Among my favorite plants are the exotic forms of succulents - they make excellent container specimens.
If you like growing plants, but don’t really have the time to care for them properly, I encourage you to consider growing succulents. Succulents are so easy to maintain and are able to survive prolonged drought because they store moisture in their fleshy stems, roots, and leaves. Some succulents look like smooth stones, while others display perfect rosettes or resemble strings of bold, green beads.
Here are some of the many succulents in my collection - enjoy these photos. And be sure to watch my newest episode on caring for succulents on the Roku Original "Martha Gardens" streaming free now on The Roku Channel.
Many of my smaller potted succulents are stored along one side of my main greenhouse where they can get lots of light. Most varieties need at least half a day to a full day of sunlight.
I have amassed quite a collection of interesting and rare specimens over the years. Succulents are often grown as ornamental plants because of their striking shapes. They are best planted in clay or terra cotta pots with proper drainage holes because the vessels dry quickly, and prevent water from building up. Succulent comes from the Latin word “sucus,” which means juice or sap. It’s also a nod to the nourishing leaves that help these plants survive in extremely warm conditions.
Agave is a genus of succulents in the subfamily Agavoideae of the broadly circumscribed family Asparagaceae. This is Agave ‘Queen Victoria’. This elegant, domed plant has deep green leaves that are strikingly edged and patterned in white.
This is a black-spined agave, Agave macroacantha. It is a slow-growing, evergreen succulent that forms rosettes with pale blue-green leaves armed with small brown teeth along the edges.
Many of you are familiar with the giant blue agave with its grayish blue leaves. I have many of these in all different sizes. Do you know… tequila is actually distilled from the sap of the blue agave?
And this agave has green leaves with bright cream, prominent margins that form a symmetrical, small, round rosette. The leaves also have tiny cinnamon brown marginal sharp spines.
I also have a wide collection of Echeverias as well as Aeoniums. To tell the difference, Aeoniums have leaves that are flatter, while the leaves of these Echeverias are more round. The edges of Aeonium leaves also have small points like teeth, while the leaves of Echeverias don’t.
Echeveria is a large genus of flowering plants in the stonecrop family Crassulaceae, native to semi-desert areas of Central America, Mexico and northwestern South America. I have echeveria in shades of green and purple.
The leaves are fleshy and have a waxy cuticle on the exterior. Often the leaves are colored and a firm touch can mar the skin and leave marks. The echeveria plant usually doesn’t exceed 12 inches in height or spread.
This is Haworthia coarctata. It is a succulent plant that grows up to eight-inches tall with long stems packed with robust succulent leaves. It is normally dark green but sometimes acquires a rich purple-red when in full sunlight.
This is Haworthiopsis fasciata, formerly known as Haworthia fasciata. It is a low growing heavily suckering succulent that forms crowded clusters. It has silvery white raised pearly tubercles that connect to form bands that give the impression of “zebra stripes” but only on the underside of its leaves.
This interesting grayish white succulent is called a woolly senecio. Native to South Africa, it is a perennial dwarf shrub belonging to the Asteraceae family.
These look like strings of pearls. Senecio rowleyanus, commonly known as string-of-pearls or string-of-beads, is a creeping, perennial, succulent vine belonging to the family Asteraceae.
Opuntia, commonly called prickly pear or pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family. Like other spiny succulents, the prickly pear has flat, fleshy pads called cladodes covered in spiky spines.
Barrel cacti are various members of the two genera Echinocactus and Ferocactus, endemic to the deserts of Southwestern North America southward to north central Mexico. Some of the largest specimens are found in the Sonoran Desert in Southern Arizona. These are slow growing – some take up to 30-years o reach maturity.
This is called an old man cactus, Cephalocereus senilis – a species of cactus native to Hidalgo and Veracruz in central Mexico. It got its name from its white hair and rather slow-paced growth. This Mexican cactus is so thickly covered with soft-looking hairs that its columnar stem is often obscured.
