapers.
Here – Christopher and my neighbor, fashion designer Andy Yu. Andy always creates his own looks. This hat, top, and bag were made from recycled items.
For lunch, everyone enjoyed grilled salmon with a spring salad.
Sitting here are Emily Eerdman and Marina Killery in their fanciful hats.
Here’s a fun photo of Katherine Zeller Gage, the beautiful wife of Chef Daniel Boulud and my longtime publicist and friend, Susan Magrino. The two stopped for this “pretty in pink” photo.
It’s always fun to see all the hats guests wear from year to year. There were colorful puffy hats…
And large flower hats…
… small feathery hats…
… tall hats and short hats, but all very lovely hats.
Here is one with a butterfly theme.
Here is Susan with Sharon Coplan Hurowitz in her McDonald’s themed ensemble.
Is that designer Lela Rose under that hat with the dramatically swooped brim?
And here I am with my banker and close friend, Jane Heller. The annual “hat luncheon” in New York City was another huge success. I am already looking forward to next year’s event.
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