With its rich history and exclusivity, the Masters Tournament is often called a "tradition unlike any other."
The Masters Tournament occurs during the first week of April every year and is held at the same host venue, the Augusta National Golf Club, a private course in the city of Augusta, Georgia. In the early 1800s, the land served as a plantation and nursery before legendary amateur golfer, Bobby Jones, and businessman, Clifford Roberts, founded the golf club and designed the 365-acre course with renowned architect, Alister MacKenzie. It has hosted the prestigious golf competition since 1934. Earlier this month, I traveled down to catch some of the tournament with my longtime friend, "banker" Jane.
Enjoy these photos. And congratulations to Rory McIlroy for his great 2026 win.
The Augusta National Golf Club Clubhouse behind me was first constructed in 1854. When the land was a plantation, this Clubhouse was where the owner lived. It has since gone through several renovations to accommodate the needs of the Masters Tournament. It has a Georgian-style facade and an expansive porch with gorgeous views of the course.
Here I am with my longtime friend, “banker” Jane.
I’m standing on the porch of the exclusive Clubhouse wearing Mother Denim jeans and jacket, with a diamond necklace.
I also wore my new Evelyn Trilby hat from Barbour.
It was the perfect ensemble for this event – comfortable and just right for the day’s weather. This Clubhouse also houses a museum showcasing the rich history of the tournament and the club itself.
I had the chance to speak with so many and learn more about this historic place.
Here I am standing in front of the iconic live oak tree, which has stood here since the 1800s before the course was even built. The tree stands between the clubhouse and the first tee. It is now a popular spot for networking and business during Masters week.
The crowd was extraordinary. 40-thousand guests attend the event rounds from Thursday through Sunday every year. I’m standing in front of the traditional green and white umbrellas representing the lush green fairways and white sandy bunkers. And, while the grassy lawns are trampled by so many during the week-long event, they are perfect again after everyone leaves because of the advanced SubAir system which provides consistent ventilation and moisture to the turf.
I am pointing at the blooms of a magnolia tree. The rules are very strict at Augusta National – absolutely no cameras and no phones allowed. An official Augusta National Golf course photographer took these photos of me.
Here I am watching Rory McIlroy tee off in the third round.
Here I am standing with legendary golfer, Tom Watson. His career includes eight major championships – two of which are Masters titles.
Kohler brought some new premium home saunas and wellness products to the event. This is the Kohler x Remedy Place Ice Bath – a wellness ice plunge that can be installed indoors or out.
This is me surrounded by some of the Kohler “he-men” after a plunge.
Also featured – the KLAFS TARAS Sauna designed for the outdoors. It features reinforced aluminum, floor to ceiling glass walls, and superior heat retention inside.
And do you know what this is? It’s called the Ammortal Chamber made to boost mental clarity, restore physical recovery, and increase circulation and energy.
Driving around the area, i also passed by the boyhood home of Woodrow Wilson, the 27th President of the United States. He lived in this home from 1860 to 1875.
Interestingly, next door is the boyhood home of Joseph R. Lamar, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. It is the only place in America where a future president and supreme court justice lived next to each other as young boys and were good friends.
And this is a view of the Savannah River, one of the longest and largest waterways in Georgia. It forms a great portion of the border between Georgia and South Carolina and runs more than 300 miles.
On our way back to the airport, we saw many planes – the runway was packed. Flying by private jet seems to be the new way to travel.
Here in the Northeast, we’re expecting a little break from the unseasonably warm weather we've had the last few days. Forecasters say it should be more pleasant with temperatures in the 70s - perfect for continuing all the tasks that need to be done around the farm.
There's always so much to do this time of year. My outdoor grounds crew is busy moving and planting smoke bushes in my middle field allée, transplanting boxwood shrubs outside my greenhouse, planting large arborvitae evergreens, clearing sod and tilling soil for new flower beds, uncovering the dahlias, and of course, beginning the task of aerating and mowing the lawns.
Here are some photos, enjoy. What's on your to-do list this weekend?
Thuja plicata ‘Green Giant’ is a fast growing evergreen that provides lush, soft foliage and works great for privacy borders. It is commonly known as arborvitae.
When planting anything, it’s always a good idea to scarify the root ball, or make intentional cuts to stimulate root growth.
The tree is placed into the hole at the proper height. When choosing trees or plants, be sure to consider the size of the specimens when mature. These trees will grow pretty wide, so they need a good amount of space.
Matthew backfills and then rakes the area so it is neat and tidy.
Here’s Pete moving a group of Cotinus trees that had outgrown their spaces outside my Tenant House. I decided they would do better in the allée of smoke bushes in my middle hayfield.
The trees filled in areas where others had died. Don’t be afraid to move trees – as long as the trees are in good condition and the transplanting process is done carefully, this should be an easy task.
The trees are planted at the same depth, “bare to the flare,” which means covered with soil only until the point where the roots meet the main trunk of the tree.
