One of the many tasks we complete this time of year is the pruning of my rose bushes. Pruning is about more than just looks; proper pruning improves the health of the plants, prevents disease, and encourages better flowering.
There are different pruning strategies for different times of the year, but overall the goals are the same - to control its shape, to keep the bush fresh and open, and to allow for better air circulation through the center of the plant. I have grown roses for more than 30-years. Many of the rose varieties I've purchased are highly prized for their petal formations and fragrances, so proper maintenance is very important to keeping them healthy and productive.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Here are some of the roses blooming last June. Many of the rose cultivars growing at my Bedford, New York farm were transplanted from the gardens at Lily Pond, my former home in East Hampton. I also have various David Austin roses – all highly prized for their lovely petal formations and beautiful fragrances. A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae. There are more than a hundred species and thousands of cultivars.
Many of my roses grow along all four sides of my perennial flower cutting garden fence.
Some also climb and spill over the sides.
These roses look fuller every year – in part because of regular pruning. We prune all the roses and cut any superfluous branches or shoots for better flowering and good health.
Here is what they look like just before any of the pruning begins.
Brian starts on one side and works his way around over the course of a couple days. In general, pruning is done before the plant breaks dormancy. This will be early in the year in warm climates, and anytime between January and April in cold climates. Every few minutes, he stops to evaluate the work he has done and to make sure he hasn’t missed anything that needs more trimming.
Brian assesses each bush from the bottom and starts cutting out any of the “three Ds” – dead, damaged, or diseased branches.
Cutting away the dead wood first helps to see the shape of the plant without distraction.
Dead wood is typically brown in color, so they are very easy to identify.
Healthy wood is always greenish white.
Brian also looks for any thin or twiggy canes – in general, those that are less than the diameter of a pencil. Here, he cuts a cane that is curved and not growing properly.
Rose stems are often armed with sharp prickles – they aren’t thorns at all. Unlike a thorn, a prickle can be easily broken off the plant because it is really a feature of the outer layers rather than part of the wood, like a thorn.
This rose has different sized prickles along its stems – they vary according to variety. And, while most roses have prickles, there are actually some that don’t have any at all.
Here, Brian shows where the cut should be made – always just above a bud eye. The “bud eye” refers to the area on the stem where branching occurs.
It’s also important to deadheads any old, spent blooms or ones that did not bloom completely. This is done to encourage more blooms and improve the appearance and shape of the rose.
Brian looks for stems that cross or rub together. Removing these from the bottom ensures better growth – when parts of a plant are pruned off it uses its energy to produce new stems and leaves.
This is a rose hip or rosehip, also called rose haw and rose hep. It is the accessory fruit, the seed pod, of the various species of rose plant. It is typically red to orange, but ranges from dark purple to black in some species.
Rose hips remain on the plant after the rose blooms fade. Rose hips are actually edible and many birds enjoy them. They also make great jellies, sauces, syrups, soups and seasoning, and even fruit leather.
Here, Ryan opens a rose hip to reveal the seeds inside.
Meanwhile, Pasang works on the climbers along the fence. Climbers take some dedicated work, but the end result is always so satisfying.
Here one can see how pruning improves the shape of the bush. All of these roses are well shaped in height and width.
Pruning also provides more air circulation between the branches.
In the middle of the garden, I also have six of these tower trellises. My climbers love these supports and grow beautiful blooms every season.
Of course, all the cuttings are collected and taken to the pile for chipping.
I am so proud of how well we maintain all our roses here at the farm. The basics of rose pruning are not difficult to learn, and the process triggers new buds to push at the base so that new vigorous canes can form. I can’t wait to see them all in bloom again come spring. How do you care for your roses this time of year? Share your comments in the section below.
Here at Cantitoe Corners, my Bedford, New York farm, afternoons are for the peafowl.
It’s always such a joy to see these gorgeous birds growing and thriving. They are curious, friendly, and love to wander the premises, foraging for food and checking out all the activity. Peafowl usually travel in groups and often play together, especially under the sunlight. I currently have 17 peacocks and peahens that live in a pen near my stable. Every day around lunchtime, they are let out of their enclosure for a few hours to roam and explore. They love to walk between the paddocks, and up to my greenhouse. They also visit my Winter House terrace to see if I'm home. And then just before sundown, they walk back to their safe and warm coop.
