For any serious and passionate gardener it's important to attend botanical events that can inform and inspire - as I always say, "learn something new every day."
Last week, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota for the first ever Creator event at Bailey Nurseries. He joined more than 20 other garden influencers to learn about the Bailey brands Endless Summer® Hydrangeas, First Editions® Shrubs & Trees, and Easy Elegance® Roses, and tour the greenhouses and growing fields. I have many plants from Bailey Nurseries in my gardens. This was a great way for Ryan to see up close how plants are grown and nurtured before coming to my beloved Cantitoe Corners.
Enjoy these photos.
Bailey Nurseries is a fifth-generation, family-owned company. Its main mission is to help retailers, growers and landscapers create a “world landscape” that is beautiful, diverse, and fully sustainable.
This was the first-ever creator event for the company. Digital creator, Ryan McEnaney, who is part of the fifth-generation of the Bailey Family, welcomed everyone to the event and presented an introductory video.
The Bailey facilities are massive. The group started at Nord Farm in the propagation greenhouse.
There were thousands of hydrangeas being grown and nurtured in the ground. The group learned about the different methods of propagation, both by seed and by cuttings.
Look how big this is – bigger than Ryan’s hand. This panicle hydrangea is called ‘Strawberry Sundae’ – noted as a strong shrub for use in hedges and tight spaces. The flowers start of white and then change to red in the fall.
All the Bailey greenhouses are equipped with advanced irrigation systems. Hoses move from one end to the other watering the plants from above.
In the another area, root cuttings are placed on flats, and then processed through a conveyor belt for watering and then placement in the greenhouse.
This is production manager, Dave Gross. He oversees 22 acres under cover plus two acres of outdoor fields. Here he explains and shows the components for the soil mix. One of the materials used is hydro fiber, a pine by-product.
During the tour, Ryan spotted some linden trees. I am a big fan of lindens and have many growing at my farm. Two of several allées are made of lindens.
Outside, Ryan is standing in front of a large display of hydrangeas featuring three varieties – “Vanilla Strawberry,” “Berry White,” and First Editions “Little Hottie.”
This is Great Star Hydrangea. It has bold clusters of white star-shaped flowers with creamy white overtones at the ends of the branches from early summer to early fall.
Ryan and the group also toured the fields – rows and rows of gorgeous shrubs growing in the ground. Spiraea, sometimes spelled spirea, is commonly known as meadowsweets or steeplebushes. It is a genus of about 80 to 100 species of shrubs in the family Rosaceae. They are native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, especially in eastern Asia.
In another section, rows and rows of lilacs.
And then a sight to behold – thousands of blooming hydrangeas. The two varieties blooming here are “Little Hottie” and “Berry White.”
The flower heads are so huge and every one is so perfect.
The container fields were next. At any given time there could be more than a million containers of plants in these fields – plants in one, three, and five gallon pots. These plats are ready to go to retailers.
This dwarf panicle hydrangea is called Bobo®. It features large white flowers in summer held upright on strong stems.
There were also so many pots of bold colored barberry. This is Orange rocket barberry which shows off vibrant coral-orange new foliage that turns ruby red in autumn.
Outdoor displays show other flowering plants offered by Baileys.
There was a lot of phlox, that hardy long-lived perennial. I also have a lot growing in my gardens.
This is Echinacea purpurea, the eastern purple coneflower, purple coneflower, hedgehog coneflower, or simply echinacea. It is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae.
… And of course, roses.
Ryan had a great time, learned a lot about Bailey’s history and its growing practices, and met lots of interesting people. Now, back to New York and back to work…
My glass vegetable greenhouse is now planted for the next season of indoor growing.
My large outdoor vegetable garden is still producing lots of great foods, but I always make sure my vegetable greenhouse is prepared and planted in time, so I am never without fresh delicious produce. Over the last few days, my gardeners planted new crops of celery, Swiss chard, spinach, carrots, cilantro, basil, arugula, dill, parsley, and others. Some of the seeds are from my favorite sources, including Johnny's Selected Seeds and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Most of the energy in this greenhouse comes from the sun through these giant windows, which can be programmed to open for ventilation or cooling when needed.
I spend a good amount of time preparing the soil before planting any seeds. I have 16 wooden garden boxes that fit the entire length and width of my vegetable greenhouse. Earlier this year, the beds were tilled, amended with good compost, and then raked.
