Here at my Bedford, New York farm, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew know how imperative it is to "use the right tool for the right job." Among our favorites are the durable, easy-to-use tools from STIHL.
I've been using STIHL products for a long time. STIHL is recognized as a worldwide leader in outdoor power equipment and offers an extensive lineup of more than 80 different pieces including professional-grade chainsaws, blowers, string trimmers, hedge trimmers, pruners, and more. These dependable tools allow the crew to successfully complete the many, many tasks around my working farm. Recently, we added a few more pieces to our supply.
Here are some photos.
Not long ago, STIHL delivered a handful of tools we needed for different tasks here at my farm – some are battery operated and others are gas-powered.
Here’s Brian Carolan from STIHL. Brian always delivers the tools and shows us the proper way to use each one. He’s holding one of STIHL’s hedge trimmers. These hedge trimmers are designed without excess bulk and feature an appropriate power-to-weight ratio for superior maneuverability and cutting power.
Chhiring is holding a STIHL telescoping hedge trimmer which features precision-ground cutting blades and anti-vibration technology so are hands steady during every job. At the end of every STIHL blade tool is the bright orange protective scabbard.
Brian also brought a couple telescoping pruners. All the STIHL tools are easy-to-use and easy to maintain.
We keep all our STIHL tools in my large Equipment Barn. Here, they are all organized on our shop table and ready-to-use.
The STIHL blade tools are sharpened regularly to keep them in the best working condition.
The backpack battery includes comfortable shoulder straps, an ergonomic hip belt, and chest strap that evenly distribute its weight.
The backpack battery can be plugged into power the blower, which is less noisy and perfect for around my Winter House. And, the blower can be used both from the right side and the left side depending on the user.
STIHL’s most well-known tool is the chainsaw. STIHL designed and built its first electric chain saw in 1926 and 94 years later, it is still one of its best pieces of equipment. The chainsaw has soft grips for comfortability and secure maneuverability. STIHL offers gas-powered chainsaws as well as battery-powered chainsaws that run on an AP 300 S Lithium-Ion Battery.
The AP 300 S Lithium-Ion Battery from STIHL is powerful and compatible with a wide range of tools, including extended-reach hedge trimmers, pole pruners, chainsaws, and blowers. It weighs only 3.9 pounds and is water resistant.
The crew loves the telescoping tools from STIHL. The telescoping pole pruners have a quiet, zero-exhaust emission and a low vibration option for trimming overhead branches. It offers lightweight, balanced cutting thanks to its brushless, commercial-grade, high-torque electric motor.
And here are their leaf blowers. We’ve been using STIHL’s backpack blowers for years here at my farm. These blowers are powerful and fuel-efficient. The gasoline-powered engines provide enough rugged power to tackle heavy debris while delivering much lower emissions.
When it comes to smaller jobs and touch-ups, the HSA 25 Battery-Powered Garden Shears work great. The HSA 25 is lightweight with a rubberized handle for user comfort and a secure grip. It comes with its own roll-up case to store all its accessories. I use this tool all the time to trim the boxwood.
Here’s Ryan trimming the flower stalks from the hostas. This handy tool features two attachments – grass shears and shrub shears – to meet specific trimming needs. This has run times of up to 110 minutes on a single charge. The HSA 25 also allows users to complete tasks with clean, efficient cuts.
Pete likes to use STIHL’s powerful battery-powered MSA 220 C chainsaw. It’s capable of felling and limbing. Its durable construction and reliable performance make it a powerful addition for its size. Pete uses it to trim the tops of the upright fence posts as he replaces them.
All STIHL chainsaws are also equipped with a chain stopping system designed to reduce the risk of injury. The STIHL chainsaw is also used to cut long boards before they’re made into stakes.
This is the GTA 26 – a mini saw that fits right in the palm of one’s hand and is great for smaller jobs and tight spaces. It offers high cutting performance, quiet operation, excellent ergonomics, and long battery life – thanks to its 10.8 V AS 2 replacement battery.
Here’s the battery-powered blower that’s used every day to blow leaves and other debris off the terraces and footpaths around my home.
Here, Ryan uses the telescoping hedge trimmer to lop off the top of the beech hedge around my pool.
Pasang is an excellent pruner – he’s had a lot of experience with trees. Here he is using the chainsaw to cut down an old tree. Whenever using any of the tools, each crew member “suits up” with safe protective gear for the head, face, and legs. Safety is of the utmost importance.
Here, Pasang uses the telescoping pole pruner to prune high branches. These tools can cut branches up to 16 feet above the ground.
