Here at my Bedford, New York farm today, we're cleaning up after the torrential weekend rains. We got quite a bit of damage - fallen trees due to lighting and oversaturated soil, excessive runoff that washed away gravel from the carriage roads, and flooded garden beds causing many of the vegetables to rot. It's a lot of work on top of an already long list of outdoor chores.
Last week, despite the hot and humid summer weather, my outdoor grounds crew worked hard pruning, grooming, and planting. Pasang Sherpa, who is our resident tree expert here dedicated a few days to the six beautiful weeping hornbeams that line one side of what I call my "soccer field" - a large, flat area where my grandson, Truman, loves to play. Botanically known as Carpinus betulus 'pendula', the weeping hornbeam is deciduous and has a tight, dense growth pattern. I keep a close eye on all my hornbeams - it’s crucial that they be pruned regularly, so they never look too overgrown and unruly.
Here are some photos, enjoy. And check out my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 to see some of the damage caused by this recent storm.
In the area between my orchard and my clematis pergola are six matched standard weeping hornbeams, Carpinus betulus ‘pendula’ – a dense tree with a strong center, a shapely form, and gracefully arching branches.
The leaves are a fresh green color in the spring and summer. Each leaf has a sharply double serrated edge and a top that tapers to a point.
These are the seed catkins hanging from the branches, holding about 10 to 30 seeds each.
This is a photo taken in October. The weeping hornbeam turns a golden yellow in autumn. One can see the changing color here.
Because it is deciduous, these hornbeams also lose all their foliage in winter. This is a photo taken of the hornbeams in February.
But now, these rare, slow growing and exceptionally beautiful weeping hornbeams are full of gorgeous foliage and are due for a trim.
The long arching branches are healthy, but are now touching and sweeping the ground.
Pasang is an excellent pruner and oversees a lot of the smaller tree pruning projects around the farm. As with any pruning project, Pasang cuts off any dead, damaged, or diseased branches first.
I prefer all the hornbeams be pruned by hand using pruners, secateurs or Japanese shears – it is a slower process, but provides a more detailed and prettier finish. This is our The STIHL PL 40 lopper with long handles that allow for better leverage and reach. This tool has a cutting capacity of two-inches, which is very helpful for these hornbeams.
These ‘pendula’ hornbeams are actually grafted onto a lower trunk of Carpinus betulus. The branches start off by growing straight downwards and later grow more in the width, which forms the half-rounded parasol shape.
Here’s a look at the long branches from underneath the hornbeam.
The trunk is dark grey and very sturdy with a relatively smooth bark.
Hornbeams are very dependable cultivars and don’t need much pruning except when necessary for shaping or for removing dieback. Here Pasang removes any crowded or crisscrossing branches from inside.
Pasang also uses his hand pruners to remove smaller branches less than an inch in diameter.
The goal is to trim up the hornbeam, so the branches do not drag. This will also allow more air circulation within the tree and give it a nicely groomed appearance.
Pasang makes his cuts sloping down and away at a 45 to 60 degree angle. And always use sharp tools, so the cuts are clean.
Here are the first two trees well-pruned. One can now see underneath them.
Here’s a view from ground. There’s a good two feet cleared under each one.
All the clippings are gathered and carried away to the compost yard.
And here they are – all six done. Under ideal conditions, weeping hornbeams can live up to 120-years or more. I am so pleased these trees are thriving here at my farm – they are among my favorite and most precious of trees.
Business gatherings are always so much more enjoyable when accompanied by a delicious homemade meal.
Earlier this week, I hosted a luncheon at my home for a group of colleagues and associates. My friend, Chef Pierre Schaedelin from PS Tailored Events, and I, planned a wonderful summer menu for 14-guests that included beet borscht with carrots, onion, Red Bliss new potatoes and crème fraîche, risotto with English peas and artichokes, and for dessert black currant and raspberry sorbet with brown butter shortbread. All the vegetables and fruits were grown right here at my Bedford, New York farm and many were picked fresh that morning. It was an excellent lunch and a most productive and interesting meeting.
Enjoy these photos.
Here at my farm, I’ve been enjoying so many of the wonderful vegetables growing in the new garden. We harvested all these gorgeous carrots just hours before they were used for my luncheon.
The artichokes are also so plentiful this year. Artichokes are actually flower buds, which are eaten when they are tender. Buds are generally harvested once they reach full size, just before the bracts begin to spread open. When harvesting, cut the stem approximately one to three inches from the base of the bud. The stem becomes a useful handle when trimming the artichoke.
And look at these beets! Beets are so good, and so good for you. Beets are sweet and tender – and one of the healthiest foods. Beets contain a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains, which provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support.
We also picked several onions. We planted a lot of white, yellow, and red onions. Most of the onions will be harvested later in the summer when the underground bulbs are more mature and flavorful.
And remember the peas we picked? So many amazing fresh peas – perfect for our lunch.
Inside, my long table was decorated with fresh flowers also from the garden. My housekeepers and I always work on the table settings together. We try to make each one different and beautiful.
Small faux bois vases were lined up along the center of the table and filled with colorful rose blooms.
Also in my Brown Room, I decorated nearby tables with Cotinus stems with their purplish pink billowy hairs attached to flower clusters.
Here, some light lime green. All my guests admired them. Cotinus, also known as smoke bush and smoke tree, is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, closely related to the sumacs.
In my kitchen, all the plates and glasses were selected and prepared for service. When entertaining, try to do these tasks early to save time.
Chef Pierre and his sous chef, Aaron, made delicious herbed butter bread to start. Here, Aaron cuts the baguettes still warm from the oven…
… and places them in a basket for serving. Everyone loves these herbed breads – we had to make enough to go around once, twice, and three times.
