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. Last week, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, planted several containers with an assortment of plants including English lavender, Dusty Miller, Lamb's Ears, and ferns. He also planted a pair of urns with hens and chicks - those charming mat-forming succulents with fleshy pointed leaves arranged in rosettes. Planting season is here!
Enjoy these photos.
It’s always so much fun to visit local nurseries and select plants for one’s own gardens and terrace containers. Neighborhood shops sell what grows best in the area and experts on staff are there to answer any questions.
Every urn has a drainage hole at the bottom. Ryan places a layer of weed cloth first to protect the vessel itself. This will also make it easier to remove the plant next autumn, when it is put back in the greenhouse for the cold season.
The container is filled two-thirds of the way up 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.
Ryan decides the plant’s placement first. Always try to arrange specimens strategically, so they look best.
Remember, whenever transplanting always scarify the root ball, meaning tease or loosen the roots, so they are stimulated. This will help the plant roots grow and form a good foundation in the pot.
Ryan places a variety of plants in this large faux bois urn. When planting different specimens in one pot, be sure to consider the growth habits of each plant to ensure there’s enough room to last all season.
Lamb’s Ears, Stachys byzantina, is named after its soft and velvety, silver-green leaves that resemble the ears of a lamb.
This is Dusty Miller ‘New Look,’ Senecio bicolor cineraria – an annual loved for its silvery-gray foliage. It grows about 12-inches tall and wide and will fill in the pot nicely along with the other plants.
In this container, Ryan also adds Scabiosa, the Pincushion flower, a charming perennial flowering plant.
This is an autumn fern, Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance.’ It is a handsome coppery red color that matures to a dark green.
Lysimachia is a fast growing perennial groundcover with small, round, yellow-green leaves. It complements the greens and silvers in this container.
Ryan adds more soil to fill to just under the lip of the container.
The soil is gently tamped down to ensue good contact.
And then Ryan trims the excess weed cloth around the pot, so it cannot be seen.
This antique faux bois planter is displayed on the wall outside my carport where it can be seen and enjoyed every day.
This container is one of a pair that is located on the steps of my terrace parterre outside my Winter House kitchen. It is planted with lavender and dichondra, another creeping groundcover. Displaying potted plants is an easy way to add color, texture, and nature to any space.
On the other side of my terrace parterre, two planters are potted with hens and chicks. Hens and chicks are members of the Sempervivum group of succulent plants. They are also known as houseleeks. Hens and chicks are so called because of the rosette shape and habit of the plant to produce numerous babies.
If you decide to display some plants outside your home, be sure to check them regularly. Weed them if needed, and don’t forget to water them if the soil is dry. Potted plants in pretty outdoor containers are a very good thing.
Developing any garden, big or small, takes time, planning, and lots of patience.
Four years ago, I decided to create a giant azalea border along both sides of the carriage road between my Summer House and my stable. I wanted to plant lots of colorful azaleas - a variety of unique specimens in shades of pink, orange, crimson, and white. I already have many mature azaleas flourishing in this area, but I wanted to expand the collection. That first year I started with about 200 plants on each side. Hundreds more have been added since. I watch how the plants grow, assess which varieties do best, and every spring I add a few more wherever they're needed. I am looking forward to seeing this garden bloom.
Enjoy these photos.
This time of year, I often visit local nurseries to select new plants for the gardens. I pay close attention to what gardens need filling and do it a little at a time. It’s important to also understand the growth cycles of each plant in order to predict how long it will take a garden to flourish. This collection of new plants includes some azaleas for my border.
My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, places the azaleas strategically -keeping like colors together and with the plant’s mature size in mind. When buying azaleas, always select plants that are sturdy, well-branched, and free of insect damage or diseases. And, avoid plants with weak, spindling growth and poor root systems. 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.
If the planting area has already been mulched for the season, carefully move the mulch out of the way first, so it is not mixed with the planting soil. It will be easy to move the mulch back around the plant later, so it looks neat and tidy.
Matt starts by digging the hole at least twice the size of the plant. Azaleas thrive in moist, well-drained soils high in organic matter.
Then he removes the plant from its pot and scarifies. Scarifying stimulates root growth. Essentially, one makes small cuts along the root ball to loosen the roots and create some beneficial injuries. This helps the plant become established more quickly in its new environment.
Matt also scarifies the bottom.
My gardeners love using the Japanese hori hori knife. It’s durable, comfortable, and very versatile. It has a serrated edge on one side and a sharpened edge on the other. Aside from cutting, it can also be used for troweling and digging out weeds.
Next, Matt sprinkles a generous handful of good, water-soluble fertilizer to the existing soil.
