Here at my Bedford, New York farm all the spring flowers are blooming everywhere. My long and winding pergola is putting on such a colorful and gorgeous display.
Soon after I bought this property, I built a long pergola along the carriage road leading up to my home specifically for clematis. Over the years, I've planted lots of bulbs and perennials in the garden that bloom at different times throughout the season. Right now, the Camassia and alliums are covering the area in an eye-catching palette of purple and blue - it's just stunning.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
What a difference a few weeks make in a spring garden. This is the pergola garden in late April. The new growth is just beginning – everything around the farm is showing signs of life once again.
A week later, the foliage of many of the flowers has emerged. This pergola starts across from my perennial flower cutting garden and runs along one side of the carriage road leading to my Winter House. The uprights for this pergola are antique granite posts from China – originally used as grape supports in a valley that was going to be dammed and flooded to create a reservoir.
And here it is now, filled with beautiful blooms. This palette of colors is a big favorite at the farm – it grows more colorful and vibrant every year. In a couple of months, this border shall transform once again and feature lovely shades of orange.
Early morning is one of the best times to take pictures in the garden when the sun is low in the sky.
Bordering the garden on both sides are these boxwood shrubs. There are more than 300 boxwood shrubs planted here. These boxwood shrubs were grown from small saplings.
The most prominent plant right now is the Camassia – it’s blooming profusely and so beautifully.
Camassia leichtlinii caerulea forms clusters of linear strappy foliage around upright racemes. Camassia is a genus of plants in the asparagus family native to Canada and the United States. It is best grown in moist, fertile soil and full sun.
Camassia also grows in this darker shade of blue. On this, one can see the six-petaled, two-inch, star-shaped flowers.
Both the lighter and darker shades look so good growing together in this garden.
The flower stalks stand 24 to 30 inches tall and display dozens of florets that open from the bottom up. Camassia is also known as camas, wild hyacinth, Indian hyacinth, and quamash. The bulbs are winter hardy in zones 4 to 8 and both the plant and the bulbs are resistant to deer and rodents.
Another beauty in the garden – the alliums. Alliums are often overlooked as one of the best bulbs for constant color throughout the seasons. They come in oval, spherical, or globular flower shapes, blooming in magnificent colors atop tall stems.
This is Allium aflatunense ‘Purple Sensation’, with four to five inch wide violet-purple globes. An allium flower head is a cluster of individual florets and the flower color may be purple, white, yellow, pink, or blue.
Alliums require full sunlight, and rich, well-draining, and neutral pH soil. This is Allium ‘Ambassador’ – among the tallest and longest blooming. It is intensely purple with tightly compacted globes that may bloom for up to five weeks.
Spanish Bluebells, Hyacinthoides, are unfussy members of the lily family, and native to Spain and Portugal. They are pretty, inexpensive, and good for cutting – they add such a nice touch of blue.
Symphytum is a genus of flowering plants in the Boraginaceae family. You may know it by its common name, comfrey. It is a dynamic accumulator in the garden – drawing minerals out of the soil and into the roots and leaves. It is also a wonderful compost accelerator and weed suppressant. Comfrey has large, hairy broad leaves that bear small bell-shaped flowers of various colors.
Catnip has jagged, heart-shaped leaves and thick stems that are both covered in fuzzy hairs. The botanical name for catnip is Nepeta cataria. The name Nepeta is believed to have come from the town of Nepete in Italy, and Cataria is thought to have come from the Latin word for cat.
Growing low to the ground is Ornithogalum. It features spear-like flower stems with multiple star-shaped white blooms.
In the center and at the ends of this winding pergola are wisteria standards. Right now, these beauties are cascading over the pergola and giving off the most intoxicating fragrance. Wisteria is valued for its beautiful clusters of flowers that come in purple, pink and white. Looking closely one can see flowers drape down from the soft green heads of foliage.
