Many of you often ask about my pets. I am happy to report - they're all doing very well, including my youngest furred companions, my kittens Cinco and Mayo.
Born on March 15th of this year, these young felines are now eight months old and free to roam the stable complex and surrounding area during the day. In the afternoon, the sister pair returns to the feed room where they eat and sleep. And don't forget Blackie, my greenhouse cat. He is also doing excellently. He guards my gardens and loves greeting everyone who visits.
Enjoy these recent photos of the "Cats of Cantitoe Corners."
The kittens are getting bigger and smarter every day. This is Mayo, the tabby.
And this is Cinco, the Calico. While these sisters were born last March, they arrived at my farm on Cinco de Mayo, the 5th of May – hence their names.
Cinco is very friendly and curious. She is the first to run to visitors.
Mayo is a little bit more shy, but she has warmed up well and now also loves the company and attention from everyone.
Here’s Cinco saying hi to Juan and my handsome Friesian, Geert.
Calico cats have tricolor coats. The calico cat is commonly 25 to 75-percent white with large orange and black patches. And, calicos are almost exclusively female.
Tabby cats have a distinctive coat pattern and an “M”-shaped marking on the forehead. The pattern can include stripes, dots, lines, flecks, bands, or swirls on the cat’s body, and the cat may also have stripes by its eyes and across its cheeks, back, legs, and tail.
Cinco also loves to greet the donkeys in their enclosure, but don’t worry, she keeps her distance for safety. Cats are naturally athletic and have many characteristics that contribute to their agility, speed, and impressive jumping ability.
Cinco also loves playing with the feathers she finds.
She has a great sense of balance and can walk comfortably along the edge of the wheelbarrow.
A cat’s strongest senses include smell, hearing, and night vision. They can transition from sleep to wakefulness very quickly without grogginess. Mayo is very observant.
And where one goes, the other is never far away. These two are Scottish Fold mixes. Their purebred mom had them shortly after she was rescued herself. The breed is known for having a sweet and loving nature.
Cats have a wider field of vision than humans, but need to be closer to see things in the same detail. Felines have much better night vision than humans too.
Mayo loves to rest on the cool stone floor of the stable. Kittens six months and older, and adult cats, sleep about 16 to 18 hours a day on average. And, kittens have a similar routine to adult cats, napping throughout the day. They are usually most active at dawn and dusk.
But it’s not long before she’s up and ready to explore again.
Here’s Cinco under my carriage. Many cats love to lounge in a warm sunlit space.
These two are very close and watch out for each other as good sisters do. There’s still so much for them to learn.
Up at my main greenhouse, one can often find Blackie. Every day he makes his rounds, saying hi to everyone he sees. Blackie loves people and is always ready for a good rub.
And he loves keeping watch inside the greenhouse. When my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, is potting up plants, Blackie is right there next to him.
Blackie stays near my main greenhouse and loves the shade gardens near my pergola and Tenant House.
And at night he’s back indoors guarding the space from any and all small furred intruders. Thanks, Blackie. Sharing a home with cats… it’s a good thing.
A good time to plant hydrangeas is in the fall, so they can grow healthy root systems before their first blooms.
My gardeners planted many hydrangeas this year - in my perennial hydrangea garden, around my goose enclosure, along both sides of my Cotinus and London plane tree allée, and outside my tennis court. A portion of them are from First Editions Shrubs & Trees, a brand of premium evergreens and perennials from the fifth-generation, family and brand owner Bailey Nurseries in St. Paul, Minnesota. Among their newest hydrangea varieties is Flowerfull, which stands out with bold white blooms and sturdy upright stems. I decided to plant these behind my main greenhouse near my berry bushes, where they would be seen and admired every summer.
Enjoy these photos.
Early last month, I received a large delivery of beautiful hydrangeas from First Editions Shrubs & Trees. At the time, all of them were blooming profusely.
Hydrangea, commonly named the hortensia, is a genus of more than 70 species of flowering plants native to Asia and the Americas. Hydrangea flowers bloom from early spring to late autumn.
Included in this selection is Berry White, Panicle Hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Renba.’ It has strong, upright stems and large cone-shaped flower panicles. The flower color starts white in July then progresses to dark pink, beginning at the bottom and developing up to the top of the panicle.
Strawberry Sundae is also a panicle hydrangea. This one is perfect in small hedges or as part of mass plantings. The flowers emerge creamy white in midsummer and change to pink as night temperatures cool down.
The Vanilla Strawberry™ Panicle Hydrangea features enormous flower heads that are held upright – first white, then pink, then red in later fall.
And new from First Editions is the FlowerFull Smooth Hydrangea.
Born in a tight cluster, the blossoms of FlowerFull are initially green and open to a creamy white.
Its leaves are more rounded, slightly heart shaped with a matte surface.
I wanted them planted in a nice location, where they could flourish under part shade. I decided to plant some under and around this fastigiate oak tree, one of several I planted years ago.
The leaves of a fastigiate oak tree, also known as the upright English oak or columnar English oak, are oblong or obovate in shape, with three to seven blunt lobes per side.
