Hard not to love a picturesque snow-covered landscape, especially at my Bedford, New York farm.
Yesterday, we got a fresh coating of beautiful, white snow that was just heavy enough to stick to the tree branches and shrubs, stone posts, walls, and steps, and the tops of all the burlap-encased urns and boxwood. The entire farm was a gorgeous winter wonderland. I always love to tour the property during snow storms. When not busy plowing the four miles of carriage road, I take photos.
Enjoy these images and please go to my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 to see a fun time-lapsed video.
Tucked away between the Equipment Barn and a grove of weeping willows is my pinetum where I keep a wonderful collection of evergreens I started planting about 15-years ago. This area includes pines, spruces, firs, and others. It’s filled out so nicely over the years.
This snow accumulated on every branch of this evergreen pine, but thankfully did not weigh any down too much.
I add more specimens to this collection every year – some are very rare and slow growing, but I love the variety of plantings I’ve amassed.
Walking behind my main greenhouse, one sees the purple-red canes of the raspberries. They stand out next to the crisp white of the snow. I grow patches of red raspberries, golden raspberries, black raspberries, gooseberries, blueberries, and currants.
Further back is my formal rose garden. I redesigned this rose bed last year. The 68-foot by 30-foot space now includes three types of roses – floribunda, hybrid tea, and shrub roses – all with gorgeous color, form, and fragrance. And all bordered by lush green young boxwood.
And not far are my blueberry bushes – newly pruned and groomed.
Here are my weeping hornbeams. We prune these regularly to keep the beautiful shape. These weeping specimens are rare and hard to find, but I was lucky to get six.
Underneath this snow-covered burlap are the boxwood shrubs along my winding pergola. They were grown from small saplings and nurtured right here at the farm. There are more than 300 boxwood shrubs planted here, now well protected from the winter elements.
This is the little house where I store my basket collection. It is located across from my long pergola and nestled under the tall stately bald cypress trees.
This is my allée of lindens that stretches from the carriage road in front of my carport all the way down to my chicken coops. On the right, one can see a bit of the old corn crib, which is original to the property. The unique “keystone” shape, flaring from bottom to top, was designed to shed water.
This storm system only dropped a few inches of snow in the area, but it stuck to every horizontal surface including my 100-year old white spruce fencing from Canada.
This one of my weeping copper beech trees, Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea Pendular’, an irregular spreading tree with long, weeping branches that reach the ground.
As trees are cut down, pruned, or groomed, neat piles of branches are placed to the side of the gardens and near the carriage road. These piles will be picked up and ultimately chipped and re-distributed as wood chips.
This is a view looking south at the center section of my pergola. The uprights for this pergola are antique granite posts from China – originally used as grape supports. They’re perfect as posts because they don’t rot over time like the wood overhead. Big boxwood shrubs flank the footpath underneath – also well covered for the season.
Can you identify what this view is? This is my pool with the interesting staddle stones at the north end. Staddle stones were originally used in the 17th and 18th centuries as support bases for granaries, hayricks, and game larders. They typically looked like giant stone mushrooms, but mine are square – a more rare and unique version.
Adjacent to the pool is this view looking through my fruit orchard. These peach trees were also recently pruned. There are more than 200 fruit trees in this orchard. Among them – apple trees, plum trees, cherry trees, peach, pear, medlar, and quince trees.
Even when bare, these great pin oaks look majestic. One can see their interesting branch habit – the pendulous lower branches, horizontal middle branches, and upright upper branches.
The Boxwood Allée looks so different in winter all covered under burlap shrouds to keep everything protected from the snow. This is why I spend so much time doing this project – to keep any heavy snow from weighing down on the shrubs and splaying their branches.
This is my original Allée of Lindens. The linden tree, Tilia, is also referred to as basswood or lime, though it is not related at all to the lime fruit. They are straight stemmed trees with smooth bark. I like to pollard these trees regularly. Pollarding is a type of pruning, a very severe method that involves cutting the branches back either to the trunk, or even all the way down to the top of the trunk to promote the growth of club-headed stems and dense new foliage and branches.
