My azaleas are putting on quite a show at my Bedford, New York farm.
Of all the shrubs that flower in spring, azaleas provide some of the most brilliant displays. I have hundreds of them planted together in a garden that starts just outside my Summer House and runs along two sides of the carriage road all the way down to my stable. When they bloom this time of year, this area of my property erupts with spectacular color - from pure white to shades of pink, crimson, and orange. Azaleas can thrive in a wide variety of growing conditions, which makes them so useful in many different landscapes. They are popularly referred to as the “royalty of the garden,” long adorned for their brightly colored flowers and evergreen foliage.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
My large azalea collection is located outside my Summer House in a lightly wooded area where they get lots of filtered sunlight throughout the day. Three years ago, I extended the garden down the carriage road and planted more than 300-azaleas since. This week, they are erupting with swaths of beautiful color.
Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the Ericaceae family, which includes blueberries and mountain laurel. They are also all rhododendrons and members of the genus Rhododendron.
Azaleas are generally healthy, easy to grow plants. Some azaleas bloom as early as March, but most bloom in April and May with blossoms lasting several weeks.
Here they are flowering among the tree peonies across from my Summer House. The large mounds of bold pink look so gorgeous surrounded by all the green foliage. Azaleas are native to several continents including Asia, Europe, and North America. These plants can live for many years, and they continue to grow their entire lives.
The tube-shaped base of the flower contains a stamen that protrudes from the center.
The leaves are often evergreen with wooly undersides. The length of azalea leaves ranges from as little as a quarter-inch to more than six inches. Leaves of most azaleas are solid green, with a roughly long football-shape.
Azalea petal shapes vary greatly. They range from narrow to triangular to overlapping rounded petals. They can also be flat, wavy, or ruffled.
Azalea flowers can be single, hose-in-hose, double, or double hose-in-hose, depending on the number of petals.
Many azaleas have two to three-inch flowers and range in a variety of colors from pink to white to purple, red, orange, and yellow.
I wanted to keep similar colors together. These beautiful bold orange azaleas are at one end of the grove. Azaleas prefer morning sun and afternoon shade, or filtered light. Hot all-day sun can stress the plants and make them more susceptible to pests.
Here are some beautiful, crips white azaleas.
These are two of my mature specimens – and they continue to flourish year after year. Plant height ranges from about three to six feet for most varieties, but rare plants can range from under one foot to well over 15-feet tall.
When selecting a location for planting, be sure you know the mature size of the plants so they can be grouped accordingly in the landscape – tall plants in the background and short plants in the foreground.
The best time to shop for azaleas is when they are in bloom so you can see their flower colors and forms.
Buy plants that are sturdy, well-branched, and free of insect damage or diseases. And, avoid plants with weak, spindling growth and poor root systems.
Azaleas thrive in moist, well-drained soils high in organic matter. They benefit greatly from a few inches of acidic mulch applied around the base to protect the roots and help conserve moisture.
And never eat azaleas. Like its cousin the rhododendron, the azalea is a toxic plant, and all parts of the plant are poisonous, including the honey from the flowers.
Azaleas have short root systems, so they can easily be transplanted in early spring or early fall. Be careful not to plant too deep and water thoroughly after transplanting.
Once the plants establish their roots, scatter a handful of slow-release organic fertilizer near each plant once in the spring and again in autumn.
Prune azaleas after they bloom to remove tall, lanky growth or vigorous suckers that detract from the overall form and shape of the plant.
Although azaleas are resistant to many pests and diseases, they are susceptible to some problems, including bark scale, petal blight, powdery mildew, and a leaf disease called azalea gall. I am fortunate that all my azaleas have always remained healthy and beautiful.
Azaleas are so stunning in any part of the landscape. I am so proud of this garden – its beautiful display gets better and better every year. What azaleas grow in your garden?
Many of you comment on how much you love seeing photos of my farm’s landscapes and gardens.
When I’m home, I always take time to tour the property, take note of what needs to be done, and visit with all my dear animals. This time of year, the scenery at Cantitoe Corners changes rapidly from day to day, week to week, especially with all the glorious spring blooms.
Enjoy these photos.
Here in the Northeast, May is when we see so many trees and flowers show off their beautiful spring colors. The trees are leafing out and so many blossoms are emerging in the gardens. This view shows the tops of my majestic pin oaks near the entrance to my farm.
