Temperatures here at my Bedford, New York farm are expected to be in the mid-80s - about 20-degrees cooler than yesterday, but still no sign of any significant rain in the forecast. It's been such a dry summer that it's hard to keep all the gardens well-irrigated.
Because of the weather, the hoses and sprinklers have been very busy. One of my favorite sources is Gilmour, a Madison, Wisconsin-based company that’s been manufacturing hoses and other watering solutions for more than 65-years. I use several of their products at my home in New York and at Skylands in Maine. With so many trees, shrubs, and plants to maintain, it’s important we use only the best quality outdoor tools.
Enjoy these photos.
In spring, when it starts to warm up, my outdoor grounds crew puts out all the sprinklers and hoses around the farm, so they’re ready to use. During the driest, warmest days of summer, we have to do lots of watering. Fortunately, I have two deep wells – all of the hoses and bibbs are connected to an elaborate underground irrigation system.
Gilmour has a very durable collection of gardening supplies – I have been using Gilmour products for years. The hoses are always put to great use in the gardens and wherever thorough watering is needed. Plus, these hoses curve without kinking, connect without leaking, and are easy to store.
A hose and at least one sprinkler are placed at every bibb, or faucet. And here’s a tip… to keep it from kinking, when it’s new stretch it along a path or the edge of the lawn and then loop the business end back to the tap.
When ready to use, the collar of these tripod sprinklers can be adjusted for partial to full circle coverage. A pin diffuser allows for a customized spray from powerful jet to gentle mist. I show every member of my crew how to use the sprinkler, so they can water properly and efficiently.
The round dial on top makes it easy to set the direction and length of the spray.
Each of the legs is also adjustable. Here, one can see the spiked feet of the tripod sprinkler which provide lots of stability on varied surfaces.
Mornings are the best times to water – when water pressure is high, evaporation is low, and the soil can absorb the water before the sun heats up the ground. The height, distance, and spray patterns of these tripod sprinklers can be adjusted to suit so many garden needs.
Never direct hard spraying sprinklers at trees – this may mar the bark. Instead, use harder sprays for open spaces and wide lawn areas.
Well-established trees with strong, deep root systems will be more drought tolerant.
To avoid dry spots, sprinkler heads should be positioned so they overlap slightly in their coverage areas. During the summer, a good watering is done to a depth of about six to eight inches. An even, intermittent sprinkling is best for thorough, deep watering.
On hot, humid days, each person on the crew manages a specific section for watering. This way, everything can be monitored and timed appropriately.
Look how far the sprinkler can reach – and the spray is very consistent. This sprinkler is in my pinetum, where I grow many different evergreen plants, trees, and shrubs.
This is the Gilmour® Adjustable Whirling Sprinkler with Stationary Base. It is ideal for gentle, easy watering of delicate flowers, plants and seedlings. Its whirling motion provides full circular coverage while reducing water pooling. The adjustable tips allow one to direct the spray lower to the ground. And, the no-tip base is shaped for stability and is great on harder grounds where spiked bases don’t work.
We also use the Gilmour® Adjustable Spot Sprinkler with Spike Base. These are great for use around my Winter House, where there are planters and garden beds. The durable metal spike provides stability in softer soil and on uneven ground.
These sprinklers are easy to push into the ground wherever needed and offer full circular coverage.
Here is one watering under the trees near my terrace parterre.
Gilmour also makes oscillating sprinklers that are easy to control in a variety of areas. They provide thousands of square feet in water coverage.
They feature a tube with multiple openings that move back and forth to provide even watering.
The dial makes setting the sprinkler’s coverage area very quick and easy.
I have many of these oscillating sprinklers, Some models are older, but they hold up so well through the seasons.
Here’s another tripod sprinkler in my flower cutting garden. The adjustable tripod can reach a height of 58-inches and can water everything from above. Once the watering in one area is done, it’s extremely important to turn off the water at the source. Just turning off at the sprinkler puts a lot of pressure on the hoses and pipes.
And every so often, observe sprinklers in action, looking for clogged or leaking heads that may need minor maintenance. Wherever you live, I hope all your gardens are getting the water they need.
Have you seen the post on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48? I'm so thrilled to introduce to you MARTHA by Martha Stewart - my new signature collection of modern heirlooms comprised of distinctive and quality products I know you'll love.
My first offerings from this Collection include cookware that is now available exclusively on Martha.com. My Copper, Tri-Ply Stainless Steel, and Ceramic Non-Stick pieces are durable, versatile, and thoughtfully designed for both your everyday meals and special occasion masterpieces. Our entire team has been working extremely hard to create the very best chef-inspired and personally approved products for all your culinary needs. My MARTHA by Martha Stewart Collection will also expand to include more cookware and kitchen tools later this year, as well as apparel, gardening, and so much more.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I am so proud to unveil and share with you this great Collection of products. Just go to my website Martha.com – it’s our “shop of shops” to get your cookware today. I can’t wait to hear what you think.
