It's another mild winter day here at my Bedford, New York farm - cloudy with highs in the upper 40s, which means my peacocks and peahens will be out and about in their enclosure.
Peafowl are pretty tolerant of cooler weather - their feathering and ability to regulate body temperatures help them to stay warm. They also have a heated coop, where they can take shelter during unpleasant conditions. So many of you comment about how much you enjoy seeing the animals at my farm, so I thought it was a good time to share this update on my stunning peacocks and peahens. Currently, I have 13 peafowl - all of which live in a large pen just outside my stable. They’re all doing well and remain beautiful, active, and curious.
Here are some of the latest photos, enjoy.
It’s always so nice to stop by the peafowl pen and visit with these pretty and often comical birds. They are kept safe in this enclosure with a comfortable coop in the center. How many do you see here? I think the photo was “bombed” by a peacock.
Peafowl are happiest when living in small groups. All my outdoor birds have access to natural perches made from old felled trees here at the farm. This is a popular spot, where the peafowl can see all that is going on around them.
Since last autumn, the birds are also protected by fencing that spans across the top of the enclosure. Some of you may recall I posted photos of the process on this blog.
Peafowl are members of the pheasant family. There are two Asiatic species – the blue or Indian peafowl native to India and Sri Lanka, and the green peafowl originally from Java and Burma, and one African species, the Congo peafowl from African rain forests.
Peafowl are ground feeders. They do most of their foraging in the early morning and evening. As omnivores, they eat insects, plants, grains, and small creatures.
Peafowl are very smart, docile and adaptable birds. They are also quite clever. It is not unusual for peafowl to come running when the food appears. They are so curious and love to come up close when guests visit.
Remember, technically only the males are peacocks with their long and lustrous tales. The females are peahens, and both are peafowl. Babies are peachicks. A family of peafowl is called a bevy.
And, do you know… a group of peafowl is often called a party, a muster or an ostentation?
Full grown, peafowl can weigh up to 13-pounds. The peacock is a large sized bird with a length from bill to tail 39 to 45 inches. A peafowl’s legs are very strong. They have three toes on each foot facing forward, and one facing backwards. They also have sharp, powerful metatarsal spurs that are used for defense. Also, as they develop, males will tend to have longer legs than females.
Both male and female peafowl have a fan-shaped crest on their heads called a corona. It may take up to one year for a corona to reach full size.
In the afternoon, flurries started to fall. All the peafowl walked into their coop one by one until the snow ended.
I leave these doors open during the day, so they are free to walk in and out as they please.
Inside, they also have several perches on which they can roost.
In the wild, roosting up high keeps them safe from predators at night.
This peahen is on the ground hoping for some treats.
Peafowl have acute hearing, but can be poor at discerning from what direction certain sounds originate.
Peafowl will also look at one in the eye; however, if one stares at them or seems aggressive in body movements, these birds will feel threatened. Talking softly and keeping eyes averted tells them you are not a predator.
A peacock doesn’t grow its first train until three. And even then, it won’t be full grown or have showy ocelli. The train gets longer and more elaborate every year until five or six years old when it reaches maximum splendor. This is one of two mature males whose tail feather become more gorgeous every year. Mating season begins in a month – the males will be fanning their tails for all to see.
Here is one peahen watching all the activity from the doorway of the coop while two males eat in the background.
The light snow did not last long, and it did not stick to the grounds. These birds are ready to come out once again – to forage and observe.
Even if you’re not a fan of cold weather, it's hard not to love a light snowfall over the landscape.
Here in the Northeast, this winter has been unseasonably warm with day temperatures in the high 30s and 40s. Earlier this week, temperatures dipped just enough for a dusting of white before a night of drenching rain. During bad weather, my outdoor grounds crew works indoors, checking equipment and cleaning up our large Equipment Barn. It was a peaceful time to venture out and take a few photos.
Enjoy.
We got enough snow just to cover the ground. Here is a view looking north through my new garden maze, the pastures, and the burlap covered boxwood beyond.
Not far from the maze is the long row of boxwood that line both sides of the pergola – all covered in protective burlap.
These large stone pavers lead to my pavilion just off the carriage road near my pool. They were quickly outlined in snow, but it didn’t last long – this storm system turned to rain within a few hours.
Here are the trunks of the mighty pin oaks that grow alongside my large Equipment Barn. The pin oak is one of the most popular trees for landscaping because it’s so easy to transplant and is very hardy and handsome.
At this intersection is a weeping larch, Larix decidua ‘Pendula’. It has bright green needles in spring, which turn gold before dropping in fall. Even without its foliage, it is so interesting.
These trees are in a wooded area along the carriage road leading to my hayfields. My outdoor grounds crew is in the process of “cleaning” the woods, removing any trees that are dead, dying, or in the way of more healthy specimens. Those marked with a bright red “x” will eventually be taken down and replaced with younger saplings.
Here is one grove of weeping willows on the edge of my lower hayfield. The golden hue looks so pretty against the lightly snow-covered landscape.
Further in the woodland, one of our younger evergreens – also getting covered in snow. In the distance – my large compost yard, where we make our own nutrient-rich compost and mulch.
Thankfully, the wind was not strong on this day, so none of the trees suffered any damage. In the woodland, all the barberry is also covered in snow.
