I am so happy I can grow lots of juicy, nutrient-rich citrus fruits right here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Citrus fruits come in various colors, flavors, shapes, and sizes. Among the most recognizable are oranges and lemons. Less known, the smallest member of the citrus family is the kumquat. I love them all and I find it so satisfying to walk into my greenhouse and see them all thriving. It is actually quite easy to grow citrus indoors as long as it can be kept in a sunny windowsill or in a bright corner of a room. Yesterday my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, picked a bucket full of wonderful fruits.
Enjoy these photos.
My citrus hoop house is located across the carriage road from my vegetable garden not far from my chickens. My gardeners check the citrus house every day, but on this morning, Ryan is also harvesting lots of delicious, juicy fruits. They have been very productive this year.
They will stay in this greenhouse for about seven months. Citrus plants dislike abrupt temperature shifts and need to be protected from chilly drafts and blazing heaters. Dwarf citrus trees require at least eight to 12 hours of full sunshine and good air circulation to thrive.
I have many lemon trees. The Meyer lemon was first introduced to the United States in 1908 by the agricultural explorer, Frank Nicholas Meyer, an employee of the United States Department of Agriculture who collected a sample of the plant on a trip to China. Citrus limon ‘Meyer’ is my favorite lemon because this thin-skinned fruit is much more flavorful than the ordinary store-bought. I love to use them for baking and cooking.
Meyer lemons are also smaller and more round than their regular store-bought cousins.
This is a Citrus hystrix, or makrut lime. It is native to tropical Asia, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The leaves of this tree are often used in Thai cooking for their delicious flavor and fragrance.
This is a Nagami kumquat, Fortunella margarita – the most commonly grown type of kumquat. The tree is small to medium in size with a dense and somewhat fine texture. These trees are quite cold-hardy because of their tendency to go semi-dormant from late fall to early spring. Unlike other citrus fruits, which have thick, pithy rinds, kumquat peel is thin and soft, and perfectly edible.
Calamondin, Citrus mitis, is an acid citrus fruit originating in China. Calamondin is called by many names, including calamondin orange, calamansi, calamandarin, golden lime, and musk orange.
The fruits of the calamondin are small and thin skinned. Its juice can be used like lemon or lime to make refreshing beverages, or to flavor fish and various soups.
These calamondins are still young and green. One calamondin is about 12-calories and like all citrus, packed with vitamin-C.
This is citrus hybrid I purchased in Florida during a recent visit – I love its striped fruit pattern.
And here is another – I always look out for rare and interesting varieties. This fruit has classic yellow skin but bearing vertical stripes of green.
The leaves are also marked with cream and soft green.
Citrus flowers are either solitary or clustered – and one can practically smell their beautiful aroma.
All citrus fruits are members of the genus Citrus and many of them have thorns on their trees. Some of the most common citrus trees to sport thorns are Meyer lemons, most grapefruits and key limes. Thorns provide protection from predators, specifically hungry animals that want to nibble away at the tender leaves and fruit.
Another citrus bearing fruit right now is the Citrus australasica, the Australian finger lime or caviar lime. Australian limes are a species of the plant genus Citrus that are native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. They have a minty, citrus aroma with a tangy, sweet, and slightly sour, floral, lemon-lime flavor.
It’s important to store the plants so none of them touch. This prevents a lot of diseases from being transferred specimen to specimen.
Here’s one full bucket of various citrus fruits. I always have enough lemons for whatever I need. I can’t recall the last time I actually bought a lemon.
Citrus sinensis ‘Trovita’ is thin skinned and develops without the excessive heat most oranges need to produce good fruit. The fruit is smaller, juicier, and milder in flavor.
And this is my beautiful Citrus limon ‘Ponderosa’ or ‘The American Wonder Lemon’ – this plant produces a thick mass of highly fragrant flowers, which become tiny lemons. Those lemons get bigger and bigger, often up to five pounds! This ‘Ponderosa’ citrus tree is pretty large, so it is always stored in the front just behind the doors.
Here’s a closeup of one of its fruits – it is bigger than the palm of one’s hand.
Once all the fruits are harvested, they are brought up to my Winter House where they are cleaned and placed into my refrigerator. It is so nice to know I can grow all these wonderful fruits right here at my farm. I only wish I had a bigger greenhouse, so I could grow many, many, many more — maybe one day.
If you're planning a trip to the Bahamas between now and January 29, 2022, why not make it a bit more special by visiting a "Rosé Paradis Garden" - a luxury pop-up experience now open at The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort.
