It’s time to plant all those spring-blooming bulbs!
Every autumn we plant thousands and thousands of bulbs here at my Bedford, New York farm. Last week, we started planting in various beds including my beautiful pergola garden - one of the first areas I see when I drive into my property. We planted Camassia and several Allium cultivars. Many of our bulbs are from Colorblends Wholesale Flowerbulbs - a third generation flower merchant in nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut. I always find it exciting to plant bulbs in the fall that you won't see for many months to come - it's such a wonderful surprise of color when they bloom in spring.
Enjoy these photos and bulb-planting tips.
If you haven’t yet planted your spring-blooming bulbs, this is the time to do it. Every year, I order lots of bulbs in batches of 50, 100, 500, and a thousand. These bulbs are from Colorblends – they come in these breathable sacks and crates.
The Colorblends facility is housed in an old factory originally built in 1879. Colorblends has been selling bulbs for more than 50-years.
The Colorblends warehouse is large and filled with all kinds of bulbs that arrive from the Netherlands in early fall. Most of them are already packaged and ready to ship. While Colorblends does handle some bulb order pickups, the company mainly ships bulbs to customers from online catalog orders and by phone.
Everything is neatly stacked and organized by type. Once the bulbs are ready, they are delivered according to a planting map. After the first frost in one’s area, bulbs can be planted safely for about two months.
Everything is done by hand at Colorblends. The bulbs are all inspected for each order and hand packed. Then, they are shipped off directly to professionals and ambitious residential gardeners – all in time for planting season.
Fernando Ferrari lives just a few minutes from the Colorblends facility, so he picks up our bulb order every year. Once our bulbs arrive at the farm, each crate and bag is properly labeled and grouped depending on where they will be planted. Each variety is also checked off on a master inventory list to ensure we picked up everything we ordered for the season.
One of the first areas we plant is the long pergola garden across the carriage road from my beautiful bald cypress trees- look at the gorgeous russet brown colored fall foliage of these trees.
There are several different tools used for planting bulbs depending on the size of the bulb. Here we have traditional long handled bulb planters made with powder-coated steel. The six inch barrel is perfect for planting most bulbs and has a 37 inch long handle for planting ease. We also use the shorter bulb planters – each crew member has his favorite tool.
Using the stand-up bulb planter, Phurba makes holes all along the bed.
This tool is best for planting larger bulbs that need to be buried at least six-inches deep.
Because the pergola garden is long, this bed will need hundreds of bulbs to fill it. Most bulbs do best in full sun with at least six hours of direct sunlight a day and well-drained soil.
Brian uses a stainless steel bulb planter drill attachment that pulls the soil out in a “core sample” type plug that can easily be dropped right back into the hole to cover the bulb.
In general, holes should be three times deeper than the bulb’s length.
We always add Bulb-tone to our nutrient-rich soil. The food should be a balanced fertilizer that has a good amount of phosphorous. Fertilizing spring-blooming bulbs also helps them fight off diseases and pests.
We also add Bone Meal fertilizer – a meal or powder made from ground up animal bones. It is used to increase phosphorus in the garden, which is essential for plants to flower.
Ryan mixes both in one trug bucket before sprinkling over the entire length of the garden bed.
Next, Ryan places all the bulbs for this area into a wheelbarrow. This batch includes Camassia and Alliums.
Camassia is a genus of plants in the asparagus family native to Canada and the United States. Common names include camas, quamash, Indian hyacinth, camash, and wild hyacinth. They grow to a height of 12 to 50 inches and vary in color from pale lilac or white to deep purple or blue-violet. (Photo courtesy of Colorblends)
Allium ‘Globemaster’ is a tall allium that blooms in early summer with six-inch diameter rose-purple globes. ‘Globemaster’ is among the tallest of the giant Alliums. (Photo courtesy of Colorblends)
‘Purple Sensation’ alliums are four-inch globes of rich purple flowers on tall stems. Also this year, we’re planting Allium ‘Atlas’ and Allium ‘Firmament.’ (Photo courtesy of Colorblends)
Ryan mixes all the bulbs, so they can be planted randomly. This will allow them to look more natural when they bloom. In general, when positioning bulbs in a garden bed, consider color, size of plant and time of bloom. This bed is already established with Camassia and Alliums.
