Here in Bedford, New York, temperatures today are expected to reach 50-degrees Fahrenheit - quite warm for this time of year.
Yesterday was also unseasonably warm - 64-degrees Fahrenheit - warm enough to open my tropical greenhouses just a bit to let in some fresh air. I now have three large hoop houses where I store most of my tropical plants over winter. The last one was completed just a few months ago to accommodate my growing collection of potted specimens. These large structures are made from steel frames and polyethylene panels. Inside, the temperature and humidity levels are monitored and can be adjusted when necessary. And every few days, I like to go into each one to see how all the plants are doing.
Enjoy these photos from my newest hoop house.
Here at the farm, I now have six different greenhouses. This is the newest – located in front of my vegetable garden right off the carriage road and across from another tropical hoop house. These hoop houses work by heating and circulating air to create an artificial tropical environment. The entire structure is built using heavy gauge American made, triple-galvanized steel tubing.
The fabric is made of two layers – one is a heavy-duty, woven polyethylene that features an anti-condensate additive to reduce moisture buildup and dripping. The other side contains UV additives that allow the fabric to maintain its strength through the seasons. This Polyethylene fabric is designed to stand up to just about any climate. It also resists rips and tears, so it could last up to 10-years depending on the weather.
The plants inside are all arranged with enough space in between them, so they don’t touch each other. These plants grow a little more each year, so the placement of these specimens will change every time they are stored. The addition of this hoop house allows for ample room to store all these healthy potted specimens.
Just inside the front doors is this potted Beaucarnea recurvata, the elephant’s foot or ponytail palm – a species of plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to the states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz and San Luis Potosí in eastern Mexico. Despite its common name, it is not closely related to the true palms. In fact, it is a member of the Agave family and is actually a succulent. It has a bulbous trunk, which is used to store water, and its long, hair-like leaves that grow from the top of the trunk like a ponytail, gives the plant its name.
I have many agaves, including this giant blue agave with its beautiful gray-blue spiky fleshy leaves. Do you know… tequila is actually distilled from the sap of the blue agave?
There are several thermostats in all the greenhouses. The houses are checked a couple times each day to make sure the temperature remains comfortably warm inside. Too cold, plants will freeze – too hot, plants will rot. To simulate the best subtropical environment, we try to keep the temperature in this greenhouse between 50 and 85-degrees Fahrenheit with some humidity. On this day, it was quite warm outdoors, so we let in some fresh air. The temperature was at 80-degrees, still within proper range.
Fans strategically placed around the greenhouse help to circulate the air. I like to set ours on low.
The heaters hang from above and are fueled by propane.
At the back of the hoop house is this pretty potted ruffled fan palm, Licuala grandis. It is an unusual and gorgeous species of palm. Ruffled fan palm is native to the Vanuata Islands, located off the coast of Australia. It is a very slow growing palm which can reach up to 10 feet, but usually closer to six feet when grown in a pot. They are grown for their gorgeous pleated, or ruffled, leaves.
Another palm is the European fan palm. This is a slow-growing, clumping palm that grows eight to 15 feet tall and spreads six to 10 feet wide. This is the only palm native to Europe and is very hardy. The fine-textured fronds make this palm stand out from other plants. The leaf color ranges from lovely light green to silver.
The staghorn fern is an unusual and attractive epiphyte that thrives in the tropics. I adore staghorns and over the years have collected quite a few of these magnificent specimens. Staghorn ferns are called Platyceriums. They are Old World tropicals native to Africa, northern Australia, and Southeast Asia.
The staghorn fern leaves are actually called fronds, and staghorn ferns have two types. The first is the “antler” frond – these are the large leaves that shoot out of the center of the plant, and from which staghorn ferns get their names, since they resemble the antlers of deer or moose. The second type of staghorn fern frond is called the shield frond. These are the round, hard plate-like leaves that surround the base of the plant. Their function is to protect the plant roots, and take up water and nutrients.
Bird of Paradise, Strelitzia nicolai, is a species of evergreen tropical herbaceous plant with gray-green leaves that grow up to 18-inches long out of a main crown in a clump.
Here is one of my bird’s nest ferns, Asplenium nidus. The bird’s nest fern is known for its tropical fronds that grow out of a rosette in the middle of the plant which closely resembles a bird’s nest. It is also occasionally called a crow’s nest fern.
Asplenium nidus forms large simple fronds visually similar to banana leaves, with the fronds growing up to 20 to 59 inches long and 3.9 to 7.9 inches broad. They are light green, often crinkled, with a black midrib.
Spores on the bird’s nest develop on the underside of the fronds. These form long rows extending out from the midrib.
Goeppertia insignis, the rattlesnake plant, is a species of flowering plant in the Marantaceae family, native to Rio de Janeiro state in Brazil. It is an evergreen perennial with slender pale green leaves heavily marked on top with dark blotches and purple undersides.