These trees are part of my “Christmas Tree” garden. I planted hundreds of evergreens here 15-years ago and they have all grown so beautifully – White Pine, Frasier Fir, Canaan Fir, Norway Spruce, and Blue Spruce.
This photo was taken late afternoon, with the sun still trying to poke through the heavy cloud cover. It was very quiet, and very calm. Today’s forecast calls for bitter cold temperatures in the low 20s Fahrenheit. And then next week, possible temperatures in the 50s.
A trio of colorful pheasants are now members of my farm's flock.
Not long ago, I went to visit the Animal Nation Farm Sanctuary in nearby South Salem, New York, a wonderful and caring organization and go-to resource for at-risk animals from New York City and the surrounding areas. While there, I saw three golden pheasants and decided they would be wonderful additions to my farm. These exotic gamebirds are native to the forests in the mountainous areas of western China. They are not particularly large - males are about 35 to 40 inches in length with their tails making up about two-thirds of that measurement. They are beautifully marked with mainly bright red, orange, and yellow plumage. Right now, these pheasants are getting acclimated to their new coop just outside my stable where they can be closely monitored. I am looking forward to learning about these birds and watching them thrive here at Cantitoe Corners.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
The Animal Nation Farm Sanctuary is home to more than 250 animals. Animal Nation also runs a non-profit Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation Facility and a Domestic Animal Rescue & Adoption Center located in Norwalk, Connecticut. The organization’s mission is to eliminate cruelty to animals while spreading and teaching compassion and the humane treatment of all creatures.
The Farm Sanctuary is home to horses, sheep, goats, llamas, pigs, turkeys, chickens, and even two emus.
There are also many birds including ducks, geese, peafowl, and swans. In fact, Animal Nation helped me re-home a wounded Mute Swan a few years ago.
In one of Animal Nation’s Sanctuary barns was an area specifically for pheasants – beautiful colorful gamebirds.
I took these three back with me to my farm – two red golden pheasants and one yellow golden pheasant.
For now, they are in this safe enclosure, where they can be warm and well protected from predators…
… And right next to some very welcoming neighbors – my gaggle of geese. My geese don’t mind the winter weather at all. Remember, they have very warm goose down feathers.
I always provide a good bedding of hay, so they can relax comfortably. Hay also helps provide good footing on icy surfaces.
This is the yellow golden pheasant. The yellow is a color mutation of the red golden pheasant. It was originally developed in the 1950s. To maintain the yellow coloring, these birds need shaded areas to protect their feathers from the sun.
This is the red golden pheasant with its bright colorful plumage. This bird is a little more social than the other two. He often comes to the front of the coop to see visitors.
Males have a golden-yellow crest with a hint of red at the tip. The face, throat, chin, and the sides of neck are rusty tan.
The upper back is green and the rest of the back and rump is golden-yellow.
All my outdoor birds get a good supply of seeds. Pheasants also eat insects, berries, and plant matter.
I provide different types of feeders with lots of seed especially now when birds like to bulk up on high-energy foods to build fat reserves that keep them warm.
Pheasants also enjoy fresh greens and some fruit for fiber and vitamins. I provide lots of fresh greens for all my birds – grown right here in my gardens.
And of course, there is always fresh water – checked and changed often to ensure it is always clean and free-flowing.
Pheasants are very curious, but they prefer to perch up high in their coop. This pheasant has a deep bold red chest.
And while they can fly clumsily in short bursts, they tend to run and spend most of their time on the ground. The striped cape can be spread in display, appearing as an alternating black and orange fan that covers the face.
Pheasants are also hardy, very intelligent, and friendly.
Well cared-for golden pheasants can live an average of 15-years. These birds will live very happily here at Cantitoe Corners. Look out for them in future blogs.
