There's a lot of garden work underway at my Bedford, New York farm.
This time of year, everyone is weeding, watering, fertilizing, and pruning. Pruning is about more than just looks; proper pruning improves the health of the plants, prevents disease, and encourages better flowering. There are different pruning strategies for different times of the year, but overall the goals are the same - to control the shape, to keep bushes and trees fresh and open, and to allow for better air circulation through the center of the specimen. My gardeners and outdoor grounds crew have been busy pruning various plantings including the hornbeam hedges surrounding my white lily garden and the apple espaliers behind my long carport.
Enjoy these photos.
When I first moved to Bedford, I found a perfect location to plant a little orchard of espalier apple trees – this space behind my long carport not far from my Winter House. Espalier refers to an ancient technique, resulting in trees that grow flat, either against a wall, or along a wire-strung framework.
These espalier apples have done wonderfully here. They’re supported on wire attached to these strong antique granite posts from China originally used as grape supports. They’re perfect as posts because they don’t rot over time like wood does. A friend of mine acquired a lot of stone from this valley and I purchased a couple hundred of these posts. I only wish I bought more of them. I use all around the farm.
When he prunes, Brian cuts branches at a 45 to 60 degree angle. He trims those branches that are rubbing or crisscrossing each other or preventing any healthy new growth. Basically, the goal is to create a tree with well spaced lateral branches. Any branches which interfere with the tree’s shape or create a dense framework should be removed. He is also using pruners for this job. I always prefer hand tools that will give my trees a more natural appearance and shape. Every gardener and member of my outdoor grounds crew has a pair.
Here are some of the pruned branches – the job takes several hours to complete, but it is done carefully and thoughtfully. Pruning encourages the tree to grow more of these fruiting spurs by eliminating competing suckers and unproductive wood.
Here, one can the pruned side on the right and the area still to be pruned on the left. My long carport is also on the right. I hang a series of bird feeders along this side of the carport for all the visiting birds – about 125 different species of birds visit my feeders.
By day’s end, every row is cut just right – I am so proud of how productive these trees are – in part because of the excellent maintenance care we give them.
In front of my main greenhouse, one can see how much the hornbeam hedge border surrounding my formal lily and hosta garden has grown. Carpinus betulus, the hornbeam is a fast-growing deciduous tree. In fact, it can grow about four to five feet per year. I keep a close eye on all the hornbeams – it’s crucial to prune them regularly, so they never look too overgrown and unruly.
If you recall, these hornbeams were first planted in the spring of 2019. Here you can see the row behind the growing lilies – they have not yet grown into a hedge.
Since then, they’ve grown very well. I attribute much of the healthy growth of my gardens to the nutrient rich soil. I am fortunate to be able to make my own compost here at the farm. Plus, we practice good, regular feeding. Remember, if you eat, so should your plants and trees.
Here is the side of the hedge just last week before it was given a good pruning – They have grown closely together in just a short time, creating the hedge border I envisioned.
The new growth can be seen growing wildly on top. Because hornbeams grow quickly, it is important to trim and sculpt them regularly. We do this task every year around this time. Hornbeam is also very hardy and frost resistant, which is good in this region.
The hornbeam is related to the beech tree, with a similar leaf shape. On the hornbeam, the leaves are actually smaller and more deeply furrowed than beech leaves. They become golden yellow to orange before falling in autumn.
Pasang trims the front of the hornbeam. Using hand tools is always more time consuming, but these hedges are still relatively small, so the task doesn’t take long.
Pasang uses Japanese Okatsune shears specially made for trimming hedges. These shears are user-friendly and come in a range of sizes.
Bamboo stakes are measured, marked, and placed alongside the hornbeams, so all the hedges are trimmed to the same height. Twine is wrapped around the poles securely to provide a level line guide.
Once the twiine is pulled taut between the bamboo poles, a level specially made for a line like this one is placed in the center of the twine.
Brian prunes the top of the hedge, so he can trim the sections flat.
He also checks the line and level several times to be sure everything is trimmed straight – this area leads to my berry bushes behind my greenhouse and can be seen from the greenhouse entrance.
And look at all the cut leaves – this is just a portion from the front of the trimmed sections.
And here is the hedge all done and pruned perfectly – and all completely by hand. It looks great. What pruning jobs are you doing around your home? Share your comments below. Soon, I will show you all the gorgeous lilies that grow in this formal garden – wait and see.
If you’ve ever grown a vining plant, you know how important it is to provide strong structures to which the vines can cling and climb. Using tall bamboo stakes and strong netting is an easy way to support these plants in the garden bed.
At my Bedford, New York farm, I use eight foot tall bamboo stakes to support my growing tomato plants. Bamboo is attractive, easy to find, and can be reused year after year. This week, my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, worked hard to stake our fast growing tomato crops.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Despite some uncomfortable hot and humid summer weather, the vegetables at my farm are thriving and the gardens are looking spectacular this season. This week, it was time to focus on the tomato plants and provide some much needed support to their growing vines.
Early in June, the season’s designated tomato beds are covered in black weed cloth to cut down on some of the laborious weeding in the garden. We planted our tomatoes in the back of the garden this year – always as part of our crop rotation practice.
