The Gardens in Late May
Today in the Northeast, we’re expecting scattered thunderstorms and partly cloudy skies, but so much continues to flourish here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Every day, I notice something new blooming. And, while many of the flowers are erupting with vibrant color, we've also been watching all the trees come to life. I've shared some images on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 - I hope you've seen them.
For this Memorial Day weekend, here are more photos from the gardens at Cantitoe Corners - enjoy.
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- When I first moved to my farm, it was a blank slate. Over the years, I’ve planted thousands and thousands of trees and plants. These gorgeous ferns surround part of my Basket House under the shade of bald cypress trees. In the distance – a section of my long and winding pergola and gardens now filled with shades of purple and blue.
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- On the right is a Japanese maple. With more than a thousand varieties and cultivars, the iconic Japanese maple tree is among the most versatile small trees for use in the landscape. They look so pretty with all the green foliage surrounding them. Japanese maples are native to areas of Japan, Korea, China, and Russia. In Japan, the maple is called the “autumn welcoming tree” and is planted in the western portion of gardens – the direction from which fall arrives there.
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- Red-leafed cultivars are the most popular of the Japanese maples. Japanese maple leaves range from about an inch-and-a-half to four-inches long and wide with five, seven, or nine acutely pointed lobes.
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- Astilboides is an interesting plant with huge, bright green leaves that are round and flat and measure up to 24-inches across. The effect is dramatic, and beautiful among other hardy perennials.
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- This is Pulmonaria, or lungwort – a beautiful, versatile, hardy plant. Lungworts are evergreen or herbaceous perennials that form clumps or rosettes. They are covered in hairs of varied length and stiffness. The spotted oval leaves were thought to symbolize diseased, ulcerated lungs, and so were once used to treat pulmonary infections.
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- The lungwort flower appears in early spring and can be blue, pink, or white, and is frequently two or more colors on a single plant. Often the flowers on a lungwort will start out one color before eventually fading into another color as the flower ages.
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- These are the dainty leaves of thalictrum. Plants in this genus are native to stream banks, shaded mountains, and moist meadows. It grows best in moist, humus-rich soil in partial shade. Thalictrum has some of the most beautifully textured foliage. The name Thalictrum means “to flourish,” and it does, with elegant, finely cut and rounded compound leaves.
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- Japanese painted ferns are beautiful mounds of dramatic foliage with luminescent blue-green fronds and dark central ribs that fade to silver at the edges.
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- In contrast are the ostrich ferns – a light green clump-forming, upright to arching, rhizomatous, deciduous fern which typically grows up to six feet tall.
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- The hostas are so lush with their varying leaf shape, size, and textures. Hostas have easy care requirements which make them ideal for many areas. I have them all around the farm. Hosta is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name, giboshi. They are native to northeast Asia and include hundreds of different cultivars.
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- This is Syneilesis – a tough, drought-tolerant, easy-to-grow woodland garden perennial that prefers moist, well-drained, slightly acid soils. If in the proper environment, syneilesis will slowly spread to form an attractive colony.
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- I’ve planted several American horse-chestnut trees around the farm. These two are at one end of my Boxwood Allee. Aesculus hippocastnum is a large deciduous tree commonly known as the horse-chestnut or conker tree. It’s easy to spot by its showy bright pink flowers.
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- The blossoms appear on erect, eight-inch-long panicles at each branch tip – they’re very attractive and very accessible to bees and hummingbirds.
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- On this side of my large Equipment Barn is a hedge of parrotia trees. They’ve developed quite nicely since we planted them two years ago. Persian parrotia or Persian ironwood is a small upright tree or large, rounded, multi-stemmed shrub related to witch hazel. The oblong green leaves turn various shades of red, orange, and yellow in the fall.
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- There are so many fruits growing at the pear espalier down by my stable. I have six ‘Shinseiki’ and four ‘Nijisseiki’ pear trees here. ‘Shinseiki’ Asian pear means “new century” and was developed from two of the best Asian pears of the 1940s. The ‘Shinseiki’ Asian pear is round, medium to large, yellow smooth-skinned fruit with little or no russet. It has crisp, creamy white flesh, and a mild, sweet flavor. The ‘Nijisseiki’ pear, or the 20th Century Asian pear as it is often called, is incredibly delicious, easy to grow, and smells just like a pear, but, like an apple, the outside of the fruit is crisp, firm and round.
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- On the other side of the stable above my azalea grove are several paulownia trees, which are broadleaf and deciduous. The flowers are pale violet and grow in 20 to 30 centimeter long panicles. The scent is a lovely vanilla fragrance.
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- From afar, one can see the gorgeous blooms.
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- Beautiful irises are popping up everywhere. Iris is a genus of 260 to 300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, which is also the name for the Greek goddess of the rainbow, Iris.
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- I love my curving border of tree peonies, Paeonia suffruticosa. There are very few plants that can compete with a tree peony in full bloom. They flower from late April to early May but the season often varies from year to year.
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- This is just one of the many amazing tree peony flowers. Tree peonies do not die back to the ground in autumn. Like a rose bush, tree peonies drop their leaves and their woody stems stand through the winter.
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- Nearby, the herbaceous peonies are opening with such vigor. Herbaceous peonies die back to the ground in the autumn and emerge again in the spring. These flowers are all erupting with color. I will post images when all are opened – they’re so stunning.
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- At the end of this day, the clouds rolled in and opened with a drenching rain. The recent weather has done well for the gardens – everything looks so green and lush. I look forward to sharing more photos as the gardens transition in summer. And, during this Memorial Day Weekend, let us all remember our heroes in uniform who made the ultimate sacrifices to defend our country through the years.
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