I often underplant various pots with small spreading ground cover plants. Carpet Sedum is low maintenance, sun-loving, evergreen succulent that will thrive where other plants do not. It is native to parts of eastern Asia, with its name coming from the Latin word sedeo, meaning to sit, and lineare meaning linear, because of the narrow leaves. Sedums are often referred to as stonecrops because they are often found growing wild in rocky or stony areas.
Another underplanting I like is baby’s tears, Soleirolia soleirolii – a plant in the nettle family. Baby’s tears is a mat-forming tropical perennial with myriad tiny green leaves.
These are the leaves of a Ctenanthe burle-marxii – a compact plant with bright green leaves that are striped with alternating lance-shaped bands, and have deep purple undersides and stems. Ctenanthe are commonly called “Prayer Plants” because their leaves lie flat by day, but fold upwards in the evenings.
It’s always so satisfying to walk into these hoop houses and see all the plants thriving. I am glad all my precious plants can be stored safely indoors during the winter. And of course, I always look forward to when they can come out of hiding again in the spring.
Do you know... nature depends on various keystone species to survive and thrive?
That's right, and the wolf is one of these critical keystone creatures. Like a keystone holds up an arch, wolves help maintain ecosystems. By regulating prey populations, wolves enable many other plants and animals to flourish. They initiate a domino effect and support natural levels of biodiversity. However, the wolf is in danger and it's never been more urgent than right now to stand up and defend the mighty wolf. In my latest episode of "The Martha Stewart Podcast", which you can listen to today on the iHeart Media App or wherever you get your podcasts, I talk to Samantha Attwood, Co-Founding Member of the #RelistWolves Campaign, a coalition made up of dedicated conservationists, wildlife advocates, and scientists committed to raising public awareness about wolves and advocating to restore Gray wolves to the Endangered Species List, and Maggie Howell, Executive Director of the Wolf Conservation Center in nearby South Salem, New York. We discuss wolves, what is happening to them, and why it is so important to help protect them.
Here are some beautiful photos of the Gray wolf, enjoy.
The Gray wolf, canis lupus, can be found in North America, Europe and Asia. The wide range of habitats in which wolves can thrive includes temperate forests, mountains, tundra, taiga, grasslands and deserts. Their adaptability has allowed them to survive wherever they can find food. (Photo by Grant T. Johnson)
However, wolves are now at risk with states in the Northern Rockies encouraging the hunting of up to 90-percent of the region’s wolf population. Numbers are dwindling and these beautiful animals need help. (Photo by Bohemian Lights Photography)
Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming have passed laws allowing hunters to kill their state’s wolves, blaming them for attacking livestock, even though wolves are responsible for less than one-percent of unwanted livestock deaths. (Photo by Grant T. Johnson)
Wolves look like large shepherd dogs. Wolves vary in size depending on where they live. Wolves in the north are usually larger than those in the south. The average size of a wolf’s body is three to five feet long and their tails are usually one to two feet long. Females typically weigh 60 to 100 pounds, and males weigh 70 to 120 pounds. (Photo by Candace Dyar)
Wolves live in packs. Most packs have four to nine members, but the size can range from as few as two wolves up to as many as 15. Occasionally a pack can increase to 30 members, until some individuals break off to start their own pack. (Photo by Jake Davis)
The Gray wolf’s coat color is typically a mix of gray and brown, but can vary from solid white to brown or even black. (Photo by Larry Taylor)
In the wild, wolves live an average of five or six years, sometimes more. In captivity, they can live upward of 15 years. (Photo provided by Wolf Conservation Center)
Wolves typically mate for life. In the northern United States, they breed from late January through March. Wolves are pregnant for about 63 days and usually birth four to six pups. (Photo provided by Wolf Conservation Center)
As highly social animals, wolves live in structured family units called packs. Every pack is unique, but most consist of a breeding pair and their offspring of varying ages. Historically, people have referred to the pack’s leaders as the alpha male and alpha female. While “alpha” is still widely used, the scientific community prefers to identify the pack’s parents as the breeding pair or simply as the parents. (Photo by Larry Taylor)
If and when the young adults reach the age of three years, they can either join the pack or leave to find their own territory. (Photo by Jake Davis)
In this photo, the photographer captured a pack of wolves in Yellowstone National Park and followed the tracks for nearly 12 miles, until they split off in a canyon. Within 30 minutes the whole pack appeared on the river – 16 of them. (Photo by Jake Davis)
Wolves are carnivores—they prefer to eat hoofed mammals such as deer, elk, bison, and moose. They also hunt smaller mammals such as beavers, rodents, and hares. Adults can eat 20 pounds of meat in a single meal. (Photo by Larry Taylor)
At one time Gray wolves had the largest natural ranges of any terrestrial mammal in the northern hemisphere. Today, there are only about 6000 left in the contiguous United States. (Photo by Grant T. Johnson)
“Endangered” means a species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. “Threatened” means a species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. Gray wolves are indeed endangered. (Photo by Josh Shandera)
Here are two stunning Gray wolves hiding in the brush, guarding each other, or a litter. (Photo provided by Wolf Conservation Center)
Do you know what a wolf’s howl sounds like? Listen to my podcast and find out. We all learned how to howl like the wolves. (Photo by Candace Dyar)
To help raise awareness, one can write letters, post on social media, talk about it – the goal of the #RelistWolves Campaign is to restore all Gray wolves to the Endangered Species List so they are protected and saved. (Photo by Bohemian Lights Photography)
Here I am with Maggie Howell, Samantha Attwood, and Leslie Williams, who is Samantha’s mother, and also a co-founding member of the #RelistWolves Campaign. Please listen to my podcast on wolves right now and help save these gorgeous creatures. It’s available on the iHeart Media App, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I hope you had a lovely holiday. I wish you all a wonderful 2023. Here's a blog that was originally posted on January 08, 2021. It ends this look back at some of our favorite entries, enjoy.
