Here at my Bedford, New York farm, the garden beds are changing every single day. Trees are leafing out and flowers are bursting with color and energy.
Some of the most beautiful growth is behind my Tenant House and around my gym building. There we've planted Epimediums, trout lilies, mayapples, ferns, Syneilesis, Polygonatum, and other shade-loving specimens.
Enjoy these photos and have a great spring weekend.
Behind my Tenant House and near my gym, I designed lovely gardens of shade-loving plants. This time every year, we see these beds come alive with all the bold foliage. These burgundy trees are Japanese maples. With more than a thousand varieties and cultivars, the iconic Japanese maple tree is among the most versatile small trees for use in the landscape. They look so pretty with all the greenery and blooms surrounding them.
This is a trout lily. Its delicate blooms, which resemble turks cap lilies do best in dappled light.
Syneilesis aconitifolia, commonly called shredded umbrella plant, is an herbaceous perennial of the aster family that is native to hillside forest margins and slopes in China, Korea, Japan and eastern Russia. I am so fond of the foliage. The leaves are narrow, dissected, and cascade downward like an umbrella. Emerging foliage is covered with a unique white fur. White flowers on mauve pink calyxes will tower above the foliage midsummer.
All around, I also have lots of ostrich ferns growing. Matteuccia struthiopteris is native to North America. Once established, these grow to a height of three to six feet. Ostrich fern grows in vase-shaped clumps called crowns. The showy, arching, sterile fronds are plume-like and reminiscent of the tail feathers of – you guessed it – ostriches.
Every April, we see scores of ferns exploding from the ground.
Epimedium, also known as barrenwort, bishop’s hat, fairy wings, horny goat weed, or yin yang huo, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Berberidaceae. The majority of the species are endemic to China, with smaller numbers elsewhere in Asia, and a few in the Mediterranean region. The leaves are made up of leaflets, which can range in number from three to 50 and in size from as tiny to six inches long. They are generally heart-shaped, but can range from round to arrow-shaped.
Sprays of pink, white, yellow, orange, or lavender flowers appear this time of year. And, some Epimedium blossoms look like miniature columbines or tiny daffodils, while others appear more like spiders or stars. Species with long sprays can even resemble orchids.
Podophyllum peltatum is commonly known as mayapple, American mandrake, wild mandrake, and ground lemon. Mayapples are woodland plants, typically growing in colonies from a single root.
I have lots of mayapple growing in the gardens – this large area of mayapple is growing outside my main greenhouse and across from my gym building. The palmately lobed umbrella-like leaves grow up to 16-inches in diameter with three to nine shallowly to deeply cut lobes. The plants produce several stems from a creeping underground rhizome.
Nearby, the Cotinus are leafing out, too. Cotinus, the smoketree, or smoke bush, is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, closely related to the sumacs. Their smooth, rounded leaves come in exceptional shades of deep purple, clear pinkish-bronze, yellow, and green.
Astilboides is an interesting plant with huge, bright green leaves that are round and flat and measure up to 24-inches across. The effect is dramatic, and beautiful among other hardy perennials.
Commonly known as The Guinea Hen Flower, The Checkered Lily or The Snake’s Head Fritillary, Fritillaria meleagris is an heirloom species dating back to 1575. It has pendant, bell-shaped, checkered and veined flowers that are either maroon or ivory-white with grass-like foliage intermittently spaced on its slender stems.
The hellebores continue to show beautifully at the farm. Hellebores are members of the Eurasian genus Helleborus – about 20 species of evergreen perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. They blossom during late winter and early spring for up to three months. Hellebores come in a variety of colors and have rose-like blossoms. It is common to plant them on slopes or in raised beds in order to see their flowers, which tend to nod.
These white hellebores are planted outside my studio. Hellebore foliage is thick, evergreen, and forms a low lying clump with leaves that are lobed and palm-like.
These are Snowflakes – not to be confused with Snowdrops. The Snowflake is a much taller growing bulb which normally has more than one flower per stem. Snowflake petals are even, each with a green spots on the end, whereas Snowdrops have helicopter-like propellers that are green only on the inner petals.
And we still have daffodils bordering the garden beds with bright colors! My daffodil blossoms come in many combinations of yellow, orange, and white.
Here some all-yellow daffodils. I plant early, mid- and late season daffodils to extend the flowering season through spring.
Catnip is a member of the mint family. I grow catnip in a few different areas around the farm. It is an aggressive herb, so it spreads very quickly. Cats love the smell of the essential oil in the plants’ stems and leaves. I dry a big batch of catnip every year for my dear kitties.
Also growing in a nearby bed is phlox. Some flower in spring, others in summer and fall. Flowers may be pale blue, violet, pink, or white.
I hope you’re enjoying all the spring growth around your home and neighborhoods. Share what is blooming where you live in the comments section below.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, this week's temperatures are a bit cooler, but excellent for planting more vegetables in the garden.
Yesterday, my gardeners planted the season's crops of onions, shallots, and leeks which were all started from seed in my greenhouse. The seeds came from Johnny's Selected Seeds, a source I've been using for years. Onions, shallots, and leeks are all part of the Allium family. They are hardy, thrive in full sun, and are easy to grow in a variety of soils and climates.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This day was perfect for planting our onions, shallots, and leeks. Here, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, measures the bed for proper placement of the plants.
For the leeks, the rows should be at least 12-inches apart. This bed is able to accommodate four long rows equally spaced.
Here, Ryan creates the long rows using this bed preparation rake from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. Hard plastic red tubes slide onto selected teeth of the rake to mark the rows.
Brian makes the furrows a bit deeper using a hoe. Deeper planting will create more drought-resistant plants. These trenches are about eight-inches deep.
