Today in Bedford, New York, we're expecting plentiful sunshine and near record high temperatures, for this time of year, in the upper 80s. We are well into springtime weather and all the gardens are transforming.
It always amazes me how quickly plants and trees grow from day to day. I am constantly noticing something new blooming at my farm. And, while many of the spring flowers are erupting with vibrant color, we've also been taking photos of the various trees and all the precious buds just beginning to open on their branches.
Enjoy these images.
This week, all of us here at the farm are enjoying the show from these two weeping cherry trees down behind my stable. A weeping cherry tree is at its best when the pendulous branches are covered with pink or white flowers. These trees are in full bloom right now, but it doesn’t last long – only a couple weeks.
Look at the gorgeous blossoms. These trees are big eye-catchers when guests are lucky enough to see them in flower.
One of the earliest trees to flower here in spring is the magnolia. I have several pink, white, and creamy yellow magnolias. Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol.
Growing as large shrubs or trees, they produce showy, fragrant flowers that are shades of pink, white, red, purple, or yellow – the blooms are so stunning.
Here are the flowers of a white magnolia outside my Summer House. The magnolia family is one of the oldest trees in existence. Because of this, their flowers do not have true petals and sepals; instead, they have petal-like tepals. Also, the flowers do not produce real nectar, but attract pollinating beetles with fragrant and sugary secretions.
Magnolia flowers range from three to 12-inches in diameter. Some species of Magnolia flowers are also protogynous, meaning they appear with or before the tree’s leaves.
Very few ornamental trees offer the variety of tree shapes, sizes, bloom shades, and fruits as the flowering crabapple tree. The crabapple has more than 35 species and 700 cultivars. Crabapple trees can reach 50-feet tall, but most remain in the 15-25-foot range. They can be columnar, spreading, weeping or vase-shaped.
Once the flowers, which tend to be small, but bountiful, all bloom, they can last for up to several weeks. Flowering crabapples are quite adaptable, but thrive in rich, loamy soil with a pH of about 5.0 to 6.5.
These “ancient” apple trees are original to the farm. These, too, are showing seasonal growth.
In spring, the apple trees’ buds unfold, and newly formed leaves and pure white flowers begin to grow on the ends of the twigs.
These are ‘Miss Kim’ lilacs, which bloom in May. They are some of the most fragrant of all the lilac bushes. These lilacs prefer full sun, but will also live in partial shade.
Here is some of the early spring growth. Soon, these sweet ‘Miss Kim’ lilacs will be smelled all over the garden. The blooms will become bright lavender and will stand out nicely against their dark green leaves.
Across the carriage road are the beautiful Malus ‘Gravenstein’ espalier apple trees. I am hopeful we will have a very productive apple season this year.
These trees are also showing off their early springtime buds.
Just outside my Winter House is this weeping katsura, one of my favorite trees. Cercidiphyllum japonicum f. pendulum has pendulous branches that fan out from the crown and sweep the ground. Caramel-scented foliage emerges bronze or purple-red, turns blue-green, then fades to gold or apricot in autumn.
Tiny red flowers emerge in late March or early April before the leaves. Here is a closer look at the fresh foliage.
I love these rare weeping hornbeams, Carpinus betulus ‘Pendula’ – the branches of these trees gracefully weep creating an umbrella of foliage that reaches the ground.
Hornbeam is monoecious, meaning male and female catkins, which appear before the leaves, are found on the same tree.
From a distance, everyone notices the stunning golden-yellow weeping willows. Here is one grove of weeping willows at the edge of my pinetum. The golden hue looks so pretty against the early spring landscape.
When the tree blooms in late winter or spring, yellow catkins such as these appear. The catkin flowers are one to two inches long, and each blossom consists of hundreds of hairlike protrusions. The flowers mature to yellow before they are disbursed by wind or rain.
And remember my grove of American beech trees which we treated organically last year? I noticed they were not as vibrant and was worried they had caught a relatively new beech leaf disease that is spreading rapidly through the Northeast killing both mature American beeches and saplings. We are now seeing lots of new buds all over the trees. I can’t wait to see how they look all leafed out.
This is a weeping larch, Larix decidua ‘Pendula’. It has bright green needles in spring, which turn gold before dropping in fall. This curvaceous tree is located at “the triangle” where the carriage roads leading to the Boxwood Allée, the Pin Oak Allée, and the woodland, all converge.
Looking closely, one can see all the new spring growth starting to emerge.
Aesculus hippocastanum is a large deciduous tree commonly known as the horse chestnut or conker tree. I have many of these trees. This is one of two located at one end of my stable at the foot of my long Boxwood Allée. The flowers provide a rich source of nectar and pollen to insects, particularly the bees.
Here are the leaves of the horse chestnut which will grow over the next few weeks. Even at this early stage, one can clearly see leaves and developing flowers. By mid-May to early June, these trees will be in full bloom.
