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!
So many delicious fruits are growing here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Fresh fruit is one of nature's most delicious products. This summer, we've already picked boxes and boxes of raspberries, blueberries, and cherries, but all the others - the peaches, apricots, apples, pears, and quinces are developing so nicely. Here at Cantitoe Corners, I have an orchard around my pool filled with a variety of more than 200 different fruit trees. I also have fruits growing on espaliers and in groves - those I've planted, and those that are original to the farm. I can't wait to harvest the next bounty of sweet and organic fruits.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This orchard surrounds three sides of my pool. Many of the trees here were bare-root cuttings that we nurtured in pots before planting.
We have many, many fruits growing – in part because of the nutrient-rich soil. We have a variety of apple trees, plum trees, cherry trees, peach trees, apricot trees, nectarine, pear, medlar, and quince trees. I am very fortunate to have such an expansive paddock space to grow all these trees.
When choosing to grow fruit stock, it is important to select those that are best for your area’s climate and soil. Look closely and see this peach tree laden with growing fruits.
We have beautiful peaches! Some of the peach varieties include ‘Garnet Beauty’, ‘Lars Anderson’, ‘Polly’, ‘Red Haven’, and ‘Reliance’.
Peach trees thrive in an area where they can soak up the sunshine throughout the whole day. It prefers deep sandy well-drained soil that ranges from a loam to a clay loam.
Growing peach trees are self-fruitful, which means that pollen from the same flower or variety can pollinate the tree and produce fruit, so it is okay to plant just one. I have more than 15-peach trees in this orchard.
I also planted many types of Asian pear, Pyrus pyrifolia, which is native to East Asia. These trees include Hosui, Niitaka, Shinko, and Shinseiko. Asian pears have a high water content and a crisp, grainy texture, which is very different from the European varieties.
Some of the other pears in the orchard are ‘Bartlett’, ‘Columbia’, ‘D’Amalis’, ‘Ginnybrook’, ‘McLaughlin’, ‘Nova’, ‘Patten’, ‘Seckel’, ‘Stacyville’, and ‘Washington State’.
Fruit trees need a good amount of room to mature. When planting, be sure to space them at least 15-feet apart. The trees are staked for added trunk support. The stakes also protect them from mowers and weed whackers.
This is a medlar, Mespilus germanica – a small deciduous tree and member of the rose family. The fruit is small, about one to two inches in diameter, and ranging in color from rosy rust to dusty brown. Medlars are native to Southwestern Asia and Southeastern Europe. The fruits have to be eaten when almost rotten in a process called “bletting”. And, because of this, they either have to be eaten right off the tree or picked early and put aside for a few weeks to blet. The medlar is very pulpy and very sweet. Its taste is similar to an overripe date with a flavor similar to toffee apples or apple butter.
This is a plum. My plum varieties include ‘Green Gage’, ‘Mount Royal’, ‘NY9’, and ‘Stanley’. I also grow various plum hybrids, such as ‘Black Ice’, ‘Grenville’, ‘Kaga’, ‘Pipestone’, ‘Toka’, and ‘Waneta’.
And of course, I have a section of delicious apples. I already grow hundreds of apple trees here at the farm – some that were here when I acquired the property and others I planted soon after moving here. These newer apple trees include: ‘Baldwin’, ‘Black Oxford’, ‘Cortland’, ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’, ‘Esopus Spitzenburg’, ‘Fuji’, ‘Golden Russet’, ‘Grimes Golden’, ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Redfield’, ‘Roxbury Russet’ ‘Windham Russet’, and more.
Outside my stable in front of the peafowl and pigeon pens, I have this espalier of pear trees. Espalier refers to an ancient technique, resulting in trees that grow flat, either against a wall, or along a wire-strung framework. Many kinds of trees respond beautifully to the espalier treatment, but fruit trees, like apple and pear, were some of the earliest examples. And, because necessary sunlight reaches every piece of fruit that these trees bear, espalier pruning remains standard procedure at commercial orchards in France.
Last year, we planted six ‘Shinseiki’ and four ‘Nijisseiki’ pear trees. ‘Shinseiki’ Asian pear means “new century” and was developed from two of the best Asian pears of the 1940s. The ‘Shinseiki’ Asian pear is round, medium to large, yellow smooth-skinned fruit with little or no russet. It has crisp, creamy white flesh, and a mild, sweet flavor. The ‘Nijisseiki’ pear, or the 20th Century Asian pear as it is often called, is incredibly delicious, easy to grow, and smells just like a pear, but, like an apple, the outside of the fruit is crisp, firm and round.
Here is a closer look at some of the growing fruits. I am so pleased with how these pear trees are growing and producing.
If you follow this blog regularly, you know I always have many, many blueberries. We still have lots more to pick.
Plump, juicy, and sweet, with vibrant colors from red to the deepest purple-black. I love to use blueberries for jams, jellies, and pies, but they’re also wonderful with cereal, in pancakes and cobblers, and of course, in handfuls on their own.
These bushes are so full! Bunches are hanging from nearly every branch. I grow many blueberry varieties, including ‘Bluegold’, ‘Chandler’, ‘Darrow’, ‘Jersey’, and ‘Patriot’.
On one side of the old corn crib are just a couple of my many quince trees. Are you familiar with quince? Quince is a fall fruit that grows in a manner quite like apples and pears, but with an unusually irregular shape and often gray fuzz.
The fruits are still small, but will grow twice this size and turn a golden yellow when ready to pick in autumn.
Nearby is one of the original apple trees on the farm. These old trees still produce an abundance of fruit.
Here’s another one outside my studio not far from my dwarf apple espalier.
