My pinetum continues to evolve with the planting of more interesting specimens.
Recently, I purchased a few plantings from Conifer Kingdom, an Oregon-based company that sells more than 600 conifer varieties from sapling to large, mature trees. Conifer Kingdom is a longtime participating vendor at the Trade Secrets Garden Tours and Rare Plant & Garden Antiques Sale. I decided the plants would look great in my pinetum behind my Equipment Barn and underneath my weeping willows. The new additions include a European Larch, Variegated False Holly, Colorado spruce, and Korean fir.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
As a serious and passionate gardener, I am always looking for ways to add more beauty and texture to all my garden beds. One area that is constantly evolving is my pinetum – an arboretum of pine trees and other conifers.
This Picea pungens ‘Utica’ is a slow-growing bright blue evergreen conifer shrub. It is a spruce that was actually found as a seedling in upstate New York.
Matthew starts by digging the hole at least twice the size of the plant.
Then he sprinkles a generous amount of food into the hole and mixes it with the existing soil. Remember what I always say, “if you are eating and drinking today, so should your plants.”
I use Miracle-Gro Organic All Purpose Plant Food. It’s good for both outdoor container and in-ground plants and feeds for up to three-months.
Matthew carefully removes the plant from its pot so as to get as much of the root ball as possible.
Using his pruners, Matthew scarifies the root ball, meaning he makes intentional cuts along the side to stimulate growth. I do this with all new plants before they are placed in the ground.
He also teases the roots on the bottom. Scarifying the root ball also helps with nutrient absorption by loosening the roots and allowing them to expand into the new soil.
Matthew checks to be sure that it is planted at the right depth. It should be at the same level as it was in the pot.
Finally, Matthew backfills and tamps down lightly to create a good connection between the root ball and the existing soil.
Look at this interesting specimen – Abies koreana ‘Kohout’s Ice Breaker.’ This is a dwarf, evergreen conifer that develops into a small, broadly pyramidal tree. It has short, stubby branches with flat, curved silvery blue and white needles and an incredibly slow growth rate.
Matthew removes it carefully from its pot. This plant will only mature to two feet tall and three feet wide after 10-years.
And once again, Matthew scarifies the roots. If the root ball is soft, scarifying can be done with the hands.
Matthew backfills and levels the surrounding soil. This specimen’s spherical shape shows it is still young.
This is a variegated false holly, a tree-form version of the Goshiki Osmanthus. It is a well-loved specimen for its radiant, variegated, holly-like leaves of creamy white, yellow, and dark mint green.
Another interesting conifer is this European larch, Larix decidua ‘Krejci.’ This is a twisted dwarf conifer that is also a slow grower with an interesting shape and habit. It is native to the mountains of central Europe, in the Alps and Carpathian Mountains, and in lowland populations of northern Poland.
The twisted, turning branches bear clusters of bright green needles in spring, turning dark green in summer, and golden-yellow in fall.
I recently expanded the garden to underneath these tall weeping willow trees, which I also planted here years ago.
Mugo pines are planted at the edge. Together with all the other new plants, this garden features a great mix of varieties, colors, and textures.
Everything thrives here in part because of the excellent soil which I amend often with nutrient rich compost and organic fertilizer. I am very proud of how it is developing. The newest additions will fill out this pinetum garden wonderfully.
So many of you are enjoying "The Martha Stewart Podcast." These shows are when I sit down for one-on-one conversations with fascinating people from all walks of life to learn how their individual careers began, how they have evolved, and what stories they can share with listeners. These talks are filled with information, inspiration, and lots of laughter. If you haven’t already, please tune in - it's available on the iHeart media app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Today, we're releasing another great episode - my first-ever LIVE podcast done from the beautiful New York Botanical Garden located in the Bronx, New York. My guest is actress and activist Jameela Jamil. Jameela is new to gardening but is so excited to sit down with me, learn about a new pastime, and share a little about her background and career. This episode is brought to you by our good friends at Miracle-Gro.
Here are some photos.
The New York Botanical Garden is a National Historic Landmark set on 250-acres of land with more than one-million living plants included in its extensive collections. If you are ever in the New York City area, I encourage you to pay a visit – its gardens and collections are stunning. I was so happy to be able to do my first-ever LIVE podcast from the NYBG.
The day’s events began at the NYBG’s Hudson Garden Grill, its elegant farm-to-table restaurant located right on the grounds.
Our friends at Miracle-Gro showcased beautiful plants for an interesting green backdrop where guests could take photos for social media.
Tasty hors d’oeuvres were passed around to all the guests…
… And a buffet of wonderful foods was set up indoors.
Outside on the terrace, a “Stitch and Sprout” booth was set up where guests could get personalized Miracle-Gro “Dirt Nerd” sweatshirts and hats. Remember my “Dirt Nerd” commercial?
It was a popular station and Miracle-Gro provided many “stitchers” to help.
A Garden Bar was also set-up with spring-themed drinks. The day’s forecast called for rain, and although the skies were cloudy, the weather held up nicely.
Here I am with two “influencer” guests. they were so excited to take a photo with me.
Gift bags were provided for everyone who attended.