Enjoy these photos and the short video.
My peafowl are so friendly. Most of them were hatched right here at the farm, so they are very accustomed to people. My peafowl are let out of their pen after all the dogs and cats have been exercised. Here’s one looking for a treat.
The term “peacock” is commonly used to refer to birds of both sexes. However, technically only males are peacocks. Females are peahens, and together, they are called peafowl. This is a peacock on top of the stone wall behind my stable.
Here are two peahens and a peacock walking over from their pen to join their friends by the potted trees.
There are two familiar peacock species. The blue peacock from India and Sri Lanka, and the green peacock found in Java and Myanmar. A more distinct and little-known species, the Congo peacock, inhabits African rain forests.
Peafowl are happiest when living in small groups. They often walk around following each other and then stop to forage together.
Males are generally twice the size of females. Males also look especially larger when displaying their fancy plumage. When peacocks are not displaying their tail feathers, or trains, they drag behind them.
Peahens are noticeably smaller and mostly dull in color.
All peacocks and peahens are omnivores and ground-feeders that eat insects, plants, and small creatures.
Here is a male showing his vibrant eye shaped markings of blue, green, and gold. Microscopic, crystal-like structures in the feathers reflect different wavelengths of light creating the bright, fluorescent colors.
Peacocks display their tails during courtship. When threatened, they also fan their tails out in order to look larger and intimidating. When the peacock quivers his feathers, they emit a low-frequency sound inaudible to humans. The peacock can change the sound to communicate different messages. Males shed their train each year after mating season.
Here is my handsome all white peacock – so majestic. He also seems to be the leader of the group – wherever he goes, the rest will follow.
On this day, my outdoor grounds crew was repotting the growing young trees kept behind the stable. The peafowl are always so curious and always come up close to see what is happening.
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.
Peafowl are very smart, docile and adaptable birds. They are also quite clever. Once acclimated to their surroundings, they tend to stay where they are well-fed and well-protected at night. They actually walk back to their enclosure at the end of the day.
As beautiful as peafowl are, they don’t make very melodious sounds. Peafowl have 11 different calls, with most of the vocalizing made by the peacocks. And, with their sharp eyesight, peafowl are quick to see predators and call out alarms. Oftentimes, I can hear them from across the farm.
Most peacocks will do all their exploring on foot. This trio is walking through the cobblestone courtyard in front of my stable – I wonder where they are headed next.
Peafowl also have acute hearing, but can be poor at discerning from what direction certain sounds originate.
And here is the white peacock in the allee of lindens.
Meanwhile, a “train show” is going on nearby. The giant tail feathers of the male spread out over 60-percent of the peacock’s body length.
Not by just one, but two – whose train is bigger? It can be arched into a magnificent fan that reaches across the bird’s back and touches the ground on either side. Females are believed to choose their mates according to the size, color, and quality of these outrageous feather trains. I love to see their show – check out the video below.
In this video, two mature peacocks are displaying their stunning and iridescent tail feathers. It is not quite mating season yet, but these birds are strutting back and forth shaking their feathers and hindquarters to produce a rattling sound for the females.
Here in Bedford, New York, we're expecting sunny skies and temperatures in the low 30s - one day after our first accumulating snow storm of the New Year.
This weather system started falling overnight Thursday and lasted through yesterday morning's commute dropping about six to seven inches of powdery, white snow. Just as the sun came up, I ventured out to take some photos and to plow the four miles of carriage road here at the farm. Using my trusted Polaris XP Ranger 1000 fitted with its adjustable snow plow, it took me about three hours to do, but I got the job done - I find plowing so much fun every single time! Please see more images and videos on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48.
Enjoy these photos.
I honestly love our Polaris vehicles. This Polaris XP Ranger 1000 has 80 horsepower – one of the most powerful in its class. It is easy to handle and helps with so many of the chores around the farm. Here I am about to plow the four miles of carriage roads. I plow every time it snows. When I plow, I always leave an inch or two of snow on the top, so the roads still look pretty and the gravel underneath is left undisturbed.
On this day, the snow started overnight and lasted until early morning – about an inch of snow an hour. By daylight, the entire farm was a veritable winter wonderland.
This snow accumulated on every branch of nearly every tree, but did not weigh any down too much.