The Bahamian hotel launched the one-of-a-kind experience in honor of its upcoming 60th anniversary. The pop-up was done in partnership with France’s Château d’Esclans to offer guests a taste of France that includes a sampling of Whispering Angel and other wines from the Château d’Esclans portfolio. The enchanted setting is within The Ocean Club’s expansive Versailles Terraced Gardens, adorned with a curated collection of stone and bronze statues and outdoor furniture pieces sourced from French antiques markets and refurbished to match the exact shade of pink found in Château d’Esclans iconic Whispering Angel rosé. I flew to Paradise Island last month to celebrate the resort's newest activation with my longtime publicist and friend, Susan Magrino. Some of you may recall, Susan and her husband, James Dunning Jr., were married at The Ocean Club in 2004 - click here to read the story in Weddings. It was a short, but most enjoyable trip with good friends.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Here I am just before boarding our plane to the Bahamas with my Rimowa luggage. Rimowa calls this “bamboo green.” I call it “Martha green” inspired by my love for vintage Fire-King glassware.
When we arrived at The Ocean Club, it was a bit rainy, but the views were still stunning. The Bahamas, or The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is a sovereign country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic. The archipelagic state consists of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets in the Atlantic Ocean. It is located north of Cuba, southeast of Florida, and east of the Florida Keys. Have you been there?
This is a look at The Ocean Club’s expansive Versailles Terraced Gardens. The quarter-mile stretch of manicured grounds include a curated collection of stone and bronze statues and marble cloisters at the top overlooking Nassau Harbor. This is the setting for the pop-up “Rosé Paradis Garden” – open to local residents and visitors through the month of January 2022.
The gardens were developed by George Huntington Hartford II, the former owner of the Ocean Club and of Paradise Island itself. (Photo by Christian Horan for The Ocean Club)
Heir to the A. & P. Tea Company, George bought the property in the 1960s. George envisioned a luxury estate for the business elite and imported European fountains and statues. This gazebo sits on the slope to the harbor.
Kevin Sharkey, who also accompanied me on the short three-day excursion, stepped into the gazebo to see its interesting roof design.
Among the 13-statues is this copy of “Hercules” leaning on his club with his lion skin draped on his shoulder overlooking a lily pond. “Hercules” is positioned at the center of the garden. Considered the guardian of Mankind, his likeness towers at eight feet tall.
On another tier, a bronze statue called “Mother and Child.”
George’s biggest purchase was in 1961 when he acquired the disassembled parts of the 12th century cloisters.
George hired architect J.J. Castremanne, to assemble the pieces that had been sitting in crates for more than two decades.
At the center sits a 1928 marble statue titled, “Silence” – placed there by artist William Reid Dick, also cast in statue within the Garden.
Here are some of the tables and chairs displayed in a “Rosé Paradis Garden” where guests can indulge in lavish menu items and toast to good times with the featured Whispering Angel rose.
The outdoor furniture pieces are even refurbished and painted to match the Château d’Esclans iconic rosé – pink. Here, guests can enjoy the exclusive rose wine pairings in lounge style seating.
This is Melissa Katz. The “Rosé Paradis Garden” was the brain child of Melissa and The Ocean Club. On this night, we celebrated the launch at the resort…
Bottles of Whispering Angel and Château d’Esclans wines decorated the shelves. (Photo by Christian Horan for The Ocean Club)
Later we attended a party hosted by Whispering Angel at Dune, the acclaimed restaurant by Michelin starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. We all drank Whispering Angel and Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial Rose champagne. It is also where Susan and Jim had their wedding dinner years back.
Did you see this on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48? The next day, I enjoyed this pina colada and a dip in the water.
Here is a photo of Susan and Jim at the spot where they married in 2004.
Artist Jamaal Rolle, also known as “The Celebrity Artist,” attended the launch party and the dinner and then presented me with this portrait the next evening. Jamaal has created portraits for some of the world’s most recognizable and influential figures including Prince Harry of Wales, Academy Award Winner, Sir Sidney Poitier, and NBA Champion Lebron James. It was an honor to get one of my own.
Here I am with Susan just before going to dinner at Nobu located at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort.
We enjoyed a host of of sushi dishes. The menu at Nobu is a blend of classic Japanese cooking with influences from Peru and Europe. I try to include a visit to one of Nobu’s restaurants whenever I can.
And on the next morning before leaving, Jamaal returned with a portrait of Susan – done so beautifully and so quickly. Please visit his web site at thecelebrityartist.com to see more of his wonderful works.
