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.
My Bedford, New York farm is covered with several inches of white, fluffy snow this morning, but inside my home - beautiful, healthy, lush houseplants.
Houseplants bring life to any room, especially during the cold, dreary days of winter. I love container plants, and over the years I have amassed quite a collection of tropical specimens. This week, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, selected a lovely group of succulents and orchids to decorate my Winter House.
Enjoy these photos.
It’s always so nice to see beautiful container plants when I am home. Here are three potted succulents ready to be displayed in my indoor porch where there is plenty of light. 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 feature perfect rosettes like these.
Here’s Ryan bringing in a crate of beautiful orchids.
This is a potted rhipsalis, 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 plants on pedestals or tall tables.
Here’s a closer look. Also known as chain cactus or mistletoe cactus, the thread-like succulent stems are narrow, green and can grow several feet long.
And here is another rhipsalis. These plants prefer bright, indirect light. Rhipsalis plants also appreciate a good misting now and again and watering about once a week, or whenever the soil becomes dry.
My melodious red factor canaries are watching all the plants being brought indoors – I think they appreciate the variety of plants they see.
In a blog posted last month, I shared how to force flowering bulbs. These are some of the hyacinth bulbs. Forcing is the process of speeding up a bulb’s development by simulating the conditions of winter and spring – it’s a way of fooling Mother Nature and tricking the bulb to bloom before its time. Hyacinths are excellent for this technique as their flowers are both attractive and fragrant. These are growing perfectly.
This is another pot of hyacinth bulbs. Each hyacinth bulb generally produces one flower stalk that stands eight to 10-inches tall.
The bulbs can be forced in either water or soil. These are planted in containers filled with soil and sand and then top dressed with gravel. I also have some being forced in water. I can’t wait to see all of them open. I will be sure to share those photos with you.
Succulents grow in so many different and interesting formations and colors. Succulents are best planted in clay or terra cotta pots with proper drainage holes because the vessels dry quickly, and prevent water from building up.
Echeverias are some of the most attractive of all succulents and they are highly valued by plant enthusiasts for their gorgeous colors and beautiful shapes. The leaves are also fleshy and have a waxy cuticle on the exterior. The echeveria plant is slow growing and usually doesn’t exceed 12 inches in height or spread.
Here are two cactus plants flanking a rhipsalis. The trip looks so nice in front of this window.
Inside my sitting room are these orchids. Most orchid genera are epiphytic, meaning they grow on trees and rocks rather than in soil. Orchid roots need to breathe and therefore cannot live buried in dirt. Orchid pots with holes on the sides are specially designed to allow air to circulate through the loose medium and around the leaves and roots.
Although generally thought of as a tropical plant, orchids grow on every continent, from the Arctic Circle to the southernmost jungle, except Antarctica. The size of orchids depends on the species. They can be quite small or very large. However, every orchid flower is bilaterally symmetric, which means it can be divided into two equal parts.
When keeping orchids in your home, south and east-facing windows work best. West windows can be too hot in the afternoon and north-facing ones are usually too dark. This plant has gorgeous white blooms with dark pink markings.
This is a “slipper orchid” – one of my favorites. The key to growing these plants is to keep the root systems strong and healthy. These plants have no bulbs or stems to store moisture and nutrients, so it is important to maintain their roots.
A rule of thumb for potted orchids is the leaf color. when provided with a proper balance of light, humidity, and temperature, these plants will have healthy bright green leaves. Too little light would make the leaves very dark. Most of my potted plants are kept in the greenhouse, where they can be maintained properly.
Dendrobium is a large orchid genus with more than a thousand species. This one is Dendrobium ‘Nora Tokunaga’ with a sweet fragrance and interesting white flowers with purple marked lips.
These dainty orchid blossoms have a wonderful chocolate scent. In general, most orchid plants are actually long-lived. In fact, divisions or propagations of orchids discovered in the 19th century are still growing and flowering today.
I am always looking out for rare and interesting plant species. Ryan placed this gorgeous orchid on the center table in my foyer. It is blooming profusely with large, star shaped, fragrant, white flowers.
Here’s a closer look at one of its blooms. This plant can produce two to six flowers per stem. I feel so fortunate to have such an amazing collection of extraordinary plants to share with my guests and to enjoy myself. What houseplants do you keep? Share your comments with me below.
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