One thing I love is the intoxicating scent of a garden rose, especially the newly released Martha Stewart hybrid tea rose.
My new rose has large pink blooms, dark green foliage, and a most wonderful and sweet fragrance. It was bred by Meilland, a six-generation family-owned rose-growing business, and was launched in North America through Star Roses and Plants. Last week, I received 40 of my roses from rosarian Danielle Dall’Armi Hahn, the owner of Rose Story Farm in Carpinteria, California - a good number of them in bloom. I decided to plant them all together along both sides of a footpath of a developing garden where they can grow and flourish.
Enjoy these photos.
Look at this gorgeous rose. When in peak bloom, it shows off more than 100 lush pink to apricot petals and a citrus-honeysuckle scent.
Many of rose bushes are blooming now and will continue to flower for weeks.
My roses arrived with a large grouping of climbing roses in a variety of colors.
I decided to plant all the roses in a fenced in garden previously used as my vegetable garden and then a flower cutting garden. The soil is excellent and the surrounding fence is perfect for all the climbers. My potted roses are lined up in straight rows flanking the center footpath.
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 here the digging begins – 40 holes, 20 on each side.
When planting, make sure the hole is slightly wider but equal in depth to the rose’s root ball. This will generally be about 15 to 18 inches deep by 18 to 24 inches wide.
Phurba uses a long handled garden tool to ensure the holes are straight and according to the pre-measured distance from the footpath.
A sprinkling of Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed is also added to each hole.
Phurba carefully removes a rose from its pot. Do this slowly, especially if the root ball is moist and crumbling.
And then he teases the roots to stimulate growth.
Here, Phurba places the rose into the designated hole and checks to see that it is at the same level as it was in the pot.
Phurba makes sure the top of the root ball is about an inch above the edge of the hole before he backfills. He also looks to see that the plant is straight and the best side faces the center.
Any surrounding soil is leveled and tidied.
I save all the pots so they can be reused and repurposed later. If you have the room to store them, save your pots – they always come in handy.
This day was wet and rainy, but all of my roses were planted. I am excited to see them continue to grow and bloom in this enclosed space.
Meanwhile, Matthew adds support to the climbing roses that were planted along the inside of the fence in this enclosure.
For this task he uses coir twine, which is stronger than jute twine. It is made from the inner husk of coconuts.
Matthew makes sure the canes are together and separated before he secures the twine. Doing this helps to avoid any crisscrossing as they grow.
Some of these climbing roses are also blooming nicely despite the rain.
This area will look so beautiful in the weeks ahead. I’ll be sure to share more photos as they grow.
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.
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