I have always loved succulents. With their fleshy leaves and extraordinary forms, succulents are easy to maintain and make excellent container plants - I have quite a few of these popular specimens in my collection.
During a heavy rainstorm that lasted all of yesterday, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, planted a selection of succulents in two of my faux bois planter boxes. These will be displayed outside my Winter House where they will flourish under the bright summer light.
Enjoy these photos.
Not long ago, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, brought these plants back from Maine. Succulents are plants that have thickened, fleshy leaves, stems, or roots designed to retain water, enabling them to thrive in environments with limited rainfall or high temperatures.
The plan was to pot them up in two of these faux boix planters.
They’re very charming – each with a squirrel positioned on one end.
Each container has two drainage holes. A flat stone is placed over each hole to help with drainage and to prevent any soil from falling out.
Here are the two holes covered at the bottom of the planter. Clay shards left over from broken pots can also be used – so be sure not to throw the pieces away.
Ryan fills the planters with the appropriate medium. Because succulents don’t like wet roots, it is important to use a soil mixture that will drain well.
I use Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix for Cactus & Succulent. This soil mix features a fast-draining formula, specifically blended to promote successful growth for cacti, potted palms, citrus, and other succulents.
Ryan adds the food – a very important part of gardening. Each planter gets a sprinkling of Osmocote – small time released plant food particles known as prills that are filled with nutrients.
These prills coat a core of nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The resin-coating is made from linseed oil and as the plant’s root system takes-up nutrition from the soil, it also takes up the needed nutrients from the Osmocote.
… and then he mixes it thoroughly in the soil with his Hori-Hori gardening knife.
Ryan lightly packs in the soil and makes sure there is enough. The container should be filled to just under its lip, so soil does not fall out when watered.
If you like growing plants, but don’t really have a lot of time to care for them, I encourage you to consider growing succulents. With their fleshy leaves and interesting shapes, succulents are easy to maintain and make excellent container specimens.
Succulent comes from the Latin word “sucus,” which means juice or sap. It’s also a nod to the nourishing leaves.
Ryan carefully plants each succulent in the box taking into consideration each one’s size – he uses taller specimens in the back and shorter ones in front.
These plants can be planted closely together, so don’t worry if some of them touch each other.
Ryan also selects the plants creatively, so there is a varied use of color and texture in each container. Here he is using a widger to remove small plants.
The widger is made for Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It’s a very handy multipurpose tool. It has a convex stainless steel blade that delicately separates tiny plants and helps to lift up the root balls.
Shades of green are a given for succulents, but one can also find succulents that are blue, purple, pink, orange, and even red!
Ryan makes sure all empty spaces are filled. It’s nearly complete – all these plants will do so well in this planter box.
Ryan does the same for the second planter. Succulents grow in so many different and interesting formations. I often bring succulents into my home when I entertain – guests love seeing and learning about the different varieties. In this trough, many are sedums. There are many, different varieties and species of sedum, also called “stonecrop.” Depending on their growth habit, sedums can be categorized as both low-growing and upright.
After Ryan is done, the filled planters get a good watering.
These troughs are now ready for display outside my Winter House.
Succulents thrive in bright light and should do excellently there.
Entertaining at my farm is always so much fun, especially when I host momentous occasions.
Last weekend, I partnered with the Friends of John Jay Homestead to host a remarkable Semiquincentennial celebration, commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The event also honored John Jay and the restoration of his historic home here in Bedford. I hope you saw some of the photos on my Instagram page @marthastewart48. More than 200 guests were in attendance. The evening began with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at my stable courtyard. A short walk to my Equipment Barn led to a wonderful feast centered around a patriotic theme with foods prepared by Chef Pierre Schaedelin and his team at PS Tailored Events. We enjoyed Chilled Garden Pea Soup, Fried Chicken, Grilled Salmon, Heirloom Tomato Salad, Red Bliss Potato Salad, and my daughter's flavorful Chopped Salad. The program included a musical performance by my nephew, Christopher Herbert, and his accompanist, Chris Reynolds. I delivered the opening remarks and offered the toast. And then it was back to my stable for our giant flag cake dessert and some champagne. Despite a little rain, the event was a great and memorable success for all.