And in the winter, the crew uses STIHL’s brush cutters. These heavy-duty cutters have a four-point anti-vibration system that helps reduce operator fatigue and an easy-adjust handle bar for easy maneuverability, transport, and storage.
Here I am in my STIHL chaps, helmet, and gloves along with Kevin Sharkey. Maybe you recognize this shot from my show “Martha Stewart Gets Down and Dirty” on Discovery+. I am so pleased with all these tools from STIHL – they allow us to get so much work done here at the farm.
The gardeners and outdoor grounds crew at my Bedford, New York farm are busy with late season gardening chores - most recently, grooming the sunken garden behind my Summer House.
Some of you may recall, I began this formal garden more than 10 years ago. The focal point is the great old ginkgo tree at the back of the space that is original to the property. Over time, I've planted American and English boxwood, smaller ginkgo trees, smoke bushes, Siberian weeping pea shrubs, peonies, hostas, lilies, ferns, and so much more.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
These are the beautiful deep-colored leaves of the chocolate mimosa tree. These leaves are bronze-green, fern-like leaves that appear in late spring and then become a deeper rich chocolate-burgundy color in summer.
I have two of these gorgeous trees growing beneath the large ginkgo tree in my Summer House garden. The chocolate mimosa tree is a fast-growing, deciduous tree with a wide, umbrella-shaped canopy.
But the main focal point is the mighty old ginkgo tree. This tree is about 250-years old. Although not as large as others I’ve seen, my tree is quite massive.
Surrounding the sunken garden on three sides is a tall American boxwood hedge. I love how it encloses the space. And because the Summer House faces a rather busy intersection, the wall of boxwood also provides a good deal of privacy.
On the terrace, I have several potted split-leaf philodendrons. They look so pretty in the faux bois containers.
The split-leaf philodendron, Philodendron Selloum, is native to South America. It belongs to the group of philodendron plants that are among the most popular of houseplants for their ability to thrive without much maintenance.
The plants have glossy, heart-shaped or rounded leathery leaves that develop deep clefts and oblong perforations as they grow older. The leaves may be as much as 18-inches wide on foot-long leafstalks.
This is one of two shampoo ginger plants here at the farm. Shampoo ginger, Zingiber Zerumbet, is an aromatic, clump-forming perennial belonging to the moderately large ginger Zingiber genus of the family Zingiberaceae.
Both the leaves and the pine cone-like inflorescence’s arise each year in the summer from underground rhizomes. The floral bracts are green when young and red when mature.
They produce a juice that collects inside the flower cone. It is slightly sudsy and the cones can be squeezed and used for shampoo, hence the name of the plant. Look closely and see the juice getting squeezed out.
Another series of urns is planted with young sago palms. The sago palm, Cycas revoluta, is a popular plant known for its feathery foliage and ease of care. Native to the southern islands of Japan, the sago palm goes by several common names, including Japanese palm, funeral palm, king sago, or just plain sago palm.
The plant is not a true palm, despite its common name, but a cycad, part of a prehistoric class of plants. It produces a whorl of dark green, feather-like fronds on its trunk. The pinnate leaves are typically about four to five feet long at maturity, and nine-inches wide, reaching their greatest length when grown in partial shade.
This an interesting colocasia – not to be confused with the alocasia. Alocasia leaves are very glossy or waxy in appearance with prominent veins. They are more arrow-shaped or heart-shaped; while Colocasia has matte green leaves and the leaves are more or less round in shape.
In this garden, I also have six weeping Siberian pea shrubs with cascading weeping branches that bear pinnately compound leaves.
The leaves are alternate and about three to five inches long.
The garden beds are all freshly weeded showing some of the low boxwood hedge on the left. A couple times a year, we groom and prune the boxwood to give them a more clean and manicured appearance.
I also have these boxwood shrubs. Boxwood is naturally a round or oval shaped shrub that can reach up to 15 feet in height. I love the tapered tops.
I have smaller ginkgo trees on both sides of the footpath. The ginkgo biloba is one of the most distinct and beautiful of all deciduous trees. It prefers a minimum of four hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day. The ginkgo has a cone-like shape when young, and becomes irregularly rounded as it ages.
The leaves are unusually fan-shaped, up to three-inches long, with a petiole that is also up to three-inches long. This shape and the elongated petiole cause the foliage to flutter in the slightest breeze. Ginkgo leaves grow and deepen color in summer, then turn a brilliant yellow in autumn. Here, one can see the slight change in color already.
