My large “iced terrace” at Skylands, my home overlooking Seal Harbor, is brimming with beautiful, green plant life once again.
Every year, I like to spend the Memorial Day weekend up in Maine planting all the large outdoor urns, pots, and planters. It is quite an undertaking, but it's become a fun tradition especially with the group that accompanies me. Many of the tropical and exotic specimens are stored in a hoop house at my Bedford, New York farm during winter, and then carefully loaded onto a trailer and delivered to Skylands for the summer months. As soon as I arrive there, I design the layout of where things will go, and we all get to work.
Enjoy these photos.
This trip to Maine is one that I look forward to every spring. Here I am on my faux bois bench with the dense fog over Seal Harbor behind me.
Out front on the driveway are some of the plants taken out of the trailer after being transported from my greenhouses in Bedford. I decide where each plant will go before they are moved – staying organized saves lots of time and energy.
Here are some of the smaller specimens we use as under plantings in the big pots. Everything is put out first, so we know exactly what we have to work with.
We always have a varied selection of plant material for all of the urns. Some of these plants were grown in my greenhouse here in Maine. Propagating this way saves a lot of cost.
These are called Birds of Paradise, Strelitzia reginae – a species of evergreen tropical herbaceous plant native to South Africa. Looking closely one can see the split leaves that are believed to be purposeful leaf tearing or lobing of leaves to reduce drag in the wind. They have evolved to create splits along their lateral leaf seams to allow the wind to pass by and not get snapped in half.
Here are Peter Grub and Moises Fuentes moistening the soil in the wheelbarrow. Everyone takes turns doing everything – from moving and preparing the plants to moistening the potting mix, to filling the pots, to planting.
One by one everything gets nicely planted in their designated urn. This is one of two giant Soderholtz pots – Eric Ellis Soderholtz was a pioneer in American garden pottery at the turn of the last century, turning concrete into these gorgeous vessels. I planted it with one of the Birds of Paradise.
Here’s Wendy Norling, one of my gardeners at Skylands. She planted the stone trough I bought at Trade Secrets several years ago. It has worked perfectly here at Skylands, and looks beautiful planted up with succulents.
Behind this planted urn are the lush green kiwi vines growing on my home. Kiwi vines can tolerate a lot of different light conditions, but more exposure to sun brings out better colors in the leaves, some of which can be variegated.
More kiwi vines grow on above the Western Terrace – one of my favorite summer meal spots. The faux bois pots are planted with agaves that were also transported to Skylands from my Bedford farm. Caring for agaves is easy when planted in the right location. Agaves need full sun – my large terrace here at Skylands is the perfect place.
Here is one side of the terrace after a hard day’s work. It is looking excellent – I can’t wait to see it all filled out – bold and lush later in the season.
Skylands gardener, Mike Harding, cleans up after our long afternoon of planting. This day was cloudy with lots of fog, but still very nice conditions for a successful gardening day.
Early the next morning, we all went to Asticou Azalea Garden in Northeast Harbor, Maine. Asticou Azalea Garden was created in 1956 by lifelong Maine resident, Charles Kenneth Savage, who was inspired by his love of native plants and his study of Japanese garden design. The Garden and its pond are open to the public from May to October each year.
Quaint stone steps allow visitors to cross the stream.
This “sand garden” built along the eastern edge of the stream, uses rocks and raked sand to suggest islands surrounded by flowing water. The sandy area is offered to visitors as places for quiet contemplation. Gardens of raked sand and stone are referred to as karesansui, which means dry landscape gardens in Japanese.
Another favorite stop whenever I go to Maine is Triple Chick Farm, a certified organic farm dedicated to producing healthy, organic food. Here I am with Kevin Sharkey, Hannah Milman, and Douglas Friedman – three “regulars” that join me at Skylands every spring.
Back at the house, Kevin always creates the most gorgeous flower arrangements. Here he is with Douglas and all the lilacs cut and ready for Kevin to arrange – the fragrance of all these blooms is intoxicating.
Did you see this on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48? It is my tree peony on my terrace. I counted 61 blooms. It is so beautiful.
Here’s one of the lilac arrangements completed by Kevin in my Living Room. The lilac, Syringa vulgaris, is a species of flowering plant in the olive family Oleaceae. Syringa is a genus of up to 30-cultivated species with more than one-thousand varieties.