Phurba rakes the area after the trees are planted, fed, and backfilled.
This allée of London plane trees and smoke bushes is doing well. They will look great when full of foliage.
Another one of our time consuming spring tasks is the removal of all the burlap and metal framing surrounding the boxwood. The burlap fabric was removed a few weeks ago to expose the plantings to the sun, but now the metal framing and wooden supports are dismantled and stored for the season.
Pete uses our trusted Hi-Lo to hold and move the metal arches.
These young boxwood shrubs were nurtured right here at the farm. I grow them from bare-root cuttings and they all develop so nicely. Now it’s time to plant them in the gardens.
I decided to plant them here in front of my main greenhouse where they will border two garden beds.
Phurba plants them carefully – measuring their distance from each other with thought and precision.
Behind my vegetable greenhouse, Chhiring maneuvers the Kubota tractor bucket to carefully remove the compost that has been protecting the dahlias all winter.
Back in the woodland, Pasang works carefully to cut dead limbs from the trees.
Weeding has also begun in the gardens. Here, spring weeds are pulled from the perimeter of the vegetable garden.
And in another area, sod is removed in preparation for a new garden. I can’t wait to show you what I am doing in this space. The sod is transplanted in the the chicken yard.
Here is where the sod was removed.
The area is then rototilled, which is the process of tilling the soil with a gas-powered machine equipped with tines that cultivate the soil in preparation for planting.
And here’s Adan. He’s aerated all the lawns and is now starting the mowing. Spring is in full swing!
The hellebores always put on a great floral show this time of year.
Hellebores come in such an artful array of colors, markings and formations, it’s hard not to love these fascinating perennials. Sometimes known as Lenten rose or Christmas rose, these plants are long-lived, easy-to-grow and thrive in shady locations. I’ve had hellebores in my gardens for many years, and I find it so rewarding to have blooms that start in March and continue through spring until the end of May - hellebores are must-haves for any gardener's collection.
Here are some photos of the hellebores blooming at my farm now, enjoy.
Hellebores are among the earliest perennial flowers to bloom. They are members of the Eurasian genus Helleborus – about 20 species of evergreen perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. They blossom during late winter and early spring for up to three months.
Hellebores are widely popular because they are easy-to-grow and are able to resist frost. It is common to plant them on slopes or in raised beds in order to see their flowers, which tend to nod.
I have many hellebores planted around my farm – under allées, in the gardens across from my pergola, and in various beds near my Winter House. Hellebores prefer partial to full shade during the warmer months but require more sunlight in winter.
Some of the varieties planted in the shaded gardens across from my pergola include Helleborus hybrid ‘Lenten Rose,’ Helleborus ‘Rio Carnivale,’ Helleborus ‘Frostkiss Anna’s Red and ‘Frostkiss Molly’s White,’ Helleborus ‘Frostkiss Pippa’s Purple,’ and Helleborus ‘Pink Frost,’
Hellebores get their common name, Lenten rose, from the rose-like flowers that appear in and around the Christian observance of Lent. They look so similar to roses when opening.
What’s most impressive is their bowl-shaped blooms.
The bright green foliage looks very dramatic against the colors of their flowers. Hellebore foliage is thick, evergreen, and forms a low clump with leaves that are lobed, palm-like and serrated.
The flowers come in a wide range of colors including shades of maroon, apricot, yellow, green, metallic blue, slate, dusky pink, and white, with or without picotee, spots, and freckles.
They also come in a variety of flower forms – single, semi-double, fully double, and anemone.
Unlike the blooms of most other flowering plants, hellebore flowers do not consist of petals, but of sepals, which serve to protect the flower.
The sepals surround a ring of small, cup-like nectaries which are actually petals modified to hold nectar. The sepals and veins on this hellebore are deeply colored to invite pollinators.
Hellebores are well-loved by bees and provide lots of good nectar and pollen.
They do best underneath deciduous trees where they are shaded by foliage in summer, but are exposed to full sun after the trees have dropped their leaves in fall.
Hellebores grow in dense clumps that are easy to maintain. Here are groups in shades of pink and white. When planting, Hellebores should be planted about two-feet apart to accommodate spreading.
These hellebores have created a nice, lush ground cover that fills in the garden and helps to suppress weeds.
Hellebores can reach up to 36-inches in height and width, so be sure to position hellebores in protected areas away from winter winds.
They are considered slow-growing plants that can take up to 18-months to reach mature size.
After the first year, when the plant is well-established, hellebores are very resistant and require little upkeep.
They like to be watered deeply enough to saturate the root zone but then not watered again until the soil feels dry to the touch. These plants are drought tolerant but quite sensitive to soggy soil.
While beautiful to look at, all parts of the hellebore are toxic and should not be ingested.
Given the right conditions, hellebores will spread nicely and look beautiful through the early season. If you’re out shopping for spring plants, consider the hellebore – you’ll love them in your garden.
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