Our tomato plants were started from seed over the winter and then transplanted in the ground as soon as daytime temperatures were consistently above 65-degrees Fahrenheit. Two-thirds of the plant should be underground, meaning all but the two top most leaf sets should be buried. Planting deeply helps the plant to develop more roots, and more roots mean more ability to take up water and nutrients. If the seedling is already too tall and wobbly, dig a trench instead of a hole and lay the plant on its side. The stronger root system also helps the plant better survive the hot weather. This applies to tomatoes planted in the ground, in a raised bed or in a container.
These are the tomato plants just four weeks ago, but with nutrient rich soil and all the warm days we’ve had, they’ve grown quickly. Tomatoes, Solanum lycopersicum, have long been one of America’s favorite garden vegetables. Those bold red, sun-ripened tomatoes deliver the taste of summer with every bite. And, they’re filled with excellent antioxidants and vitamins. We plant many, many tomatoes, but just a handful of healthy plants can produce a bounty of delicious fruits within eight weeks.
When they’re still small, we secure the plant with two to three foot tall metal supports. They can be tied gently with a twist-tie or twine – the loop around the plant stem should be just tight enough to keep the vine secure, but not break it.
Tomato leaves have serrated, or wavy and pointed, edging along the entire perimeter. Tomato leaves are compound with multiple leaflets growing along a common stem, called a rachis. These leaves are also slightly fuzzy to the touch, which is caused by the trichomes, or multi-cellular hairs, on the plant. When plants are more than two feet tall, they’re ready for taller stakes. Never use chemically treated wood or other material for staking climbers, as the chemicals would likely run off and go into the soil.
Bamboo canes are easy to buy in bulk, and can be found in a variety of sizes. These canes are about eight to nine feet tall.
The first step is to pound the stakes into the ground. This twine provides a guide for pounding the other stakes into the ground, so all are the same height.
Chhiring places one eight-foot stake every couple of feet along the center of the tomato beds. He makes the holes about eight to 10-inches deep. The important thing is to place them deep enough, so they remain secure for the duration of the season.
Next, netting is drawn from one side to the other along each row.
We use netting from the old deer fencing that once surrounded the farm. I save everything I feel can be reused and because these structures are outdoors, it is important that they are strong and secure, so they could hold the weight of the plants and fruits, and any strong winds we may get during the growing season. This netting will be perfect.
Securing the tomato plants is a time consuming process, but very crucial to good plant growth and performance. Chhiring starts at the top and uses thin four-inch zip ties, or cable ties, to attach the netting to the bamboo stakes.
Fortunately, the netting has good-sized holes – they accommodate the zip ties perfectly.
Here, Chhiring is attaching another zip tie to the bottom. Most of the tomato plants are still low, but soon they will be guided to grow up the netted sides.
Remember, it’s the yellow flowers produced by tomato plants that must be fertilized before fruit can form. Once fertilized, the flowers develop into tomatoes – small green globes that become visible at the base of the blossoms and then eventually become mature fruits.
Here are some of the green fruits already growing on the vines. It’s a a good idea to grow a range of varieties, including at least one or two disease-resistant types, since, of all veggies, tomatoes tend to be the most susceptible to disease. There are several types of tomatoes available, including globe tomatoes used in processing, and for fresh eating. Beefsteak are large, often used for sandwiches. Oxheart tomatoes vary in size and are shaped like large strawberries. Plum tomatoes are usually oblong, and used in tomato sauces. Cherry tomatoes are small round, often sweet and eaten whole. Campari tomatoes are sweet and juicy and of small to medium size. Many of our tomatoes are from Johnny’s Selected Seeds – a source I’ve been using for many years for both seeds and supplies. Among our growing tomatoes this season – ‘Defiant.’
‘Defiant’ was bred for earliness, disease resistance, and flavor.
It produces mid-size, six to eight ounce globe-shaped fruits that are smooth and medium-firm with good texture. They are deep red on the outside and inside when ripe. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
It takes about 50 to 90 days for tomato varieties to reach maturity. Planting can also be staggered to produce early, mid and late season tomato harvests. This tomato is ‘Valley Girl’.
‘Valley Girl’ is a productive and flavorful tomato that has been a top yielder in numerous areas. The fruits are medium-size, globe-shaped red fruits that ripen uniformly and are firm, smooth, and crack tolerant. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
Do you know… 93-percent of American gardeners grow tomatoes in their yards? And, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, most Americans eat between 22 and 24 pounds of tomatoes per person, per year – this includes tomatoes in sauces. this tomato variety is called ‘Ginfiz.’
‘GinFiz’ is a new refined bicolor heirloom-type hybrid. It offers traditional heirloom character plus leaf mold resistance, reduced stem scarring, and tolerance to shoulder cracking. This tomato has a nice balance of sweetness and acidity. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
These plants look so much better when kept upright and neat. The tomato plants have a lot of room to climb, keeping delicious fruits off the ground. We’re always looking for the most efficient ways to grow our crops. Very soon, we will have many, many delicious tomatoes to enjoy. I am looking forward to a wonderful harvest this season. How are your tomatoes doing this year?