When purchasing bulbs, always look for those that are plump and firm, and avoid those that are soft. These bulbs from Colorblends are in great condition. Bulbs come in a variety of sizes depending on the flower – the bigger the bulb the more time it has to grow and the bigger the flower bloom.
True bulbs can be either tunicate, with a papery covering or non-tunicate without the covering. This is a tunicate bulb. On many bulbs, it is also easy to see which end is the top and which end has the roots.
One by one, each bulb is carefully placed in a hole, with the pointed end faced up, or root end faced down. This is very important, so the plant grows properly from the bulb.
Here is a bulb inside the hole – at least several inches down.
Brian backfills the hole to completely bury the bulb. There are already many other bulbs planted here, so the crew is very careful when planting additional bulbs in this space. Once all the bulbs are planted, the area is raked, so it looks neat and tidy.
There are hundreds and hundreds more to get in the ground, but I am glad the weather has allowed us a good head start this season. I cannot wait to see the fruits of our labor, and the swaths of color that will emerge in spring.
Sometimes, business trips take me to the most beautiful countries filled with history and culture.
If you follow me closely on Instagram @MarthaStewart48, you may have seen some of my photos from my recent trip to Dubai, on the Persian Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates. Joining me were my longtime friends and colleagues, Kevin Sharkey and Hannah Milman. Our main purpose was to participate in the Methuselah Foundation-sponsored Deep Space Food Challenge Panel at the International Astronautical Congress, held for the first time in the UAE since the IAC's establishment in 1950. We flew Emirates Airlines to Dubai and stayed at the beautiful hotel, Jumeirah Al Qasr. In the short time we were there, we toured the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, walked through one of the area's souk markets where they sell lavish gold jewelry, handwoven fabrics, traditional perfumes, spices, and souvenirs, drove through the city of tall skyscrapers, and ate at several delicious restaurants. It was a very packed four-days, but we had a wonderful time.
Here are some photos, enjoy. These photos were taken by me and Kevin Sharkey - follow his Instagram @seenbysharkey. And don’t forget, Daylight Saving Time ends tomorrow morning, November 7th, so set the clocks back one hour before going to bed tonight. Those living in participating states across the US will get an extra hour of sleep. Daylight Saving Time occurs in many states and territories except Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Island.
We flew aboard Emirates Airlines – the largest airline and one of two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates. The entire flight took 12-and-a-half hours, but it was very comfortable ride with excellent service and accommodations – see my Instagram post on @MarthaStewart48.
Dubai is the largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. It is located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf. There is always so much growth here. I last visited with my family in December 2017 – it has developed even more since then.
We took many photos of the interesting buildings. On the left are The Jumeirah Emirates Towers. They’re the “twins” of Dubai’s skyline — two buildings that appear almost identical.
Jumeirah Emirates Tower One is the taller of the pair at about 1163 feet. Its 54 floors house mostly offices. Tower Two stands at 1014 feet and serves as a luxury hotel. The two buildings are topped with distinctive equilateral triangles and a spire. Designed by architect Hazel Wong, the Jumeirah Emirates Towers were the tallest skyscrapers to be designed by a woman upon their completion in 2000.
This is one of Dubai’s newer attractions – the Dubai Frame. The two towers are connected by a 1000 square foot bridge, which has a glass panel in the middle. It was designed by award-winning architect Fernando Donis, who also designed Dubai’s Porsche Design Towers, and the Dubai Renaissance Tower. This giant frame is located in Zabeel Park and was carefully chosen to give visitors the best view of both old and new Dubai.