Here’s another espalier of fruit trees. I purchased 10 espalier Asian pear trees and planted them outside my stable near my peafowl, and geese enclosures. Espalier refers to an ancient technique, resulting in trees that grow flat, either against a wall, or along a wire-strung framework. Many kinds of trees respond beautifully to the espalier treatment, but fruit trees, like apple and pear, were some of the earliest examples. These trees are all doing excellently.
I have six ‘Shinseiki’ and four ‘Nijisseiki’ pear trees. These flowers will soon be open.
And here is a weeping Japanese cherry in pink. This was gifted to me last year and is now planted at the east end of my Boxwood Allée.
Look at the spring blooms. Its showy pink and white flowers attract butterflies like the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Everything here is just bursting with spring life. I am so pleased with the gardens and I am looking forward to sharing more photos as the season progresses.
We're now in the third week of spring, all the protective burlap is removed from the boxwood and ornamental urns, and seasonal chores have begun at my Bedford, New York farm.
The area around my pool is planted with a variety of dark-colored burgundy-black leafed plants. I always try to incorporate unique and interesting specimens in the gardens. Along the inside of the pool's fence, I have a growing hedge of purple columnar beech trees, Fagus sylvatica 'Dawyck Purple' - a splendid tree with deep-purple foliage. On the outside of the fence, I have Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’ and Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple.’ Yesterday, my outdoor grounds crew checked all the specimens, pruned what was necessary, and dressed all the beds with nutrient-rich compost. All the gardens are looking better and better every day.
Enjoy these photos.
This is what this space looks like in summer – the pool is open for my family and friends, there are gorgeous views of the landscape, and all trees, hedges, and shrubs are filled with bold colored foliage.
Around the pool, I have plantings on both sides of the fence. These hedges and shrubs are all deciduous, meaning they shed their leaves in autumn. This photo was taken in July.
We planted this hedge exactly five years ago. I am so pleased with its development, in part because of all the thoughtful care I give them through the year.
The leaves of the columnar purple beech are rounded ellipses, two to four inches long and one to three inches wide, with an undulating margin and a slightly pointed tip. They are smooth and softly lustrous in the sunlight. In spring the new leaves are a vibrant, deep purple-red. As they mature in summer they become dark burgundy-purple, holding this color well through the hotter weather.
This is what the hedge looks like now. One can see all the new buds growing. The pool is surrounded by about 170 of these European columnar beech trees along the inside fence line. The columnar beech trees will grow to 40 to 50 feet in height and only 10-feet wide which makes them perfect for tight spaces and as an interesting hedge.
Here’s my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, bringing over wheelbarrows filled with my nutrient-rich compost made right here at the farm.
And here’s Phurba spreading the compost below the beech hedge surrounding the pool. Adding compost to the garden has many benefits. Among them, improving the structure and health of the soil by adding organic matter, helping the soil retain moisture and nutrients, attracting beneficial organisms to the soil reducing the need for pesticides and fertilizers, and helping to prevent the potential for soil erosion. We cover all the garden beds with compost this time of year.
And looks what is now blooming. Commonly known as The Guinea Hen Flower, The Checkered Lily or The Snake’s Head Fritillary, Fritillaria meleagris is an heirloom species dating back to 1575. It has pendant, bell-shaped, checkered and veined flowers that are either maroon or ivory-white with grass-like foliage intermittently spaced on its slender stems. I have many in my gardens.
And here is fritillaria in ivory white.
Guests always ask about these structures at one end of the pool. Do you know what these are? They’re called staddle stones. I bought these staddle stones in 2017 from the annual NYBG Garden Furniture & Antiques Fair. 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.
The hedge bed looks so clean and tidy after the compost dressing is put down. In several weeks, these plantings will show off a stunning dark burgundy color.
On the outside of the fence, Pasang is working on the shrubs – Cotinus alternating with Physocarpus. He cuts off any dead, dying, or diseased branches and twigs first.
Pasang also cuts any big dead or crisscrossing branches from the bottom. Pruning means to lop or cut off any superfluous branches or shoots for better-shape and better growth. These look fuller every year – in part because of our regular pruning.
Here is the Cotinus leafed out in summer. Cotinus, also known as smoketree or smoke bush, is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, closely related to the sumacs. They are a great choice for massing or for hedges. The stunning dark red-purple foliage turns scarlet and has plume-like seed clusters later in the year, which appear after the flowers and give a long-lasting, smoky haze to branch tips.
In fact, the name “smoke bush” comes from this – the billowy hairs attached to the flower clusters which remain in place through the summer, turning a smoky pink to purplish-pink. I have many smoke bushes around the farm.