This is the fence surrounding my flower cutting garden with the sun just coming out overhead. Snow stuck to nearly every surface and crevice – luckily it was a light, fluffy snow. This light snow forms when all layers of the atmosphere are below freezing. Because the air is cold, all the way down to the surface, snowflakes don’t melt. It was about 30-degrees Fahrenheit all day, but very little wind.
Here is a view from the carriage road through my Stewartia garden and my Tenant House, where my daughter and grandchildren stay when they visit.
This is a row of six weeping hornbeams, Carpinus betulus Pendula. They line one side of my soccer field and the archery range I set up for my grandson, Truman. These are such graceful and shapely specimen trees, very densely branched and adaptable to various soil conditions.
Here are the trunks of the mighty pin oaks that grow alongside my large Equipment Barn – every branch on every tree is outlined in white with the contrasting dark brown bark below.
Tucked away between the Equipment Barn and a grove of weeping willows is my pinetum. It includes pines, spruces, and firs, as well as other evergreens.
Here is my stand of American beech trees. They are slow to grow but can live up to 300-years. Look closely – some leaves remain. It’s interesting how some drop all their leaves, while others hold onto them as long as possible.
On the left, it is hard to miss the stand of great eastern white pine trees, Pinus strobus. White pines are the tallest trees in eastern North America. On the right, another evergreen with its boughs covered in beautiful snow.
Here’s a stand of dawn redwoods, Metasequoia, with their straight trunks – impressive trees by any standard, and beautiful in any season. One can sometimes tell the direction of the wind by the way the snow collects on the trees – it creates such interesting patterns on the tree trunks.
Looking over the vegetable garden, one can see the sun peeking through the cloud cover.
This is the carriage road leading up to my Summer House – still left untouched. The stakes delineate the road from the garden beds and all my young azaleas we planted last spring.
Here is the cobblestone courtyard with the stable on the left and the office straight ahead.
This view looks down the lilac allee – a very different look from May, when all the fragrant lilacs are in bloom.
I am so glad all my boxwood and all the ornamental urns, birdbaths, and troughs are well-covered with burlap. Here, Pasang and Fernando are sweeping all the snow off the burlap structures along the Boxwood Allee, so they don’t weigh down on the protected shrubs.
Here is a gurgling stream peeking through the blanket of white. The woodland streams are full – they look so dark against the snow.
This is the Christmas tree garden across from my compost piles. I planted a total of 640 Christmas trees in this field – White Pine, Frasier Fir, Canaan Fir, Norway Spruce, and Blue Spruce. They’ve grown so much since they were planted in 2009.
The snow also covered these old stone walls. New England is filled with stone walls – thigh-high stones stacked together in various shapes and sizes. Many old stone walls are left from colonial settlers building their farmlands.
This is one of two lower hayfields. The weeping willows add a slightly golden hue to the winter landscape.
These are some apple trees near what I call my “Contemporary House.” Snow covers the tops, outlining their interesting shapes. These are some of the oldest fruit trees on the property.
A little bit of color shows forth on this Pieris japonica, the Japanese andromeda or Japanese pieris – a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae. It is native to eastern China, Taiwan, and Japan, where it grows in mountain thickets. Deep-red winter buds open to pale-pink flowers that bow down from pinkish branches in early spring.
Venturing through the back hayfield we saw these coyote tracks. Coyote prints are ovular and usually 2.5 to 3.5 inches long. Coyotes typically run or walk in a straight line, with each paw print almost directly in front of the next. Many wild animals visit the property all year round. I hope all of the creatures are keeping warm in their woodland dens.
Visibility remained pretty clear – one can see the end of my winding pergola and my Basket House in the distance.
On this snow covered apple tree in front of my Winter House, several apples still cling to their branches.
This grove of apple trees was here when I purchased my home. They are lined up behind the herbaceous peony garden. They still produce an abundance of apples every fall.
Notice the holes in the burlap. It’s a “Good Thing” I developed to help our avian friends during winter – they love to take cover inside, especially during storms.
One of the most popular views at the farm – this one looking down the long carriage road to the woodlands. Majestic trees stand tall, with smaller saplings growing below.
By afternoon, there was a mix of sun and clouds with temperatures in the 30s. This is a view of my old corn crib and the path lined with linden trees between two of my paddocks. It was a beautiful end to a winter’s day.
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