Muscari is a genus of perennial bulbous plants native to Eurasia. Most may know it by its common name grape hyacinth. Muscari appears as spikes of dense urn-shaped flowers resembling bunches of grapes in shades of blue.
They also come in light blue, pink, white, and two-toned. Muscari grows to about six to eight inches tall – and deer don’t seem to like them.
The boxwood are growing wonderfully every year. There are more than 300 boxwood shrubs planted here on both sides of the pergola. These boxwood shrubs were grown from small saplings nurtured in one area of my vegetable garden next to my chicken coops. They’ve grown so much since we planted them.
The alliums, with their bold purple colors, are starting to open in this pergola garden – wait until you see all of them in full blooom.
Of all the shrubs that flower in spring, azaleas provide some of the most brilliant displays. I have many planted outside my Summer House. Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the Ericaceae family, which includes blueberries and mountain laurel. They are also all rhododendrons and members of the genus Rhododendron. They’re all just starting to flower now – I’ll share more photos of my azaleas in another blog.
And look, one of the first tree peonies of the season. Like a rose bush, tree peonies drop their leaves and their woody stems stand through the winter.
And here’s another tree peony in deeper pink, almost red – about to unfurl.
This tree peony is called ‘White Lotus.’ When fully open, its flowers can be up to seven inches wide and each flower held high above its bold green foliage.
The herbaceous peony bed is growing beautifully. Soon, this garden bed will be overflowing with giant peonies in pink and white. We just finished staking the plants. The stakes and twine will keep the plants upright with their heavy flower heads.
Leucojum vernum, or the spring snowflake, is a perennial plant that produces green, linear leaves and white, bell-shaped flowers with a green edge and green dots. The plant grows between six to 10 inches in height and blooms in early spring. Leucojum is a genus of only two species in the family Amaryllidaceae – both native to Eurasia. These bulbous perennials have grass-like foliage and are quite fragrant.
Mertensia virginica, or Virginia bluebell, is a perennial that is native to North America. Its buds are actually pink, but the flowers are blue. They can grow in any garden and bloom in early to mid spring and continue blooming through early to mid summer. Mertensia virginica will grow to a height of 18 to 24 inches tall, so they’re great naturalization plants for use behind other, smaller ones. They do best in peaty, sandy soil, but once planted, they require very little maintenance.
Dicentra spectabilis, or bleeding heart, is a genus of eight species of herbaceous plants with oddly shaped flowers that look very similar to hearts. These flowers are native to eastern Asia and North America. The flowers have two tiny sepals and four petals. They are also bisymmetric, meaning the two outer petals are pouched at the base and curved outwards at the tip. They are shade loving woodland plants that bloom in the cool of spring and stay in bloom for several weeks.
Here they are in a bold red color.
This viburnum is growing in my white garden outside my Winter House. There are more than 150 species of Viburnum; many are native to North America, growing in USDA Hardiness Zones 2 to 9. Most viburnums flower in spring. The sometimes-fragrant flowers range from white and cream to pink-flushed or wholly pink.
I love Camperdown Elms. I have two outside my Winter House kitchen and outside my main greenhouse. Camperdown Elms slowly develop broad, flat heads and wide crowns with weeping branch habits. Its leaves are broad oblong-obovate to elliptic, rough-textured, and serrated. In spring, Campberdown weeping elm trees are covered with blossoms. Although the flowers are small and, individually, insignificant, many of them appear at the same time. When the entire dome is covered, the plant turns from dark green to light, silvery green – it’s so beautiful to see.
And the Japanese maples everywhere at the farm are all looking so bold in color. Many of my Japanese maples are varieties of Acer palmatum – trees that have been cultivated in Japanese gardens for centuries. Over the last several years, I’ve planted many of these trees.I just love them and always look forward to their gorgeous display every fall. These specimens provide countless variations in size, leaf shape, and color.
Solomon’s Seal is a hardy perennial native to the eastern United States and southern Canada. These plants produce dangling white flowers, which turn to dark blue berries later in the summer.
In my shade garden outside the Tenant House, I have lots of beautiful ferns. Every day more and more unfurl. A fern is a member of a group of roughly 12-thousand species of vascular plants that reproduce via spores. These are ostrich ferns.
Bloodroot plants are early spring bloomers and may be found growing wild in dappled sun in wooded areas, producing beautiful white flowers. Bloodroot plants, Sanguinaria canadensis, get their name from the dark red sap found in the stems and roots.
