Although it's been unusually cool and quite windy here at my Bedford, New York farm this week, the gardens are showing off lots of springtime blooms.
The garden beds are changing every single day. Trees are leafing out and flowers are bursting with color and energy - Fritillaria, Muscari, Epimediums, trout lilies, mayapples, the Camperdown Elms with their umbrella-like crowns and pendulous branches, and of course the daffodils.
Enjoy these photos and have a great weekend.
My long and winding pergola is just full of lush green foliage. Soon, it will display a colorful palette of alliums, lilies, and camassia.
Right now, there’s lots of Muscari in the garden beds along the pergola. Muscari is a genus of perennial bulbous plants native to Eurasia that produce spikes of dense, most commonly blue, urn-shaped flowers that look like bunches of grapes in spring. Muscari is also known by its common name for the genus – grape hyacinth.
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. I have many in my gardens. This deer- and rodent-resistant naturalizer is native to the western Himalayas and Asia Minor, and prefers rich, well-draining neutral pH soil and a bit of light shade or dappled sunlight.
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.
Viburnum a popular evergreen species, grown mainly for its dark green leathery leaves. The dark green leaves on this dense, multi-stemmed shrub are toothed and oval in shape. This broad, dense, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub typically matures to 10 feet tall and spreads to 15 feet wide.
These are the pink buds of the Sargent Crabapple. The Sargent Crabapple, Malus sargentii, generally grows about six to 12 feet in height and often just as wide.
And there are so many daffodils everywhere!
The blossoms come in many combinations of yellow, orange, white, red, pink and even green. I shared lots of photos in yesterday’s blog from my long daffodil border. I hope you saw them.
Here is an all white daffodil – one of many planted behind my Tenant House.
The hostas are also growing quickly. 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. I have hundreds of hostas here at the farm – many of which were grown from bare-root cuttings and stored in my cold frame before they were planted.
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.
There are trout lilies. The delicate blooms, which resemble turks cap lilies do best in dappled light.
Another big shower right now is Podophyllum peltatum – 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 here. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Just outside the kitchen to my Winter House, I have two of these Camperdown Elms. Camperdown Elms slowly develop broad, flat heads and wide crowns with weeping branch habits.
Its leaves are oblong-obovate to elliptic, rough-textured and serrated.
And here is the herbaceous peony bed – it is also growing so beautifully. In June, this garden bed will be overflowing with giant peonies in pink and white. What are the spring flowers in your garden?
Brightly colored daffodils are blooming at my Bedford, New York farm. And looking at the swaths of white, orange, and yellow narcissi blowing gently in the breeze always makes me so happy.
I started developing my long daffodil border in 2003. Since then, I’ve expanded the collection, and after lots of careful planning and planting, the border now extends the length of one side of my property from the Summer House, behind my azaleas, past the stable, and down to the Japanese maple woodland. And, because daffodils naturalize easily, more and more blooms emerge each spring. Together with jonquils, daffodil flowers belong to the genus Narcissus - there is no major difference, all are the same.
There are so many varieties planted in my daffodil border. Here are some photos, enjoy.
It’s daffodil time! Here I am among these gorgeous flowers in one section of my daffodil border.
The daffodil border is broken up into various groupings – different varieties, different shapes and sizes, and different blooming times. I love photographing the swaths of blooms – they look magnificent this season.
Narcissus is a genus of spring perennials in the Amaryllidaceae family. They’re known by the common name daffodil, and there are no stringent rules as to the differences between daffodils, jonquils, and narcissus – all are the same.
The species are native to meadows and woods in southwest Europe and North Africa. Narcissi tend to be long lived bulbs and are popular ornamental plants in public and private gardens.
The flowers are generally white or yellow with either uniform or contrasting colored tepals and corona.
There are at least 50-species of daffodils, and more than 27-thousand registered daffodil hybrids.
There is also one named after me, Narcissus ‘Martha Stewart’, which I have planted here at the farm beneath my stately pin oaks.
When choosing where to plant daffodils, select an area that gets at least half a day of sun. Hillsides and raised beds do nicely.
Narcissus naturalize very easily. Lift and divide overcrowded clumps in late June or July. I take stock of my daffodils every year to see what is growing well and what is not, so I can learn what to remove, where to add more, and what to plant next.
In my daffodil border, I planted early, mid and late season blooming varieties so that when one section is done blooming, another is just opening up. Consider this strategy to lengthen the blooming season.
We planted about three thousand bulbs in this bed located to one side of my allee of lindens. Most are from Colorblends Flower Bulbs – a third-generation wholesale flower merchant in nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut. Among those we planted here include ‘Acropolis,’ ‘Barrett Browning,’ ‘Delnashaugh,’ ‘Cassata,’ ‘Snowboard,’ ‘Delibes,’ ‘White Lion,’ ‘Sir Winston Churchill,’ ‘Kedron,’ and ‘Segovia.’