Another one sits on the faux bois table in my Living Hall. Lilacs come in seven colors: pink, violet, blue, lilac, red, purple, and white. The purple lilacs have the strongest scent compared to other colors.
And these lilacs are in my large Dining Room. When cutting lilacs, cut them right at their peak, when color and scent are strongest, and place them in a vase as soon as possible. Every arrangement is stunning. Thanks, Kevin.
The nights were chilly up in Maine. We had a fire going every evening in the Living Hall fireplace. In my next blog, I’ll share photos from all the great foods we ate during this fun trip to Maine. Stay tuned.
In order to keep my Bedford, New York farm and all its many gardens, allées, and groves as beautiful as possible, I pay close attention to the maintenance and care of all my trees. I tour the grounds every day and keep track of what needs pruning, feeding, and mulching throughout the year.
Recently, I noticed something wasn't quite right with my American beech trees, Fagus grandifolia. With all the lush spring growth, these trees just didn't look as vibrant or as full, so I called in an expert to take a look.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This is an autumn photo of my grove of American beech trees, Fagus grandifolia. These American beech trees show gorgeous golden-bronze fall foliage. The leaves persist into winter, after turning a pleasing tan color.
The American beech tree is considered both a shade tree and an ornamental tree. They can grow to a height of 50 to 70 feet and a spread of around 40 feet at maturity.
Earlier this spring, I noticed they didn’t look as lush. I also knew there was a relatively new beech leaf disease that is spreading rapidly through the Northeast killing both mature American beeches and saplings.
The disease, which was first spotted in northeastern Ohio, causes parts of leaves to turn leathery and branches to wither and then kill a tree within six to 10 years. Hopefully these trees are not affected, but I definitely needed to help my trees and make sure these beautiful specimens survived.
I asked the experts at True Nature to come take a look.
The owner, Sebastian “Rocky” Camarillo, assessed all my beech trees and noticed there was something definitely wrong. The leaves looked withered and many had not grown.
Held up to the sunlight, the leaves also showed dark bands – a sign of the beech leaf disease.
In order to help the trees, the first step was to check the soil. Rocky says, “never guess, always test.” And he took many samples of soil from around the trees. Rocky’s mantra is “if one takes the time to learn the language of the land, the soil will speak.” Good quality, healthy soil is essential for plant growth. Soil helps regulate the water, supports biodiversity, filters pollutants, provides support, and cycles nutrients.
Rocky takes soil samples as much as a foot deep or more.
And then places the samples in bags. These samples will be tested and analyzed. I am eager to get the reports. Soil tests are available at garden shops and online. It is a good idea to test one’s garden soil every three to five years.
Next, Rocky measures the trunk of the tree to see how much food is needed to feed it.
Rocky mixes a solution that contains various nutrients including nitrogen, iron, sulfur, magnesium, manganese, boron, and zinc. His truck is equipped with enough hose to go around the entire grove.
First he treats the roots. It is very important to feed the roots and the soil to feed the tress.
This injector shoots the fertilizer deep into the soil. rocky does this in many locations under the canopy of the tree.
And he goes all the way out just past the drip-line of every tree. The drip-line is the area directly located under the outer circumference of the tree branches. When the tree canopy gets wet, any excess is shed to the ground along this drip-line. This is also known as a tree’s critical root zone or root protection zone.
This process takes a couple hours to complete – Rocky is very thorough.
Then he sprays the top surface and all the leaves of the trees. An invasive nematode is believed to be responsible for the beech leaf disease. These microscopic worms are present in the leaves and buds of infected beech trees.
Next, he moves onto the trees surrounding my pool – also beech trees, purple columnar beech trees, Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck Purple’. Rocky also fertilizes these trees. Giving the trees extra nutrients will help them fight off disease and remain healthy. So far, these trees look great.
We planted about 170 of these trees around my pool in 2018. Columnar beech trees are fastigiate meaning their branches slope upward more or less parallel to the main stem. I knew they would be perfect around the pool, but like all garden specimens, they must be well-maintained.
Finally, Rocky will move onto the fastigiate beech trees outside my Winter House and the weeping copper beech trees, Fagus sylvatica ‘Pendula’ – I have several of these beautiful specimens around the farm. It is important to take good care of all trees and to feed. Trees are tough, but nutrient deficiencies can still affect them. This weekend, take note of the beautiful trees in your gardens and yards. I always say, “if you eat, so should your plants and trees.”
