I'm always looking for interesting and healthy plants and trees. I love visiting different nurseries to see what specimens they have for my ever-evolving Bedford, New York farm.
Not long ago, I visited Select Horticulture Inc. in Pound Ridge, New York to purchase a selection of European hornbeams and yews for my living maze. Select Horticulture offers an extensive inventory of premium quality trees and shrubs including large sizes, unusual and rare specimens, with both stand-alone and mature espaliered options.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Select Horticulture Inc. has locations in Lancaster, Massachusetts and here in Westchester, New York right off route 137.
The nursery is filled with beautiful and well maintained specimens. Every row of trees and shrubs is neat, tidy, and every item properly identified.
There are lots of evergreen shrubs and mature trees.
I always notice the boxwood – these boxwood shrubs come in a variety of sizes from small to these medium-sized specimens to mature giants.
These are apple trees, Malus domestica ‘Red Delicious,’ the most widely planted apple tree in North America. It grows at a fast speed of more than 24-inches per year. Its mature height and width vary from 10 feet for the dwarf, 12 to 15 feet for the semi-dwarf, or 20 to 25 feet for a standard.
Every tree is connected to an extensive water irrigation system. There are multiple stakes in each root ball that connect to the water source.
Acer griseum is the paperbark maple or blood-bark maple – a species of flowering plant in the family Sapindaceae, native to central China. It is a small, deciduous, oval to oval-rounded tree with slender upright branching.
Most interesting is this tree’s bark – copper orange to cinnamon reddish-brown bark which exfoliates.
These are Bloodgood Japanese maple trees – several being trained on this trellis. In its maturity, the Bloodgood Japanese maple will reach between 15 to 20 feet tall, with a small narrow trunk. One of the most attractive features is its ability to retain its color throughout the seasons – a deep burgundy in spring that lasts throughout summer and then changes to a bright red in fall.
This is Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula’ – a weeping blue atlas cedar. This is a beautiful, pendulous evergreen tree. And because it is a free-form weeping plant, it can be trained, trellised, espaliered, and even grown as a bonsai to fit various garden spaces.
This is Sciadopitys verticillata, commonly called a Japanese umbrella tree. It has a dense, narrow, conical to pyramidal habit when young, but tends to open up with age. It gets its common name from the umbrella-like whorls of needles that grow at the ends of the branchlets and branches. In its native habitat in Japan, this evergreen conifer may grow to 90-feet tall. In cultivation in the U.S., however, it typically matures to about 30-feet tall over many years.
Each whorl on the Sciadopitys verticillata contains 20 to 30 soft, flattened, dark green needles that radiate outward – almost like the ribs of an opened umbrella.
Six Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ trees were pulled out and prepared for pick up. This tree is commonly called an eastern redbud – a deciduous, often multi-trunked understory tree with a rounded crown that typically matures to 20 to 30 feet. It features purple-leaves and has an attractive red-orange fall color. Its common name, Judas tree, comes from legend. Biblical literature records that after betraying Christ, Judas Iscariot hanged himself from this kind of tree.
Eastern redbud leaves are alternate, simple, broadly heart-shaped and three to five inches high and wide.
Cercis canadensis ‘Vanilla Twist’ is a small tree with beautifully cascading branches.
And it has the same charming heart-shaped leaves.
There are many hornbeams, Carpinus betulus, of all sizes including this giant specimen.
And these giant columnar Carpinus betulus Frans Fontaine – a dense hornbeam with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit.
Here are our European hornbeams – all stacked in our dump truck and ready to go back to the farm to get planted in the maze.
If you’ve ever looking for a selection of quality trees or shrubs, and live in or around Pound Ridge, New York, or Lancaster, Massachusetts, be sure to visit Select Horticulture Inc. There’s something for everyone.
One thing I love is the intoxicating scent of a garden rose.