Our event was held near one of the New York Botanical Garden’s entrances in the Arthur and Janet Ross Gallery and Lecture Hall, where many of NYBG’s lectures, meetings and presentations are held. This Hall seats 430. We invited friends, colleagues, media influencers, and gardening enthusiasts.
iHeart’s Podcast Network Chief Operating Officer, Will Pearson, welcomed all the guests to the event and began introductions.
On the right is NYBG’s Chief Executive Officer, Jennifer Bernstein. Jennifer also addressed the audience and introduced me. (Photo provided by NYBG)
And here is Jameela. If you’re not familiar, Jameela is in the cast of the award-winning fantasy comedy series “The Good Place.” Jameela is also an activist for women’s body positivity, climate change awareness, and LGBTQ+ issues.
It was a most interesting discussion about her background and career. Jameela is very funny, even a little bit raunchy on air, but the audience laughed through the hour – you must listen to this podcast. It will leave you laughing as well. (Photo provided by NYBG)
Jameela is new to gardening, so Jennifer and I also shared our thoughts on the essentials of any gardener’s tool bag. They include a trowel, Hori Hori knife, weeder, folding pruning saw, loppers, snips, scissors, pen, labels, a notebook, hat, and of course sunscreen. Aside from jokes, we offered her some good tips and ideas for starting a garden.
Jameela was interested in all we had to say, asking lots of questions and offering her own humorous interpretations. (Photo provided by NYBG)
And here I am after the podcast with Jameela, Jennifer, and Will. It was an excellent show and a very informative and interesting conversation.
If you haven’t yet purchased a copy of my 101st book, MARTHA STEWART’S GARDENING HANDBOOK: The Essential guide to Designing, Planting and Growing, be sure to order one today. It is a fully comprehensive gardening guide with everything one needs to know to curate a beautiful, thriving garden. You’ll want to read it cover to cover, over and over again.
Spring is the perfect time of year for dining al fresco with friends.
After a delightful and successful morning at the Trade Secrets Garden Tours and Rare Plants & Garden Antiques Sale in Lakeville, Connecticut, we drove to a tranquil town in New York State, where we enjoyed a lovely lunch at the weekend home of friend and colleague, Patsy Pollack. It has become a favorite tradition to go to Patsy’s after Trade Secrets. This year, she served a delicious buffet of Mediterranean-inspired dishes.
Enjoy these photos.
Patsy’s New York State weekend cottage is nestled among tall trees and lots of green foliage. It is always so relaxing to come here after a busy morning at Trade Secrets.
Across from the main house is a charming garden shed. The walking paths are covered with quarter-inch round stone – a beautiful ground cover for the bold green of the boxwood. The branches on top of Patsy’s shed are those of wisteria. Wisteria is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, that includes 10-species of woody climbing vines.
The side of the shed is also very charming. A potting table is situated just right for summertime gardening tasks.
The ferns are so lush. Planting multiples of one plant in a section of a garden can look so stunning and dramatic, especially flanking these natural stone steps.
Everyone admired the shade garden. The hostas fill the space nicely. Hostas are among the most popular perennials – they are shade-tolerant, low maintenance, and incredibly elegant with their variety of foliage and striking green colors. There are many stone garden pieces all around Patsy’s home. She has been collecting them for many years.
This is Patsy’s boxwood garden. While the most familiar forms of boxwood are commonly referred to as “American” and “English” boxwood, there are about 90-species and more than 365 different cultivars.
This round iron planter is used for growing chives. Chives is the common name of Allium schoenoprasum, the smallest species of the onion genus. It is a popular edible, and used to flavor many dishes.
On the expansive wrap around porch is a very inviting space with this large, comfortable sectional for cool summer evening chats.
On the other side of the home is this quaint stairway leading to Patsy’s enclosed porch and kitchen.
Up the stairs and inside is an inviting room filled with many of Patsy’s “finds.”
Her dining area is also decorated with lovely collectibles. Platters designated for various dishes wait to be filled. It’s always a good idea to pull serving plates early, so there is no rush to hunt for them later.
This is Patsy’s living room – a relaxing after meal gathering place.
Outside, refreshing beverages are served on this antique metal gardening table. It is also a great spot for displaying various potted plants.
Nearby is the wonderful spread of delicious foods. Patsy cooks everything, sometimes preparing things days in advance.
This is a farro and pomegranate salad. Farro is an ancient whole-grain wheat that’s high in fiber, protein, and nutrients.
The herbed chicken skewers are so tasty – Patsy cooked these outside on the grill.
The grilled chicken sausage with lemon and kale was equally delicious.
And so were the lamb and feta meatballs served with pomegranate molasses.
This is a large herbed salad made with couscous, cherry tomatoes, and farm greens. Couscous is granular semolina, which has been moistened with water, lightly covered in flour and then rolled into tiny beadlike pellets.
A bowl of homemade multi-grain croutons with walnuts are provided to top the salad or eat out of hand.
There are also bread baskets filled with warm, fresh pita breads.
And green gazpacho – a chilled soup made from cucumber, tomatillos and a yogurt base. Also on the table – tsatziki and harissa, a spicy, smoky, peppery red chili paste that adds kick to any dish.
All our plates were filled, and then filled again. Here is my plate. Everything is so flavorful. It was a wonderful lunch and a fun afternoon – thank you so much, Patsy.
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