The gardens and plants around my beloved home in Maine continue to thrive.
So many of you have expressed how much you enjoy my updates and photos of Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor, Maine. As you know, I like to spend as much time there as possible, especially when I’m joined by my family and friends. When I am not there, Cheryl DuLong, who works at Skylands, keeps me updated with photos. Right now, there are so many beautiful flowers blooming in the cutting garden, and so much lush, green foliage in the woodlands.
Here are some of Cheryl's latest images, enjoy.
Every year, we always hang a series of fern-filled planters under the pergola on the Western Terrace – it adds such a lovely touch of greenery to the space. These ferns, Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Bostoniensis’, are among the most popular varieties with its frilly leaves and long, hanging fronds.
On the ledge, all the specimens we planted over Memorial Day Weekend are looking so beautiful. This is a ponytail palm, Beaucarnea recurvata – a species of plant in the family Asparagaceae. It has a sleek bulb-like trunk with lush, long leaves.
This part of the woodland is filled with beautiful moss. Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants that typically form dense green clumps or mats, often in damp or shady locations.
This rhododendron near one of my natural pools begins to bloom in July with gorgeous pale pink and white flowers. Rhododendrons are prized for these big, showy flower clusters and the glossy green foliage.
Cheryl also took photos of all the many mushrooms that are growing around my home. A mushroom is the fleshy spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus. Fungus thrives in moist areas and loves growing on decaying wood. They are also an important part of the forest ecosystem. Because they live off of decaying plant matter, fungus breaks down and disposes of fallen tree branches, leaves, and even animals.
All the moisture in recent weeks has allowed the fungi that produce mushrooms to proliferate. There are all kinds of mushrooms growing.
And in all different shapes and sizes.
Also growing now are the raspberries – lots and lots of raspberries. Cheryl has already picked and frozen more than three quarts of these delicious fruits. My family will surely enjoy them this summer.
And look at all the beautiful snapdragons growing in my flower cutting garden. There are so many different colors. Antirrhinum is a genus of plants commonly known as dragon flowers or snapdragons because of the flowers’ fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when squeezed. They are native to rocky areas of Europe, the United States, and North Africa.
This variety is ‘Apple Blossom’ with its lavish, full-sized snapdragons reaching up to 36 inches. Heavy trusses of large, velvety-textured blooms in true apple-blossom pink, contrast with pale gold to white.
Snapdragons come in pastels and bright shades and are available in a variety of colors, including white, yellow, pink, red, orange, peach, purple and violet. Some varieties are bicolor, featuring two colors. All the tall flowers in the garden are supported by four inch netting.
Rudbeckias are easy-to-grow perennials featuring golden, daisy-like flowers with black or purple centers, and include the popular black-eyed Susan. Rudbeckia’s bright, summer-blooming flowers give the best effect when planted in masses in a border or wildflower meadow.
And here is a row of zinnias. Zinnias are native to the dry grasslands from the Southwestern United States to South America, and in Mexico.
Zinnia flowers come in a variety of colors including pink, red, purple, orange, yellow, lavender, white and even green. The only color Zinnia flowers are not available in is blue. Zinnias also come in a wide variety of flower shapes with stars, daisies, dahlias, spiders, buttons, domes, and quill-leaf cactus forms.
Here is another zinnia in a creamy peach color. Zinnias do best in full sun, and although they are adaptable to most soil conditions, the ideal soil is rich in organic matter and well-drained.
We also have phlox. Phlox has superb heat and mildew resistance. They thrive in Skylands and at my farm. Phlox is a tall and upright grower that’s great for the back of the border, or even planted at the edge of the garden among the shrubs. Phlox also comes in a range of colors from pure white to lavender to even red and grows happily in most parts of the country. If properly planted and sited, phlox is largely pest and disease free too – a perfect perennial.
Growing at the end of our row of artichokes is our Astilbes. Astilbes are wonderful shade perennials, known for their dark green foliage and plume-like blossoms. Flowers bloom mid-summer and make charming fresh or dried cut flowers.
Clematis is a genus of about 300 species within the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. The name Clematis comes from the Greek word “klematis,” meaning vine. Clematis, pronounced KLEH-muh-tis, are native to China and Japan and known to be vigorous growers. This one is a deep pink color.
My vegetable garden and flower cutting garden are together in one large space completely surrounded by a tall fence. Growing along this trellis are the cucumber plants. We have a few cucumbers already growing at my Bedford farm, but at Skylands, it will be a few more weeks before the fruits are ready to harvest.
