Everyone is busy cleaning up at my farm after a microburst storm barreled through the region with destructive winds and rain.
It's so heartbreaking to see images of areas ravaged by any storm. Earlier this week, we were hit by a microburst - a small, intense downdraft from a thunderstorm that produces extremely strong, damaging winds gusting more than 70-miles per hour. Many roads were closed because of fallen trees and power lines. I feel extremely fortunate my farm escaped any serious structural damage. I lost a lot of trees and branches, but my outdoor grounds crew is working very hard to get things back into shape.
Here are some photos.
The worst part of the storm lasted less than an hour, but the tree damage was great around my farm.
I drove around to assess the damage early the next morning. Many trees were down.
This broken branch was caught in another tree which kept it from falling to the ground.
Trees fell and broke stone walls.
Some of the trees were toppled by gale force winds.
And others broke close to the base, possibly by lightening.
Here’s a tree completely pulled from the ground by nature.
Carriage roads were blocked by fallen debris.
Here’s another section of wall damaged by an uprooted tree.
And another uprooted tree in the woodland. Small trees with intact roots can sometimes be saved, but sadly many will need to go.
All these uprooted trees need to be cut into manageable sections, made into wood chips and returned to the earth. I try very hard never to waste anything.
Here is another downed tree. Whenever approaching an uprooted tree or any storm related damage, be sure there are no power lines nearby.
This is a giant maple tree in my Run-In paddock. Fortunately, all my horses were safe in their stable during the storm.
Here is the crown of the tree on the ground. This will also have to be cut up in sections before it is removed from the area and chipped.
And here is what is left of its trunk.
By mid-morning, everyone on the farm was helping with clean up. Here’s Ryan straightening a young tree. I am glad it was staked and well-secured. I always stake young trees to give them added support. It was leaning, but still in good condition.
Chhiring carts away fallen branches. These too, will be put aside for the chipper.
And here’s Phurba in my trusted Hi-Lo removing sections of the tree in my Run-In.
This clean up will take several days to complete, but thankfully no other structures were damaged and everyone is ok.
And thanks to all the essential infrastructure personnel who are out there restoring power and road access around the area.
This time of year there's always something to admire in the gardens - right now, the striking, bold green foliage of my hostas.
In 2020, I planted hundreds of hosta plants down behind my chicken coops under the dappled shade of my stately dawn redwoods, Metasequoia. I first got the plants as bare-root cuttings and nurtured them until they were big enough to transplant. There were more than 700 hostas in a variety of cultivars including 'Wide Brim,' 'Francee,' 'Regal Splendor,' 'Elegans,' and 'Blue Angel.' Over the years, I expanded the beds and added more plants. Now, the entire area looks better than ever.
Enjoy these photos.
Right now, so many of the gardens are just brimming with color and energy. I tour my gardens on a daily basis. I check how much the plants have grown, how healthy they are, and whether they need more food or water. The diligence definitely pays off – just look.
These hostas are planted in a grove of Metasequoias. Hostas thrive best in partial shade and this area is perfect.
Dawn redwood trunks are eye-catching with reddish-brown, vertical, shredding bark.
It has feathery, fine-textured needles that are opposite each other and are approximately a half-inch long. Don’t confuse them with the bald cypress needles, which grow alternately. These dawn redwood needles will turn shades of red and brown before falling – it is one of the few deciduous conifers.
I also planted viburnums here. This large group of plants consists of more than 150 species. Viburnums include deciduous and evergreen specimens as well as small trees, mostly native to North America or to Asia. The leaves of viburnum range from glossy green to a dull, dark green to foliage that is thick and leathery.
But the main focus – these large leaf hostas. They look spectacular.
Before they fully open, they unfurl like this one.
Just a few weeks ago, the garden beds looked like this, with hundreds of young hostas emerging through the soil and a fresh layer of mulch.
Now they’re all showing off their large beautiful leaves. The hostas were strategically positioned and spaced, paying attention to variety, color, and growth habit.
Hosta leaves rise up from a central rhizomatous crown to form a rounded to spreading mound.
On average, hostas mature to about two feet tall, but depending on variety, they can also range from six inches to four feet in height.
Most varieties tend to have a spread between one and three feet.
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.
Hosta leaf textures can be smooth, veined or puckered. Their surfaces may be matt, shiny, or waxy but are usually satiny.
