I am fortunate to have several greenhouses here at my Bedford, New York farm where I can maintain a large collection of beautiful potted plants. Among them, a growing group of orchids - those epiphytic flowering plants that bloom in a vibrant array of colors, shapes, and sizes.
Caring for orchids is a daunting process for many, but if you take the time to understand their basic needs, there is no reason why they couldn't bloom and thrive in your home.
Here are some photos of mine. And please watch my episode of "Martha Gardens," a Roku Original, when I walk through an exquisite display of orchids at the New York Botanical Garden.
This is one side of my large glass main greenhouse here at my farm. My growing orchid collection takes up space on long tables that slide for good access on both sides. This structure is also temperature and humidity controlled for the best growing conditions. When in bloom, I like to display some of my orchids in my home, but most of the time, they are kept here where they can be monitored and maintained more closely.
Above are these large shades across the entire glass ceiling that can be moved depending on lighting needs. The windows in this greenhouse are also mechanical and can open and close when necessary.
Orchids grow on every continent except Antarctica. They are native to the tropical regions of Asia, Australia, the Himalayas, and the Philippines. The orchid forms one of the largest families in the plant kingdom, with more than 25,000 species worldwide.
The size of orchids depends on the species. They can be quite small or very large. However, every orchid flower is bilaterally symmetrical, which means it can be divided into two equal parts.
Phalaenopsis, the moth orchid, is perhaps the best orchid for growing in the home and is also a favorite with greenhouse growers. Well-grown plants can flower often, sometimes with a few flowers throughout the year, though the main season is late winter into spring.
Here is another Phalaenopsis blooming right now. It is a light pink to yellow in color. Phalaenopsis orchids do well under normal room temperatures with indirect light from an east or west facing window.
Paphiopedilum orchids are often called ‘lady slippers’ or ‘slipper orchids’ because of their unique pouch-like flowers. The pouch of a slipper orchid traps insects so they are forced to climb up, collect or deposit pollen, and fertilize the flower. Slipper orchids have two fertile anthers — meaning they are diandrous.
Orchids are epiphytic, meaning they derive moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, or from debris accumulating around it. Special orchid mixes are available at garden supply stores. The mixes are blended specifically for epiphyte orchids, including Phalaenopsis, Cattleya, Epidendrum, and Dendrobium. These mediums usually include Canadian sphagnum moss, moss chunks, charcoal orchid bark, and lava rock mix.
A rule of thumb for potted orchids is the leaf color. When receiving a proper balance of light, humidity, and temperature the leaves will be healthy bright green. Too little light would make the leaves very dark.
Orchids also have aerial roots. They act as anchors and supports as they wrap around branches and trunks in nature, stabilizing the plant as it grows.
These are the long hanging roots of the Vanda orchid.
The orchid has three sepals, one dorsal sepal at the top and two lateral sepals one on each side. It also has three petals, one on each side and the lower lip, also called the labellum. The column and anther cap are the reproductive area of the flower.
I love getting rare and unusual orchids. This one came from the New York Botanical Garden some years back. This year’s NYBG Orchid Show runs through April 23rd. I love attending this show every year. Held inside the magnificent Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, it is known as the nation’s largest exhibit of its kind.
Some of my orchids which also bloomed wonderfully this year include this Rhyncholaeiocattleya My Orange ‘NN’ – a Cattleya hybrid. It has fantastic orange flowers. It is an easy growing plant that likes filtered light, especially if kept outside during summer. When watering, keep it slightly more evenly moist at the roots when in bud or bloom.
This is Phalaenopsis schilleriana ‘Wilson’ – it has beautiful pink to lavender flowers.
Oncidium orchids are popular indoor orchids because of their sprays of flowers. A large, well-grown Oncidium will have several branched sprays of beautiful, colorful blooms.
This is Oncidium hybrid Mclna. Yellow Star ‘Okika’. Its pretty pointed two-and-a-half-inch blooms can last up to one month.
This is Dendrobium ‘Aussie chip’ x. Dendrobium atroviolaceum ‘Pygmy’ x. Dendrobium atroviolacrum ‘H&R’. Dendrobiums need lots of light, but not direct sun. A lightly shaded south window is best.