I purchased this interesting succulent during a trip to Arizona – this cactus looks like a smooth stone formation.
Rhipsalis is a cacti genus with approximately 35 distinct species. I have many types of rhipsalis growing in my greenhouse. They are native to the rainforests of South America, the Caribbean and Central America. Rhipsalis is a cacti genus with approximately 35 distinct species. I have many types of rhipsalis growing in my greenhouse. Rhipsalis specimens have long, trailing stems making them perfect choices as indoor hanging plants. Also known as chain cactus or mistletoe cactus, the thread-like succulent stems on the cactus are narrow, green and in can grow several feet long.
This ric rac cactus is one of the most exotic cactus houseplants. It shows off distinctive foliage – the stems are serrated and lobed, like a backbone and has a thick, leathery texture that perfectly suits the dark green color. If it gets enough light, ric rac cactus will bloom with stunning pink and white orchid-like flowers.
What are your favorite succulents? There are so many from which to choose. I hope this inspires you add one, or two, or even three to your personal collection. And don’t forget to watch “Martha Gardens” to learn how to care for these beautiful plants. It’s streaming now for free on The Roku Channel.
Here in Bedford, New York we're expecting a mix of rain and snow showers, with temperatures in the 40s. Although these are warmer than usual conditions, it is winter, and all the gardens and most of the trees are bare.
This time of year, while my outdoor grounds crew is busy pruning many of the trees around my home, it's nice to take notice of all the tree forms and how they look without their lush foliage. These trees are deciduous. Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the autumn months, while evergreen, or coniferous trees, retain their greenery through the year. Some deciduous trees hold onto their leaves longer than others. And, there is also a group of deciduous conifers, which are needle-leaved trees that actually lose their needles come fall.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This is the great sycamore in my back hayfield – the symbol of my farm. The American sycamore, Platanus occidentalis, is a wide-canopied, deciduous tree, usually growing up to 100-feet tall, with a massive trunk and open crown of huge, crooked branches. Here, one can see those branches now that all the foliage has fallen for the season.
Fruit trees are also deciduous. All deciduous fruit trees have a period of winter dormancy, the stage between leaf drop in the fall and bud break in the spring, which protects the tree buds from freezing weather.
Another deciduous tree is the copper beech. The copper beech, Fagus sylvatica purpurea, is a large, deciduous shade tree known for its beautiful burgundy foliage that turns a lovely shade of copper in fall.
And here it is in summer when it is all leafed out with its lovely dark colored foliage.
Across from the copper beech are these rare weeping hornbeams – there are six planted at the edge of my soccer field.
The same weeping hornbeams are so vibrant and lush green in summer.
This is the hornbeam hedge along the back of the Summer House and the Winter House. The hornbeam, Carpinus, is deciduous and very fast-growing. In fact, it can grow about four to five feet per year. I always keep a close eye on all the hornbeams and keep them well groomed.
Here is a photo of it just after it was pruned last summer.
Another deciduous specimen is the linden – categorized within the Tilia genus, which includes about 30 species native to North America, Europe, and Asia.
Here is the same allée of lindens in summer. Lindens can grow from about 65 to 130 feet in height. It develops dense, pyramidal or round-shaped crowns and can live several hundred years.
And remember these gorgeous horse chestnut trees at the foot of my long Boxwood Allée? Also deciduous.
Here they are now – completely bare. The form of the branches are interesting on their own against the cloudy sky.
Some deciduous trees hold onto their leaves, such as the American beech. This tree falls between evergreen and deciduous. The leaves die, but many don’t fall when they die. Botanists call this retention of dead plant matter marcescence.
And this is the same grove in early fall when the trees are filled with greenery.
Evergreens, or conifers, are plants which have foliage that remains green and functional through the season. These tend to bear cones and have needles or scales. I have one area dedicated to evergreens here at the farm. A pinetum by definition is an arboretum of pine trees or other conifers for scientific or ornamental purposes.
