Hard to resist the intoxicating scent of a garden rose.
I have many, many roses - a group of my newly released Martha Stewart hybrid tea roses and a collection of climbers are planted in a cutting garden adjacent to my chickens coops, but I also have roses in my perennial flower garden, in my allée of lilacs, and in a more formal space behind my main greenhouse. It is a 68-foot by 30-foot rose garden that includes floribunda, hybrid tea, and shrub roses - all with gorgeous color, form, and fragrance.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I planted more than 120 roses in this space. Roses offer such an abundance of blooms, it looks so beautiful when planted in large quantities.
I planted a variety of floribunda roses, hybrid tea roses, and shrub roses.
This garden is surrounded with boxwood. Large boxwood shrubs anchor the corners and mark the center footpath of the garden.
The smaller boxwood, which I nurtured from bare-root cuttings fill in the rest of the perimeter. Buxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood. Boxwood is native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
All of these roses came from rosarian Danielle Dall’Armi Hahn, the owner of Rose Story Farm in Carpinteria, California and author of “The Color of Roses,” published by Ten Speed Press.
Right now there are gorgeous, fragrant blooms, some as big as one’s hand.
Hybrid tea roses, also called large-flowered roses, usually have only one flower per stem and tend to flower in three flushes from summer to late autumn. Floribundas or cluster-flowered roses have many flowers per stem and tend to repeat-flower continuously from summer to late autumn.
This garden includes a variety of different colors from dark pink to apricot to lavender, yellow, and creamy white.
A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae. There are more than a hundred species and thousands of cultivars.
The leaves of the rose are described as “pinnate” – meaning there is a central rib and then leaflets off to each side, with one terminal leaflet. Rose leaves can have anywhere from two to 13 leaflets. And rose stems are often armed with sharp prickles – they aren’t thorns at all. Unlike a thorn, a prickle can be easily broken off the plant because it is really a feature of the outer layers rather than part of the wood, like a thorn.
Garden roses are mostly grown as ornamental plants. They are among the most popular and widely cultivated groups of flowering plants, especially in temperate climates.
When selecting a location, plant roses in a sunny spot where they can get at least six hours of sun and good drainage.
Rose roots grow deep, so also be sure there is adequate room for the roots to spread.
These are strong disease resistant varieties. Many roses are bred and selected to resist the most common rose problems.
When watering roses, give them the equivalent to one-inch of rainfall per week during the growing season.
And don’t forget to feed. As I often say, if you eat, so should the plants. Keep roses well-fed with a slow release formula specifically for roses.
When pruning in early spring, prune with the goal of opening the center of the plant or shrub to let in better light and air circulation within and between the plants.
As part of a yearly maintenance program, also eliminate dead, dying, and diseased plants and plant parts to help keep the garden healthy. When needed replace plants with new, healthy ones.
Given the right care, healthy roses can bloom through summer and all the way until early fall.
This rose garden is flourishing behind my berry patches in an area where guests can see them in their splendor. I am so pleased with how it is doing.
It's always so much fun to see the familiar through someone else's lens.
After last week's event celebrating 30 "Super Fans" of the Martha Stewart brand, many of them sent in their own photos taken from the day's events - the breakfast on my terrace parterre, the walking tour through my gardens, and the luncheon under my large pavilion. It's always interesting to know what others "see" on my farm, what captures their attention, and what inspires them to do their own projects once they return home.
Here are some of those images taken by my guests, enjoy.
This photo of my guest Tenant House was taken by Andrew Ritchie. Andrew is the creator of the “Martha Moments” blog and online community. Most of the attendees met through “Martha Moments” and have become good friends. (Photo by Andrew Ritchie)
Andrew designed and founded his “Martha Moments” blog in 2006 as a content archive written for fans and collectors of the Martha Stewart brand. It continues to delight readers 19 years later.(Photo by Andrew Ritchie)
Here’s another photo Andrew captured of my long and winding pergola. (Photo by Andrew Ritchie)
And this is my Basket House – always an interesting stop along any garden tour. (Photo by Andrew Ritchie)
Dennis Landon, another longtime devotee and “Martha Moments” follower, took this snapshot of his husband, Bernie and devotees Justin Giannunzio and Nathan Schmidt, carrying gifts for me from the group – a gorgeous and unique fern and a bucket of wonderful items from each of the attendees. (Photo by Dennis Landon)
Carey Lowe took this photo of one side of my glass greenhouse facing my expansive berry patch garden. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
Inside my perennial flower cutting garden, Carey looked down and captured the lush, green lady’s mantle, Alchemilla mollis – a perennial ground cover with large circular scallop-edged leaves and chartreuse flower clusters. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
The day’s breakfast started off with some pastries and hardboiled eggs from my chickens. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
And of course, some of my daily green juice. I make it fresh every day.(Photo by Carey Lowe)
Guests always catch the details. Here is one photo of a porch light. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
And a trough outside my stable holding two small potted sago palms. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
Dessert from the luncheon – taken from above. This flan was delicious. Not one piece was left over. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
All the fencing around my farm is made from 100-year-old white spruce railings I purchased in Canada. When the fences were built, I used new cedar uprights to support them. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
This is the south side of my stable complex which includes my carriage house turned meeting room. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