Alongside the bread, we served glasses of the freshest carrot juice – so, flavorful.
Meanwhile, here is Aaron helping to plate the first course – our beet borscht with carrots and onion.
Each bowl of soup was topped with a potato and a dollop of crème fraîche, and a sprig of dill. Borscht, also spelled borsch, borsht, or bortsch, is the beet soup of Slavic countries. Although borscht is important in Russian and Polish countries, Ukraine is frequently cited as its place of origin.
More bowls of crème fraîche are placed on the table in case anyone wants more. Crème fraîche, French for “fresh cream,” is a thick cultured cream often used as a finishing touch for sauces and soups, or spooned over fruit or warm desserts such as cobblers.
The artichokes are cut and roasted for the risotto.
And here are all the peas – also ready for the risotto. When serving a meal, it is important to keep track of the time, so everything can be plated and served warm. Use warming ovens, or warmed trays and covered dishes when needed.
Here is the risotto with our English peas and fresh artichokes. Risotto is an Italian dish made by cooking a starchy, short grain rice like arborio with stock until it becomes creamy. It is so delicious with peas – one of my favorite ways to serve risotto.
Here is a closer look. The risotto is always a big hit – every bowl was left completely empty.
I often serve brown butter shortbread with my desserts. Shortbread is easy to make and goes with many fruit sorbets.
Dessert was most refreshing – especially on this warm and humid afternoon.
A beautiful serving of black currant and raspberry sorbet topped with a scoop of whipped cream and mint. Thank you Chef Pierre and Aaron. Every course, every bite, was divine.
Another interesting and informational episode of "Martha Gardens" is now available exclusively on The Roku Channel - Azaleas, Hostas, and Wild Birds. Be sure to stream it!
Every year here at my farm, I add lots of plants to both existing gardens as well as new spaces. Earlier in spring, in a large area under the shade of my majestic dawn redwoods, Metasequoia, we planted lots of hostas. Hostas, with a palette of so many different colors, textures, and sizes have tremendous landscape value and offer great interest to the garden. The hostas came from Pioneer Gardens, a wholesale company located on the outskirts of Deerfield, Massachusetts.
Enjoy these photos. And be sure to watch "Martha Gardens" to learn more about growing hostas.
The hosta is one of America’s favorite shade plants. 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.
Hostas are perennial plants which grow from rhizomes. Hostas thrive in total shade to nearly full sun which makes them ideal for planting under trees.
Hosta leaf textures can be smooth, veined or puckered. Their surfaces may be matt, shiny or waxy but are usually satiny.
My plan was to plant lots and lots of hostas in the garden beds under my dawn redwoods. Their lush green foliage, varying leaf shape, size, and texture, and their easy care requirements make them perfect for this area. We planted hundreds of hostas here since 2020 and they’re all doing so excellently.
Unlike many perennials, which must be lifted and divided every few years, hostas are happy to grow in place without much interference.
Hosta leaves rise up from a central rhizomatous crown to form a rounded to spreading mound. Most varieties tend to have a spread and height of between one and three feet.
Across the carriage is an area of younger hostas. I wanted to expand the bed and add some more.
For “Martha Gardens,” we received a shipment containing hundreds of bare root hostas from Pioneer Gardens. Bare root is a technique of arboriculture whereby a plant is removed from soil in a dormant state. Here is Ryan organizing and planning where these plants will go in the garden.
Bare root stock should be planted within 48 hours of receipt, so it was important to get these plants in the ground right away. In my show, you’ll see me and Pioneer Gardens Arjen Vriend talking about how to divide and propagate plants as well as how to plant these specimens.
The soil in this area is already well amended with nutrient-rich compost. Ryan adds fertilizer around the existing plants and those areas where new hostas will be placed.
The best hosta plant food is a slow release 10-10-10 fertilizer. Those three numbers stand for the amount of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium in the fertilizer. Slow release fertilizers feed the plant each time it rains or the plant is watered.
Ryan positions the hostas where they will be planted depending on the variety and growth habit of the plants. When planting hostas, leave about 30 to 36 inches apart for large varieties, about 18 to 24 inches for medium sized hostas and about a foot to 18 inches for small ones.
Here is one of the bare root hosta plants. The roots are healthy and the leaves of the plant are bright green.
When planting, it is important to dig a hole wide enough to accommodate all the roots of the hosta without cutting or folding them.
This hole is the perfect size – about six to eight inches deep and twice as wide – it gives the plant enough space to spread out its roots.
The plant crown is kept at soil level to avoid rot.
And then the plant is carefully backfilled.
Once the plant is backfilled, it is given a good drink of water. Water, water, water… I always say.
The crew works in a production line process to get the job done quickly and efficiently. As one plants, another waters. These plants were done earlier this spring – the best time for planting hostas.
The next morning, all the hostas looked so pretty under the morning dappled shade. This area will soon be filled with a drift of gorgeous hostas.
Depending on the hosta, it will take a bit of time for the plant to reach maturity. Smaller and more vigorous hostas can reach mature sizes in about three to five years. Giant and slower growing hostas can take five to seven years to reach their potential.
Right now, some of the more mature plants are also showing off their tall flowers. Hostas produce flower stalks with multiple flowers that are usually purple to sometimes pale lavender or even white. In the back is a Dicentra plant. Its yellowing leaves in summer are natural and signal the end of the growing period for this cool season plant.
Hostas are big, they’re bold, and they’re easy to grow. I hope this inspires you to add some hostas to your garden. And don’t forget – watch “Martha Gardens” exclusively on The Roku Channel for more great ideas and tips.
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