Here are the leek seedlings ready to be planted. To thrive, leeks need lots of nitrogen and consistent soil moisture.
Brian takes out a clump of leek seedlings and carefully separates each one.
He places the plants in the furrow where they should be planted – at least six-inches away from each other. Space is always precious in the garden, so proper spacing is crucial.
Leeks have shallow root systems. Unlike onions, leeks don’t form much of a bulb on the end of the root. Instead, they remain cylindrical, with perhaps a slight bulge at the end.
Phurba uses a dibber to make the holes for each plant right at the spot where they are positioned.
A dibber or dibble or dibbler is a pointed wooden stick for making holes in the ground so that seeds, seedlings or small bulbs can be planted. Dibbers come in a variety of shapes including the straight dibber, the T-handled dibber like this one, the trowel dibber, and the L-shaped dibber.
As Brian places the plant, Phurba follows and pushes it carefully into the soil.
Meanwhile, Ryan creates the furrows for the shallots.
Similar to leeks and onions, shallots are flavor-building vegetables in the allium family. Here, they are placed in a separate bed where they should be planted – at least four-inches apart.
These plants are delicate and also have shallow root systems. They prefer a soil pH of 5.0 to 6.8.
When planting, Phurba grasps the plant with the root end down and pushes it into the soil about two-inches deep until all the roots are well covered.
We always plant a good number of onions. Ryan prepares two beds for onions – red onions, white onions, yellow and brown onions.
The onion, Allium cepa, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. Onions should be planted in spring when temperatures are still a bit cool once they start to grow, and then warm when they begin to mature. Early planting gives the onions time to develop tops and store energy for the bulbs.
Onions are also categorized in two growing types: long-day and short-day. Long-day onions begin sprouting in late spring to summer when days are between 14 and 16 hours long. Short-day onions begin sprouting when days are between 10 and 12 hours in length – winter and early spring.
Here, Brian shows the onion seed still attached to the plant where it pushed through while germinating.
Once the plant is in the ground, Brian firms up the soil around it. Be sure the onion roots are well covered with soil, and that the top of the plant’s neck isn’t covered too deeply. If too much of the plant is buried, the growth of the onion will be reduced and constricted.
All the onions, shallots, and leeks are planted. Next, they’ll all get a good drink of water. There is still lots to plant, but this new garden is already looking so excellent. We’re all looking forward to our first bounty of fresh vegetables.
Every week, I receive several meal kits to test in my kitchen. I test as many recipes as possible to ensure we're sharing the best ones with all of you. Last week while I was away on a business trip, I gave some of the kits away. My gardener, Brian O'Kelly, loves to cook, and was excited to take home one of our time-saving meals - Honey BBQ Chicken Thighs with Broccoli & Creamed Corn. It was a huge hit. Brian, his roommate, and their friends loved every bite. Plus, just as promised on the recipe card, the entire dish was done in less than 40-minutes. Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon features so many inspiring recipes and cooking ideas, and you can customize the menu and choose the recipes that best fit your tastes. If you have a busy schedule like mine, and haven't yet tried Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon, please go to the website for more information on how you can subscribe today. You'll love it!
Enjoy these photos.
Here is the large recipe card for the Honey BBQ Chicken Thighs with Broccoli & Creamed Corn. Every Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon kit comes with this large recipe card complete with a photo of the finished dish on one side…
… And on the other, the complete how-to, step-by-step instructions and detailed photos to match. These photos help so much when preparing any meal – we make sure there are only six main steps for every dish. We work hard to develop every Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon meal kit recipe so it is time-saving, easy to make, and most of all delicious.
To start, Brian takes out all the ingredients from the box. Our Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon meal kits are great. All the ingredients are sourced to local quality purveyors and growers – just choose the dishes the week before, and pick the day of delivery – it’s that easy! We provide all the ingredients except salt, pepper, oil, butter, flour and milk – items one usually has right at home.
The first step after Brian pre-heats the broiler, is to prepare the chicken. The meals come with all the ingredients to make a meal for two or four hungry eaters. The chicken is placed onto a rimmed baking sheet, sprinkled with salt and pepper and then drizzled with oil. Then Brian puts the chicken into the oven until it starts to get brown. – about seven minutes.
Then, Brian prepares the BBQ glaze. He combines all the provided honey, tamari, barbecue sauce, and two teaspoons of garlic.
And then instead of stirring in a bowl, he uses a jar and shakes all the ingredients together to mix.
Doing this is just as easy as combining in a small bowl.
Next, Brian cuts the broccoli into one-inch florets.
And then tosses the broccoli with salt, pepper and two tablespoons of oil.
Once the chicken is out of the broiler, Brian uses half of the barbecue glaze and coats each piece of chicken.
Brian spreads the broccoli onto the same baking sheet and returns it to the broiler. It is cooked for another seven minutes depending on the oven – until the chicken is cooked through, the glaze is browned in spots, and the broccoli is lightly charred.
Brian then makes the creamed corn. He melts four tablespoons butter into a large saucepan over medium heat and adds all the corn.
Here, Brian adds the necessary flour and cooks for under a minute.
He adds cream cheese and a cup of milk and a cup of water.
Brian then mixes everything until it is thick and creamy.
Next, he stirs in Parmesan cheese and mixes to combine.
Lastly, Brian slices the chives and uses it to garnish the corn.
The chicken thighs and broccoli florets are fresh from the oven and looking so delicious. The chicken is brushed with any remaining barbecue sauce and then served.
And here is a plateful – just like the photo on the recipe card. The entire meal was cooked in about a half hour. It was easy to prepare and everyone said they’d definitely eat it again. Subscribe to Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon now.
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