And here are the artichoke plants – planted in an area outside the vegetable garden fence because deer don’t care for them. Because we’ve had so many warm days, this is a great year for artichokes – there will be many to enjoy this season.
My gardener, Mike Harding, made this woodland moss arrangement for inside my home. Moss is a very slow growing wild plant so it should never be harvested in large amounts – in fact, it is illegal to take any moss from national forests without permission. Once the season is over, we always make sure the moss we harvested is returned to the forest where it can regenerate and flourish.
And here is another miniature woodland arrangement in the living room. I love to fill several of my planters with natural elements. Various mosses, lichens, seedlings, pine needles, stones, and old pieces of wood are brought in to create miniature forests that last all season long. Skylands is such a magical place for me and my family – I can’t wait to return. Thanks for the photos, Cheryl.
Enjoy these photos, and be sure to take a look at all my holiday offerings on the QVC web site. I'll be selling more holiday decor on QVC in the fall. And, look out for other wonderful items on my new web site at Martha.com.
Here I am in my newly renovated studio living room holding one of my newest holiday items for QVC. I love this whimsical and fun Metallic Fur Owl. It adds a playful accent to seasonal decor.
This Metallic Fur Owl has metallic feathers and faux fur and comes in two sizes. Nestle one in the branches of your Christmas tree, or place one or two under the tree with your gifts.
This lush wreath decorated with faux foliage will look wonderful above the fireplace, hung on a door, or used as a centerpiece. It is pre-lit with lifelike tree tips, faux white berries, eucalyptus, cedar leaves, and pinecones. 50 warm white LED lights make it even more special, and it can be used indoors and out.
This year, I am offering this Pre-Lit Natural Shape White Tip Tree.
This tree comes with 850 incandescent lights,
4,652 tapered, molded white tips, and spare bulbs and fuses. These trees put anyone in the holiday spirit.
This non-traditional wreath is perfect for both classic and more contemporary holiday settings. It is designed with a pattern of rhinestone leaves on a metal form. It measures approximately 12 inches in diameter.
The wreath is also available in green rhinestone, and clear crystal – all with a gold base. We hung several on our tree, but they can be used on the wall or on your holiday dinner table.
Here is one of my Microlight Burst String Lights. Nestle these within the branches of the tree for a festive yet elegant holiday sparkle.
And, along with the bursts, why not add a wintery impression of icicles cascading off of your Christmas tree or mantel. These beaded crystal icicle branch picks are about 20 inches long.
Here is one of my botanical-themed crystal ornaments hanging on the tree.
Here is one in gold.
And for this season, we made artful metallic houses modeled after the outbuildings at my Bedford, New York farm. The one in front is my stable. In the back is a miniature version of my Winter House. I also offer a model of my Summer House. Lights shine through all the windows of these gold-toned structures. They’re great on a table or along a wide windowsill where guests can see them.
Here is the gold strand wrapped around my Pre-Lit Eucalyptus, Pinecone and Berry garland. The light strand uses 20 LED wide-angle pinecone-shaped lights and can be used indoors and out.
In the fireplace is a nice assortment of flameless candles – my Cable Knit Pillar candles available in ivory, Bedford gray and red, and my Figural Squirrel candles. “Lighting” them with the remote is so easy and quick.
These squirrel and pinecone flameless candles come in ivory, brown and butterscotch. All the candles have multi timer remotes and approximately 200 hours of glow per battery pair. The thing I love most is that my flameless candles are completely safe – they can be displayed anywhere.
On the right is my 10-inch Lit Mercury Glass Hurricane. It’s just the right size and is illuminated by white microlights. It’s another great piece that can stay on your table all winter long.
I have long decorated with shooting stars. This one can be used indoors or out. It has 350 LED lights on the star and the five light strands.
And don’t forget the wine. Order this for yourself or give as a gift. This wine set includes three 750-ml bottles of wine and three gift bags with 2018 Bayshore Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon, 2018 Sierra Trails Zinfandel, 2019 Fog Harbor Chardonnay, and 2020 Spencer Family Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc.
And on my door, this patina iron leaf wreath. It features a captivating sheen, an intricate leaf design, and measures 21 inches across. We had so much fun talking about these holiday decorations. I hope you visit the web site to see more of my new offerings. It may be July now, but the holidays will be here before you know it.
My flower gardens continue to delight all who visit.