The ideal temperature inside the greenhouse is around 80 to 85-degrees Fahrenheit to keep all the vegetables growing their best. We have a large thermometer at the entrance to the structure, so the temperature can be checked easily several times a day.
Inside the head house, we keep a number of favorite seeds. I am always on the lookout for different seeds when I travel, but seeds are also widely available online and at garden centers. Ryan keeps track of what seeds do well at the farm – indoors and out.
To start, our gardening intern Matthew uses this bed preparation rake from Johnny’s Selected Seeds to create furrows in the soil. Hard plastic red tubes slide onto selected teeth of the rake to mark the rows. In general, seeds should be planted at a depth of two times the width, or diameter, of the seed. A seed that’s about 1/16-of-an-inch thick should be planted an eighth-of-an-inch deep.
Some vegetables, such as kale, need to be planted a little deeper. Matthew uses a hoe to go over a few of the planting rows to make them an inch or two deeper.
Matthew is careful to keep track of what furrows need to be deeper. All these beds are raised. Raised bed gardening allows good drainage, prevents soil compaction, and provides protection for those plants that may otherwise get trampled.
Each packet to be used is placed next to its corresponding marker. I like to make sure we keep track of what varieties grow well, so I know what to use again next season. These are from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. Started in 1998 as a hobby, it has since grown into North America’s largest heirloom seed establishment.
These carrot seeds are from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. Johnny’s Selected Seeds is a privately held, employee-owned organic seed producer. Johnny’s offers hundreds of varieties of organic vegetable, herb, flower, fruit and farm seeds that are known to be strong, dependable growers.
These seeds are pelleted, or coated, carrot seeds. Pellets make seed handling easier for small-seeded crops.
Spinach seeds look like tiny pebbles – these are not coated.
Matthew drops two or three every few inches. Once the seeds germinate, the weaker, less robust seedlings will be removed in a process called thinning. Thinning allows the best and strongest plants to grow, and gives them more resources like sunlight, nutrients, and water.
Ryan drops seeds in another bed. These raised beds were designed for easy reach from all sides, so that work can be done quickly and efficiently.
These are cilantro seeds. The seeds look like tiny yellowish-brown to tan globes with longitudinal ridges. Cilantro is easy to direct sow, or plant right away as seeds in the soil.
These seeds are also known commonly as coriander or Chinese parsley. Coriander is actually the dried seed of cilantro. Cilantro is a popular microgreen garnish that complements meat, fish, poultry, noodle dishes and soups.
These are Arugula seeds. Arugula is a cruciferous vegetable that provides many of the same benefits as other vegetables of the same family. Arugula leaves, also known as rocket or roquette, are tender and bite-sized with a tangy flavor.
Here, Ryan plants them by broadcasting. In agriculture, gardening, and forestry, broadcast seeding is a method of seeding by scattering over the area. This works well with those plants that don’t require specific spacing.
I always have a large variety of seeds to grow. I am always on the lookout for different seeds when I travel, but seeds are also widely available online and at garden centers. These seeds are for Swiss chard.
I like to use basil year round. Basil is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae. Basil is native to tropical regions from central Africa to Southeast Asia. It is a tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide.
Once all the seeds are dropped into their various beds, Ryan uses the back of a soft rake to backfill all the furrows.
And then everything is given a thorough drink of water. In several weeks when the outdoor garden is well past its peak, we’ll have nutritious and fresh vegetables to eat, share, and enjoy from this indoor greenhouse.
Thank you, Paris, for hosting such an amazing celebration of sport, passion, and determination for the entire world.
The 2024 Games marked the 100th anniversary of the Olympics in Paris. The capital city of France hosted the Olympics first in 1900 and then again in 1924. The next Summer Games will be held in Los Angeles in 2028. Before leaving Paris, I had the opportunity to visit the magnificent palace and gardens of Versailles. I was given a special tour by the chair of the Château de Versailles, Christophe Leribault. I've been to Versailles several times and every visit is more breathtaking than the last. Our dinner that night was at the classic Parisian bistro, Le Bon Georges. My final Olympics appearance with Snoop Dogg was on Primetime Paris with veteran NBC Olympics announcer Mike Tirico. And then I enjoyed drinks with some of the other notable celebrities - what a fun trip!
Here are more photos, enjoy.
Gilded gates with the Sun King and spider webs guard the entrance to Versailles.
I was fortunate to get an early morning tour of the Palace and Gardens before the doors opened to the public. Here I am with chair of the Château de Versailles, Christophe Leribault.