My new perennial border located across from my vegetable garden and chicken coops is thriving here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Last year, I decided to expand my hydrangea bed to include a variety of different perennials. You may have seen a segment on this garden transformation in season 1 of my show, "Martha Knows Best." The area had long been home to beautiful and colorful hydrangeas including a collection of mature mopheads transplanted from my Lily Pond home in East Hampton. Now, it is also filled with lots of other wonderful plantings, such as irises, ligularia, phlox, Aruncus, Euonymus, catnip, and more.
Enjoy these photos.
Back in June of last year, I decided I wanted to expand this border, so we cut out the sod and tilled the earth in preparation for planting.
And then we planted a selection of perennials I knew would do well in this location with sunny mornings and shady afternoons.
This space was already planted with hydrangeas. I love hydrangeas and have been collecting them for quite a long time. Hydrangeas are popular ornamental plants, grown for their large flower heads, which are excellent in cut arrangements and for drying.
Here is a beautiful large white hydrangea flower head. Hydrangea is a genus of at least 70-species of flowering plants native to southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. By far the greatest species diversity is in eastern Asia, notably China, Japan, and Korea.
Hydrangeas are long-lived, and extremely vigorous specimens that offer lavish and varied blooms. The most common garden hydrangea shrub is the bigleaf mophead variety, Hydrangea macrophylla. The name hydrangea originates from two Greek words – “hydro” meaning “water” and “angeion” meaning “vessel” or “container.” Together, the rough translation is “water vessel” which refers to their exceptional thirst for water.
The secret to the hydrangea’s color is in the soil, or more specifically, the soil’s pH level. Adjusting the measure of acidity or alkalinity in the soil can influence the color of the hydrangea blossoms. Acidic soils tend to deepen blue shades, while alkaline environments tend to brighten pinks.
In addition to the mopheads, there are also hydrangeas that bloom in lovely lacecaps.
The lacecap is very similar to the mophead, but instead of growing round clusters of showy blossoms, this hydrangea grows flowers that resemble flat caps with frilly edges.
Everything looks great this season. This plant is called ligularia. Ligularia is a genus of Old World herbaceous perennial plants in the groundsel tribe within the sunflower family. They have yellow or orange composite flower heads with brown or yellow central disc florets, and are native to damp habitats mostly in central and eastern Asia, with a few species from Europe.
I love the foliage of ligularia with its glossy, deep green leaves. The foliage can be quite large and round to heart shape to thin and deeply serrated.
Another plant with large, deep green leaves is Astilboides. It is valued by gardeners more for its unique foliage and architectural interest than for its flowers.
These are the small young leaves of lupines. The foliage resembles palm leaves with seven to 10 leaflet segments each. Lupinus, commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally as bluebonnet etc., is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes more than 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur in North Africa and the Mediterranean. We grow many lupines from seed in my greenhouse every year.
Phlox is a genus of 67 species of perennial and annual plants in the family Polemoniaceae. They are found mostly in North America in diverse habitats from alpine tundra to open woodland and prairie. Some flower in spring, others bloom in summer and fall. The colors range from dark pink to blue, violet, bright red, or white.
Do you know what these are? These are the seed pods of Baptisia – the flowering herbaceous perennial plant with pea-like flowers, followed by inflated pods. Baptisia is native to the woodlands and grasslands of eastern and southern North America.
Euonymus is a genus of woody flowering plants, mostly native to eastern Asia and portions of Europe. It is a broadleaf evergreen shrub that can also serve as a climber or spreading ground cover. This variegated variety has attractive dark green foliage edged in creamy white.
Remember the showy white flowers of the viburnum? In summer they show off attractive fruits. These masses of bright-red berries often persist through winter.
Here is a closer look at the berries. While the fruits of some varieties are edible, others can be mildly toxic.
Iris is a genus of 260–300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, which is also the name for the Greek goddess of the rainbow, Iris. Irises come in just about every flower color, both solids, and bi-colors.
Here’s another beautiful iris in bright pink.
Catnip is a member of the mint family. I grow catnip in a few different areas around the farm. It is an aggressive herb, so it spreads very quickly. Cats love the smell of the essential oil in the plants’ stems and leaves. I dry a big batch of catnip every year for my dear kitties.
Aruncus dioicus, known as goat’s beard, buck’s-beard or bride’s feathers, is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant in the family Rosaceae, and is the type species of the genus Aruncus. It has alternate, pinnately compound leaves, on thin, stiff stems, with plumes of feathery white or cream flowers borne in summer.
I also have Cotinus planted here – those beautiful smoke bushes from the family Anacardiaceae, closely related to the sumacs. I shared many photos of my smoke bushes in yesterday’s blog.
And this is jewelweed – a widespread and common plant that occurs in moist, semi-shady areas throughout northern and eastern North America. It often forms dense, pure stands in floodplain forests and around the forested edges of marshes and bogs. It has showy orange flowers and the juice from the stem before flowering can be used topically to treat poison ivy rash.
I am so pleased with how well this garden is doing – I am sure it will look even more beautiful as the years progress. What is blooming in your garden this week? Share your comments with me below.
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