In the back of the garden, I also have these large leaf hostas. Hostas are a perennial favorite among gardeners. The lush green foliage varying in leaf shape, size and texture, and their easy care requirements make them ideal for many areas. Hosta is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name, giboshi. They are native to northeast Asia and include hundreds of different cultivars.
Also in this garden – maidenhair ferns. These graceful perennials are easy to grow, long-lived, and require very little care. They come in a variety of leaf colors, shapes, and sizes. I have many, many ferns here at the farm.
This view is from the back looking at my Summer House. I am so pleased with how it has developed over the years – I really should entertain here more.
It’s no secret how much I love potted plants - especially those rare and unusual varieties.
During my last visit to Maine, I purchased several specimens from Snug Harbor Farm in Kennebunk, Maine - a wonderful and charming nursery specializing in hard-to-find plants. Among the plants I brought home - Selaginella kraussiana or spike moss, Wodyetia bifurcata also known as Foxtail Palm, Cotyledon pendens, Nephrolepis falcata the Fishtail Fern, and Echeveria 'The Rose.'
Enjoy these photos, and please go to my new site Martha.com for useful gardening tools and supplies.
I’m always on the lookout for new and unusual houseplants to add to my collection. These are Echeveria ‘The Rose’ – ruffled Echeveria in a beautiful rosewood pink color.
The wide leaves have a slightly silvery sheen.
Here’s a closer look at the ruffles. And when moderately stressed by bright sun and drought, its leaf coloration can deepen even more to a glossy brick red.
Whenever I bring home potted plants, they go right to the greenhouse where they can be transplanted. There is a hole at the bottom of each pot. A clay shard is placed over the hole to help with drainage. I like to use clay pots because they allow proper aeration and moisture to penetrate through the sides and to the plant. We always save shards from broken pots – it’s a great way to repurpose those pieces.
Ryan fills the pot with a scoop of potting mix – he fills to just below the top of the pot’s rim with room for the plant in the center.
We’re using Miracle-Gro Houseplant Potting Mix available on my new e-commerce site at Martha.com – I hope you’ve had the time to see all the great products on this new site – we’re adding more every day!
In this pot, Ryan is planting Selaginella kraussiana – a species of vascular plant in the family Selaginellaceae. It is referred to by the common names Krauss’ spikemoss, Krauss’s clubmoss, or African clubmoss, and is found naturally in the Azores and parts of mainland Africa. I brought home spike moss as well as this trailing variety of spike moss, ‘Aurea.’
After planting, Ryan adds a sprinkling of Osmocote fertilizer – also available at Martha.com.
Osmocote is made of small, round coated prills filled with nutrients.
Unlike other moss, spike moss has a more traditional root structure and can sprout roots from its stems.
Here’s the spike moss all potted up. Spike moss foliage is a vibrant green color. It has very small leaves that overlap on trailing jointed stems. This plant loves high humidity and indirect light.
Spike moss does well in acidic or neutral soils. A safe PH range for this plant would be around 6.5 – but the more acidic the better.
This is Nephrolepis falcata or Fishtail fern. This species is native to the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. It is fast-growing with elegant fronds formed by bifurcated lobes, or split into forks, at the tip.
Here, Ryan uses a hori hori to scarify the roots – slice through the roots in several areas to encourage root growth. It may seem harsh, but the plant will send out new feeder roots and should soon recover. Check out my hori hori knife on Martha.com
This plant does best with exposure to shade or dimmed light.
Here’s Blackie watching all the planting from his nearby bed – did we wake you, Blackie?
This plant is Cotyledon pendens, named also Cliff Cotyledon – a beautiful trailing succulent belonging to the Crassulaceae family. This rare plant is native to Eastern Cape in South Africa. Cliff Cotyledon is a branched shrublet plant with hanging stems that can grow up to two feet long.
Its leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, often crowded and highly fleshy. The leaf blade is elliptic to ovoid, up to an inch long, up to 0.6 inches wide, and up to 0.4 inches thick.
Another plant is this interesting Wodyetia bifurcata, the Foxtail Palm, a species of palm in the family Arecaceae.
Wodyetia bifurcata is a very attractive monoecious, thornless, palm with long plumose leaves that have irregular and jagged edges.
The Foxtail Palm has a thin, smooth, light gray trunk that can reach to more than 30-feet tall.
Ryan also potted up two agave attenuatas. When young, the evergreen plant grows in whorls of enormous, soft-textured silver-grey leaves. As they grow older their stems can grow as high as four feet.
I am so very pleased with these additions to my greenhouse. I am looking forward to seeing them mature and thrive.
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