As spring transitions to summer and days get more hot and humid, it’s important that all the animals on my farm are kept as comfortable as possible.
Last week, Helen and Dolma from my stable crew gave all the Sicilian donkeys a good summer clipping to remove all the extra coat left over from this past winter. Not only will this help keep them cooler during the coming season, but it will also prevent their coarse fur from matting.
Enjoy these photos.
It’s haircut day for my five sweet donkeys Billie, Jude “JJ” Junior”, Truman “TJ” Junior, Rufus, and Clive. They get clipped in late spring so they’re more comfortable during the warm, humid months of summer. On this day, the girls are first.
Helen uses smaller clippers to get into tighter spots, such as near the mane and neck. She is very careful in areas with looser skin. The donkeys are very accustomed to getting their coats clipped, so they remain quite calm during the entire process.
Helen clips in short strokes to make sure the coat is nice and even. And always take the clippers against the direction of the natural lie of the hair. Whenever the lie of the hair changes, adjust the direction of the clippers.
Dolma uses a larger professional grooming tool. It is good for removing large sections of coat, such as on the back and sides.
Before clipping a section of coat, Helen and Dolma take time to assess the skin health and to feel the coat for any small abrasions or lumps that could get caught by the blade. If there are any clumps of matted hair, they need to be cut with scissors first. Here, it is easy to see how thick the coat is, and how much needs to be removed.
In this photo, one can see the fur as it is taken off. A medium blade is used on the clippers for all the donkeys. It’s also important to stop every few minutes to brush any loose hair from the clipper head and vent. This will help to prevent the clippers and blades from getting too hot.
Dolma is also very slow to clip any sensitive spots such as along the belly.
Helen and Dolma are both wearing overalls by Dovetail – an exclusive women’s workwear company based in Portland, Oregon. Dovetail’s all-season utility apparel is great for the stable. Helen and Dolma wear Dovetail overalls all-year long. Both Billie and Jude “JJ” Junior enjoy having full sight of each other during their spa treatments.
What a big difference! Billie and “JJ” look much cooler already. These girls have such shiny coats too – this is always a sign of good health and proper nutrition. After their haircuts, they are placed back in their stall while the boys get done.
Clive, Rufus, and Truman “TJ” Junior are next. Here’s Clive ready for his “spa” treatment. The natural coat of a donkey helps regulate body temperature and protects them from inclement weather and flies, but because my donkeys grow such thick, heavy coats in winter, we clip them yearly to keep them comfortable.
Donkeys are herd animals, so they don’t like being separated from other members of their pack. We always keep my donkeys together, so as each one is clipped the others stand nearby.
Helen works on Rufus’ neck.
“TJ” is so calm waiting for his haircut – I wonder if he might even enjoy these sessions.
We like to keep the legs and head as-is to give the donkeys more protection from biting insects.
Here’s Helen with Clive. These Dovetail overalls are designed to fit and move easily while bending, shearing, walking, reaching, etc. There are also ample pockets for holding tools and other necessities while working.
Dolma works on “TJ” – clipping his back and sides.
I think the donkeys are hoping they get some good treats after they are clipped. If clipping an equine for the first time, be sure to familiarize them with the sounds and feel of the clippers before doing any actual grooming. It is always important to carefully introduce new things and activities to them.
Here, one can see the clippers smoothly removing a section of fur.
What a good boy you are, “TJ” – almost done.
And look at all the fur that came off. And there is still more to cut.
Here’s “TJ” after his haircut – what a handsome donkey.
Once they are all clipped, Dolma and Helen give them a quick brushing to remove any loose hairs.
And then Dolma wipes them all down with a damp towel.
And here they are all finished. All the donkeys wear fly masks to protect their faces from the biting insects. They don’t mind them at all. These three look much cooler and much happier already!
Here’s Dolma with the girls. The donkeys are all off to their paddock for a bit of play time before lunch! Thankfully, the next few days will be a bit cooler here in the Northeast – temperatures are only expected in the low 70s. Thanks Dolma and Helen!
Today in the Northeast, we’re expecting unusually warm weather with temperatures in the high 80s to low 90s! We've also had a couple days of good rain and the gardens are just exploding with color.
The scenery changes rapidly from day to day, week to week, especially this time of year with all the glorious late spring blooms. If you follow my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48, you’ve seen some of the recent photos I’ve shared - the verdant allées, the lush green paddocks, the flowering trees - everything is growing so beautifully.