They're up! My herbaceous peony garden is blooming with brilliant pinks and whites!
Every spring, one of the most anticipated sights on the farm is my herbaceous peony garden in full bloom. It's such a delight for all who visit this time of year. When I first planted this garden, I focused on pink varieties, and planted 11-double rows of 22-peony types. I chose the varieties for their colors, their forms and their long blooming periods. I also chose a location across from my Winter House, where there's lots of room and full sun - a spot where I could see the beautiful floral show from my window.
Enjoy these photos.
In April, my herbaceous peony bed is filled with almost knee-high stems. Before the flowers appear, we put up stakes, so the peonies are well-supported as they grow. We use natural twine and metal uprights I designed myself for this purpose.
By mid-May, the garden is filled with bold colored foliage. I also have beautiful boxwood surrounding the garden on all sides.
Look at all the buds atop the stems.
A week later, the first flower begins to unfurl.
It’s stunning to see every year! One of the reasons these peonies thrive here at my farm is because of the soil. It has a pH of 6.5 to 7.0, which is ideal. It is also amended with superphosphate and Azomite, a natural product mined from an ancient mineral deposit in Utah. These natural additives improve root systems and overall plant vigor, resulting in this fantastic profusion of blooms.
This was one of the first white peonies to open. The peony is any plant in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, Europe, and Western North America.
Last week, we mulched the aisles. I am so proud of all the mulch and compost we make right here at the farm.
And here is the garden this week – filled with beautiful blooms in shades of pink and white. Among the varieties in my collection – ‘Elsa Sass’, ‘Victorian Blush’, ‘Fringed Ivory’, ‘Martha’, ‘Madylone’, ‘Lullaby Coos’, ‘Vivid Glow’, ‘Angel Cheeks’, ‘Miss America’ and ‘Flying Pink Saucers’.
Peonies are one of the best-known and most dearly loved perennials – not surprising considering their beauty, trouble-free nature, and longevity.
Herbaceous peonies grow two to four feet tall with sturdy stems and blooms that can reach up to 10-inches wide. We spaced the plants about three to four feet apart to avoid any competing roots.
Peony blooms range from simple blossoms to complex clusters with a variety of petal forms.
The peony is a perennial flower. The majority of peonies are hybrids and classified as herbaceous, or as deciduous tree peonies. The peony is showy, frilly with tuberous root systems.
The peony’s fragrance can vary, but most have sweet, clean scents. And, do you know… pink peonies tend to have stronger fragrances than red peonies? Double form white peonies are also very aromatic.
This flower form is a bomb with a large number of petals rising in the center to form a distinct mound.
Flower colors come in pink, white, yellow, red and coral and the various shades and tints of each.
This is ‘Star Power’. It has pure white, large blossoms with bold round guard petals and red tipped stigmas. When using peonies for cut flowers, gather them early in the morning, and cut those whose buds are beginning to show color and feel similar to firm marshmallows. Always cut the stems at an angle and change the water daily.
These blooms just pop in the garden. ‘Beautiful Señorita’, a Japanese variety, has a double row of deep, pink guard petals and a creamy center.
The leaves of herbaceous peonies are pointed with a shiny, deep green color.
Peonies usually bloom quite easily. Always be sure the plants get at least six hours of full sun per day.
Peonies are considered northern flowers – they tolerate and even prefer cold winter temperatures. They are hardy in zones 3 through 8 and need more than 400-hours of temperatures below 40-degrees Fahrenheit annually to break dormancy and bloom properly.
For the most part, peonies are disease resistant. They do, however, take some time to get established, so be patient. And if you happen to see ants crawling on your peonies, don’t worry. The insects are attracted to the sugary syrup produced by the buds. Once the flower opens fully, and the sucrose has been finished, the ants disappear.
Plant peonies away from trees or shrubs, and provide them with shelter from strong winds.
The only disadvantage of peonies is that each field yields one crop of cut flowers for a couple of weeks only once a year, and then that’s it – until the next season when they bloom with splendor once again.
But look, there are still more buds just waiting to open – this year’s show at Cantitoe Corners is not over just yet.
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