I hope you saw my latest episode of "Martha Gardens" exclusively on the Roku Channel. In the show, I share my tips for planning, planting, and caring for roses. Not long ago, I redesigned a new rose bed behind my main greenhouse. The area was previously planted with some rose varieties, foxglove, and lots of tulips, but we moved them and prepared the 68-foot by 30-foot space for three types of roses - floribunda, hybrid tea, and shrub roses - all with gorgeous color, form, and fragrance. The roses came from Danielle Hahn, author of the new book "The Color of Roses," published by Ten Speed Press. It was a big project, but our entire team worked together and got it done excellently.
Enjoy these photos.
Here is the garden bed once it was cleared of old plant roots and weeds. This bed is located just behind my main greenhouse where it can be closely watched and maintained.
We already planted large boxwood to mark the middle and main footpath to the garden. Here, a line is put up to mark the four sides so it could be re-edged.
The entire garden is surrounded with boxwood. Large boxwood shrubs anchor the corners. These smaller boxwood, which I’ve nurtured from bare-root cuttings fill in the rest of the perimeter.
Buxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood. Boxwood is native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
And here are all the roses – more than 120 – still in boxes and ready to plant. Danielle says she prefers to plant potted roses because “one can see what one gets” – look for healthy, robust leaves that are free of disease and insects.
Using landscape twine as a guide, they were all lined up in straight rows according to mature growth pattern, variety, and color.
Each rose is placed exactly where it will be planted. And here the digging begins. Watch “Martha Gardens” to see the map of this beautiful and formal rose garden.
When planting, make sure the hole is slightly wider but equal in depth to the rose’s root ball. This will generally be about 15 to 18 inches deep by 18 to 24 inches wide.
Nutrient rich compost or garden conditioner is added to each hole.
And then some good quality fertilizers. The primary nutrients that all plants need are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Nitrogen encourages healthy, vigorous leaf growth. Since a rose’s ability to make flowers is in its leaves, healthy foliage results in more flowers. We also added a specific rose fertilizer Rose-Tone, azomite, and bone meal.
Here, Pasang removes a rose from its pot, teases the roots to stimulate growth, and then places it into the designated hole.
Pasang makes sure the top of the root ball is about an inch above the edge of the hole. He also looks to see that the plant is straight and the best side faces the front of the garden.
With so many plants to get into the ground, it was all hands on deck – we had a large team digging and planting.
Here, Phurba stands from a distance to make sure all the rose plants are planted in straight lines.
We planted floribunda roses, hybrid tea roses, and shrub roses. This one is a soft apricot color.
Hybrid tea roses, also called large-flowered roses, usually have only one flower per stem and tend to flower in three flushes from summer to late autumn. Floribundas or cluster-flowered roses have many flowers per stem and tend to repeat-flower continuously from summer to late autumn.
We included a variety of different colors from pink to apricot to lavender and even yellow and creamy white.
And here’s a darker pink rose. A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae. There are more than a hundred species and thousands of cultivars.
Here is a beautiful light yellow rose blooming. When selecting a location, plant roses in a sunny spot where it can get at least six hours of sun and good drainage. Fertilize them regularly and water them evenly to keep the soil moist.
Here is a white rose with a hint of pink. We also planted strong disease resistant varieties. Many roses are bred and selected to resist the most common rose problems.
This rose bed is sure to bring years of color and beauty from hundreds and hundreds of roses. Watch “Martha Gardens” on Roku to get more of my tips and to see the entire process of planting the garden – it’s a great show.
I love this time of year when I can walk through my flower gardens and see all the wonderful blooms. Everything looks so amazing this season, especially the roses.
As many of you know, I adore roses and have grown them for more than 25-years. Many of the rose cultivars growing at my Bedford, New York farm were transplanted from the gardens at Lily Pond, my former home in East Hampton. Here in Bedford, I have a large collection planted along both sides of my lilac allée and a newer rose bed planted behind my main greenhouse, but most of the roses are in the perennial flower cutting garden and they're thriving.
Here are some photos, enjoy. And remember to stream "Martha Gardens" - it's free on The Roku Channel. In my latest episode, I share lots of tips for planning and planting a beautiful garden of roses.
At my farm, I have thousands of roses growing in my perennial flower garden. Most are climbing on all four of the garden fence sides, while some varieties fill obelisk trellises in the center. All the roses are so beautiful this year.