I have many different gardens at my Bedford, New York farm. In one area tucked behind my main greenhouse, I have a small garden filled with wildflowers. We first planted it last year with a mix of sunflowers, cosmos, coreopsis, calendula, and baby's breath. All the seeds came from Pennington. At first, we were not sure how the flowers would do, but they all came up beautifully, creating a meadow-like collection of gorgeous orange, yellow and white blooms.
Enjoy these photos of this season's "miniature-meadow." Also, tune in to QVC today at 3pm ET when I celebrate "Christmas in July" with some of the newest items from my holiday collection! I'll be on for a special two-hour show - don't miss it!
This garden is exploding with beautiful color. Some of you may recall, this area was long used for growing gooseberries. Last year, I decided it would be a wonderful bed for flowers. It gets great sun and because this spot is surrounded on two sides by the structure, it is also protected from strong winds.
We added some poppies to this garden and a few of them are still holding strong. The name “poppy” refers to a large number of species in at least 12 different genera in the subfamily Papaveroideae, which is within the plant family Papaveraceae. They produce open single flowers gracefully located on long thin stems, sometimes fluffy with many petals and sometimes smooth.
Cosmos are annuals with colorful daisy-like flowers that sit atop long slender stems. They attract birds, bees, and butterflies and come in a variety of colors including white and various shades of pink, crimson, rose, lavender and purple.
The flowers measure three to four inches across, and may be single, semi-double or double.
Here is a dark pink variety. Depending on the type of flower, cosmos can grow anywhere between 18 to 60 inches tall.
And here’s another cosmo in beautiful lavender.
This cosmo produces luscious white petals with a deep yellow center. Cosmos are vigorous, versatile and resilient wildflowers that are adaptable to both sun and partial shade.
Coreopsis, or tickseed, is an extremely adaptable and easy growing perennial flower. Coreopsis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It develops mass quantities of yellow, orange, rose, lavender, white, or bi-colored blooms.
Coriopsis is native to North America, Central America, and South America. This variety has single flowers with a burgundy ring around the center disk.
This is larkspur. Larkspur produces lovely spikes of blue, purple, pink, or white flowers in spring and summer. Larkspur belongs to the buttercup or Ranunculaceae family and the genus Delphinium.
We also have a group of sunflowers growing in this garden. Sunflowers commonly bloom during summer and a portion of fall. Young sunflowers turn to face the sun as it moves across the sky. They face east at dawn and then slowly turn west as the sun moves. During the night, they slowly turn back east to begin the cycle again. This is known as heliotropism and is due to the presence of auxin, a growth hormone in the stem. This process continues until the sunflower is mature. Sunflowers have different colored petals, but their centers also vary in different shades.
Sunflower is the only flower with flower in its name. “Helia” for sun and “anthus” for flower. Sunflowers are also the symbol of faith, loyalty, and adoration.
Once established, sunflowers can tolerate some drought; however, in the periods before, during and after flowering, they perform best with deep, regular watering.
This sunflower is about nine feet tall. When a sunflower’s head has completely bloomed, when it’s been pollinated and becomes heavy with seeds, it may bend over and droop down.
Here is a closer look at the giant dinner plate sized flower.
Sunflower leaves can grow up to six-inches long and two-and-a-half inches wide, tapering to a pointed tip. The leaf base is rounded and tapers abruptly to a short “winged” leaf stem. Sunflower stems are also quite sturdy, but if possible, plant seeds in a spot that is sheltered from strong winds.
Growing low to the ground are some calendula plants. Calendula has daisy-like bright yellow or orange flowers, and pale green leaves. Commonly called the pot marigold, Calendula officinalis, the calendula flower is historically used for medicinal and culinary purposes.
Many of you recognize baby’s breath, Gypsophila paniculata. This plant may be annual or perennial, and grows white, rose, and pink, single or double blooms.
Baby’s breath flowers are small and delicate with five petals each.
This bed is also bordered with a row of boxwood at the front. These boxwood shrubs were nurtured from small seedlings right here on my farm. On the right, a row of hostas.
The leaves on boxwood branches are arranged opposite from each other, making pairs. The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Boxwood is one of my favorites – I use a lot of it here at the farm.
The hosta plants flower in summer, showing off spikes of blossoms in shades of lavender or white. The bell-shaped blooms can be exceptionally fragrant, attracting hummingbirds and bees.
I hope you are able to enjoy some of the wildflowers where you live. Turning an outdoor space into a charming meadow is an easy, low-cost way to help the environment. Meadows provide fabulous habitats for wildlife, beneficial insects, and forage plants for pollinators – they’re a good thing!
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