It’s always fun to share the transformation of a garden project with “before” and “after” photos.
My farm includes 150 acres of gardens, pastures, and woodlands. Every year, I work hard to design new spaces and enhance existing ones. I carefully consider each specimen’s growing requirements and mature size before planting. Down at my tennis court, I already had a collection of white hydrangeas on one side. In 2024, I decided the area would look even better with hydrangeas planted all around the court fence. I chose a blend of white and pink flowering shrubs. I watered, fed and groomed them diligently, and now two years later, they're blooming and thriving magnificently.
Enjoy these photos.
My tennis court is tucked away in a far corner of my farm. The court is surrounded by the same type of fencing as my perennial flower garden. And like all the other structures, it is painted Bedford gray.
On one side of the court behind and next to the observation pergola, is a selection of beautiful white hydrangeas including Pee Gee hydrangeas. During summer they bloom so beautifully.
Right now, the flowers are so big, they can be seen from the carriage road.
Two years ago, I decided to plant more hydrangeas around the other three sides of the court. Two foot wide strips of sod were removed for planting. These plants are Little Hottie® Panicle Hydrangeas from First Editions. They’re compact, mid-sized white hydrangeas – perfect for this side of the court.
Along both width sides, I added a selection of First Editions Diamond Rouge hydrangeas, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Rendia’ and Berry White hydrangeas, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Renba.’ Plants were positioned about two-and-a-half feet apart, so they would grow close together.
The hydrangeas were planted and mulched. I was confident they would all flourish around my tennis court where they would get at least three to four hours of direct sunlight.
The plants were in excellent condition. And, while not every perennial takes time to get going, there is some truth to the old gardener’s adage “the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap.”
Look at them now – two years later.
All the hydrangea shrubs are just dripping with gorgeous blooms.
Diamond Rouge® Panicle Hydrangeas have abundant, long lasting, rounded flower heads that start white and progress to pink, intense raspberry red, and finally wine red.
These beautiful heads will get darker as the season progresses.
Hydrangeas have four petals in their florets. The petals can be found in a multitude of colors including blue, pink, purple, and white, depending on the species and in some cases, the soil pH. I have other colored hydrangeas elsewhere around my farm and they’re all blooming.
I have long grown hydrangeas. Hydrangeas are one of the most popular ornamental garden plants because of their large spherical flower heads.
And look at the Little Hottie panicle hydrangeas – also bursting with beautiful flowers.
Each low shrub is filled with white to antique white flower clusters.
On the opposite side, I planted taller Berry White hydrangea with flowers that also start out white in July then progress to dark pink, beginning at the bottom and developing up to the top of the panicle.
Hydrangea leaves are mostly large two to eight inches long, ovate or heart-shaped, with serrated edges, prominent veins, and a rich green color.
It’s wonderful to play tennis surrounded by all these gorgeous flowers.
And just feet from the hydrangea border is this apple tree – one of the favorites on the farm for green tart fruits.
Step under its canopy and there are so many apples growing.
They are not ready just yet, but I think it will be a good apple year.
What a difference a short time makes in the garden. Plant in the proper spot for the specimen, maintain good nutrient rich soil, and water and feed properly – your gardens will thrive like mine.
Business gatherings are always so much more enjoyable when accompanied by a delicious homemade meal.
Yesterday, I hosted a luncheon at my home for 22. With help from Chef Jeff Srole, I served a wonderful summer menu that included tomato tart, fennel salad with provolone and olives, arugula salad, chilled salmon with cucumber and dill, and for dessert - vanilla bean Panna Cotta with grapefruit granita and Sicilian pistachios. It was an excellent luncheon - al fresco under my pavilion.
Here are some photos.
Delicious summer tomatoes just cut for my luncheon appetizer – tomato tart. It’s part of the mis en place. Mise en place is a French culinary practice meaning “everything in its place,” involving the preparation and organization of ingredients, tools, and workstations before cooking.
The tart crusts are also laid out. If you’re not familiar with tomato tart, try my recipe in my 100th book, MARTHA: The Cookbook. You’ll make it again and again.
A generous layer of grated Italian Fontina cheese is spread on the chilled crust.
Then the tomatoes are arranged in an overlapping circular pattern.
The tarts are garnished with cherry tomatoes and seasoned with salt and pepper before going in the oven.
Meanwhile, grapefruit segments are placed on a sheet pan and chilled so they’re ready when dessert is made.
Outside at my pavilion, potted plants are arranged on the table. I decided to give one to every guest, so I used them for the centerpieces. These are Chinese money plants, Pilea peperomioides – low-maintenance perennials with interesting coin-shaped foliage.