Unlike many perennials, which must be lifted and divided every few years, hostas are happy to grow in place without much interference. In summer, blooms on long stalks extend up above the clumping hosta foliage.
A new variety I planted this year is Hosta ‘Red Dragon’ characterized by its shiny, bright green leaves held upright on strong red petioles. The plant features purple flowers that bloom in late summer, adding vibrant color to the garden.
Interspersed among the hostas is Hyacinthoides hispanica, commonly called Spanish bluebell or wood hyacinth – a bulbous perennial native to Spain, Portugal and northwest Africa. Each bulb produces a clump of two to six strap-shaped leaves from which a rigid flower stem grows, typically containing up to 12 to 15 hanging, bell-shaped, bluish-lavender flowers that rise from the center.
These Spanish bluebell plants dot the garden with soft color amidst shades of green.
It’s hard to miss these beautiful flowers. Dicentra is an elegant, easy-to-care-for perennial for shady gardens. More commonly known as bleeding heart, it is named for its heart-shaped blossoms that dangle from slender, arching stems. Dicentra is a great companion for other shade loving perennials such as hostas. Here it is in pink.
If you have a shady area, experiment with shade-loving plants. Hostas, with their palette of different colors, textures, and sizes have tremendous landscape value and offer great interest to any garden. You’ll enjoy them.
This past Sunday, a group of colleagues and friends accompanied me to the event in the picturesque town of Lakeville, Connecticut. The philanthropic sale draws growers, dealers, and artisans together to sell unusual plants, garden antiques, and other unique outdoor objects. Trade Secrets was developed by interior designer Bunny Williams in the year 2000 when she conducted the very first sale to downsize her collection of plants in her greenhouse. It was a success from the very beginning and is now the principal fundraiser for Project SAGE, a non-profit domestic violence agency serving Northwest Connecticut and the surrounding communities in New York and Massachusetts.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I always like to get to Trade Secrets bright and early. I leave my farm promptly at 5:45am and always pull in to the parking lot shortly after 7am. Vendors and event coordinators already have everything in place.
Trade Secrets is held at Lime Rock Park, a natural-terrain motorsport road racing venue located in Lakeville, Connecticut, a hamlet in the town of Salisbury. The views on this day were gorgeous.
50-vendors from around the northeast region set-up under tents on the Lime Rock grounds. It is all very well-organized with lots of room for vendors and all the visitors.
Trade Secrets is a wonderful place to learn about interesting and unique plants. Vendors are extremely well-informed and willing to answer questions or offer tips.
Peony’s Envy of Bernardsville, New Jersey sets up their tent every year at Trade Secrets – most if not all their peonies always get sold.
Some vendors specialize in outdoor garden ornaments and planters.
There were items big and small. Do you know what these are? These are flower frogs. They are used to hold flower stems in place within a vase or container.
This table was full of charming potted plants and topiaries.
My longtime driver Andres also enjoyed perusing the different booths.
These are 1930s Francois Carre Frensh Art Deco garden chairs. They are actually very comfortable.
Oblong Books of Rhinebeck, New York and Millerton, New York had my two latest books for sale – my Gardening Handbook and The Martha Way: Essential Principles for Mastering Home and Living. I hope you have your copies!
Here I am with antiques dealer, Judy Milne. Judy has a shop called At Home Antiques and Design in Kingston, New York. She carries folk art, furniture, decorative accessories and garden antiques.
One can always find interesting planting containers of all sizes and shapes at Trade Secrets.
There were even chicken coop nesting and laying boxes.
I was eyeing these planters on the ground. What do you think?
Training stems blends plant care with creative shaping to achieve this decorative and artistic look.
Allium schoenoprasum, also known as chives, the small bulbous perennial herbs with that mild onion flavor topped with showy purple flowers.
Trade Secrets has so many beautiful plant specimens from which to choose. This is called Krylova’s Monkshood, Aconitum kryloovii.
This is Cyripedium ‘Sabine Alba’ – a rare and beautiful orchid hybrid with very large egg-sized white to cream pouches.
I have many of these plants in my shade gardens. This is Syneilesis aconitifolia, the Shredded Umbrella Plant.
And I know you recognize the hosta. My hosta garden is coming in so beautifully this season – I’ll share photos soon.
I always find something to bring home from Trade Secrets. All the plants are always unloaded right away and given a good drink of water.
And yes, I brought these planters home also! It was another successful Trade Secrets event. Will I see you there next year?
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