Normal rainfall will typically take care of any watering requirements during the spring flowering season. The most important care tip is to provide daffodils with rich, well-drained soil.
Daffodil plants prefer a neutral to slightly acidic soil. Be sure they are planted where there is room for them to spread, but not where the soil is water-logged.
This cheerful daffodil, with its color contrast, makes a bold statement in the border. Cultivars with bold colored cups generally retain better color when planted in a little shade to protect them from the hot afternoon sun.
Few pests bother daffodils. The bulbs are actually quite unappetizing to most insects and animals, including deer and voles.
After daffodils bloom in the spring, allow the plants to continue growing until they die off on their own. They need the time after blooming to store energy in their bulbs for next year.
When cutting daffodils, they should be kept alone in the vase as their stems secrete a fluid that promotes wilting in other flowers. If you need to combine flowers, soak them alone first and then add them to the arrangements last.
In general, daffodils are easy to care for and hardy plants. Diseases common to daffodils include basal rot, various viruses and fungi.
Daffodils can also grow in containers as long as there is room to multiply and room for the roots to fill out. They can bloom well for two to three years – after that, it’s best to move them to a spot in the ground where they will come up once a year.
This daffodil has six white petals and a soft yellow cup.
The American Daffodil Society classifies daffodils by their flower shape. And depending on the type of cultivar and where it is planted, the daffodil’s flowering season can last up to several weeks.
Here’s another view of the stunning border – I love driving by these magnificent flowers every morning when I tour the farm.
But everyone enjoys the daffodils here – even my peafowl! What daffodils are growing around your home? Share your favorite varieties with me in the comments section below.
My Bedford, New York farm is still abuzz with stories from the Great American Tag Sale.
The weekend's big event brought in lots of money for the Mount Sinai Martha Stewart Centers for Living. We sold hundreds of tickets to the sale. Shoppers from all across North America made the trip - visitors from California, Wisconsin, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Canada, and more. Other celebrities, such as Joy Behar, Blake Lively, and Lara Spencer also attended. And we couldn't have asked for better weather...
Here are more photos from The Great American Tag Sale.
The Great American Tag Sale was located at the end of this hayfield at my Bedford, New York farm with the golden weeping willows as its backdrop. (Photo by Mke Krautter)
During the two day sale, shoppers looked for treasures under several large tents and outdoors on the lawn.
There was an entire table dedicated to textiles. (Photo by Mke Krautter)
And in the center, stacks of chairs and tables. (Photo by Mke Krautter)
The Great American Tag Sale will air as a one-hour special on ABC May 25th. Here’s Brett Albright, one of our camera operators.
With so many people in attendance at my farm, and so many goods to be sold, we enlisted the help of a great team of security at the sale also.
In this photo, events planner, Chris Hessney, along with antiques experts Jim Klinko and Vincent Manzo.
Look at all the dishes, pottery, and lamps for sale – nearly every item was sold from these tables. (Photo by Mke Krautter)
This fun hooked rug was also for sale.
In this area, copper cookie cutters – remember all those giant Easter egg cookies I make every year? (Photo by Mke Krautter)
Antiques expert and auctioneer, Frank Kaminski, took a break to visit with my Chow Chows, Emperor Han and Empress Qin. These dogs love meeting all the people.
Here’s a happy shopper with a t-shirt of me and my selfie “thirst trap” photo! This was great to see.
Some of the chairs were labeled with information about the type and make – I always like to impart a little information, even at my tag sale.
This is Haden Spenard from the events team looking at a cabinet – are you interested in buying it, Haden?
James LaBorne is ready for more fun on Day-2 of the Great American Tag Sale.
Cashier lines moved relatively quickly. We had a long table of cashiers ready to help shoppers check out.
Layton Thomas was one of our volunteer cashiers for the event.
Pete, Phurba and Domi, from my outdoor grounds crew at the farm also helped at the tag sale! (Photo by Mike Krautter)
Large pieces were brought to the “will call” area using our new Scenic Road wheelbarrows.
Enma Sandoval and Andres Velastegui from my Bedford team also had lots of fun shopping and meeting visitors. (Photo by Mke Krautter)
Look at all the sterling silver spoons for sale!
And all the art work – all these valuable prints sold!
And do you know what this is? It’s the shell of an armadillo made into a basket. This too sold!
Outside by the front sign – Doug White, my property manager, and Frank.
Fernando also stopped for a photo in front of the sign. Maybe I should have sold the sign too – everyone loved it!
And here I am with the some of the members of our “muscle” and inventory crew – Myroslav, Julio, Hercules, Phil, Eloy, Sergio, Taras, James, Samantha, and Areesh. Everyone did such a great job! We all made many wonderful memories at the Great American Tag Sale!
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