In another field, an area of evergreens and gorgeous Christmas trees. I am so proud of all the trees I have planted around my farm – thousands and thousands. It’s one way I can give back to the Earth and help to create a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable planet.
These are some of the “ancient” apple trees. They were here when I bought the farm and continue to produce delicious fruit.
Back through the woods – a section of carriage road still left untouched after a covering of white. It is so peaceful in the woodland.
This is my grove of American beech trees, Fagus grandifolia. American beech trees are slow to grow, but can live up to 300-years. It’s interesting how some drop all their leaves, while others hold onto them as long as possible.
This is my newest hoop house down by the chicken coops. It is filled with many of my tropical plants. Bales of hay are placed around the structure to keep it more insulated.
In the center of this part of my farm, it is hard to miss the stand of eastern white pine trees, Pinus strobus. White pines are the tallest trees in eastern North America.
This is one of a several Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Filicoides’ or Fernspray Hinoki cypress bushes along the carriage road near the entrance to my Japanese Maple Woodland. We planted them here this past autumn. They are perfect for this area and look so beautiful as one turns the corner to the allée of lindens.
The Boxwood Allée looks so different in winter. I am so glad the boxwood is draped in burlap shrouds to keep everything protected from the snow, even if it’s light.
This is my herbaceous peony bed at rest – I cannot wait to see it overflowing with white and pink peony blooms this summer. One can still see the outline of the beds and plants through the snow.
Here is a small section of my long azalea border. I planted hundreds of colorful azaleas along both sides of the carriage road between my stable and my Summer House. It will be exciting to see what this garden looks like this spring. Remember the old gardening adage, “the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap.”
By early evening, the snow turned mostly to rain and washed the white away. Here, one can see the rounded tree pits marked by the melting snow. Behind them, tucked behind the Equipment Barn, is my pinetum where I keep a wonderful collection of evergreens. Today’s weather is expected to cloudy with temperatures in the high 40s. Hard to believe this is the middle of winter here in the New York City area.
One doesn't have to wait until spring to see beautiful lush, green plants. There are so many lovely houseplants that are easy to care for and enjoy indoors right now.
I hope you saw my latest segment on NBC's TODAY Show. If not, just click on this highlighted link. During yesterday's appearance, I shared tips on caring for a variety of houseplants - ferns, echeverias, cacti, begonias, philodendrons, money plants, and sansevieria. Sansevieria is a genus of about 70-species of flowering plants native to Africa, Madagascar and southern Asia. You may know it as one of its common names, such as mother-in-law's tongue, devil's tongue, jinn's tongue, bow string hemp, snake plant and snake tongue. I have many of them in my greenhouse.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I was up bright an early for my regular appearance on the TODAY Show. Here I am on set just before it started.
If you’ve never seen what happens during a television segment, here I am in front of the cameras – numerous lights are above and several camera operators, a stage manager, and other crew members are in front of me. It takes a lot of people and a lot of work to put these shows together.
During the segment, I talked about the stiff leafed Sansevieria plant. While working in my tropical greenhouse back at my farm last weekend, I noticed that these beautiful sansevieria plants were overcrowded in their pots and needed to be divided and repotted.
I removed a lot of the shoots from the parent plants and placed them all in a bag for repotting. I am so happy these specimens are doing extremely well.
Look closely at the plant’s leaves – they are accented with darker green bars going vertically on each leaf.
And here are the parent plants now – so much better. Sansevierias are very “succulent“ and “heavy plants” and hold lots of water in their leaves. The pebbles give quick anchorage to the roots.
For repotting, Brian uses an appropriate soil medium. The right soil mix will help to promote faster root growth.
Brian first covers the bottom of the pot with the soil mixture.
This is the shallow root system of the Sansevieria. The roots often don’t grow more than a few inches.
Here is a closer look at the bottom. The root system is a mix of thick underground “stems” called rhizomes and smaller twig-like roots. When healthy, they should feel firm to the touch and are light orange in color. They are rapid growers once established.
Brian selects about three shoots for each pot.
And then places the sansevieria firmly in place. Several can fit into one pot – they actually don’t mind being a little crowded. Do you know… these plants absorb toxins, such as nitrogen oxides – they work great for improving indoor air quality? In fact, it is one of the best air purifying plants to keep.
The sansevieria plant features upright leaves that range from one to eight feet tall depending on variety. These plants are among the most hardy of all houseplants because they can withstand virtually any conditions.
Brian tamps the soil down around each plant to prevent any air holes. Although they are very forgiving, Sansevieria plants prefers indirect but steady light with some direct sun. They can adapt to full sun conditions, and will also survive quite dim situations.
Once the plants are repotted in the gallon pots, Brian places them in one area. We always save our plastic pots for this purpose – they’re very handy to keep.
Next, Brian fertilizes all the newly potted plants. Remember what I always say, “if you eat, so should your plants.”
We use Osmocote – small, round coated prills filled with nutrients.
The beige shell on each prill coats a core of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Brian sprinkles them around the entire base of the plant.
And then he gives all of them a good drink. For regular care, the soil should be almost completely dry before thoroughly watering. Plants can be watered about once every two to six weeks, depending on the temperature, light levels, and humidity.
Here are the newly potted Sansevieria plants – they’ll be very happy. What indoor plant care tasks are you doing this weekend? Let me know your own tips and tricks in the comments below.
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