Today in the Northeast, we’re expecting scattered thunderstorms and partly cloudy skies, but so much continues to flourish here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Every day, I notice something new blooming. And, while many of the flowers are erupting with vibrant color, we've also been watching all the trees come to life. I've shared some images on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 - I hope you've seen them.
For this Memorial Day weekend, here are more photos from the gardens at Cantitoe Corners - enjoy.
When I first moved to my farm, it was a blank slate. Over the years, I’ve planted thousands and thousands of trees and plants. These gorgeous ferns surround part of my Basket House under the shade of bald cypress trees. In the distance – a section of my long and winding pergola and gardens now filled with shades of purple and blue.
On the right is a Japanese maple. 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 green foliage surrounding them. Japanese maples are native to areas of Japan, Korea, China, and Russia. In Japan, the maple is called the “autumn welcoming tree” and is planted in the western portion of gardens – the direction from which fall arrives there.
Red-leafed cultivars are the most popular of the Japanese maples. Japanese maple leaves range from about an inch-and-a-half to four-inches long and wide with five, seven, or nine acutely pointed lobes.
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.
This is Pulmonaria, or lungwort – a beautiful, versatile, hardy plant. Lungworts are evergreen or herbaceous perennials that form clumps or rosettes. They are covered in hairs of varied length and stiffness. The spotted oval leaves were thought to symbolize diseased, ulcerated lungs, and so were once used to treat pulmonary infections.
The lungwort flower appears in early spring and can be blue, pink, or white, and is frequently two or more colors on a single plant. Often the flowers on a lungwort will start out one color before eventually fading into another color as the flower ages.
These are the dainty leaves of thalictrum. Plants in this genus are native to stream banks, shaded mountains, and moist meadows. It grows best in moist, humus-rich soil in partial shade. Thalictrum has some of the most beautifully textured foliage. The name Thalictrum means “to flourish,” and it does, with elegant, finely cut and rounded compound leaves.
Japanese painted ferns are beautiful mounds of dramatic foliage with luminescent blue-green fronds and dark central ribs that fade to silver at the edges.
In contrast are the ostrich ferns – a light green clump-forming, upright to arching, rhizomatous, deciduous fern which typically grows up to six feet tall.
The hostas are so lush with their varying leaf shape, size, and textures. Hostas have easy care requirements which make them ideal for many areas. I have them all around the farm. Hosta is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name, giboshi. They are native to northeast Asia and include hundreds of different cultivars.
This is Syneilesis – a tough, drought-tolerant, easy-to-grow woodland garden perennial that prefers moist, well-drained, slightly acid soils. If in the proper environment, syneilesis will slowly spread to form an attractive colony.
I’ve planted several American horse-chestnut trees around the farm. These two are at one end of my Boxwood Allee. Aesculus hippocastnum is a large deciduous tree commonly known as the horse-chestnut or conker tree. It’s easy to spot by its showy bright pink flowers.
The blossoms appear on erect, eight-inch-long panicles at each branch tip – they’re very attractive and very accessible to bees and hummingbirds.
On this side of my large Equipment Barn is a hedge of parrotia trees. They’ve developed quite nicely since we planted them two years ago. Persian parrotia or Persian ironwood is a small upright tree or large, rounded, multi-stemmed shrub related to witch hazel. The oblong green leaves turn various shades of red, orange, and yellow in the fall.
There are so many fruits growing at the pear espalier down by my stable. I have six ‘Shinseiki’ and four ‘Nijisseiki’ pear trees here. ‘Shinseiki’ Asian pear means “new century” and was developed from two of the best Asian pears of the 1940s. The ‘Shinseiki’ Asian pear is round, medium to large, yellow smooth-skinned fruit with little or no russet. It has crisp, creamy white flesh, and a mild, sweet flavor. The ‘Nijisseiki’ pear, or the 20th Century Asian pear as it is often called, is incredibly delicious, easy to grow, and smells just like a pear, but, like an apple, the outside of the fruit is crisp, firm and round.
On the other side of the stable above my azalea grove are several paulownia trees, which are broadleaf and deciduous. The flowers are pale violet and grow in 20 to 30 centimeter long panicles. The scent is a lovely vanilla fragrance.
From afar, one can see the gorgeous blooms.
Beautiful irises are popping up everywhere. Iris is a genus of 260 to 300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, which is also the name for the Greek goddess of the rainbow, Iris.