A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae. There are more than a hundred species and thousands of cultivars.
Rose stems are often armed with sharp prickles – they aren’t thorns at all. Unlike a thorn, a prickle can be easily broken off the plant because it is really a feature of the outer layers rather than part of the wood, like a thorn.
Roses have alternate leaves, which vary from simple to trifoliate, palmate, or pinnate. The whole leaves or smaller leaflets are frequently more or less oval-shaped with serrated edges.
Many of my roses are old fashioned and antique varieties. They include: ‘Alchymist’, ‘Boule de Neige’, ‘Cardinal de Richelieu’, ‘Charles de Mills’, ‘Constance Spry’, ‘Dainty Bess’, ‘Pierre de Ronsard’, ‘Ferdinand Pichard’, Konigin von Danemark’, Louise Odier’, Madame Alfred Carriere’, ‘the Reeve’, ‘Pearlie Mae’, and ‘Sweet Juliet’.
Over the years, I’ve also added ‘Night Owl’, Poseidon’, ‘Quick Silver’, ‘Colette’, ‘Cecile Brunner’, ‘Ebb Tide’, ‘Jeannie Lajoie’, Lykkefund’, ‘Veilchenblau’, and ‘Geschwind’s Most Beautiful’.
I also have a selection from David Austin – ‘Abraham Darby’, Graham Thomas’, ‘Heritage’, ‘Lady of Shallot’, ‘Golden Celebration’, ‘Snow Goose’, ‘St. Swithun’, ‘Benjamin Britten’, ‘Brother Cadfael’, ‘James Galway’, ’Teasing Georgia’, ‘The Generous Gardener’, ‘Wolverton Old Hall’, ‘Malvern Hills’, and ‘Jude the Obscure’.
Roses come in many different colors, such as pink, peach, white, red, magenta, yellow, copper, vermilion, purple, and apricot.
When selecting a location, plant roses in a sunny spot with good drainage. Fertilize them regularly and water them evenly to keep the soil moist.
The flowers of most rose species have at least five petals. Each petal is divided into two distinct lobes and is usually white or pink.
Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach several feet in height.
Climbers always do best when well supported by a trellis or fence – one that is the appropriate height, width, and strength for the climber. And always consider plants at maturity. The support should be strong enough to hold the weight of a full-grown rose plant in both wet and windy weather.
When watering roses, give them the equivalent to one-inch of rainfall per week during the growing season. Water at the soil level to avoid getting the foliage wet. Wet leaves encourage diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew.
This rose is a lovely white variety. It has full-petalled, rosette-shaped flowers with a button eye and a strong fragrance.
And here is one in pink. The best way to prevent rose diseases is to choose disease-resistant varieties. Many roses are bred and selected to resist the most common rose problems.
Rose bushes need six to eight hours of sunlight daily. In hot climates, roses do best when they are protected from the hot afternoon sun. In cold climates, planting a rose bush next to a south or west-facing fence or wall can help minimize winter freeze damage.
Here are two smaller roses in soft light pink.
The flat bloom is just as it sounds, with petals generally flaring out.
I also have a large collection planted along both sides of my lilac allée, just past my chicken coops and vegetable garden. During late spring and summer, this area is filled with various shades of pink, fragrant rose blooms.
Single blooms are fully opened and almost flat, consisting of one to seven petals per bloom.
Some blooms are very interesting. This is the swirled ‘Variegata di Bologna’ with its large, cupped flowers and petals of creamy white cleanly striped with purple crimson. It is one of the most striking of the striped roses providing a fantastic display in any garden.
This light pink rose is opening perfectly.
To produce an impressive show of flowers, always use nutrient-rich compost, composted manure, and other organic and natural fertilizers, such as fish emulsion. Organic amendments also help to encourage beneficial soil microbes and a well-balanced soil pH.
I am just so pleased with how well all the roses are doing, especially this year – they all look amazing.
And here is just the first of many rose arrangements I’ll enjoy in my home this year. Different shades of beautiful pink. Don’t forget to watch “Martha Gardens” exclusively on The Roku Channel for lots of useful information and tips for growing roses. It’s available to stream right now!
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