A Garden Tour for Hortulus
June is such a wonderful time for a garden tour.
Most of the garden tours at my farm are conducted in the spring and early summer. Late last week, I welcomed a group from Hortulus, a member of the Garden Club of America based in nearby Greenwich, Connecticut. Founded in 1930, the group's mission is to stimulate the knowledge and passion for gardening and creative design and to protect, restore, and improve the environment through education and conservation. I was very happy to have this group from Hortulus at my farm. I walked them through my gardens and allées, showed them my pool and fruit orchard, and introduced them all to my horses, geese, and peafowl.
Enjoy these photos.
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- I like to walk through the gardens in the morning before it gets too warm for my guests. This day was just perfect. My beautiful Rosa ‘Veilchenblau’ – the violet rambler also known as ‘Bleu-Violet’, ‘Blue Rambler’, ‘Blue Rosalie’ and ‘Violet Blue’ is still blooming so excellently.
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- I welcomed the group of 25 and started with a little introduction about the history of the farm and how it has evolved over the years. I also gave them a brief rundown of what they would see during a guided tour. I am glad everyone wore comfortable, cool clothing – there’s always a lot of walking during my tours.
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- I led the group behind my main greenhouse to see all the growing berries – raspberries, gooseberries, currants, and strawberries. The tree is one of two almond trees, which are thriving here at the farm. We harvest so many flavorful almonds every year.
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- Here is my long strawberry patch – we’ve already picked so many wonderful fruits from this bed.
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- At the back of this field is a formal rose garden filled with more than a 120-rose plants. I redesigned the 68-foot by 30-foot rose garden last year for three types – floribunda, hybrid tea, and shrub roses – all with gorgeous color, form, and fragrance.
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- This garden includes a variety of different colors from yellow and cream to dark pink, apricot and lavender.
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- Garden roses are mostly grown as ornamental plants and bloom for several weeks. Here at the farm, I often see roses flowering through summer and sometimes even into fall.
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- We walked through my perennial flower cutting garden – also brimming with beautiful blooms. Look at this purple iris.
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- And the poppies are so plentiful this season.
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- As we left the flower garden, the group admired my stand of bald cypress trees along this carriage road. Taxodium distichum is a deciduous conifer. Though it’s native to swampy areas, the bald cypress is also able to withstand dry, sunny weather and is hardy in USDA climate zones 5 through 10. These trees do so well here at the farm.
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- Across from the bald cypress is my long pergola underplanted with bulbs and perennials that bloom at different times throughout the season.
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- On the upright granite posts, I planted clematis, in a palette of blue-flowering cultivars. Every year they give a vivid floral display.
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- Another interesting stop is my Basket House, where I store my basket collection. I have hundreds of baskets – some are rare and antique, some are vintage, and some are more contemporary.
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- Many stopped to peer in the window. Perhaps they also saw some of the baskets I used during my early catering days – they’re in there.
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- Here at the farm, I have four miles of carriage road that meander around my homes, my gardens, my pastures, and through the expansive woodland. They are 12-feet wide and covered with native washed stone.
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- Here’s Enma ready with our refreshments. I always like to offer my guests a snack and cool beverage during these guided tours.
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- For this tour, I made currant scones from “The Martha Stewart Cookbook: Collected Recipes for Every Day.”
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- Enma also made tea – this time, raspberry pomegranate. The roses were picked early in the morning from my garden.
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- Then the group walked through my giant half-acre vegetable garden. Every day, there is something ready to harvest.
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- This is the first year for this asparagus. Typically, one should wait three years before picking asparagus, so the plants have time to develop properly; however, these have been so productive, I’ve already enjoyed fresh, delicious stalks of asparagus this season.
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- And here I am with the Hortulus group. We stopped here for a quick snapshot before heading to the stable and pool. What a wonderful and fun tour. Thank you Hortulus, for visiting Cantitoe Corners.
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