Spring is a wonderful time for outdoor entertaining.
Today I am welcoming a group of colleagues, business partners, and influencers to my farm for a special Cinco de Mayo party. The event will be held under my new pavilion located just outside my pool. Preparing for any special gathering takes a lot of effort, a lot of time, and a lot of advanced planning. With so much to do, all hands were on deck yesterday, especially around the pool and in the gardens and orchard - grooming and mulching the tree pits, planting outdoor containers, weeding beneath the hedges, etc.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I’m “breaking in” the new pavilion and yew table later today when I host the first of many dinners and gatherings outside my pool. The table seats 26 guests. This week, we hung six of my giant staghorn ferns. They look so beautiful here.
Here’s another view of the pavilion from the side. I think this will quickly become a favorite warm weather gathering spot here at the farm.
There are 17 different species of staghorn fern, Platycerium alcicorne. Its common names include elkhorn fern and antelope ears.
Each staghorn fern has antler-like foliage as well as flat, basal leaves. The flat leaves are infertile and turn brown and papery with age. They overlap onto a mounting surface and provide stability for the fern.
Depending on the fern variety, the foliar fronds may droop or be erect. These leaves resemble the horns of a large herbivore.
In preparation for my Cinco de Mayo business party, the grills are taken out of storage and cleaned.
Although it may still be too cold to swim outdoors, all the pool furniture is out and ready to use.
If you haven’t already seen them, these are my staddle stones. I purchased them from the annual NYBG Garden Furniture & Antiques Fair. Staddle stones were originally used in the 17th and 18th centuries as support bases for granaries, hayricks, and game larders. They typically looked like giant stone mushrooms, but mine are square – a more rare and unique version. Guests are always so interested to learn about these staddle stones when they see them at the end of my pool.
I also asked my gardeners to plant a few urns around the pool – these containers are planted with pretty spider agaves.
The spider agave is a small species with long arching and twisting pale-green leaves that taper to a soft point. This garden-friendly species grows 12 to 15 inches tall and eventually forms clumps of plants several feet across.
My orchard surrounding the pool has more than 200 fruit trees. We planted a couple new ones where others did not do well. This is Prunus ‘North Star’ – a sour cherry tree. A dwarf cultivar, it typically grows eight to 10 feet tall. Developed by the University of Minnesota, it is also self-pollinating and a heavy producer of mahogany-red, medium-sized fruit.
As part of the orchard maintenance and spring cleanup, I wanted the tree pits around each fruit tree to be expanded. Larger tree pits will help to keep the mowers at a safe distance, so branches are not disturbed.
The outdoor grounds crew uses our Little Wonder gas powered edger to create the straight lines for the square tree pits. This machine is a single purpose machine used to make good, crisp lines along the edges of garden beds. We’ve been using this handy and dependable machine for years.
Pasang carefully removes each piece of sod.
Here, one can see the straight, square tree pit.
All the tree pits are made to the same size, so the area looks uniform.
Next, Pasang adds a pile of mulch to each pit using one of our new Scenic Road wheelbarrows. The mulch is made right here at the farm – look how dark and rich it is. This mulch is also combined with tree mold and manure.
Phurba spreads the mulch around the pit, being careful not to put too much around the tree. As the saying goes, “bare to the flare.” The tree’s flare is where the trunk gets wide and meets the soil line.
Phurba also lightly packs down the mulch so it does not blow away by any winds or by our leaf blowers.
This outdoor chore takes a few days to complete, but I think it is worth all the effort – the trees look so handsome.
This view shows four of the square pits beneath the fruit trees. They will look perfect for the party.
And like clock work, some will also be blossoming. Please stay tuned for my next blog when I share photos from the party itself! Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, we’re expecting rain throughout most of today with temperatures in the low 60s - good weather for all the seeding we've done in the hayfields and pastures.