This is Dubai’s Museum of the Future – a technology-themed museum located at the Madinat Jumeirah. The facade is decorated with Arabic calligraphy, including quotes from the Prime Minister of UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. All windows are designed within the characters.
This sail-shaped hotel is the Burj Al Arab. It sits on its own manmade island in Dubai’s harbor. It is accessed via its own helipad near the roof at a height of 689 feet above ground.
The Jumeirah Grand Mosque is a landmark structure in Dubai. Designed in the Fatimid architectural tradition, the mosque is made from white stone and features a pair of minarets that frame a central dome. The Jumeirah Grand Mosque was a gift from the Late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the former Ruler of Dubai and father of the current Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. It is said that it is the most photographed mosque in all of Dubai.
On our first full day in Dubai, we were given a private tour of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, the hub of where UAE’s space activities first started.
This is the KhalifaSat Earth Observation ground station antenna. It is made to receive the satellite communications and data back down on Earth. Equipped with the latest in space and imaging technology, KhalifaSat is a powerful imaging tool, more agile than its predecessors: the DubaiSat-1 launched in Kazakhstan in 2009 and DubaiSat-2 launched in Russia in 2013.
This mural behind me Shows the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who has been a strong supporter of the UAE space program.
We were able to see many of the control rooms. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre is a Dubai government organization which works on various space satellite projects, the Emirates Mars Mission, the Emirates Lunar Mission, and the UAE astronaut program.
This is the mission control and space operations room. Leading the tour is Amer Al Sayegh, who is the Senior Director of the Space Engineering Department at MBRSC. (Photo by Stephanie Wan, Methuselah Foundation)
This is called a clean room where they are assembling the next satellite mission: MBZ-sat. The clean room is where all components are assembled before they go into space to ensure there is no contamination.
Here I am with Robyn Gatens, Director for the International Space Station, and Mark Kirasich, Deputy Associate Administrator for Advanced Exploration Systems at NASA Johnson Space Center.
My main commitment on this trip was to speak at the Methuselah Foundation-sponsored fireside chat on the Deep Space Food Movement, focused on accelerating food technologies for Earth and future deep space missions. Other guest speakers included representatives from NASA, the European Space Agency, the United Nations, and private entities who are passionate about food innovation and sustainability. Hannah and I were honored to be part of the panel.
Afterwards, we stood for a few group press photos – it was a great discussion. The team received high praise for the quality of the talks and the diverse insights from all the guest speakers. We covered many topics including the historical impact of human exploration for advancing food technology and ways we could solve world hunger. Please go to deepspacefoodchallenge.org to learn more.
And here’s a throw back to a photo of me taken in 1996 – I have been interested in the foods of the future for many years and have had many discussions with renowned scientists and authors about the critical need for innovative food technologies to sustain people on Earth and in space.
In this photo I am joined by NASA astronaut Jessica Meir on my right and Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Neyadi on my left, the first two Emiratis selected in their Astronaut Program.
We also toured a Dubai Souk, where there is a large number of stores selling everything from clothes to textiles, souvenirs to food.
This shop was dedicated entirely to spices.
The displays were very neat and tidy.
At night, the lighted skyscrapers gave Dubai a whole new look.
This is our view looking up to the top of the Burj Khalifa. Rising 2,716.5 feet above ground level, the 160-story iconic tower is currently the tallest building in the world. Excavation for the project began in 2004 and the building officially opened to the public in 2010.
The Burj Khalifa puts on a light show featuring an LED system totaling more than 17 miles of LED lights. The lights are installed on all the fins of the southeast side of the skyscraper facing the lagoon.
To create this light show is more simple than it looks – a media file plays on a laptop connected to a “main brain” server, which, through a network of fiber optics works with the LED lights to display a particular color. There are about 1.2 million lights for each image.