One one side of the pergola is this giant weeping copper beech tree – I love these trees with their gorgeous forms and rich color. I have several large specimens on the property.
On the the other side of the pergola and across the carriage road – a stand of stately bald cypress trees, now full of gorgeous soft green needle-like foliage.
And behind the pergola and across the “soccer field,” where my grandson, Truman, loves to play whenever he visits, are six matched standard weeping hornbeams, Carpinus betulus ‘Pendula’. Weeping hornbeams can grow to be about 50-feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 40-feet. These are very rare and precious trees and I am so happy they continue to grow well here.
I am so proud of this garden – it fills in and grows more beautifully every year. What flowers are blooming in your garden right now?
The tree peonies are blooming so beautifully in my garden right now! I hope you've seen my photos on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48.
I adore tree peonies and have been collecting them for quite some time. As many of you know, I have a long tree peony border planted in a semi-shade of giant sugar maples just outside my Summer House. Many of the specimens were transplanted from my Turkey Hill garden in Westport, Connecticut and over the years I've added many more - all of them continue to thrive here at my Bedford, New York farm. Unfortunately, the tree peony season is short - only about seven to 10 days, so I make sure not to miss them when they flower. I love seeing their colorful show every year.
Here are some photos, Enjoy.
These tall and striking sugar maple trees, Acer saccharum, are located at one corner of my farm – just outside my Summer House and its formal sunken garden. These maples are covered with climbing hydrangea, and beneath them is one of my favorite gardens this time of year…
…my tree peony garden. I love my curved border of tree peonies, Paeonia suffruticosa. There are very few plants that can compete with a tree peony in full bloom. They flower from late April to early May, but the season can often vary from year to year.
We started to see these gorgeous blooms begin to unfurl just last week – these petals are so delicate and pretty.
And then within days it was showing off its beautiful colors.
The tree peony, Paeonia suffruticosa, has upright flowers that bloom above the foliage.
And, unlike the more common herbaceous peonies, which flop over if not staked, tree peonies bloom on graceful woody stems.
Tree peony leaves are easily distinguished from herbaceous peonies by their dissected three pronged appearance.
Here is a white tree peony blooming perfectly. Although tree peonies can thrive in full sun, they prefer partial shade, with three to four hours of sunlight.
Tree peonies come in colors that include all ranges of white, yellow, pink, magenta, and dark maroon.
The pink varieties are more fragrant than the darker maroon flowers. This one has slightly ruffled petals with a gold center.
Here is a darker salmon variety still opening. This peony has enormous semi-double flowers. The petals are somewhat cupped, giving the flower a very full appearance. It also has a light, sweet fragrance.
Tree peonies typically reach only about four or five feet tall. Once their blooms have died, the green-leaved shrubs provide an attractive backdrop for other plants. They grow best in climates with hot summers and cold winters, making them great specimens for much of the eastern, midwestern, and western United States. I love how these looked backed by the blooming azaleas.
I have both Chinese and Japanese varieties. Chinese tree peonies are more robust and bushy. Their flowers are also more likely to be fragrant. Japanese types, by contrast, are renowned for their beauty and elegance.
Every year, these shrubs become more and more prolific, producing large flowers. And remember, tree peonies should not be cut back. Tree peonies are very slow growing and will not send forth new growth if pruned. The only cutting should be to remove any dead branches.
Here is a stunning majenta tree peony.
This peony has lovely pink flowers and a darker pink, burgundy, and gold center.
Smaller flowering plants grow among the peonies in this bed including Spanish Bluebells, late-blooming spring bulbs. These flowers are in the asparagus family, as are lily-of-the-valley and Adam’s needle. The flowers are a charming blue color, bell-shaped and about 3/4-inch long.
This is Ornithogalum. It features spear-like flower stems with multiple star-shaped white blooms.
And there are lots of beautiful bright green colored ferns.