A brief trip south to escape the cold winter can be so invigorating.
If you follow my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48, you may have seen photos from my recent holiday trip to Palm Beach, Florida. I was joined by my daughter Alexis, my grandchildren Jude and Truman, and our dear friend, Ari Katz. We spent most of our brief stay swimming and relaxing on the beach or by the pool, enjoying water sports, visiting a few shops around town, knitting, and watching movies - all done safely while adhering to CDC social distancing guidelines.
Here are a few photos from our trip, enjoy.
My family and I always try to do something special during the holidays – my grandchildren love the water, so we often go somewhere warm. Of course, one of the first things we did was spend some time by the pool. My daughter Alexis took this photo of Jude, Truman and our friend, Ari.
I love to knit and crochet. It is very relaxing. I find knitting a little faster for me. Here is part of my latest project. I am knitting four blue hats for two sets of twins boys.
We also spent time on the beach. It was windy, but that didn’t stop Ari, Jude, and Truman from heading toward the water.
Here is Jude trying to teach Ari how to do a front walkover flip.
Making shadows seemed a bit easier.
Jude loves to collect shells. Here are some of the shells she gathered – she picked out her favorites and then returned the rest to the beach later.
Organization is key – Jude sorted all the shells before selecting those she wanted to keep.
Jude wanted to make necklaces – here is one of her favorites.
During one outing, Alexis and Ari visited Brenda’s Birds in Delray Beach. Ari is a young and passionate avian enthusiast – he has many pet birds at home. All the birds seemed to know he was friendly.
These macaws and cockatoos wanted to perch on Ari’s shoulder.
Here’s Alexis with a Moluccan cockatoo. Also called the salmon-crested cockatoo, the Moluccan is endemic to the Seram archipelago in eastern Indonesia. It is among the largest of the white cockatoos and very smart.
We also stopped at Casa Gusto, a new company of antiques, objects, and artworks on Georgia Avenue in West Palm Beach. This is a Rococo 10-drawer cabinet, circa 1760. It stands 85-inches tall by 48-inches wide.
Some of the art work at Casa Gusto includes these papier-collage paintings by artist Catharine Warren.
Catharine is best known for her landscape-inspired abstract works and use of vibrant colors.
This is one of a pair of 1880 English George II style wingback sofas covered in Rodgers & Goffingon velvet upholstery.
I spotted another nice sofa. Here is one of a pair of 1930s northern canapés. A canapé is a piece of furniture similar to a couch, and is meant to describe an elegant sofa made out of elaborately carved wood with wooden legs, and upholstered seats, back, and armrests. Canapés emerged from France in the 18th century.
Here is the other. I admired the clean architectural lines.
Along another wall, a set of of six 18th century French dining chairs. The style is transitional – between Louis XV and XVI. Above the chairs – 18th century Granada Lebrillo Gigante bowls and plates – Spanish Lebrillo earthenware, made of hand crafted terra cotta, originating from Granada, Spain.
We ate in the French bistro, La Goulue. I chose this delicious green salad.
Among the desserts we also tried was this creme brulee – a bourbon vanilla custard with brown sugar crust, topped with mint and a strawberry.
And look at these profiteroles – vanilla puffs served with warm chocolate sauce and toasted almonds. Everything was so delicious.
My good friend, entertainment banker and entrepreneur, Lisbeth Barron, made sure we had lots to do while we were in the area. She helped arrange some outdoor sports for Alexis, Ari and the children. Coordinated through VisitPalmBeach.com, on this day the four went kayaking in the intracoastal.
The four had a lovely time – they did quite well navigating through the wind and waters. In all, it was a safe and enjoyable few days away with my family – the best Christmas gift ever. Please go to my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 for more photos from my trip and a video of Alexis, Ari, Jude, and Truman paddling!
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