I also love to plant many evergreens in the woodland. I get them as bare root seedlings, nurture them in pots until they are strong, and then transplant them to more permanent locations.
There are also deciduous conifers. These trees form cones and sprout needles like conifer trees, but they also change colors in the fall and lose their needles every year like deciduous trees. The larch is one of them.
Here it is 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 Allee, the Pin Oak Allee and the woodland, all converge.
Another example is the dawn redwood, Metasequoia. Dawn redwoods grow faster than most trees. This tree forms a natural triangular shape throughout its life.
And here they are in early autumn.
And of course the bald cypress, Taxodium distichum, another deciduous conifer. Though it’s native to swampy areas, the bald cypress is also able to withstand dry, sunny weather and is hardy in USDA climate zones 5 through 10. These trees do so well here at the farm. Here it is late last summer.
Like trees with leaves, bald cypress trees drop their needles in the fall leaving the tree – well, bald. And in spring, all the trees here will start to show off their beautiful colors once again. I hope this inspires you to appreciate the trees where you live – even in winter, when many are bare.
There's always a new project being completed here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Earlier this week, I shared photos of my large vegetable greenhouse - an all-glass structure I had constructed several years ago. Its design was inspired by four-season farming expert, Eliot Coleman. It is where I am able to grow fresh, organic produce in the ground during the cold winter months. Most of the energy comes naturally through the big windows. To supplement the natural sunlight, we just installed seven Gavita LED Grow Lights from Scotts Miracle-Gro above all the raised garden beds. These lights are compact, high energy efficient units that offer full-spectrum light needs for all stages of plant growth. I am so excited to see how much more these plants grow and flourish.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
If you follow my blog regularly, you recognize this structure. It is my vegetable greenhouse located behind my large Equipment Barn and Hay Barn. The tarps are covering my dahlia tubers which are protected under bales of hay.
Built in 2008, this greenhouse uses minimal artificial heat – in fact, most of its energy comes directly from the sun, and it successfully grows a variety of cold hardy crops.
We recently received seven Gavita CT1930e LED 120-277V grow lights to fit the entire length of the vegetable greenhouse. These top lights will deliver tons of additional broad spectrum crop-loving light to the plants below.
They are durable and weigh about 33-pounds each. They also measure 29-inches by 11.8 inches.
The first step was to prepare the space for hanging the grow lights. My property manager, Doug White, secured a double line of chain centered above all the beds.
Down below, Pete checked all the electrical outlets to ensure the power would be safely and equally distributed.
There is no assembly required for the lights. Pete just secures two metal brackets to the top of units.
These brackets hook on at each side of the light.
Here is a view from above the light which will face up toward the windows when hung. Because these lights are LED, they are long-lasting and the most energy-efficient grow light option.
And then Pete attaches the hanger to the chains. The brackets and hangers come with the grow lights.
Here is the unit from underneath. In order for the plants to get even light coverage, it is best if they are all hung directly above the plants.
Because the lights are slightly heavier on one end, Doug custom made small wooden spacers that help to keep the lights level.
Pete hangs the light and secures the spacer under the hanger.
Here is one light completely installed. The electrical cord is also wrapped neatly on the chain and connected to the power source.
Here are all the lights installed and turned on just as the sun starts to set.
Greenhouse grow lights can greatly help to supplement natural light during the winter. Grow lights convert electrical energy into photons, light particles that stimulate photosynthesis and encourage plant growth.
The crops in my greenhouse already do very well, but with the added lights, they will grow faster and fuller. This is my bed of arugula.
And here is the lettuce bed. I grow lots of lettuce throughout the year for me and my family.
Here is a bed of young lettuce sprouts just starting to grow. I am looking forward to seeing these plants develop over the next few weeks.
My vegetable greenhouse provides many delicious vegetables – it is sure to be an even more bountiful winter season. I’ll be sure to share more photos soon.
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