Here’s a group photo of me, Hannah, and some of the members of the Methuselah Foundation – Stephanie Wan Deep Space Food Challenge Partnerships Advisor, Florina Gobel Communication Director, Rebecca Batterman Deep Space Food Challenge Business Strategy Advisor, Dane Gobel Deep Space Food Challenge Program Director, and Helene Papper, the Global Communications and Advocacy Director for the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development.
We couldn’t go to Dubai without meeting up with former colleague Ron Thomas. Ron was the Vice President of Human Resources for my company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. He’s been working here in the UAE for several years. Kevin, Ron and I had a great time catching up.
At the airport before flying back home, we came across a very interesting group of passengers – falcons. The trainers and their raptors were waiting for a flight to Pakistan for a falconry competition.
This is the number one champion falcon. A gorgeous bird with white and brown feathering. These birds of prey are hooded to keep them calm during travel. It was quite a sight to see before leaving Dubai. In all, it was a very interesting and informative trip abroad.
My 2021 Holiday Gifts Catalog is here and it's filled with lots of innovative ideas to delight you and everyone on your list - start shopping right now!
It's less than three weeks until Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season. And this year, it's more important than ever to start preparing early. Martha.com offers all your favorite products in one easy-to-shop experience - items for decorating, cooking, baking, working from home, and more. And, if you're hosting a holiday gathering, I also have all the must-have tools and tabletop essentials to help you make your celebration perfect. Just click on the highlighted links to go straight to our Holiday Gifts Catalog!
Here are some photos, enjoy! And be sure to visit my web site at Martha.com.
I’m so excited about our shop at Martha.com. Martha.com and our trusted partners are celebrating the season with inspired collections for the holidays. This year, you can find decor, gifts, kitchen tools, and supplies all in one spot. Click on the highlighted link and start shopping this weekend!
This is my Pre-Lit Artificial Christmas Tree with energy efficient globe lights and memory wire branches. It is so life-like and so easy to assemble – it can be put up in minutes.
At Martha.com you can find lots of beautiful jeweled ornaments that will look striking on any tree or hanging from the mantel.
If you like gold, here is my Pre-Lit Champagne Tinsel Tree. This style tree is available in a range of heights to accommodate rooms and homes of all sizes. This tree is equipped with pre-shaped memory wire branches that will hold up all the many ornaments. Plus, lots of pre-strung lights to add the prettiest glow to the room.
This is my Champagne Shatterproof Ornament Set complete with 75 shatterproof pieces that will fill the spaces and sprigs on the tree in a cohesive, elegant fashion. The baubles come in an assortment of metallic tones with shiny, satin, flitter, and frosted white finishes, so there is a balance of sparkle, shine, and luster among the lights. Best of all, they’re durable, safe, and yes, shatterproof.
Light up your winter nights with the easy, elegant glow of my Flameless Candles. These come in sets of two wax candles shaped like full, bountiful pine trees and are available in green and gold finishes. The plastic flame flickers and shines with a realistic warmth and brightness, and is easily operated with the included remote.
Foods always look best on white. Here is my Hillington 12-Piece Dinnerware Set. It is comprised of four 10.8-inch dinner plates, four 9-inch dessert plates, and four 6.5-inch cereal bowls, each made from fine ceramic with a high-gloss finish.
I love this Nativity Set – it sits in my foyer for all my guests to see as they enter my home. It’s inspired by a set I made myself and has 14 figurines — 3 camels, 2 shepherds, 2 ox, 3 wise men, an inn keeper, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This set creates a complete scene of the first Christmas.
Nothing is more welcoming than a gorgeous holiday wreath, Here is my LED Pre-Lit Green Natural Shape 30-inch Wreath. The full boughs have a realistic, fresh-from-the-forest appearance with layers of soft, deep green needles and pliable branches. The greenery is lit by embedded LED lights that illuminate not only the entire wreath and but also its surrounding area.
If you’re hosting this year’s holiday feast, make sure you have my Vanowen 12-inch Baker. The 12-inch size provides ample space to expand the recipe to feed a crowd, and the dishwasher-safe design means cleanup will be so easy. Behind it is my Patterson 2.5 Quart Pitcher – also available on Martha.com.