When I moved to this farm, I designated three separate areas as hayfields and planted them with a mixture of timothy, orchard grass, Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, and clovers - all great for producing quality hay for my horses. These fields are well-maintained and regularly treated with agricultural lime to correct any acidity in the soil, eradicate any noxious weeds, and raise the overall health of the land. I also have several enclosed paddocks, where my horses graze. Yesterday, all these areas were aerated and over-seeded by my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, using high grade mixes from Hancock Farm & Seed Company, a four-generation family-owned business based in Dade City, Florida.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This is one of three large fields at my farm – I specifically wanted to use these fields to produce good, natural hay for my Friesians, Fell Pony, and five Sicilian donkeys.
This is a 3-point spreader, which can be attached to a variety of tractors to spread seed or fertilizer. Chhiring hooks it up to the center rear of our Kubota M4-071 tractor.
Our spreader features an opening system with split levers that allow distribution control.
Our seed is from Hancock Farm & Seed Company, a 44-year old business that grows its own seed and ships directly from its Florida facility.
Among the seed varieties we’re using is this custom mix that includes orchard grass, tall fescue, and Timothy.
We also have a variety of other seeds including Happy Hen Forage Seed Mix, Wildflower Seed Mix, Turkey Plot Seed Mix, and Horse Pasture Grass Seed Mix.
This seed contains Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, Timothy, and orchard grass.
Chhiring fills the spreader with the first batch of seed.
And then he heads out to the middle field. The best day to overseed is when there is little to no wind, so the application can be done as evenly as possible.
Broadcast spreaders distribute seed in a fan-like pattern in all directions and cover a wider area per pass than drop spreaders. As the tractor moves, the fan throws the seed that falls out of the bottom of the spreader.
The other end of the tractor has our trusted Kubota L1154 front loader that helps us transport so many things around the farm, including more bags of seed, which cuts down plenty of time going back and forth to the Equipment Barn.
The ground was already aerated with our tow-behind Pro-Aerator. I am glad to be able to have all the farm equipment we need. Here, one can see the holes left behind by the aerating tines.
And here is one of the soil plugs. The main reason for aerating is to alleviate soil compaction. Compacted soils have too many solid particles in a certain volume or space, which prevents proper circulation of air, water, and nutrients.
Chhiring starts by going around the field clockwise from the outer edge working inward. He also overlaps his passes, so he doesn’t miss any areas.
Overseeding is a process where grass seed is added to an already existing area which after germination serves to increase the density of the grass plants. This process reduces the aging process or natural decline of the turf.
Here, one can see the seed coming out of the spreader and onto the ground below. These seeds will get a good watering with today’s expected rain.
Looking closely at the ground, one can see the tiny seeds.
Once Chhiring is done with one side, he moves onto the other. This middle field takes less than an hour to overseed.
And here’s my stable manager, Helen, with my Fell pony Banchunch, to check out how everything is going. It’s just a short visit however – Banchunch doesn’t like to stop for long. He’s ready to keep on trotting.
It makes me so happy to be able to grow good hay for my horses. We should be able to get the first cut done by the end of June.
This year is a celebration of parks across the country. 2022 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted - the American landscape designer widely considered the father of American landscape architecture.
Over the course of his career, Frederick Law Olmsted designed a total of 100 public parks and recreation grounds. Among them, New York City's beloved Central Park. He is also recognized for designing Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York, Emerald Necklace in Boston, Massachusetts, the three-mile approach road to the grand Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, the Washington Park in Chicago, Illinois, and the grounds of the United States Capitol and White House. Frederick Olmsted's work set a standard of excellence that continues to inspire landscape architects throughout the United States. Last week, I attended the Olmsted Bicentennial Gala at the Central Park Loeb Boathouse to honor this great innovator and social reformer. The event was part of the year-long "Olmsted 200: Parks for All People" Celebration. Please go to Olmsted200.org to learn about other celebrations in your area - just click on the highlighted link.
Enjoy these photos.