And next door in my head house is our latest delivery of Ben Wolff pots. These are perforated orchid pots – you may have seen them on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48. We’ll be potting up some orchids in these beautiful pots soon.
Spring is officially here and all the gardens are beginning to transform at my Bedford, New York farm.
We have crocuses, snowdrops, hellebores, daffodils and so many more peeking through the soil. Soon, the grounds will be covered in spring color. Here’s a glimpse of what is flowering in my gardens now.
Enjoy these photos.
And just like that there are flowers popping up everywhere. Spring is such a beautiful time of year here at my farm. Every day there is something new to see. Here are some of the crocus flowers blooming under my long pergola photographed in the early evening.
Crocus is among the first flowers to appear in spring, 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.
Croci can be found in alpine meadows, rocky mountainsides, scrublands, and woodlands. I have groups of crocus blooms all around my farm.
Beneath my allée of pin oaks and in an area near my blueberry bushes, there are lots of white crocus.
Here is a closer view – the petals are so crisp. They only reach about four inches tall, but they naturalize easily, meaning they spread and come back year after year.
Here are some dark purple croci near my Basket House. These look great planted in bunches. Choose a planting site where there is well-draining soil.
These crocus flowers show dainty blossoms with amethyst-rose petals that look brushed with silvery-white on the outside, accented by bright orange stigmas and stamens.
These golden crocus flowers are sprouting up beneath the quince trees in a bed filled with saffron that blooms in the fall. Golden crocus bears vivid orange-yellow bowl-shaped flowers.
Here are purple and white striped croci growing in the back border of my pergola in front of a row of bold green boxwood. This striped flower produces several upright, cup-like, purple and white striped blooms on stems rising to four to six inches above basal, grass-like leaves.
One of my favorite spring blooms is the snowdrop. Galanthus nivalis is another sure sign of spring. These beautiful white flowers are blooming all around my houses. Snowdrops produce one very small pendulous bell-shaped white flower which hangs off its stalk like a “drop” before opening.
We planted some rare varieties down at the edge of my Japanese Maple Woodland. This one is Galanthus nivalis ‘Viridapice’ featuring white flowers with green blotched outer segments and green tipped inner segments.
Eranthis, or winter aconite, is a genus of eight species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae – the Buttercup family. Winter aconite produces such cheerful yellow flowers that appear in late winter or earliest spring. And, they are deer resistant. These are behind my Tenant House – they multiply more and more every year.
There are also lots of irises blooming – this one in a creamy yellow. These dwarf irises are good for use in borders, along walkways, by ponds, or woodland areas in mass plantings.
In another area, 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.
This is ‘Natascha’ miniature iris – a lovely ice blue color. They bloom in early spring and grow to about four to six inches tall.
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.
Do you recognize these? They are the stems of the herbaceous peonies now poking out of the soil. This garden of gorgeous pink and white flowers blooms in early June – it’s among the most anticipated sights here at the farm.
New growth is also emerging in the woodland. Symplocarpus foetidus, commonly known as skunk cabbage or swamp cabbage is a low growing plant that grows in wetlands and moist hill slopes of eastern North America. The flowers appear before the leaves and show a mottled maroon hoodlike leaf called a spathe, which surrounds a knob-like structure called a spadix.
One can see the spadix inside. The spadix is actually a fleshy spike of many petal-less flowers. As the flowers mature, the spathe opens more to allow pollinators to enter.
And the hellebores are still hanging on. 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 different 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.
Along the daffodil border, in the woodland and in various areas around the farm there are patches of daffodil foliage growing with so much energy. I have thousands of daffodils planted in large groupings, providing a stunning swath of color when in bloom. The original daffodil border was begun in 2003. I’ll be sure to show you photos.
Here is one of the first daffodils to bloom outside my Tenant House. I plant early, mid and late season blooming varieties so that sections of beautiful flowers can be seen throughout the season.
Much of the farm still looks like winter, but not for long. Soon these trees will be filled with glorious leaves, and all the gardens will be bursting with color – wait and see!
I always enjoy hosting St. Patrick's Day dinner at my Bedford, New York farm.