The plant is placed into the hole and then checked to be sure it is at the right depth. Planting too deep could eventually cause bark deterioration at the soil line and kill the plant.
The azalea is backfilled and the soil is lightly tamped for good contact with the root ball. Azaleas have short root systems, so they can easily be transplanted in early spring or early fall.
Matt also returns the beautiful mulch that had been recently spread around the area. Among these new azalea plants are ‘Girard’s Kathy,’ ‘Blaauw’s Pink,’ and ‘Firestar.’ Azaleas prefer morning sun and afternoon shade, or filtered light. These plants will fit in so nicely with the others.
On the other side of the carriage road, Alex drops another wheelbarrow of mulch. Unloading mulch in manageable amounts makes it easier to spread.
Here is one section where the crew is working. I am very proud to be able to make this mulch right here at the farm.
Chhiring carefully spreads a two to three inch layer of mulch around all the plants. I removed all the surrounding grass, so there would be less to mow and maintain.
These azaleas do so well here. 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. Read the labels, so they can be placed appropriately in the garden.
It’s also important to keep azaleas where they can be protected from midday and winter sun to prevent leaves from drying out and burning.
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.
I am excited to see both sides of this carriage road burst with colorful azaleas in another four or five weeks.
Online cooking experiences are a great way to learn everything from mis en place to plating - all from the comforts of one's own home.
This week, I conducted a LIVE cooking demo for 50 executive clients of Calix, Inc., a leading software platform, cloud, systems and services provider. During the 90-minute Zoom session hosted and moderated by Calix CEO Michael Weening, I showed the group how to make Meyer Lemon Drop cocktails, Kale Caesar Salad, Linguine with Clams, and Pasta Limone - all recipes from my 100th and New York Times Best Selling Book, MARTHA, THE COOKBOOK: Lessons and Stories from My Kitchen. I also shared lots of cooking tips and answered a variety of interesting questions from participants.
Enjoy these photos.
I hope you’re all cooking the delicious dishes in my 100th book, MARTHA, THE COOKBOOK! This book has received such a great response – I know you will want to read it cover to cover and cook every single recipe.
Before the virtual session began, I greeted everyone online through Zoom. The demo was conducted from the kitchen of my farm’s guest house. This kitchen is roomy, filled with light, and has a large counter for prepping and showcasing all our finished dishes.
It was so nice to meet such enthusiastic participants.
I start by making a refreshing Meyer Lemon Drop cocktail from my book. This is called a champagne coupe or a champagne saucer. It is a stemmed glass featuring a broad, shallow bowl. For the drink, the rim is dipped in sugar.
First it is dipped into a shallow plate of lemon juice and then into a plate of sugar.
The cocktail includes vodka, Cointreau, Meyer lemon juice, and Meyer lemon syrup shaken in a cocktail shaker with ice until it is cold and then poured. I also added a strip of lemon zest into each glass with ice.
Next, I prepare the Kale Caesar Salad – also from my book. Here I removed the crusts from a loaf of brioche and cut it into cubes to make croutons. It’s so easy to make one’s own – just toss the bread with olive oil, butter, salt and pepper and then bake until crisp.
And here’s helpful tip – to remove the Tuscan kale ribs I just pull the leaves through the hole of a cooking tool, such as this measuring cup.
It really comes out so easily, give it a try. All the participants loved the idea.
Then I chiffonade it, meaning I cut the kale into the thinnest crosswise strips.
The kale is placed into a bowl and tossed with the traditional Caesar dressing, given in my book, and finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
It’s all topped with a generous amount of the homemade croutons.
To make the Linguine with Clams, I start by cutting the garlic into very thin slices and heat it in a straight sided skillet with butter until golden brown.
I add the tomatoes and other ingredients to the skillet and let soften for a few minutes. Wine is added along with clam juice – all according to the recipe.
And then the clams are added and cooked until just opened. One of the participants asked what kind of pans i use… I said, “Martha Stewart pans, of course.”
The clams are removed and plated over a bowl of pasta cooked slightly less than al dente.
For those with seafood allergies, one can also prepare my Pasta Limone – one of my favorite pasta dishes. It is great with any pasta. I like bucatini or angel hair.
And that’s it – the entire meal was cooked in about an hour, including lots of questions and story sharing.
The nutritious Tuscan kale Caesar Salad…
The Linguine with Clams…
The Pasta Limone…
And for dessert, I made my rendition of the Atlantic Beach Pie.
Here I am with Molly Wenk, who has helped me with many television and video cooking shoots over the years. It was a fun demo and a great way for participants to cook along with me from the comforts of their own homes. Thanks for having me join you, Calix. And don’t forget to pick up a copy of my book, MARTHA, THE COOKBOOK.
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