Here are some more photos, enjoy. I wish all of you a safe and joyful Semiquincentennial Fourth of July weekend.
The afternoon began with a visit from United States Senator from New York, Kirsten Gillibrand. I toured her around my farm and then we had photos taken in front of my pavilion. See a video on my Instagram page @marthastewart48.
I had flags displayed along my Boxwood Allée – 22 in all. It was the main pathway for guests going from my stable to dinner in my Equipment Barn. All the flags were provided by the Annin Flag Company.
My stable was the perfect venue for refreshments. Bottles of wine from Patz & Hall Winery were chilling on the bar.
Patz & Hall is highly regarded for its Sonoma, California single-vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.
A party just isn’t complete without Still G.I.N., an ultra-premium, citrus-forward gin created by Dr. Dre and my friend, Snoop Dogg.
Also served – Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop, a premium ready-to-drink cocktail, here in mango, pink lemonade, and passionfruit flavors.
And of course, guests enjoyed Martha-ritas with Casa Dragones Blanco Tequila.
For those preferring zero-proof refreshments, there was Pepsi and PepsiCo’s Poppi, a prebiotic sparkling brand combining fruit juice, apple cider vinegar, and prebiotics.
Wait staff provided by PS Tailored Events passed around trays of fresh bites.
The hors d’oeuvres included marinated salmon and crispy rice cakes, ricotta and roasted tomato and basil on baguette croutons, deviled quail eggs with double smoked bacon, chicken-artichoke salad on baguette croutons, pigs in blankets, and short rib tacos with pickled red cabbage and guacamole. (Photo by Shane Handler)
Because the forecast for the day called for spotty showers, I made the decision to hold dinner in my giant Equipment Barn. Flags were draped from both the north and south entrances. Fortunately, the walk from the stable to the Barn was dry and pleasant.
Guests were offered some pre-dinner snacks on the tables – caramel corn, scones, and cherries.
Dishes were placed in close reach of every guest. Everything was set up beautifully thanks to Brett Cameron and her team at La Maison Fête. The programs which included the menu and information for the event, were made by Heidi Stryker from John Jay Homestead. (Photo by Shane Handler)
The first course was Chilled Garden Pea Soup made with peas from my garden.
Dinner was served family style on long tables where everyone could serve themselves and interact with each other. (Photo by Shane Handler)
I made the opening remarks and welcomed all the guests to my Cantitoe Corners Farm. I also spoke a little about John Jay and the history of his homestead which was just so lovingly restored here in Bedford, New York. (Photo by Peter T. Michaelis)
President of Friends of John Jay Homestead, Caroline MacGill, also addressed our group of attendees. (Photo by Peter T. Michaelis)
Chef Pierre and I planned the delicious menu. This is the Heirloom Tomato Salad served with pickled red onions.
The Red Bliss Potato Salad was served with gherkins, boiled eggs, and parsley.
And this is my daughter’s recipe. Alexis’s wonderful Chopped Salad with fresh corn, cucumber, hericots vert, red pepper, and cherry tomatoes. (Photo by Shane Handler)
More flags hung from above creating a festive and patriotic scene.
Following the salads, platters of salmon were also served.
… Along with Fried Chicken with barbecue sauce.
My nephew Christopher Herbert sang three songs – America the Beautiful, Aaron Copeland’s I bought me a Cat, and the American Anthem. His longtime accompanist is Chris Reynolds.
The dinner and entertainment were well received. It was so nice to see such an enthusiastic crowd – more than 200 guests fit so comfortably in my Barn.
At the end of dinner, Christopher sang our national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner.
Afterward, guests were ushered back to the stable for dessert and champagne.(Photo by Peter T. Michaelis)
The bubbly was provided by our friends at Veuve Cliquot.