Here I am joined by my group – Roy Tin, Ben Levine, and Judy Morris. This is the grand courtyard and front of the Royal Palace.
The Royal courtyard is all paved in marble with its contrasting colors of black and white stone.
Versailles sprawls across more than 2000 acres. The Palace itself is a massive 721,206 square feet of space.
Inside, amazing allegorical paintings abound throughout the Palace.
Some of the painted ceilings depict the glorious history of Louis XIV during the first decades of his reign.
This was my seventh or eighth visit to Versailles – I see new things each visit. As you know, the equestrian events were held at Versailles. We walked through this “Horse in Majesty: At the Heart of a Civilization” exhibit showing role of the horse in the history of Western art.
This bedroom was created by King Louis XIV in 1701 and was where he lived until his death on 1715. It was in this room where special rising and going to sleep ceremonies were performed daily.
The chamber’s opulent décor of gold and silver brocade on a crimson ground was also a backdrop for many paintings.
This is the Bernini bust of Louis XIV, a marble portrait by the Italian artist, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It was created in 1665 during Bernini’s visit to Paris and has been called the “grandest piece of portraiture of the baroque age”. The bust is in the Salon de Diane in the King’s Grand Apartment.
Here’s Louis XIV – this time in a painting showing his high heeled shoes, garters, and ermine robes.
Here I am in the Hall of Mirrors, or Galerie des Glaces. It is the most celebrated room in the Château de Versailles. The room’s construction began in 1678. Germany pronounced itself an empire in the Hall of Mirrors in 1871, but later, in the same room, the 1919 treaty that ended the first world war was signed.
The Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles in France is a central gallery and has 357 mirrors, set in 17 arches of marble columns.
Looking out this window was a first glimpse of the Gardens, which occupy part of what was once the Domaine royal de Versailles. Situated to the west of the palace, the gardens cover about two-thousand acres of land, much of which is landscaped in the classic French Garden style perfected here by André Le Nôtre.
Creating the gardens of Versailles was a monumental task. Large amounts of soil had to be moved to level the ground and make room for various fountains, pools and statues and to create the parterres.
To maintain its incredible design, the garden needed to be replanted approximately once every 100 years. King Louis XVI oversaw one of these replanting projects and so did Napoleon III during his reign.
The Palace of Versailles has 48 permanent gardeners who maintain its manicured spaces. The gardens include 350,000 trees and 30 miles of walkways. In addition to general upkeep the gardeners also plant 800,000 flowers each year.
The Garden of Versailles is considered the essence of French formal garden design and incorporates a magnificent use of symmetry. This is the grand Orangerie.
Originally completed in 1663, the Orangerie was intended to supply the much smaller hunting lodge of Versailles and the small retinue, or group of assistants and advisors, which Louis XIV would bring with him in the summer. In 1678, an enlargement of the Orangerie was created by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, which doubled the size of the original.
The topiaries and hedges are meticulously maintained.
This is one of the many “walks” – a hedge allée from one area to another.
Here I am with a view of the gardens and Orangerie behind me.
This is where the Orangerie boxes are stored in winter. The ceilings are made of limestone.
This is a portrait of Maris -Antoinette. In 1774, King Louis XVI offered his wife a palace of her own called Petit Trianon on the grounds of Versailles.
This is one of the rooms in Petit Trianon. The Warming Room was designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel during the reign of Louis XV.
The Warming Room also houses this original fireplace. The palace became Marie-Antoinette’s private retreat.
Later that day, dinner at Le Bon Georges. I was very lucky to work with Maisie Wilhelm of Palatine Culinary Concierge, who guided me in selecting the best restaurants during my stay in Paris. Before our steak dinner – for three – was cooked, it was brought out to show us the cut.
And here it is cooked to perfection and served.
We also enjoyed the freshest of salads.
That night, an appearance on Primetime Paris with veteran NBC Olympics announcer Mike Tirico. He did an excellent job – it’s a lot of hard work for 19 days. this photo was taken after my segment with Snoop.
Finally, a few cocktails at the end of the day. You probably saw this on my Instagram @MarthaStewart48 – a photo with Serena Williams.
And here I am with professional snowboarder, skateboarder, and multiple Olympic medal winner Shaun White, British race car driver Lewis Hamilton, and foil fencing champion Miles Watson. It was a whirlwind trip to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and intense, fast paced work, but I had so much fun. Can’t wait until The Games come to the United States in 2028!
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