When selecting quality cookware, it is always a good idea to consider these important details – weight, size, handle grip and the metal. My team and I put all these pieces to the test in our professional kitchens and you’ll love using every one.
Our copper cookware was inspired by my personal copper pots and pans that I cherish and use all the time.
This collection features all the beauty and finesse of copper cookware along with the heat retention, temperature control, and nonreactive nature of top-quality construction.
Our own culinary EVP Thomas Joseph says, “its outstanding heat regulation makes it a good choice for delicate foods like fish, sauces, and risotto.”
Cook our mouth-watering classic risotto in our copper cookware —you’ll taste the difference!
If you’re a fan of stainless steel, elevate your everyday menus with our durable, chef-inspired Stainless Steel collection loaded with design innovations from our professional test kitchens and my own meticulous specifications.
Our pans feature premium 18/10 stainless steel tri-ply construction with a base-to-rim aluminum core that promotes quick heating, good heat retention, and consistently even cooking. Plus, we included angled extra-long handles for added control and maneuverability.
These pots and pans are perfect for making dishes that include sauces – try it for our quick and delicious shrimp pasta dish.
You can get so many wonderful recipes on our website, such as this linguine and shrimp.
And, if you are devoted to non-stick, replace your old, outdated pans with our abrasion-resistant, durable Ceramic Non-Stick that offers effortless food release without harmful chemical coatings.
Our Ceramic Non-Stick promotes consistently even heat. It’s ideal for healthier cooking with less oil and butter. Plus, the entire collection is suitable for any stovetop, including induction, and is oven safe to 550 degrees Fahrenheit.
Thomas adds that “it’s constructed of premium tri-ply stainless steel is extremely durable and excellent for even heat distribution on the stovetop and in the oven.”
If you love non-stick, these will be your favorites in the kitchen – pull them out for grilled cheese or that weekend morning omelet.
It's always so exciting to see how the gardens grow and thrive around my farm.
In 2020, we planted hundreds of hosta plants down behind my chicken coop yard across the carriage road from my allee of lilac. I first got the plants as bare-root cuttings and kept them in a cold frame for several months until they were big enough to transplant. In all, more than 700 hostas in a variety of cultivars including 'Wide Brim,' 'Francee,' 'Regal Splendor,' 'Elegans,' and 'Blue Angel.' Now two years later, they're doing excellently, filling the space with verdant foliage.
Here are some photos.
My plan was to plant lots and lots of hostas in this garden bed. Their lush green foliage, varying leaf shape, size, and texture, and their easy care requirements make them ideal for many areas.
Before planting, the hostas were strategically positioned and spaced, paying attention to variety, color, and growth habit.
Here they are after they were all planted in April of 2020. Remember the gardening rule of thumb – the first year the plants sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap.
In the spring of last year, we mulched the entire area. The hostas are already looking quite strong. All the hostas are planted under a grove of dawn redwoods, Metasequoia. These trees grow faster than most trees. I planted these about 12 years ago.
And here are the hosta plants now – so big and so vibrant. Hosta is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies, and occasionally by the Japanese name, giboshi.
Unlike many perennials, which must be lifted and divided every few years, hostas are happy to grow in place without much interference. In summer, blooms on long stalks extend up above the clumping hosta foliage.
Hostas are native to northeast Asia and include hundreds of different cultivars.
The plant flowers feature spikes of blossoms that look like lilies, in shades of lavender or white. The bell-shaped blooms can be showy and exceptionally fragrant.
These flowers have six tepals, six stamens, three cavities in the ovaries and the stigma at the top of the pistil has three lobes.
Here is a white hosta flower. Hosta flowers are also very attractive to hummingbirds and bees.
Hosta leaves rise up from a central rhizomatous crown to form a rounded to spreading mound. Most varieties tend to have a spread and height of between one and three feet.
Hosta leaf textures can be smooth, veined or puckered. Their surfaces may be matt, shiny or waxy but are usually satiny.
‘Elegans’ has huge, rounded, blue-gray leaves with white flowers that bloom mid-summer.
This variety is called ‘Francee’ with dark green, heart-shaped leaves and narrow, white margins. A vigorous grower, this hosta blooms in mid to late summer.
Some hosta clumps can grow to more than six feet across and four feet high.
This is ‘Wide Brim’ with its dark green leaves and wide, yellow, irregular margins. This variety prefers full shade for most of the day.
And this hosta has light green leaves with darker green margins.
Hostas thrive in sites where filtered or dappled shade is available for much of the day, but they can survive in deep shade.
And always make sure your hostas are planted in good, well-drained, nutrient-rich soil with compost, well-rotted manure, and phosphorous.
A shade garden need not be dull – experiment with shade-loving plants. Hostas, with their palette of so many different colors, textures, and sizes have tremendous landscape value and offer great interest to any garden. I am so pleased with how well this garden is doing.
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