The flag cake was enormous. It was made using 167 eggs, 36 pounds of flour, 32 pounds of sugar, 16 pounds of butter, three gallons of milk, six pounds of cream cheese, 24 pounds of strawberries, 13 pounds of raspberries, seven pounds of blueberries, and other ingredients. Chefs Molly Wenk and Sarah Carey who both work with me on a lot of projects, worked tirelessly over two days to make it.
Here I am with a glass of champagne about to make my celebratory toast. (Photo by Shane Handler)
John Jay Homestead program coordinator, Haley Rossi, and a team of volunteers prepared more than 200 gift bags for the guests.
The gift bag included: a book on John Jay, another book entitled “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written” by Walter Isaacson, a puzzle of the John Jay Homestead designed by Katharine Barnwell, Shortbread Cookie from the local LMNOP Bakery, The Feed Project Bags courtesy of John Jay Homestead, a Flamingo Estate scented candle, and my own Elm Biosciences A30 Elemental Serum.
And just in case we got a little more rain – we were prepared. Everyone also got a Totes red, white, and blue striped umbrella.
The gathering served as a meaningful celebration of John Jay’s legacy and the 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I was so happy to host the event. Happy 250th Anniversary, America!
Preparing for any special gathering takes a lot of effort, time, and advanced planning.
I'm sure many of you have seen the photos on my Instagram page @marthastewart48. Last weekend the Friends of John Jay Homestead joined me in hosting a spectacular celebration of our nation’s Semiquincentennial, honoring the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In preparation for the event, it was "all hands on deck." Everyone at the farm was busy, inside and out - cleaning my giant Equipment Barn, finishing the planting in my garden maze, counting the plates and glasses, ironing and hanging all the flags, setting the tables for more than 200 guests, and so much more. It was a race to the finish, but with a good, hardworking team, we got it all done.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Due to the chance of rain on the day of the party, I decided to hold the dinner for more than 200 guests inside my giant Equipment Barn. In preparation, the entire space is emptied and the floors are power washed and mopped.
I used large tree stumps from felled trees around the farm as cocktail tables in the stable courtyard. Each one is cut to the perfect height and then also power washed and positioned in my courtyard.
The floors of the stable are also cleaned.
All the stable doors are wiped down.
In my maze, the last quarter of the space is planted and watered.
The carriage road that runs through my Boxwood Allée is weeded, edged, and topped with a fresh coat of gravel – thanks, Pete!
My housekeeper Enma irons all the flags – about 25! Flags can be ironed on a low setting and then hung temporarily until properly displayed.
Here they are ready to be hung outdoors on flag poles. Always take great care of a US flag because it is a symbol of national pride, unity, and respect.
Our wine from Patz & Hall is removed from boxes and carefully counted.
The Veuve Cliquot champagne flutes are individually washed and dried.
Dinner and dessert plates are stacked and ready to set.
Chairs and tables are positioned in the Equipment Barn.
Here’s my Boxwood Allée where the flags are put up on poles. Guests will use this allée to walk from my stable courtyard to dinner inside my barn.
In all, 11 flags on each side of the allée are displayed.
Tents are put up behind my stable and outside the Equipment Barn for food and drink preparations.
White sheet cakes are baked for the giant flag cake dessert.
The blueberries and raspberries are laid out in single layers on sheet trays and then frozen until they are placed on the cake for the stars and stripes.
My dogs are touring the farm to make sure everything is getting done!
Place settings are completed – every plate and utensil spaced perfectly.
Program place cards with menus are positioned at each setting.
Every chair is positioned just right.
Giant flags are hung on both the front and rear doors of the Equipment Barn.
And the lights inside the barn are hung and tested.
Here’s my longtime driver, Carlos, standing proudly by the flags.
My Cantitoe Corners farm is ready to celebrate this great Semiquincentennial. A lot more photos of the event to come! Stay tuned.
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