My Ruxton 14-Piece Cutlery Set with Ashwood Block is great for your kitchen and that of your favorite home-cook. This set comes complete with an 8-inch chef’s knife, a 7-inch santoku knife, a 5-inch utility knife, a 3.5-inch paring knife, 6 steak knives, and kitchen shears. Also included in this set is an ash wood block to store the knives and sharpening steel. Each of the blades is forged from high-carbon, taper-ground stainless steel, then fitted with a triple-riveted handle for balance and control.
Cooking anything is better with my Lockton 10-inch Nonstick Aluminum Frying Pan. It is constructed from heavy-gauge aluminum with a riveted cast handle for a comfortable grip. Perfect for searing, sautéeing, and making easy-release pancakes, crepes, and eggs.
Serve your delicious desserts on my Patterson Ceramic Cake Stands. Measuring 12.2-inches in diameter and 5.4-inches high, this piece provides ample space as a platform for full-size tiered cakes or smaller cupcakes, cookies and other confections.
If you know me, you know how much I love jadeite. So whether you’re building your own collection like mine, or just looking for one piece to make a statement, or give as a gift, we’ve got lots of pieces to offer. Handcrafted out of milk glass, these pieces will hold up dinner after dinner, season after season, and year after year.
This is my Mango Wood 10-inch Serving Board. Crafted from durable eco-friendly mango wood, this cutting board and server is perfect for sharing artisanal meats and cheeses. And the handle design allows for easy transport.
This 5-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Round Dutch Oven is another must-have. Details like a durable nonstick coating and self-basting lid make this the perfect pot for weeknight meals and special occasions alike. The pot’s generous 5-quart capacity is perfect for making family sized batches of soup, pasta, hearty slow-braises, and crusty loaves of bread. This item is also available in a 3-quart size.
If you love caviar as much as I do, you’ll definitely want to order the ROE White Sturgeon Caviar Gift Set. The caviar has been cultivated on a farm in Northern California and salted once a month for freshness. The caviar boasts a buttery, briney, nutty flavor profile and contains no borax or preservatives. It is one of my favorites.
Keep your gardening workstation clean and organized with this convenient Soil Broom. Crafted with a solid wood handle, in varying wood types of ash, cherry, and walnut, and featuring a perfectly-designed row of soft and sturdy bristles, this broom will make easy work of the post-planting cleanup.
Enjoy a mixed assortment of Martha Stewart Wine Co. wines this holiday season. My wines are perfect for gatherings and gift giving. I hand selected all the flavorful varieties myself – you’ll love every one.
Go ahead, indulge and treat yourself or a lucky recipient to these stunning Baccarat Martharita Glasses, Set of 2. The Martha Collection by Baccarat is the result of a creative collaboration between me and the iconic company – perfect for Martharitas or your own favorite cocktails.
I’ve got all the best tools for your favorite gardeners – secateurs, weeders, pruning saws, trowels and of course, my handy Hori Hori knife. Visit Martha.com to see them all.
Be sure to feed your visiting feathered friends with my Premium Bird Seed. The mix includes black oil sunflower seeds (high in fat and rich in oil) and millet. Use it in my copper bird feeder. Constructed with real copper, the feeder is washable and refillable and will attract many different birds.
And cozy up in my Faux Fur Coat from my Outerwear collection. Whether you’re layering it over a formal look for a nighttime event, or throwing it on over jeans for a fabulous finish to your weekend wardrobe, the faux fur will provide insulation and the snap closures will ensure you’re securely snuggled in. Best of all, despite the lush look of this piece, it is fully machine-washable, so you can continue to look and feel your warmest and best for many winters to come. Get it with my matching Faux Fur Pull- Through Scarf. See all these products and so many more on Martha.com. It’s time to get into the holiday spirit! Have a safe and wonderful season.
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