Fothergilla is a slow-growing, deciduous ornamental shrub that is native to moist lowland coastal plain bogs and savannahs in the southeastern U.S. from North Carolina to the Florida panhandle and Alabama. It grows two to three feet tall and as wide. The whimsical flowers are bottlebrush-like spikes that bloom in spring.
And here is my orchard, which surrounds three sides of my pool. We planted more than 200-fruit trees here, many of which started as bare-root cuttings. These trees are all growing very well – in part because of the nutrient-rich soil.
And here is the entrance leading to my allée of London planetrees and cotinus and the woodlands beyond. Spring is here, and there is so much to look at and appreciate. I hope you are able to enjoy the stunning blooms where you live.
I always enjoy hosting outdoor gatherings at my Bedford, New York farm, but it's a lot of work to get everything ready!
Preparing for any special affair takes a lot of effort, a lot of time, and a lot of advanced planning. With so much to do all hands are on deck. Among the many spring cleaning tasks on our list - edge the carriage roads, weed the garden beds, clean the windows, polish the silver, power wash the stable floors and shine up the stalls. Fortunately, Mother Nature cooperated these last couple of weeks and the farm looks gorgeous.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Every year around this time, I often host at least one large party here at the farm. One of my favorite areas to entertain is down by my stable and Carriage House where there is lots of room for guests. But before any gathering, my team and I spend many days preparing so everything is perfect.
I have four miles of gravel-covered carriage road at my farm. Gravel roads are attractive, easy to maintain, and accumulate less pollutants over time. It’s important to edge and shape the roads regularly, so they drain properly and look tidy. Here, Fernando uses a hoe to remove weeds and overgrown grass from the edge.
Here’s a closer look – the edge of this section of carriage road is straight and clean.
Here is the section all done. Spring chores can be tedious, but they are all worth the effort.
Around the stable, Pete uses a long landscape rake to push gravel that has washed to the sides back where it belongs. Over time, rain and traffic cause the gravel to shift or run-off a specific area.
He does this all around the stable, Carriage House and office building. This razor-back aluminum landscape rake has a wide head and teeth to level gravel quickly and smoothly.
Afterward, Fernando spreads a new layer of gravel around the stable, leveling the road and filling in any bare spots. I like to use native washed stone in a blend of gray tones.
Nearby, Carlos cleans the window panes of my giant stable barn doors.
My handsome Friesian Hylke watches all the activity from his stall – he is very curious.
Inside the stable, Cesar carefully power washes the floors. I like to keep the stable as clean as possible.
The stalls are also cleaned so they look their best. The walls of each stall are wiped down with a furniture restoring tonic.
Christophe Pourny is my favorite go-to source for furniture care. His line of specialty tonics, serums, and soaps make it possible to polish, clean, restore, and shine nearly every surface and piece of furniture in the home – and my stable. I’ve known Christophe for years and have used all his products.
Here is Juan cleaning another area of the stall – one can see how different it looks after it is treated with Furniture Tonic. It restores the luster of the wood. And, the tonic is made from natural, non-toxic ingredients that are friendly to the environment.
Carlos is now cleaning the lower windows of my Carriage House – each pane wiped down until it is free of dirt, dust, or any streaks.
Moises is tending the garden beds beneath my linden trees – weeding and edging.
The tree pits are also given a fresh layer of mulch made right here at the farm – look how dark and rich it is. This mulch is also combined with tree mold and manure.
And here’s Brian grooming my Fernspray Hinoki cypress bushes. We planted a group of these conifers last autumn along the carriage road just past my allée of lindens near the entrance to my Japanese Maple Woodland. Everyone loves them here, and they’re doing so nicely.
Phurba is weed whacking under the Asian pear espalier – cutting those pesky tall grasses that cannot be reached with the lawn mower. Details are so important when preparing for any party.
When it starts to get warm, I bring out the potted plants and display them around the farm. Brian and Ryan are carrying one of two giant pots I borrowed for my party – and hopefully a little longer.
And here’s Enma carrying just one of the many bins of supplies and items needed for this first big spring gathering.
Ahead of any entertaining event, big or small, try to get polishing done early – select the pieces needed and polish them days in advance. It will surely save time and worry on the day of.
Spring is such a wonderful time to entertain – the weather is comfortable and all the gardens are coming alive. I hope you enjoy all your spring season gatherings with those near and dear.
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