I love my curving border of tree peonies, Paeonia suffruticosa. There are very few plants that can compete with a tree peony in full bloom. They flower from late April to early May but the season often varies from year to year.
This is just one of the many amazing tree peony flowers. Tree peonies do not die back to the ground in autumn. Like a rose bush, tree peonies drop their leaves and their woody stems stand through the winter.
Nearby, the herbaceous peonies are opening with such vigor. Herbaceous peonies die back to the ground in the autumn and emerge again in the spring. These flowers are all erupting with color. I will post images when all are opened – they’re so stunning.
At the end of this day, the clouds rolled in and opened with a drenching rain. The recent weather has done well for the gardens – everything looks so green and lush. I look forward to sharing more photos as the gardens transition in summer. And, during this Memorial Day Weekend, let us all remember our heroes in uniform who made the ultimate sacrifices to defend our country through the years.
There are still so many delicious, organic greens ready for picking in my vegetable greenhouse.
This time of year, my gardeners are busy planting our crops in the outdoor vegetable gardens, but it's nice to know there are many fresh, delicious vegetables thriving inside my special vegetable greenhouse located behind my Equipment Barn. We practice succession planting in order to keep the produce coming. This process involves following one crop with another in order to maximize a garden's yield. Yesterday, we picked some wonderful greens to enjoy over the long holiday weekend.
Enjoy these photos.
The construction of my vegetable greenhouse in 2008 was inspired by Eliot Coleman, an expert in four-season farming. It uses minimal artificial heat – in fact, most of its energy comes directly from the sun through the giant windows, and it successfully grows a variety of hardy crops.
The vegetables always grow so nicely inside this greenhouse. Just look at these beautiful lettuce heads.
I always grow lots of lettuce, so I can share them with my daughter and her children. I love fresh lettuce. It’s a real treat to have lettuce like this all year long.
Here’s our parsley. Parsley is a flowering plant native to the Mediterranean. It derives its name from the Greek word meaning “rock celery.” Celery is a good source of vitamins A, C, and K. We grow flat leaf and curly parsley.
Parsley is one of the most commonly used herbs with its mild flavor and pleasant aroma.
This is curly parsley. This comes from the same family, but curly parsley leaves are thicker and ruffled. Some also say its flavor is a bit stronger in curly parsley than in the flat-leaf varieties.
Cilantro, Coriandrum sativum, is also known commonly as coriander or Chinese parsley. Coriander is actually the dried seed of cilantro. Cilantro is a popular micro-green garnish that complements meat, fish, poultry, noodle dishes, and soups.
Look at this beet – ready to pick! Beets are sweet and tender – and one of the healthiest foods. Beets contain a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains, which provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support.
The gorgeous Swiss chard stalk colors can be seen from afar. They are so vibrant with stems of yellow, red, rose, gold, and white. Chard has very nutritious leaves making it a popular addition to healthful diets.
The most common method for picking is to cut off the outer leaves about two inches above the ground while they are young, tender, and about eight to 12 inches long.
Here is a yellow stemmed Swiss Chard. Look at its giant leaves – so perfect.
I also grow a lot of spinach. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, and a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron and vitamin B2. We use a lot of spinach at the farm for my green juice – a must-have every morning of the year.
New Zealand spinach is a trailing plant that forms a mat of triangular soft fleshy foliage. It is not the same as true spinach, in fact the two plants are not related but can be used fresh or cooked in the same way.
Last summer, my gardeners planted five of my fig trees in the vegetable greenhouse where they can live all year long in a controlled setting. If you enjoy growing an unusual fruit crop that’s delicious and nearly trouble free, consider figs. Figs will grow well unprotected in zones 8 to 10, and also in colder areas if given good care and proper winter protection.
Celery is part of the Apiaceae family, which includes carrots, parsnips, parsley, and celeriac. Its crunchy stalks make the vegetable a popular low-calorie snack with a range of health benefits.
I also use a lot of celery in my green juice. Here is Enma picking several stalks along with their nutritious leaves.
There are even a few carrots to pick. This greenhouse has 16 wooden garden boxes to fit the entire length and width of the space, so we are able to plant many crops. Raised bed gardening allows good drainage, prevents soil compaction, and provides protection for those plants that may otherwise get trampled.