It was a very quick trip to the Bahamas, but filled with lots of fun and interesting activities. Looking forward to my next visit. If you’re looking for some joie de vivre, go to the Bahamas and treat yourself and a loved one to a “Rosé Paradis Garden” at The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort. You’ll love it.
There's always something beautiful to see in my greenhouse.
Here in the Northeast, all the garden beds are bare and put to be for the season, but inside my greenhouse are gorgeous blooming camellias - dense shrubs with brilliant evergreen foliage and exquisite flowers. These shrubs blossom prodigiously for weeks, from late fall to mid-spring, showing off beautiful shades of white, cream, pink, and red.
Enjoy these photos.
In all, I have five different greenhouses. This one is designated the tropical greenhouse. It works by heating and circulating air to create an artificial tropical environment. The entire structure is built using heavy gauge American made, triple-galvanized steel tubing. To simulate the best subtropical environment, we try to keep the temperature in this house between 50 and 85-degrees Fahrenheit with some humidity.
On one side of the greenhouse are my camellias. These are from Nuccio’s Nurseries, Inc. in Altadena, California. Camellias thrive in mild climates from California to Florida and are available in thousands of cultivars. Most shrubs reach a height between six and 12 feet, and just about as wide.
The leaves of a camellia are alternately arranged, simple, thick, serrated, and glossy. These are the buds of ‘Pink Wings’ – when in bloom, it will feature soft pink, medium to large, irregular semi-double flowers.
Camellia flowers come in mainly white and shades of pink or red, and various combinations.
Buds start to form in mid-summer and then open from fall through early spring. These are the buds of Camellia ‘Elizabeth Weaver.’
And this is what it looks like in full bloom. Camellia ‘Elizabeth Weaver’ has large formal double flowers in coral pink.
‘Silver Waves’ features showy white round flowers with yellow eyes at the ends of the branches from late winter to early spring. Different varieties of camellias come in various shapes: anemone, single, semi-double, formal double, rose-form double and peony form. Their flowers are usually large and can be about four-inches in diameter.
Camellia ‘Ferris Wheel’ is white with multiple red and pink streaks in various lengths throughout the flower and striking yellow anthers in the center.
This Camellia ‘Nuccio’s Gem’ flower is still unfurling. Their blooms are usually large and conspicuous, one to 12 centimeters in diameter.
Close by, ‘Nuccio’s Gem’ fully open – a pure white, perfectly formed camellia flower with three to four inch blossoms. It is one of the most popular camellia varieties.
I am so happy these camellias are thriving in my greenhouse. Camellias are part of the Theaceae or tea plant family, including the most common ornamental species, C. japonica and C. sasanqua.
This is ‘High Fragrance’ – with large, light pink, semi-double flowers and an alluring scent.
When selecting a spot for a potted camellia, be sure it gets partial shade and protection from hot afternoon sunlight, as container-grown camellias dry out much faster than shrubs planted in the ground. Also water the plant deeply whenever the top two to four inches of potting mix feels dry to the touch and let it drain completely.
‘Frank Houser’ is a hybrid that shows off incredibly large, deep glowing pink to red blooms with darker veins.
‘Elegans Champagne’ is a showy and elegant cultivar with voluminous, anemone-form flowers in champagne pale pink to ivory – a true heritage plant and a popular favorite in Southern gardens.
‘Silver Lace’ has large, silvery white, yellow-centered, semi-double blooms that contrast the glossy dark green leaves. When it comes to fertilizing, feed with a good quality fertilizer specifically for camellias or a general 10-10-10 fertilizer in spring after the flowers have dropped. Avoid feeding camellias after July, as late feeding can cause bud drop.
‘Nuccio’s Pearl’ shows off full double blooms and pure white petals edged with an orchid pink blush.
‘Debutante’ has abundant, large, light pink, peony-style blooms densely packed with clear pale pink petals.
‘Ragland Supreme’ is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Mature flowers are a creamy milk white.
‘Can Can’ has soft rose colored flowers with pale pink striations at the base, occasionally, small bright rose splashes and irregular, very pale pink to white borders.
Large, semi-double soft pink blooms appear from late fall into winter on this variety, ‘Taylor’s Perfection.’
This is japonica ‘Ave Maria,’ just opening. It features small to medium flowers with up to 50-petals in a delicate silvery pink color.
And here it is in full bloom. Camellias have a reputation for being somewhat difficult to grow, but if one is willing to meet their needs, they’ll thrive with a long bloom season just when it is needed most. I am looking forward to seeing all their stunning flowers throughout winter. I will be sure to share more of their delightful blossoms in future blogs.
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