Here at my Bedford, New York farm, spring container planting continues with a group of beautiful bromeliads.
During the warmer months, I always display lots of potted plants around my home - on the terrace parterre, in the courtyard behind my Winter House, on the stone ledges around my carport, along the carriage roads, and various other locations. Last week, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, planted a collection of bromeliads for display around my pool. Bromeliads are members of the Bromeliaceae plant family. They feature striking, sword-shaped leaves and a bright, unusual-looking bloom. One of the most well-known bromeliads is the pineapple. These plants are native to tropical North and South America with about half growing in the ground and the remainder as epiphytes, or air plants, that grow on trees or rocks.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I have a good collection of these potted bromeliads. They will look great planted in small groups around my pool. Many bromeliads are epiphytes, which means they grow by clinging to a surface such as a tree, though they also can be grown in pots.
Ryan sized up the plants and grouped them next to each ornamental urn ready for planting.
Some of the urns are larger than others, but all have drainage holes at the bottom.
To start, Ryan places a shard at the bottom of each planter. We always save shards to cover drain holes. It keeps dirt from falling through the hole while making sure there is still room for proper drainage. Saving the shards from broken pots is a great way to repurpose those pieces.
Ryan fills the container with a fast-draining potting soil that holds moisture but drains well.
Then he sprinkles a generous amount of all-purpose plant fertilizer into each pot.
This fertilizer is packaged in prills, meaning it has been pelletized and is made for slow-release. It is also neater, easier to handle, and doesn’t produce as much dust.
Ryan creates a hole for the first bromeliad plant. Bromeliads have small root systems, so the holes need not be too deep.
Then he gently removes the plant from its pot and teases its roots to stimulate growth.
Here is a closer look at this bromeliad’s roots.
Most of these containers will hold about three or four plants. Ryan places them, so each one has enough room to grow.
Bromeliads prefer bright light without direct sun exposure, but some will also tolerate full sun.
Most bromeliads grow as a stemless rosette of leaves that may be symmetrical or twisted and curled.
The leaves may be broad and leathery or fine and wiry. Many are colorfully banded and variegated.
This afternoon is quite rainy, but Ryan continues to plant knowing they’ll definitely get a good drink of water.
Here are two planters already done – they will fill out these pots nicely during the summer.
The bromeliad’s strap-shaped leaves can also come with red, purple, orange, and yellow markings. This one has almost burgundy colored spots.
Most bromeliads only bloom once in their lifetime before producing new plant offshoots. This one will bloom in bright pink. Bromeliad blooms last up to six months, which is nice for the plant’s lone flower show.
Ryan also brings a collection of wooden shims which will be used to raise the pots off the ground just enough for the water to properly drain.
At one end of my pool I have these staddle stones. 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.
All seven of the round planters are now potted up with beautiful bromeliads. Even in the rain they look great.
And just as Ryan finishes planting, the rain slows down to just a light sprinkle, but all the plants got a good watering. Thanks, Ryan.
Antique Japanese screens now hang in place of two giant gilded mirrors in my Summer House - and they're so beautiful.
Earlier this year, I purchased two sets of antique Japanese screens by Soga Nichokuan, a highly respected and talented Japanese artist of the 17th century. The two screens show 12 birds of prey, each bird painted and then mounted on individual panels. I knew they would look perfect in my Summer House, but because these large screens needed precise positioning, I needed some expert help. I called on the team from ILevel Art Placement + Installation, the leading company in New York City that specializes exclusively on arranging and securely installing and hanging all types of art - paintings, prints, mirrors, family photo collections, etc. I've worked with ILevel for years. They've done projects for our magazine, "Living" and they've also hung pieces for my daughter, Alexis. A few years ago, they were here at my farm hanging dozens of decorative plates and paintings around my home. And now they're back to install these gorgeous antique screens.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This is the entrance hall of my Summer House, which I often use for entertaining during the holidays. I decided one of the screens would be perfect on this wall in place of this giant gilded mirror.
I have another mirror on a large wall in this parlor. The second screen would look great here. The colors are just perfect – wait until you see…
The first step is to carefully remove the existing mirrors from the walls. They will be hung somewhere else. Whenever leaning heavy artwork against a wall, always place towels underneath and behind the edges so nothing gets damaged. Art and photos should always be hung after other decorations have been decided. The height and width of pieces will always affect the hanging of any print or painting.
The screens were carefully packaged in boxes, so the team gently removes each screen, so I could decide the exact places where they would be hung.
Here I am talking to Alex about the precise positioning of one screen, which includes six panels. We consider height, width, and placement next to any moldings.
As the screens are unboxed, they are measured.
Once we decided where the screens would be hung, the team begins the important task of measuring and planning where appropriate screws would be positioned.
Here, Alex measures and places level marks on the wall. These marks will ensure the piece is hung completely straight.
Then he double checks the measurement at each point. The team uses blue painter’s tape that has a very light adhesive.
The team tests the screen in the parlor to make sure it fits precisely. In this space, I was concerned the screen would be too wide and block the light switch plate, but fortunately there was just enough clearance.
Alex and Soren work together in measuring and leveling, so it is done as precisely as possible.
The team brings a case filled with all the necessary nails, screws, wall anchors, and hooks.
Using some paper and tape, Alex creates an envelope to catch all the dust from where he is drilling. This saves time and keeps the areas clean.
Then he hammers in a plastic nail anchor. Blue painter’s tape is also placed on the head of the hammer to prevent any marking on the wall.
Next, L-screws are installed – one under each panel to keep it up. Another row above the panels will keep them from tipping forward.