This year, I invited 12 friends to join me for a delicious feast - complete with my corned beef, root vegetables, and of course, my own version of the traditional Irish soda bread. I started with a fresh pea soup with homemade French baguette croutons. Our colorful salad included radicchio, arugula, persimmon, and pomegranate. The brisket from Pat LaFrieda was brined and cooked perfectly and served with potatoes, cabbage, carrots, parsnips, turnips, and leeks. And for dessert, Atlantic Beach Pie and the most delectable lemon sugar cookies. It was an evening of good company and great food.
I hope you saw my photos on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48. Here are some more, enjoy. These photos were taken by Kevin Sharkey - follow him on Instagram @seenbysharkey.
Whenever I entertain indoors at my farm, it’s usually in my Brown Room, a large dining room and sitting area. Here is our beautifully set table – in all shades of green, of course.
I decide the place settings for every holiday meal – working closely with my housekeepers to make sure we have all the necessary plates, utensils, and glasses. The green china plates are Paris porcelain monogrammed with an “S”. This year, my operations manager Stephanie Lofaro, also made these charming shamrock place cards. Each one was printed on a heavy card stock and then trimmed with craft shears to give it a decorative edge. Do you know the difference between a shamrock and a clover? Shamrocks always have three leaves, while clovers can have a fourth. Shamrocks are usually green, but one can also find them in purple, green, or white. And shamrocks grow in clumps, while four-leaf clovers are rare and grow one at a time.
Just before my guests arrived, I started a cozy fire in the Brown Room.
Dinner was scheduled for 7pm and everyone arrived ready to feast. My friend, Stephen Sills, gifted me with these lovely cut orchids – they’re so stunning.
I made loaves of my Irish Soda Bread with rye flour, wheat germ, raisins, and caraway. Everyone always loves my Irish soda bread – there’s never a crumb left over. Legend has it that, in some areas of Ireland, a cross was cut on the top of the Irish soda bread with a knife to ward off the devil and protect the household. It also helps the bread cook evenly and thoroughly. Irish soda bread is a somewhat sweet white bread made with eggs and butter and studded with raisins and caraway seeds — the “soda” in the name comes from the baking soda, or “bread soda” in Ireland, used to leaven it instead of yeast and kneading.
One of my tips for entertaining is to select one’s serving pieces early, so they can be washed and assigned to specific dishes. This saves a lot of time later.
And, it’s always a good idea to have all the china close at hand, counted, and ready to use to avoid any fumbling for additional pieces.
Everything was made just in time. Here are all he vegetables waiting to be warmed slightly before plating.
Kevin took this photo as I was slicing our corned beef brisket – it was so tender and moist.
Here is my pea soup – the silky smooth texture of this soup is an elegant way to show off the subtle flavor of peas. Each bowl was topped with a handful of homemade French bread croutons.
The salad was so colorful. I filled the platter with radicchio, arugula, pomegranate arils, and small wedges of persimmon.
Salads were served with a light vinaigrette dressing.
All the vegetables are cooked separately until tender – fresh cabbage, turnips, parsnips, carrots potatoes, leeks.
There was plenty for everyone. Everything was so beautiful, and delicious.
The platters were on the counter, so all my guests could help themselves. Kevin took this photo of me with two of the full platters before we all “dug in.” In Ireland, beef was a meat reserved only for the wealthy. The Great Famine resulting from potato blight caused a mass migration of the Irish to the new world. In America, corned beef was readily available to Irish immigrants and became a favored comfort food.
Here is the table sans plates – many returned for second helpings.
And dessert – a gorgeous Atlantic Beach Pie on the left and big lemon sugar cookies on the right. Atlantic Beach Pie mixes a creamy lemon-condensed milk filling with a crust made from crushed Saltine crackers and then topped with luscious whipped cream.
Each guest was served a cookie and a piece of pie. It was so nice to gather with friends to share this wonderful meal. We all had a wonderful time.
Here are some of the glasses being taken away after dinner. Using a variety of different glasses adds vibrant color to the table – experiment. I try to make my table look a little different each time.
And here is the lovely Empress Tang waiting to visit with all my guests. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