Enjoy more photos and the colors of Bedford.
This is such a lovely time of year here at Cantitoe Corners. There is so much color to enjoy in the gardens. This is my terrace parterre outside my Winter House kitchen, servery, and porch. It shines with bold green boxwood and bright golden barberry.
Here’s a closer look at the hedge of golden barberry. The deciduous shrub is compact, adaptable, very hardy and shows off striking yellow foliage all year-round.
Behind my long carport not far from my Winter House are the apple espaliers and these blooming “Miss Kim” Korean lilac standards. The upright, compact lilac blooms later than others extending the season with pink and lavender flower clusters.
The little flowers are not only beautiful but amazingly fragrant!
Down the carriage road adjacent to my long and winding pergola, I have a stand of distinguished bald cypress trees. The trees are leafing out with gorgeous green more and more every day.
This is the white garden outside my Winter House. In the back are two grand weeping katsura trees. Cercidiphyllum japonicum f. pendulum has pendulous branches that fan out from the crown and sweep down to the ground. In the lower corners are the topiary viburnum – I love these trees with their gorgeous white blooms.
In front of the the Winter House garden, I have planters filled with beautiful succulents – If you like growing plants, but don’t really have a lot of time to care for them, I encourage you to consider growing succulents. With their fleshy leaves and interesting shapes, succulents are easy to maintain and make excellent container specimens.
Here is another viburnum. Most viburnums flower in spring. The sometimes-fragrant flowers range from white and cream to pink-flushed or wholly pink. Look at these pretty spherical blooms. Most viburnums grow in any moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade.
And here is another viburnum in front of a beautiful dark burgundy Japanese maple.
Another popular May bloom – these classic bleeding hearts. Dicentra spectabilis 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.
The hellebores still look beautiful. They are widely grown for decorative purposes because of their love for shady locations and resistance to frost. It is common to plant them on slopes or in raised beds in order to see their flowers, which tend to nod. After the first year, when the plant is well-established, hellebores are very resistant and require little upkeep.
The ferns are also showing off wonderful green color. A fern is a member of a group of roughly 12-thousand species of vascular plants that reproduce via spores. These are ostrich ferns.
It’s hard to miss the alliums with all their beauty. The purple alliums are so prominent right now. Allium species are herbaceous perennials with flowers produced on scapes. They grow from solitary or clustered bulbs. Alliums come in many sizes, from inch-wide heads to large ball-sized bloom clusters. Alliums are among the most carefree bulbs you can grow, blooming in a wide range of colors, including purple, white, pink, and even yellow.
Camassia leichtlinii caerulea forms clusters of linear strappy foliage around upright racemes. Camassia is a genus of plants in the asparagus family native to Canada and the United States. It is best grown in moist, fertile soil, and full sun. Both lighter and darker shades of blue look so good growing together in the pergola garden.
And look at this pretty clematis – one of the first of the season. Clematis are among the most decorative and spectacular of all the flowering vines. Clematis is a genus of about 300-species within the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. The name Clematis comes from the Greek word “klematis,” meaning vine. Clematis are native to China and Japan and are known to be vigorous, woody, climbers.
This is a white and green variety of Ornithogalum. It has multiple green-gray flowers per stem, each etched with soft white on the outer petals.
Spanish Bluebells, Hyacinthoides, are unfussy members of the lily family, and native to Spain and Portugal. They are pretty, inexpensive, and good for cutting – they add such a nice touch of blue.
And popping up above the green foliage are the columbine flowers. The columbine plant, Aquilegia, is an easy-to-grow perennial that offers seasonal interest throughout the year. Its flowers come in a variety of colors, which emerge from dark green foliage that turns maroon in fall. The flowers are also a favorite to hummingbirds and may be used in cut-flower arrangements as well.
These are the leaves of Rodgersia pinnata – a genus of flowering plants in the Saxifragaceae family. Rodgersia are herbaceous perennials originating from east Asia. The common name is Roger’s Flower. Rodgersia pinnata features wonderfully textured, mid green foliage, the perfect backdrop for the bright red buds that open in late spring and the pink feathery blooms through summer.
Also in my flower cutting garden – beautiful irises 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.
And here’s one of the first poppies of the season. The colorful tissue paper-like flowers look stunning both in the garden and in the vase. Poppies are flowering plants in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. They produce open single flowers gracefully located on long thin stems, sometimes fluffy with many petals and sometimes smooth.