Apple trees need well-drained soil – nothing too wet. The soil also needs to be moderately rich and retain moisture as well as air.
My dwarf apple espalier is also doing so well. The principle behind espaliering a tree is simple. Plants have a main growing point or stem, known as a leader. If you remove this leader, shoots emerge from buds found on the sides of the stem, and below the cut. The best side shoots are chosen to guide and train them to create the boughs of the espalier tree. The topmost shoot becomes the new leader and, will eventually become the trunk.
We should have a great apple season – look at all these fruits. When selecting a place to plant an apple tree, choose a north- or east-facing slope.
Across the carriage road is my espalier of Malus ‘Gravenstein’ apple trees. I love this crisp and juicy apple, an antique variety, which is wonderful to eat and great for cooking and baking.
These ‘Gravenstein’ apples will mature with a delicately waxy yellow-green skin with crimson spots and reddish lines. Some may also be all red. What fruits do you grow? Let me know – I love hearing from you.
My flower cutting garden continues to produce beautiful blooms.
This cutting garden has developed so much over the last few years. I enjoy comparing its progress from year to year, and seeing where I need to add more plants to improve the display. This time of year I have hollyhocks, Shasta daisies, balloon flowers, Black-Eyed Susans, asters, yarrow, echinacea, and more. There is always something new to see every time I walk through the space.
Enjoy these recent photos.
My perennial flower cutting garden is one of the first visitors see when entering the farm. It is large and filled with gorgeous blooms late spring through August. These are the showy flower heads of rudbeckia. Rudbeckia’s bright, summer-blooming flowers give the best effect when planted in masses in a border or wildflower meadow.
In general, rudbeckias are relatively drought-tolerant and disease-resistant. Flower colors include yellow and gold, and the plants grow two to six feet tall, depending on the variety.
There are still a few poppies thriving in the beds. Poppies produce open flowers that come in many colors from white and gray to crimson red.
They also come in different forms. Poppies are an attractive, easy to grow flower in both annual and perennial varieties. They require very little care, whether they are sown from seed or planted when young – they just need full sun and well-drained soil.
Here is a poppy seed pod, which is what’s left on the stem once the flower blooms and the petals fall off. As the seed heads turn brown with ripeness, it’s time to cut them and harvest the seeds. One can tell when pods are ripe by shaking the stem. If the pod rattles, it’s ready.
Just outside the flower garden, I have dark pink Astilbe – it adds whimsical texture to every space with its fluffy, pink spikes of flowers. 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.
These are the interesting leaves of variegated Nasturtium. Variegated Nasturtium leaves are circular, shield-shaped leaves that grow on a trailing plant. The leaves are fragrant, with a mustard-like scent.
Another plant with interesting foliage is Pulmoniaria. Pulmonaria are members of the Boraginaceae family and first cousin to other well-known garden favorites such as myosotis, brunnera, symphytum, and mertensia, the Virginia Bluebell. The name Pulmonaria come from the foliage, which is often green with white spots, resembling a diseased lung. In fact, its common name is lungwort. The silver spots on Pulmonaria leaves are actually the result of foliar air pockets used for cooling the lower surface of the leaves.
Achillea millefolium, commonly known as yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a hardy perennial with fernlike leaves and colorful blooms. The large, flat-topped flower clusters are perfect for cutting and drying.
The flower clusters or corymbs are made up of dozens of tiny daisy-like florets. Colors range from white and soft pink pastels to brilliant shades of yellow, red, orange, and gold.
Echinops is a genus of about 120 species of flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae, commonly known as globe thistles. They have spiny foliage and produce blue or white spherical flower heads. They are native to Europe, east to central Asia, and south to the mountains of tropical Africa.
This is a balloon flower, Platycodon grandiflorus – a species of herbaceous flowering perennial plant of the family Campanulaceae, and the only member of the genus Platycodon. It is native to East Asia and is also known as the Chinese bellflower or platycodon.
Balloon flowers get their name from the unopened buds, which swell up prior to opening and resemble little hot-air balloons.
The opened flowers resemble those of bellflowers, and while most often deep blue or purple, white and pink varieties are also available.
This is a double, white, bell-shaped flowers. Balloon flowers thrive in sun or partial shade. It likes well-drained, slightly acidic soil; and although the balloon flower plant will tolerate dry conditions, it prefers plenty of moisture. This cold hardy plant also does best in cooler conditions in summer, so afternoon shade is a good idea for warmer regions.
I grow many different asters in the garden. Asters are also called Starworts, Michaelmas Daisies, or Frost Flowers. They need little in the way of maintenance – they just need deadheading for more blooms the following season. Asters come in a great variety of colors including pink, white, red, orange, and their various shades, making them one of the most popular flowers for use in floral arrangements.
Johnny Jump Ups are a popular viola. They are native to Spain and the Pyrennes Mountains and are easy to grow. Small plants produce dainty, fragrant blooms – some in deep purple and yellow.
Phlox has superb heat and mildew resistance. They thrive here at the 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.
Echinacea purpurea, or purple coneflower, is a hardy perennial. Echinacea purpurea has a large center cone, surrounded by colored petals that brighten the garden in mid-summer. Echinacea is a genus, or group of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family.
This is Alcea rosea, also known as the hollyhock. These plants can reach five to eight-feet tall and up to about four feet across.
Shasta daisy flowers provide perky summer blooms, offering the look of the traditional daisy along with evergreen foliage. They are low maintenance and great for filling in bare spots in the landscape. I hope your gardens are thriving this summer. What are some of your favorite mid-season blooms? Share them with me in the section below.
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