Kristina Closs took this photo of our lunch table before everyone sat down. The table was made out of an old yew tree I took down at my former East Hampton home. (Photo by Kristina Closs)
Lunch was flavorful paella made three ways – for seafood lovers, meat lovers and vegetarians. (Photo by Kristina Closs)
And although the peak of peony season was over at my farm, there were still many gorgeous blooms all around.(Photo by Kristina Closs)
Good selfie, Nathan! This one taken on my terrace outside my Winter House. (Photo by Nathan Schmidt)
Here’s a photo of Nathan and Carey at the east end of my long Boxwood Allée. (Photo by Nathan Schmidt)
Nathan took this photo also – my Tenant House with so many ostrich ferns growing in the garden. (Photo by Nathan Schmidt)
Here’s another peony just opening. (Photo by Nathan Schmidt)
Here are the staddle stones at the north end of my pool. It was hard to resist a jump in the water on this day – it was very warm and humid. (Photo by Hayden Regina)
Here are Hayden Regina and my head gardener Ryan McCallister. (Photo by Hayden Regina)
Rachel Butler took this picture as the group walked past the hosta garden under the dappled shade of my Metasequoia trees. (Photo by Rachel Butler)
And here’s the climbing hydrangea – it’s blooming so lovely this season. (Photo by Rachel Butler)
The group loved visiting the horses in my stable. My Friesians, Fell pony, and donkeys love all the attention. This is Geert.(Photo by Rachel Butler)
The group gave every member of my farm staff a gift bag. It was such a wonderful and thoughtful gesture. Everyone on the farm was thrilled. (Photo by Jennifer Zimmerman)
And for me, each guest gifted me with something handmade or specially selected from their home state. I loved every gift. (Photo by Jennifer Zimmerman)
Here’s a photo of Bernie Wong and Dennis Landon who came all the way fro Wisconsin to attend the celebration. (Photo by Jennifer Zimmerman)
Justin took lots of photos of the gardens. Right now the roses are putting on a great show. (Photo by Justin Giannunzio)
Here’s Dennis, Andrew, Bernie, and Justin – having a breakfast of a lifetime. (Photo by Justin Giannunzio)
Jordan Munn is a photographer from Quebec and brought his cameras to take his photos. This is a view looking down the center of my flower garden. (Photo by Jordan Munn)
And here is one of an allée of lindens that runs from my pergola all the way down to my chicken coops. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
And here is a shady view of the carriage road under my majestic pin oaks. What a special day. Thanks to all my devotees who attended and made the day so much fun! (Photo by Jordan Munn)
Everyone who attended this week's "Super Fans" luncheon and garden tour are still sharing photos and stories about all the fun they had.
Devotees came from all over for the special occasion - Wisconsin, Illinois, Massachusetts, California, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Maryland, Florida, West Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, Michigan, Quebec, Ontario, Texas, Minnesota, Indiana, North Carolina, and of course, New York. And although the day was very warm and humid with temperatures in the high 80s, it was a wonderful time for all.
Here are more photos, enjoy. And in my next blog, I'll share images taken by my guests.
I decided to serve lunch under my pavilion. It is one of the coolest spots on the farm with great shade and cross breezes.
My pavilion is just outside my large pool. I just opened the pool a couple of weeks ago – it certainly would be nice to take a swim.
Here I am putting the final touches on the long table. This table was made from an old yew tree I cut down at my former East Hampton home. It was made by master artisan Peter Billow, owner of Peter H. Billow Fine Woodworking in Brooklyn, New York.
The table settings were done with my signature green color. I used fun enamel ware plates and coordinated with bright colored pink peonies.
My guests could smell lunch from across the orchard. On the menu – paella cooked on a hardwood fire.
For paella, it’s important to use a traditional paella pan, which is round and flat with shallow sides.
Paella is a rice dish from Valencia, Spain. It is one of the most well-known dishes in Spanish cuisine and popular worldwide.
I served three different kinds – one with seafood, one with meats, and one that was vegetarian. One ingredient in all is saffron. It adds flavor and color to the iconic Spanish rice dish. And, I grow it right here at the farm.
Marquee Senior Marketing Manager Sophie Roche came up for the event. Here she is helping out. These delicious herbed toasts were devoured as soon as they hit the table.
You may recognize these two helpers – podcast producer, Heather Kirkland, and Lisa Wagner who worked with me for 25 years as a creative stylist and content creator.
Here I am with all my attending devotees at the table just before lunch. It was so nice to see everyone having such a good time.
For dessert, we all had flan. Flan is a rich baked custard dessert that is both sweet and creamy with hints of vanilla and caramel.
And here I am with Chef Pierre Schaedelin from PS Tailored Events. Pierre and I have collaborated on so many menus over the years.
After lunch, the group walked down to my carriage house for some afternoon presentations. This is my allée of pin oaks. When I planted this allée, these trees were only about five feet tall. Look how much they’ve grown. This allée has since become one of the focal points of my farm.
Devotee Carey Lowe from California wore one of my Tractor Supply outfits. I love all the pieces in this collection.
Before coming to the event, Carey embellished the Garden Chore Jacket with some embroidery…
… And I embellished it a little more.
Devotee Bernie Wong Green was instrumental in planning this event. He stopped to look at the blooming climbing hydrangeas on this giant maple.
Some also took time to walk through my stable and visit with my horses and donkeys.
Everyone gathered in my carriage house to hear several of my friends and colleagues speak about the brand, how we were inspired over the years, what we’ve accomplished, etc. There was also time for some “Ask Martha” questions from the group.
Before leaving, guests were able to take books they were missing from their own collections.
It was a fun day. Stay tuned for my next blog. I’ll be sharing photos from my guests. It’s always fun to see the familiar through someone else’s lens.
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