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!
Do you know... what we call today's tag sale actually started in the early 1800s?
That's right, shipping yards often sold unclaimed cargo and other warehouse items off the docks as part of "rommage" and later "rummage" sales. These sales were also conducted out of churches and other community areas to raise money for various charities. In the 1950s and 1960s, families began holding sales out of their garages and yards in an effort to get rid of "no longer used" belongings. My Great American Tag Sale, which was held in a back field of my Bedford, New York farm, was a large version of one of these fun traditional events - shoppers mingled, stories were shared, and many, many treasures were found.
Everyone had such a good time. Here are more photos, enjoy!
Many of the items I sold were also props used on my television shows and in my magazines. This coverlet was used in an issue of “Living” – do you remember it? Here are Bernie Wong and Dennis Landon, two of my greatest fans and Instagram friends, folding this great find. And guess who purchased it? My friend, longtime colleague and crafts expert, Hannah Milman.
Shoppers were finding treasures in every aisle. We instructed everyone to bring their own bags to carry away their items – many walked away with bags overflowing.
We gave t-shirts to every seller and volunteer, so they could be easily identified.
As tables emptied, our team put out more merchandise. Here’s James LaBorne taking out more pottery to fill the tables.
There were bins and bins of linens for sale!
Tibby Gordon made sure every item that came out of storage was tagged and displayed nicely.
Do you know what these are? They are glass floats. Also known as glass fishing floats, or Japanese glass fishing floats, these are now popular collectors’ items. They were once used by fishermen in many parts of the world to keep their fishing nets and longlines afloat.
Here I am during one of the walkthroughs making sure every tag was filled out appropriately. I made multiple rounds in all the tents to visit with shoppers and to help make sure everything was running smoothly.
Haden Spenard and Areesh Haq from “Team Hessney” handled logistics and planning.
Antiques expert, Vincent Manzo, was on hand to help shoppers with pricing and also share the history of many of the antique items for sale.
Lustreware in its earliest development was made throughout the Middle East. The name “lustreware” comes from the iridescent or luminous effect created on glazed ceramics which, following the initial firing, are taken through further treatment with metal oxides. Traditionally, copper and silver oxides were used, but the range also included gold, platinum, and bismuth.
Here’s antiques expert Elizabeth Jackson posing for a snapshot after another successful sale!
Shoppers looked at every item so carefully. It was nice to see how interested visitors were in the stories about these pieces.
Many rugs and runners also sold – some were used in my personal homes.
And, I put out racks and racks of clothes – some from my own collections, and some from my personal wardrobe – almost every item sold!
Sergio Ducatti helped with loading and unloading – he was part of our “muscle” crew.
Old wheelbarrows – some also seen on the pages of our magazine, were all sold.
Every tart tin and pie plate was sold.
Jim Klinko and Vincent stopped for this photo before the afternoon crowds filled the tent.
Judy Morris and Heather Kirkland from my team pose with Bernie and Dennis after meeting for the first time. It was such a wonderful event for everyone.
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