Here I am with the Frederick Law Olmsted mascot at the Olmsted Bicentennial Gala “Parks For All People.” The event was presented by the National Association For Olmsted Parks last week. (Photo by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Frederick Law Olmsted was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1822. However, it was not until he was 43 years old did he decide to devote his entire career to landscape architecture. Prior to working on the New York City Central Park design, Frederick worked as a merchant, apprentice seaman, experimental farmer, author and even a gold mine manager. He also directed the U.S. Sanitary Commission, worked for the American Red Cross, and wrote for The New York Daily Times.
This is an aerial view of Central Park looking north, which Frederick designed with his business partner, Calvert Vaux. Olmsted and Vaux’s plan created ways for pedestrians and carriages to enjoy the park without getting in each others’ way. It was called the Greensward Plan. (Photo by Central Park Conservancy)
Here is another aerial view of Central Park – this one of Sheep Meadow, a great field where visitors can rest and play. (Photo by Central Park Conservancy)
This is the Central Park Bow Bridge. (Photo by Central Park) Conservancy
And this is Central Park’s Great Lawn. (Photo by Central Park Conservancy)
This autumn photo is from Prospect Park in nearby Brooklyn, New York. Frederick was very adamant in his belief that a great park should be tranquil – a place where visitors could recuperate from the busy pace of city life. Frederick and Calvert Vaux began working on Prospect Park in 1866. It included plans for the Long Meadow, a heavily wooded area they called the Ravine and a 60-acre Lake. (Photo by Elizabeth Keegin Colley)
This is the Prospect Park Boathouse. (Photo by Anne Claire Brun)
Prospect Park also features rolling green meadows, meandering carriage roads with scenic lookouts, waterfalls, springs, and a rich forest filled with trees. (Photo by Brittany Buongiorno)
This is Shelburne Farms, a 3,800-acre agricultural estate originally consolidated and owned by William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb. The landscape was inspired by none other than Frederick Law Olmsted. (Photo by Marshall Webb)
Today, more than 1.4 million people visit George Vanderbilt’s Gilded Era Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina each year. Frederick considered Biltmore among the crowning jewels of his career. Frederick wrote to his business partners, “it is far and away the most distinguished private place, not only for America, but of the world.” This is the Spring Garden at Biltmore. (Photo by The Biltmore Company)
Olmsted Park in Boston is a linear park and a part of the city’s Emerald Necklace of connected parks and parkways. Originally named Leverett Park, in 1900 it was renamed to honor its designer. (Photo by Emerald Necklace Conservancy)
Founded in 1942 and also located within Emerald Necklace, the Fenway Victory Gardens is comprised of more than 500 gardens spanning 7.5 acres. (Photo by Evan Bradley)
Jackson Park was designed in 1871 as part of the 1055-acre South Park system in Chicago. It is a 593-acre tract connected to Washington Park via a mile-long boulevard, the Midway Plaisance. Originally called Lake Park, it was later named for former president Andrew Jackson. (Photo by Chicago Parks Foundation)
Each major Frederick Olmsted Park features a specialty garden. The Japanese Garden in Delaware spans more than six acres and is placed between the foothill of The Buffalo History Museum and Mirror Lake. (Photo by Zhi Ting Phua)
Another space designed by Frederick and Calvert is Chapin Parkway in Buffalo, New York. It was named after Brigadier General Edward Payson Chapin, who was a well known Buffalo attorney at the time of the Civil War. (Photo by Zhi Ting Phua)
In 1890, Georgia businessman Joel Hurt asked Frederick to prepare a plan for an area in Atlanta. By 1905, two years after Olmsted died, a linear park design was completed by the Olmsted Brothers that consisted of six segments on 45 acres – Springdale, Virgilee, Oak Grove, Shadyside, Dellwood, and Deepdene. This is a photo of Shadyside.
Here is a fall image of Dellwood in Atlanta’s Olmsted Linear Park.
And here is the US Capitol Summer House, a hexagon-shaped brick structure set into the sloping hillside in front of the Capitol Building. Construction began in 1879 and was completed in late 1880 or early 1881. It was designed primarily to offer visitors to the Capitol a place to rest.
To learn more about Frederick Law Olmsted and the beautiful parks he designed, please visit Olmsted200.org. (Photo by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
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