The first one to go up is this screen in the foyer. All four gently pick it up and put it in place. The team always wears gloves while handling precious art work, so there are no finger prints left behind.
Once the screen is up, the team makes sure it is flush against the wall and perfectly level.
Here is the other screen also up on the wall. The team then checks it for level – everything is always checked and double-checked for straightness.
Adam uses a marker to disguise the L-screws. They match perfectly with the frame.
Here is the screen in my parlor. These birds are tethered to perches. The artist, Soga Nichokuan, specialized in avian subjects, particularly birds of prey. His father, Soga Chokuan, was also a talented painter.
Such representations painted on large screens or panels made impressive backdrops in homes and temples. These screens were made in the first half of the 17th century. The gold looks so perfect against the walls.
I am so pleased with how great they look in both my entrance hall and in this room. Thanks Dave, Alex, Adam, and Soren from ILevel. You are true experts in your field.
My large new vegetable garden is so much fun to visit right now because of all the growing produce - there’s something new popping up every day.
This garden, which we started planting in April, is filled with so many wonderful crops - tomatoes, spinach, brassicas, carrots, beets, Swiss chard, sweet and hot peppers, onions, leeks, shallots, potatoes, artichokes, asparagus, all sorts of herbs, and more. I've already picked a few lettuces and cabbages, and every one has been delicious. We always plant in succession, meaning we seed crops at intervals of seven to 21 days in order to maintain a consistent supply of harvestable produce throughout the season. I can't wait for our first big bounty.
Enjoy these photos.
What a difference a couple of months make. This garden is looking so beautiful. And I love that it is so close to my Winter House. It’s nice to be able to see all the crops we’ve planted over the last several weeks – they are all thriving.
In one of the first beds is our spinach. Look at all the spinach we’re growing this year. The leaves are so beautiful and so very tender and tasty. So great for my morning green juice.
At the edge of all the beds, we planted herbs. This is thyme. Thyme is an herb whose small leaves grow on clusters of thin stems. It is a Mediterranean herb with dietary, medicinal, and ornamental uses. It is delicious with fish or poultry and imparts a lemony flavor.
These are the leaves of our artichokes. Globe artichokes, Cynara scolymus, are popular in both Europe and the United States. Artichokes are actually the flower buds, which will emerge from the center of the plants.
Artichoke plant leaves are silvery-green in color with long, arching shapes. The plant stems are thick and fleshy.
Swiss chard is a leafy green vegetable often used in Mediterranean cooking. The leaf stalks are large and vary in color, usually white, yellow, or red. The leaf blade can be green or reddish in color.
We always plant a variety of carrots in all the different colors – red, yellow, white, purple, black, and orange. They’re not ready yet, but the tops are lush and green. And, do you know… the first carrots were white, purple and yellow – not orange. The Dutch developed orange carrots in the 1500s. All modern-day orange carrots are directly descended from these Dutch-bred carrots.
In the first long center bed we planted asparagus. We won’t be harvesting these for at least three years as asparagus needs all that time to develop, but after that they will produce an abundant crop of spears spring after spring.
Our cabbages are also growing nicely. To get the best health benefits from cabbage, it’s good to include all three varieties into the diet – Savoy, red, and green. Savoy cabbage leaves are ruffled and a bit yellowish in color.
Red, or purple, cabbage is often used raw for salads and coleslaw. It contains 10-times more vitamin-A and twice as much iron as green cabbage.
And here is one of our green cabbages – so perfect.
Broccoli is a hardy vegetable of the cabbage family that is high in vitamins A and D. And, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA, the average American eats more than four-pounds of broccoli a year.
Here, we picked the center head of broccoli. These are the smaller side shoots that are already growing so beautifully.
Kale or leaf cabbage is a group of vegetable cultivars within the plant species Brassica oleracea. They have purple or green leaves, in which the central leaves do not form a head.
We planted leeks, shallots and onions back in late April – look how much these leeks have grown. The leek is a cultivar of Allium ampeloprasum, the broadleaf wild leek. The edible part of the plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a stem or stalk. Leeks have a mildly sweet flavor similar to onions, shallots, garlic, and chives.
In another center bed, along this trellis we put up, are lots of peas – one section for shelling peas, which need to be removed from their pods before eating, and another for edible pods, which can be eaten whole, such as our snap peas. They are best grown on supports to keep them off the ground and away from pests and diseases.
Pea plants produce white flowers with a slight pink hue.
There is also a lot of fresh and fragrant cilantro. Often known in the United Kingdom as coriander, cilantro comes from the plant Coriandrum sativum. In the United States, the leaves of the plant are referred to as cilantro and the seeds are called coriander. Cilantro is also commonly known as Chinese parsley. And those who care for it and those who don’t are split – and it’s actually genetic. Some possess a gene that makes them super-sensitive to the aldehyde component found in cilantro. Do you love cilantro, or hate it?
Also always growing here at the farm is parsley. This will find its way into my morning green juice. Parsley is rich in vitamins K, C, and other antioxidants. It has a bright, herbaceous, and slightly bitter taste.
This is curly parsley. This comes from the same family, but curly parsley leaves are thicker and ruffled. Some also say its flavor is a bit stronger in curly parsley than in the flat-leaf varieties.
Everyone always asks what I do with all the vegetables I grow. I share them with my family, but I also love sharing the bounties with friends, colleagues, and my hardworking crew here at the farm. I also provide fruits, vegetables, and eggs for photography and video shoots. And, of course, all my birds get vegetables too. I hope your gardens are doing well this season.
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