This is physocarpus in June. Physocarpus, commonly called ninebark is an upright, spreading, somewhat coarse, deciduous, Missouri-native shrub which is closely related to the genus Spiraea. It boasts dark foliage with ovate to rounded, usually three to five-lobed leaves.
For these shrubs, Pasang uses two distinct tools. This is his hand-held pruner. Every member of the outdoor grounds crew has one. This tool is good for trimming delicate flowers, cutting thin branches, or getting rid of old, dead wood.
For thicker branches up to two-inches, Pasang uses the STIHL PL 40 lopper, made with aircraft aluminum handles measuring 32-inches long and perfect for getting better leverage or reaching taller branches. I always instruct the crew to use the right tool for the job.
He also trims all the tops to keep them at the same height as the fence itself.
All the cuttings are gathered on a tarp to make cleanup easy and quick.
Here is Chhiring shoveling compost on the outside hedge. A layer of compost should not be too think – just top dress perennial flower gardens with a layer no greater than an inch or so.
The beds look so nice after some spring maintenance.
And here is the outside of the fence – so straight all the way around. The lawn was also mowed for the first time this season. These plantings create such a gorgeous privacy screen around my pool and still disguise the fence very well – one cannot see it at all.
It won’t be long before the pool is uncovered. I am looking forward to the warm season – aren’t you?
Holidays are so much fun, especially when I can celebrate with my daughter, Alexis, and her beautiful children, Jude and Truman.
This year, I hosted a small Easter lunch for 10 at my Bedford, New York farm. The weather was perfect - pleasant temperatures under the bluest of skies. I decorated my home with cheerful bunnies, chicks, and eggs of all colors and sizes. And we all enjoyed a delicious feast, prepared by me with help from Moises Fuentes - it included buckwheat crêpes with crème fraîche and ossetra caviar, white and green asparagus, warm artichokes with hollandaise vinaigrette, poached salmon with cucumber sauce, and a Cipriani meringue cake de Martha.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Easter weekend at the farm was beautiful – the daffodils and many other early springtime bulbs are now blooming in gorgeous bright colors.
And inside, every room is filled with charming Easter themed figures, more springtime blooms, and eggs in all sizes and colors. These two bright green bunnies are watching all the holiday activities from a faux bois seat in my indoor porch.
On this table in my foyer, guests are welcomed by these two larger than life-sized faux chocolate bunny figurines holding pretty daffodils from the garden. Wait until you see my long daffodil border this year – the flowers are coming up so wonderfully.
Kevin Sharkey gifts me with a beautiful Easter basket every year. And I save every single one. This was his Easter offering from 2017 with a sitting rabbit, a butterfly, and brightly colored eggs in shades of pink.
I always love to decorate with pretty plants and flowers. These are purple Easter hyacinths on a giant brass tray in my sitting room.
In the same room, I also display lots of other flowering plants such as this orchid. Most of my plants are kept in my glass greenhouse where they can be and maintained in a temperature and humidity-appropriate space. And when they bloom, I bring them into my Winter House where I can enjoy their splendor.
On my servery counter, a lovely scene of chicks and bunnies.
We picked some beautiful daffodils to place in the glass vase inside this paper maché chick.
Here is another big bunny – the same one I made for the April 2015 issue of Martha Stewart “Living.” This charming rabbit is also carrying a beautiful bunch of fresh daffodils picked from my garden.
Every year, I order these giant asparagus from Mister Spear in Stockton, California – they are always a big hit. I served them with a delicious hollandaise vinaigrette.
Everyone loves the jumbo asparagus I serve. This year, delicious white and green asparagus spears – cooked perfectly. I got them from Natoora in Brooklyn, New York.
Here are the large green asparagus spears. I like to trim an inch and a half off the bottoms of the asparagus stalks and then blanch them.
Our main dish was salmon with a delicious cucumber sauce. Everything was devoured – no leftovers.
And here is my dessert – my own rendition of the Cipriani meringue cream cake. I baked it…
… and my 11-year old grandson, Truman, browned the meringue with a hand-held torch. He did a beautiful job, don’t you think?
The table was also decorated with seasonal plants and flowers, a variety of colorful eggs, and Easter bunnies. The place settings are always so beautiful and different from year to year. This year, I selected muted tones of green and tan with these cheerful dark pink-lavender napkins folded like rabbit ears. Do you remember these place mats? They’re from my original Collection at Kmart.
More faux chocolate bunnies on these black lacquered tables in my Brown Room. One can never have too many whimsical animals sitting around a room on Easter.
This black swan basket was also an Easter gift from Kevin. He found the baskets, painted them and chose the color palettes for all the decorations he made to fill them.
And here is this year’s beautiful Easter basket from Kevin. It matched perfectly with the holiday décor.
What a wonderful celebration at my farm. I hope you all had a festive and memorable holiday. Share your Easter stories and menus in the comments section below.
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