As with all new plants, the potted hydrangeas are first placed where they will be planted to ensure good spacing and arrangement. Hydrangeas should be at least four feet apart when planted in groups.
Cesar starts digging the holes. Because these holes do not have to be too deep, he uses a post hole digger.
Placing the plants in their designated locations also helps to keep track of the holes dug.
Fertilizer is sprinkled generously inside the hole and on the surrounding soil. We used Scotts Evergreen, Flowering Tree & Shrub fertilizer fortified to help with transplant survival, increased water and nutrient absorption, and to encourage vigorous root growth and lush foliage.
Using a Hori Hori knife, Cesar scarifies the root ball to stimulate growth. The Hori Hori knife is one of our favorite tools for the garden. It’s great for digging holes for transplants and bulbs, dividing plants, pruning, weeding, and so much more.
Hydrangeas have a fibrous root system, which means their roots are thin and branch out. These roots allow the plants to absorb water and nutrients from the top layers of soil.
Cesar plants the hydrangea similar to the way it was planted in the pot. Planting them too deep can bury the stems, which can promote root rot.
The hole is backfilled with the existing soil as well as new composted soil made right here at my farm.
I am looking forward to seeing these gorgeous white hydrangeas bloom next summer.
What autumn chores are on your to-do list this year?
To stay organized during seasonal transitions, I create very detailed notes of all that needs to be done around my farm. Over the last few weeks, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew have been working hard getting all the tasks completed. They've been blowing leaves, planting evergreens, cleaning, feeding, and mulching the garden beds, covering air-conditioner pits, leveling the gravel along the carriage roads, and much more. While we desperately need rain, the weather has been mild and so much is getting done.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
It is so beautiful this time of year when all the deciduous trees show their stunning autumn colors before dropping their leaves. Here at my farm, there are leaves everywhere.
As the weather grows colder and sunlight decreases, the trees seal the spots where the leaves are attached – this process is what causes them to change color and fall to the ground. Rather than expend energy to protect these fragile organs, trees shed leaves to conserve resources for the next year.
Here’s Pete blowing the the feathery brown foliage from the bald cypress trees.
And here’s Adan gathering the fallen leaves below my magnolia trees. Once the leaves are blown into a manageable pile, they are directed to the opening of a vacuum tube connected to our dump truck. The leaves are then taken to the compost area, where they will decompose and get used again as mulch.
Fernando is working on the air conditioner pits. I keep all my air conditioners in large pits, where they are well hidden behind each house. These air conditioner pits are covered with industrial strength plastic, plywood, and then burlap to protect them from the winter elements.
The burlap is trimmed and then held down with wooden strips. It looks very finished and tidy.
Covering these pits also makes them easier to maintain. Any snow or debris that falls can be brushed to the side before accessing the units below.
Josh is cleaning up the flower garden beds. It takes a lot of time to cut down and remove all the old, dead plants, and root systems. When cutting back perennials this time of year, they should be trimmed to a height of one to two inches above the ground, close to the dormant base of the plant.
Once a bed is cleaned, Josh feeds the soil. Soon, all the gardens will also get a layer of compost which will replenish nutrients and improve the soil structure over the winter.
All the debris from the garden is loaded onto the tractor and hauled to our compost pile.
Here’s Phurba ready to take another load up. There’s never a dull moment here at Cantitoe.
Meanwhile, here’s Ryan down in what I call the boxwood nursery, where I am nurturing young boxwood shrubs originally planted from bare root cuttings. He is feeding them TopBuxus Health Mix, which prevents the fungal disease called box blight and provides the plants with rich nutrients that restore new green leaves and strong branch growth. I have been using TopBuxus for several years as a monthly treatment.
In my maze, a tractor bucket full of mulch grown right here at my farm is ready to put down. The mulch helps regulate soil temperatures and protect plant roots from extreme weather fluctuations. It also retains moisture, and suppresses weeds, ensuring healthier plants going into the next growing season.
Phurba uses a hard rake to create a two to three inch layer over the beds.
Nearby, José plants a row of ninebark, Physocarpus. It’s been unusually warm here in the Northeast, so we’re getting as many plants in the ground as possible.
These plants still have time to get established before it gets cold. We’re expecting temperatures to be in the high 70s mid-week.
My farm has four miles of gravel-covered carriage road. Gravel roads are attractive and accumulate less pollutants over time, but it is important to keep them well-maintained. Here’s one of the trucks from Bedford Stone & Masonry Supply Corp. As it moves along the carriage road, the gravel is released from the bottom of the truck’s tailgate very slowly and evenly.
This stone is not only pretty, but water drains more quickly through small stones and gravel, so it is good to use around the farm.
In some areas, Pete uses the tractor bucket to level and spread the gravel.
Here, Pete uses a landscape rake to spread and level the gravel to the edges of the road. This area is also high traffic, so it needs extra attention.
When maintaining a road it is important to ensure it has a crowned driving surface and a shoulder area that slopes directly away from the edge for water drainage.
Here is my Boxwood Allée after a new layer of native stone washed gravel was dropped. Maintaining a farm and property is hard work, but it is also very rewarding.
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