Behind my Summer House, in the formal sunken garden, I have more tree peonies showing their colors. These are planted between the tall wall of American boxwood and the smaller European boxwood. Tree peony plants like to grow in soil that is well-drained, with a pH that is neutral or slightly alkaline. They will thrive in a loamy soil fortified with compost. Tree peonies have medium water needs and should not be overwatered – water deeply after the top four inches of soil have dried out.
This darker pink cultivar has several rows of petals around a golden interior – an eye catcher in this bed.
And look at this soft creamy yellow tree peony. Tree peonies are heavy feeders and respond well to a generous, early autumn top dressing of bone meal or rose fertilizer. The high potash content encourages flowers to develop. A light sprinkling of a general fertilizer can also be applied in spring.
Here’s a view from above the bloom.
The peony is a perennial plant that can survive up to 100-years when it is cultivated under optimal conditions. I look forward to many seasons of these most stunning flowers.
Here in Bedford, New York, we're expecting several more days of beautiful warm spring weather - great for spending time outdoors with those near and dear.
Earlier this month, I welcomed about 200-people to my farm for a Kentucky Derby Party benefitting the Bedford Riding Lanes Association, the BRLA. There was lots of food - a beautiful cheese table, an oyster bar, and of course a caviar station. My friend Chef Pierre Schaedelin from PS Tailored Events and I also planned a delicious array of Southern bites - deviled eggs, southern fried drumsticks, hot crab dip on shortbread crackers, brown sugar and bourbon glazed ham on buttermilk biscuits, and more. For drinks everyone enjoyed my special mint juleps, Martha's Chard, Martha-tinis, and sweet iced tea. It was a great day and a most enjoyable gathering.
Enjoy these photos.
It was a gorgeous May day for my party. Here is the mint julep station where I made my rendition of the popular Kentucky Derby drink for all my guests – outside on the cobblestone courtyard at the foot of my long Boxwood Allée.
We had an elaborate cheese table filled with lots of great cheeses from Murray’s Cheese in New York City.
We also enjoyed lots of these Biddy Sticks – small-batch, handmade, organic, artisanal breadsticks – made with just a hint of red pepper.
And here are our friends from Copps Island Oysters ready to shuck and serve. We ordered more than 300 oysters for the event – and all of them were devoured.
I made the melba toasts myself earlier in the morning.
I instructed the wait staff to make sure each piece had a nice dollop of caviar on top.
My Derby hat was made by expert milliner Jackie Cicogna Millinery right here in Westchester, New York. I am standing with Katherine Zeller Gage, the beautiful wife of Chef Daniel Boulud, and my neighbor, fashion designer Andy Yu.
We had glasses of wine in Govino glasses made especially with the thumb indentation on the side for easy holding.
Chef Pierre made this gorgeous and colorful platter of crudités. It was served with a Benedictine Dip – also popular for Kentucky Derby gatherings.
Some of the small bites passed around included Southern fried drumsticks, hot crab dip and glazed ham on buttermilk biscuits.
My Carriage House was decorated with a Kentucky Derby theme. Samsung monitors were hung on the walls around the room, so everyone could watch the race. And our buffet table was decorated with a Kentucky Derby themed centerpiece. The seven foot tall zinc eagle on the pedestal is something I purchased not too long ago. I think it looks so pretty in this room.
Kevin Sharkey took this photo from the hayloft of my stable. The weather was absolutely perfect.
This is Romilly Newman – tastemaker, recipe developer, and food stylist. She created our table scapes.
Here’s a giant mound of shrimp. Served with cocktail sauce, of course.
Chef Pierre and his team baked dozens of sourdough boules. A boule, from French, meaning “ball”, is a traditional shape of French bread resembling a squashed ball.
Candied pecans from High End Desserts in Georgetown, Kentucky served in fanciful silver were also part of the buffet.
And here are the girls – Billie and Jude “JJ” Junior, always looking on with curiosity. What a fun event for a great cause – to help maintain and develop the historic system of riding trails and dirt roads in this area of Westchester.
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