It's the middle of winter here in the Northeast - spring is still more than eight weeks away, but it's never too early to start thinking about the garden.
As many of you know, I am a very serious and passionate gardener and am always interested in learning as much as possible about plants and trees. Yesterday, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, and I joined fellow members of The Bedford Garden Club for a very special presentation by native plant expert, Uli Lorimer, author of "The Northeast Native Plant Primer: 235 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden." Uli talked about the importance of growing native plants to heal and enrich our landscapes, provide for beneficial insects and other wildlife, and lessen the amount of maintenance needed in our own backyards. If you don't already have it, I encourage you to pick up his book. It's a wonderful resource for planning a garden filled with native ferns, wildflowers, perennials, shrubs, trees, and other specimens.
Enjoy these photos.
Here at my farm, I am always trying to improve the beauty of the landscape. My farm sits on 153 acres of lush pastures and woodlands. This is the carriage road leading to my hayfields, compost yard, and woods.
This is the back field, where there are many native trees – many I planted, but many that were here when I purchased the property.
I also planted various garden spaces, and included a host of different, interesting, and native specimens.
This is Native Plant Trust and Horticulture Director Uli Lorimer. Uli oversees the operations at both Garden in the Woods, Native Plant Trust’s botanic garden in Framingham, Massachusetts, and Nasami Farm in western Massachusetts, a nursery focused on propagation of and research about New England native plants.
His book, published by Timber Press, talks about the native plants of the Northeast and offers ideas for planning a garden filled with native species.
In his presentation, Uli explains that growing native plants is an important choice that removes carbon from the air, provides shelter and food for wildlife, and promotes biodiversity.
In this slide from Uli, he shares important points for creating the best native plants garden – aim for 70-percent native plants, leave some bare earth, and ask questions whenever visiting the local nursery.
Uli talks about witch hazel, a native shrub. I have a lot of witch hazel at my farm. With their fragrant, butter yellow to orange and scarlet red flowers, witch hazels add a lovely spark of life to otherwise gray winter landscapes. Although witch hazel has many common names, its generic name means “together with fruit” – it is the only tree in North America to have flowers, ripe fruit, and next year’s leaf buds on its branches at the same time. Their diversity, beauty, and all-season appeal make them one of the most well-loved garden specimens.
He recommends Solomon’s Seal wildflowers with their graceful, arching stems and white fragrant blooms. This Solomon’s Seal is in the garden behind my Tenant House. In late summer, these plants show off small blue-green fruit that birds and other small animals love.
Another native is rudbeckia, also known as Black-Eyed Susan. These are popular and versatile flowers in the garden – and a big favorite for pollinators. In autumn, the seeds are eaten up by visiting birds.
Uli also explains that it is sometimes challenging to find native plants. The important thing is to talk to reputable gardeners and landscape architects in one’s area.
Fortunately, there is a lot of improvement. Nurseries are stocking more native plants and there has been a marked increase in availability and sales over the last few years.
Uli says the best way to start a native plant garden is to understand the conditions of one’s yard – what kind of light the space has, how much moisture is available, and what is the condition of the soil.
Birds depend largely on native plants for nesting. This is a Chickadee.
And this is a Chickadee at my farm. According to the Audubon Society, my farm welcomes more than 125-different species of wild birds. I feed them all year round.
These birds are perched in a tree outside my Winter House kitchen and terrace, but there are so many birds all around because I offer them many trees and shrubs for nesting.
Pollinators need native plants in order to get sufficient amounts of nectar and pollen.
Here is a slide of salix, also known as pussy willow. I have an entire grove of pussy willows – also good for pollinators.
There are so many beautiful native plants one can add to the garden. I hope this inspires you to add native specimens to yours, and to learn more about how these plants can help the wildlife and the environment. Remember to pick up a copy of Uli Lorimer’s book, “The Northeast Native Plant Primer: 235 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden.” And get ready for spring – it’s only eight weeks and five days away!
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