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.
This is just one of my many amazing tree peonies, which are blooming right now. 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.
And still… some beautiful daffodils.
And all the azaleas are looking so gorgeous.
The recent weather has done well for the gardens – everything looks so green and lush and full of color. I can’t wait to share more photos from the gardens in June – stay tuned.
Last year, I decided to design a new garden along two sides of the carriage road between my Summer House and my stable. I wanted to add lots of colorful azaleas - a variety of unique specimens in shades of pink, orange, crimson, and white. I already have many azaleas growing and flourishing in this area, but I wanted to expand this azalea grove and add many, many more. We planted at least 350 azaleas down the road - most of them from White's Nursery. And this year, they're blooming magnificently.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
If you follow this blog regularly, you may recall the day we unloaded all these gorgeous azaleas. Many of them came from White’s Nursery in Germantown, Maryland. White’s Nursery specializes in azaleas as well as rhododendrons. It has more than 350 varieties of evergreen azaleas such as Glenn Dale, Bowie Mill, Satsuki, Robin Hill, and many others. In addition, there is a wide selection of deciduous and native azaleas, and some fragrant varieties.
This photo is from last May just as we were starting to plant. Before any planting could be done, my gardeners sorted the plants and arranged them by color and variety.
Earlier this winter, I instructed my outdoor grounds crew to use any old burlap to cover the areas surrounding the azaleas. I wanted to get rid of the grass and have the space entirely mulched to cut down on mowing and to enhance the appearance of the garden.
Holes were cut around the plants.
And then the mulch was placed around each specimen on both sides of the carriage road. I am fortunate to be able to make mulch right here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Here is one section of the grove all mulched and groomed.
And within the last few weeks, all the azaleas have erupted with gorgeous color. Mulch protects Azalea roots and helps keep the soil consistently moist and well-drained.
Here is a beautiful light pink to white azalea. I wanted to keep similar colors together. Azaleas prefer morning sun and afternoon shade, or filtered light. Hot all-day sun can stress the plants and make them more susceptible to pests.
This azalea is one of my mature specimens – it continues to flourish year after year. It is important when planting azaleas to consider the specimen’s mature height. Some azaleas, including native types, can reach towering heights of 20 feet or more. Dwarf azaleas grow two to three feet tall, and many garden azaleas stay four to six feet in height with as wide a spread.
Azaleas are native to several continents including Asia, Europe, and North America. These plants can live for many years, and they continue to grow their entire lives.
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.
These azaleas look so beautiful grouped together and mulched.
Azaleas are generally healthy, easy to grow plants. Some azaleas bloom as early as March, but most bloom in April and May with blossoms lasting several weeks.
The tube-shaped base of the flower contains a stamen that protrudes from the center. The leaves are often evergreen with wooly undersides.
Azalea flowers can be single, hose-in-hose, double or double hose-in-hose, depending on the number of petals.
I made hundreds of these markers to place around the azaleas to hlep identify them. Some of the varieties we have here include Azalea ‘Dr. Henry Schroeder”, Azalea ‘Fancy Nancy’, Azalea ‘Tradition’, Azalea ‘Delaware Valley White’, Azalea ‘Mattie Baron’, Azalea ‘Stewartstonian’, Azalea ‘Blaauws Pink’, yellow Azalea Narcissiflora, and Azalea ‘Cannon’s Double’.
Azalea petal shapes vary greatly. They range from narrow to triangular to overlapping rounded petals. They can also be flat, wavy or ruffled. Many azaleas have two to three inch flowers and range in a variety of colors from pink to white to purple, red, orange and yellow.
The best time to shop for azaleas is when they are in bloom so you can see their flower colors and forms.
Azaleas have short root systems, so they can easily be transplanted in early spring or early fall. just be careful not to plant too deep, and water thoroughly after transplanting.
Remember, never eat azaleas. Like its cousin the rhododendron, the azalea is a toxic plant, and all parts of the plant are poisonous, including the honey from the flowers.
Azalea Exbury orange is an upright growing deciduous azalea that explodes with giant trusses of vibrant orange flowers in early to mid-May.
I just love how the rich bold colors of azaleas look in the gardens. All the new azaleas are great additions to this area of the farm. The beautiful displays will get even more stunning in the years to come. Remember to stop by White’s Nursery if you’re in Maryland this weekend! You’ll love their offerings… I think I will get some more too!
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