These are scallions. Scallions have a milder taste than most onions. Close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, chive, and Chinese onions. Growing scallions is actually easier than growing onions since they have a much shorter growth period. Varieties sown in spring can be harvested just 60 to 80 days after planting or when transplants reach about a foot tall.
On the wall are the beautiful blooms of passion flower, Passiflora incarnata – a climbing vine with flower bases supporting five or 10 petals in a flat or reflex circle. They can be woody or herbaceous. Flowers come in several different colors including lavender, blue, white, pink, and red.
Enma was able to harvest quite a bit. Thanks, Enma! There’s nothing quite like the taste of fresh organic vegetables from one’s own garden – inside or out.
It's always a joy to see beautiful potted plants displayed around the farm during the warm season.
Every year, I take out many of my outdoor ornamental urns and fill them with plants. They do so well outside in the summer months and look great arranged around my home. Yesterday, my gardeners filled several planters in front of my carport with various plants - echeveria, Selaginella, sword ferns, lady palms, and others. These plants are among the first I see when I walk out of the house and some of the last I see when I return.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This concrete trough is located on the stone wall outside my carport. I like to place a variety of planters outside my home and fill them with warm weather specimens. Here, one can see that the drain holes are already covered with pottery shards for drainage and to prevent any soil mix from escaping.
Earlier this spring, the planter was lined with a piece of all-purpose garden fabric or weed cloth to protect the interior of the planter and to make it easier to empty after the season ends.
The trough was also filled with a good quality potting soil. Using a proper soil mix will help to promote faster root growth and give quick anchorage to young roots.
Pete fills several more containers with potting mix on the opposite side of the carport. Doing this in a production line process is quick and efficient. It also helps to ensure there is an equal amount of soil medium in each vessel.
Next – it’s planting time. Pete pots up some Selaginella.
Selaginella is a species of vascular plant in the family Selaginellaceae. It is referred to by the common name spike moss and is mostly found in the tropical regions of the world. Selaginella species are creeping plants with simple, scale-like leaves on branching stems.
It’s so nice to see these pots filled with lush green plants. Spike moss foliage is a vibrant green color. It loves high humidity and indirect light – this will be a perfect summer spot for them.
To protect the rather porous and fragile pots and to simplify the removal in autumn, Brian places this sword fern still in its plastic container.
Brian top dresses the urn with more potting mix. The sword fern plant prefers light to deep shade, but will do well in full sun if watered regularly in summer.
Native to North America, the Western sword fern gets its name from its elongated blade-like fronds. The robust, handsome leaves can grow several feet long and have as many as a hundred leaves. In fact, long ago on the California coast, Native American Miwoks used the long, sturdy fronds to thatch structures. I have lots of ferns here at the farm – in my gardens and in pots.
As each specimen on the ledge is planted, Brian tamps the soil down to prevent any air holes.
Next, Pete sprinkles a handful of plant food in every pot – a very important part of gardening. I always say, “if you eat, so should your plants.” Each planter gets a sprinkling of Osmocote – small plant food particles known as prills.
Osmocote prills contain a core of nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. As the plant’s root system takes-up nutrition from the soil, it also takes up the needed nutrients from the Osmocote.
Small wooden shims are used to lift all the planters off the ledge. This is very important for good drainage. All the pots around the farm are always raised. We save any usable pieces of wood from year to year for this purpose.
The troughs are now filled with succulents. Succulents are mostly native to arid regions and store water in their fleshy leaves, stems, and roots, enabling them to resist drought. The round antique ornamental containers are planted with sago palms.
Succulents have relatively shallow root systems so they don’t need a lot of soil.
Echeverias are some of the most attractive of all succulents and they are highly valued by plant enthusiasts for their gorgeous colors and beautiful shapes. The leaves are also fleshy and have a waxy cuticle on the exterior. The echeveria plant is slow growing and usually doesn’t exceed 12 inches in height or spread.
The sago palm, Cycas revoluta, is a popular houseplant known for its feathery foliage and ease of care. Native to the southern islands of Japan, the sago palm goes by several common names, including Japanese palm, funeral palm, king sago, or just plain sago palm. Sago palms are cycads, one of the most ancient plants that have been around since prehistoric times.
Finally, Brian gives every plant a good drink. It’s always important to water after planting, transplanting and potting. It is a good way to avoid transplant shock, and will help the plant settle in to its new location.
I love how these ledges look. These plants will thrive here all season long where they will get ample sun and light shade. The gardens and all my plants are looking so beautiful.
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