These Chilewich place mats are very special. The seashell image was designed by my granddaughter, Jude. She arranged the shells on the beach while on a trip to the Philippines and sent me the photo inspiration.
Enma ironed and folded crisp, white napkins for the event.
They’re perfect on my drabware Wedgewood plates.
Although the food is already well seasoned, I always like to put out some extra salt and pepper.
Flatware is placed next. When hosting a meal, be sure to decide what utensils, plates, and platters will be needed ahead of time, so there is no last minute rush.
My long yew table is all set. I decided to serve lunch “family style,” so everyone could serve themselves. Space was allotted for all the necessary platters.
Enma made lots of fresh iced teas for the guests including my popular pomegranate iced tea made using concentrate from our friends at POM Wonderful.
I like to serve the tomato tart warm to hot. Here is one of several. Not one piece was left over.
The tarts were served on cake stands to make good use of table space.
The fennel salad is served with strips of provolone cheese, olives and herbs.
The fresh arugula salad was served with pine nuts and a light vinaigrette.
Here’s the main course – a delicious salmon, served chilled with a cucumber and dill. It was perfect.
And finally for dessert, a light Panna Cotta with grapefruit granita and pistachios. It was a lovely lunch to celebrate Hint, my latest project and the newest age in homekeeping. I hope you’ve seen my posts on @MarthaStewart48. Be sure to get on the waitlist – just click on the highlighted link.
It’s always so much fun to watch the baby animals grow here on my farm. Right now, my youngest residents include baby quail, young pheasants, and a peachick hatched right under its watchful mother hen in the peafowl coop.
I’ve been raising poultry and other outdoor birds for many years. Of course, I love keeping chickens for their fresh, delicious eggs, but I also enjoy raising different kinds of birds and learning more about the many breeds and varieties. Most of my hatchlings begin life in carefully maintained incubators and brooders, where they stay warm and protected until they’re ready to move into the "nursery" coop, and then finally to the adult enclosures to join the rest of their flocks.
Here are some photos.
Whenever we have baby birds here at the farm, my stable manager, Helen, who is very experienced in raising chickens, sets up the brooders with bedding, feeders, and proper heating elements in our stable feed room. This is one of more than a dozen quail chicks I brought home as eggs from a Swap Meet and Private Sale at the Gentlemen’s Farm. This chick is already very alert and curious.
These quail chicks, and other baby fowl, do best in temperatures around 80 to 85-degrees Fahrenheit. Baby birds need constant monitoring until they are at least four or five weeks old. Here they are checked several times a day. This room is also free from drafts.
Quail are relatively small, growing up to only eight to 10 inches in length. But they grow fast and can move out of this cage after only a few weeks.
Once big enough, the quail chicks are moved to this “nursery” coop where they have more room to roam.
Because they are small, quail chicks don’t need large enclosures or extensive feeding areas. And in terms of food, quail chicks are omnivores and do well on a balanced diet that includes commercial pellets, fruits, and vegetables.
Quail communicate with each other using a variety of whistles, chirps, and clucks. This young quail is quite vocal.
Most of these birds are Celadon quail – a rare, recessive-gene variety of Coturnix quail prized for laying true blue eggs, which are often described as robin’s egg blue or speckled blue.
These quail come in soft brown, gray, and buff with white markings, making them blend in nature when out in the wild.
Quail are very social birds and enjoy being in groups with their own kind.
Their temperament is calm, docile, and while skittish at first, they learn to acclimate quickly to their environments.
And do you know… a collective terms for a group of quail is a “covey?”
Living with the quail are nine young pheasants, also known as poults or chicks, which I hatched here at the farm. Quail and pheasants are both precocial birds, meaning they grow rapidly and become independent feeders within hours of hatching.
Pheasants are hardy, very intelligent, and very friendly.
Baby pheasants have a distinct coloration that is different from adult pheasants. Their down feathers are usually a tawny-yellow color with darker feathers on their backs and sides. As they grow, their feathers change and they begin to resemble adult pheasants.
Pheasants are very curious, alert and very fast. In fact, these birds prefer to run rather than fly and adults can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour if necessary to escape danger.
Right now, the most visited baby on the farm is this peachick, hatched right under its mother last week.
Because all my birds are kept near humans and human activity, they are very social and love when anyone stops to visit.
This peachick is learning everything from its mother hen – how to move in and out of the nesting box, what to eat and how to be confident, independent. The combination of these lessons, including predator avoidance and social learning, is crucial for development.
And there are lots of mature friends to help. The others keep their distance from the peachick now as most mother peahens tend to be very attentive and protective of their chicks.
But it won’t be long before this youngster is playing with all the others. I’m excited to watch this little peachick grow and thrive.
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