Touring My Gardens with the Bedford Farmers Club

September 22, 2017

Touring My Gardens with the Bedford Farmers Club

Today is the first day of fall - a wonderful time of year to walk through the gardens of my Bedford, New York farm.

As you all know, every now and then I agree to a handful of special guided walks to show visitors how we care for all the many plantings at the farm. Most of them are conducted in the spring, but a select few are also scheduled at the very end of the season, as leaves begin to fall. This week, I welcomed a couple of groups, including the Bedford Farmers Club, one of the country's oldest farm organizations, which works to foster awareness of the area's remarkable agricultural heritage.

Here are some pictures of what they saw - enjoy.

: Before the garden tour began, members of the Bedford Farmers Club held a meeting in my Carriage House next next to my stable. Ryan showed the group the map of the property and what areas they would be touring.

: As always, I provide a few refreshments for the groups visiting my farm. On this day, several of the club’s members also brought treats – homemade cookies and brownies.

: Here is our platter of cookies prepared by the chefs at my New York City headquarters. My longtime housekeeper, Laura, always makes such lovely presentations.

: This group was very interested in all the trees I have planted over the years – thousands of trees. Ryan walks them up along a carriage road lined with several types of trees, including Paulownia, horse chestnut, crabapple, and Nyssa trees.

: Ryan also pointed out the climbing hydrangeas, which feature large, fragrant clusters of white flowers against a backdrop of dark green, heart-shaped foliage.

: Climbing hydrangea plants can grow 30 to 80 feet tall. I have them growing on several trees on the farm.

: The group made a brief stop in my sunken garden. This garden behind my Summer House is always a favorite stop on the tour. The boxwood look very lush and green. Ryan pointed out the tall, old Ginkgo tree at the back – the focal point of this space.

: As they walked towards my Winter House, the group started to smell the wonderful apples that filled the trees. We have so many, many apples this season – I have been pressing lots of apples into cider for my family, friends and visitors to the farm.

: Here is a view of my expansive Winter House porch, where I love to hang lots of staghorn ferns during the warmer months. Platycerium is a genus of about 18 fern species in the polypod family, Polypodiaceae. Ferns in this genus are widely known as staghorn or elkhorn ferns due to their uniquely shaped fronds.

: Here is a view looking down toward the stable and the four chicken coop houses in the distance – it is among the most favorite views on the farm.

: This dwarf apple orchard is just behind my long carport and flower room. Father Legendre of Hannonsville, France is credited with pioneering the espalier growing method in 1684. Because sunlight reaches every piece of fruit that these trees bear, espalier pruning continues to be a standard procedure at commercial orchards in France.

: Across the carriage road are my Malus ‘Gravenstein’ espalier apple trees. I love this crisp and juicy apple, an antique variety, which is wonderful to eat and great for cooking and baking.

: The trees in front of the dwarf apples are Korean Lilacs – these have beautiful striking spikes of fragrant lilac-pink flowers that bloom in late spring with small rounded foliage.

: Here is a look between two of the paddocks, with the old corn crib on the right.

: Ryan showed the group this apple tree located outside my blog studio. It is a very old apple tree and original to the farm.

: Here is my new boxwood border along my winding pergola. I’ve been reading all your lovely comments about the border and am very happy to know you like how it looks.

: As the group continued, they spotted one of the finials atop my Equipment Barn – antique finials I bought years back.

: Across the carriage road – two of my most curious peafowl. They are strolling through the new fruit tree orchard we planted in this field over the summer.

: The tour passed my pinetum. I started planting the pinetum about 10-years ago. The pinetum is tucked between my equipment shed and my weeping willow grove. When I first bought my farm, I knew I wanted to plant many, many trees – young trees, to replace the older ones when their lives ended.

: Throughout the walking tour, Ryan answered questions and explained the care and maintenance of all the gardens.

: Here is the carriage road leading toward the hayfields and the vast woodland that makes up the rest of my 153-acre farm.

: At one end of the Boxwood Allee is this beautiful weeping copper beech, Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea Pendular’, an irregular spreading tree with long, weeping branches that reach the ground.

: Here are two of my beautiful equines – Sasa, a handsome Friesian, and Banchunch, a Fell Pony. All my horses love visiting with guests, and often come to the edge of the fence when visitors are near – perhaps hoping for a fun treat?