I love this time of year when I can walk through my flower gardens and see all the wonderful blooms. Everything looks so amazing this season, especially the roses.
As many of you know, I adore roses and have grown them for more than 25-years. Many of the rose cultivars growing at my Bedford, New York farm were transplanted from the gardens at Lily Pond, my home in East Hampton. I also have various David Austin roses and a selection from Northland Rosarium - all highly prized for their lovely petal formations and beautiful fragrances.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
I have lots and lots of roses at the farm. Many are growing along all four sides of my perennial flower cutting garden fence – some are climbing and spilling over the sides.
A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae. There are more than a hundred species and thousands of cultivars.
Roses come in many different colors, such as pink, peach, white, red, magenta, yellow, copper, vermilion, purple, and apricot.
Rose stems are often armed with sharp prickles – they aren’t thorns at all. Unlike a thorn, a prickle can be easily broken off the plant because it is really a feature of the outer layers rather than part of the wood, like a thorn. These roses are deep red with delicate ruffled petals.
Many of these roses are old fashioned and antique varieties. They include: ‘Alchymist’, ‘Boule de Neige’, ‘Cardinal de Richelieu’, ‘Charles de Mills’, ‘Constance Spry’, ‘Dainty Bess’, ‘Pierre de Ronsard’, ‘Ferdinand Pichard’, Konigin von Danemark’, Louise Odier’, Madame Alfred Carriere’, ‘the Reeve’, ‘Pearlie Mae’, and ‘Sweet Juliet’.
I’ve also added roses from Northland Rosarium, including ‘Night Owl’, Poseidon’, ‘Quick Silver’, ‘Colette’, ‘Cecile Brunner’, ‘Ebb Tide’, ‘Jeannie Lajoie’, Lykkefund’, ‘Veilchenblau’, and ‘Geschwind’s Most Beautiful’.
I love this beautiful apricot-colored climbing rose. Some of the newer roses added to the garden include a selection from David Austin – ‘Abraham Darby’, Graham Thomas’, ‘Heritage’, ‘Lady of Shallot’, ‘Golden Celebration’, ‘Snow Goose’, ‘St. Swithun’, ‘Benjamin Britten’, ‘Brother Cadfael’, ‘James Galway’, ’Teasing Georgia’, ‘The Generous Gardener’, ‘Wolverton Old Hall’, ‘Malvern Hills’, and ‘Jude the Obscure’.
When selecting a location, plant roses in a sunny spot with good drainage. Fertilize them regularly and water them evenly to keep the soil moist.
The flowers of most rose species have at least five petals. Each petal is divided into two distinct lobes and is usually white or pink.
Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach several feet in height.
Look at this vigorous and prolific climber.
Climbers always do best when well supported by a trellis or fence – one that is the appropriate height, width, and strength for the climber. And always consider plants at maturity. The support should be strong enough to hold the weight of a full-grown rose plant in both wet and windy weather.
When watering roses, give them the equivalent to one-inch of rainfall per week during the growing season. Water at the soil level to avoid getting the foliage wet. Wet leaves encourage diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew.
This rose is a lovely white variety. It has full-petalled, rosette-shaped flowers with a button eye and a strong fragrance.
And here is one in very light pink. The best way to prevent rose diseases is to choose disease-resistant varieties. Many roses are bred and selected to resist the most common rose problems.
I also have roses at the center of my flower cutting garden growing over the footpath. Rose bushes need six to eight hours of sunlight daily. In hot climates, roses do best when they are protected from the hot afternoon sun. In cold climates, planting a rose bush next to a south or west-facing fence or wall can help minimize winter freeze damage.
I also have a large collection planted along both sides of my lilac allee, just past my chicken coops and vegetable garden. During late spring and summer, this area is filled with various shades of pink, fragrant rose blooms.
To produce an impressive show of flowers, always use nutrient-rich compost, composted manure, and other organic and natural fertilizers, such as fish emulsion. Organic amendments also help to encourage beneficial soil microbes and a well-balanced soil pH.
The flat bloom is just as it sounds, with petals generally flaring out.
Single blooms are fully opened and almost flat, consisting of one to seven petals per bloom.
And some blooms are very full with many petals in at least three or more rows. Among my favorites is the swirled ‘Variegata di Bologna’ with its large, cupped flowers and petals of creamy white cleanly striped with purple crimson. It is one of the most striking of the striped roses providing a fantastic display in any garden.
Nearby is this bold salmon colored rose. Rose leaves are borne alternately on the stem. In most species, they are about two to five inches long, pinnate, with at least three leaflets and basal stipules. The leaflets also usually have a serrated margin.
And look at these beautiful roses. It is one of my favorite climbing varieties – Rosa ‘Veilchenblau’ – a mauve hybrid multiflora rose cultivar and the best known violet rambler. Other names are ‘Bleu-Violet’, ‘Blue Rambler’, ‘Blue Rosalie’ and ‘Violet Blue’. The cultivar was bred by Hermann Kiese in Germany in 1909.
These Veilchenblau roses are stunning on my long pergola – so very fragrant. If properly cared for, a rose bush should live for about 30-years or more. I am so happy my roses are thriving.
Before all those fun summertime gatherings, it’s always a good idea to take stock of any outdoor furniture that may need repairing or restoring.
Whenever I get the chance, I often enjoy shopping at antiques shops or tag sales - one never knows what one will find. Earlier this year, I purchased a vintage outdoor living set at a neighborhood estates sale. It was a bit timeworn and painted black, but I knew with a little restoration work and a fresh coat of color, the pieces would look fantastic. I enlisted the help of Patty DeFelice, owner of Patty's Portico: Outdoor Furniture Restoration & Powder Coating - a family inspired business that has been serving the New York City area for more than 25-years. Patty and her team stripped the furniture all the way down to the metal, removed any rust that had developed, covered everything with a zinc-rich primer, and then powder coated each piece using electrostatic application methods.
Here are some photos and a short video, enjoy.
Back in early January, I spotted this set of metal outdoor furniture at a neighborhood estate sale. It was in excellent condition and I knew it would look great on my terrace at my Bedford, New York farm.
A few months later, I took the furniture to Patty’s Portico: Outdoor Furniture Restoration & Powder Coating. Patty DeFelice started the business after working for her dad at his automotive repair shop. What started out as a short term job ended up to be a 30-year stay. During this time, she learned how to fix and paint cars. At one point, a customer asked if she could cover some furniture using automative paint, and in her search to find the safest and most effective methods, turned to powder coating. Patty attended seminars and studied the best ways to apply it and use it on all types of furniture. After 10 more years at her dad’s automotive shop, she opened Patty’s Portico.
The furniture I purchased was vintage mid-century modern in design. It would need stripping and priming before it would be ready to powder coat with my signature “Bedford Gray.” The entire job was expected to take several weeks.
I also brought Patty some other items including a couple of old metal baker’s table bases. These pieces would go through the same process.
The first step is to strip all the original paint down to the bare metal by sandblasting. Sandblasting is an operation of forcibly propelling a stream of abrasive material against a surface under high pressure to smooth a rough surface, roughen a smooth surface, shape a surface or remove any surface coverings or contaminants.
To completely strip this chair and ottoman takes at least an hour-and-a-half – and there were a lot of pieces to do.
Here is the old metal baker’s table base completely stripped down to the metal – it looks like new.
Next, the furniture is brought into a special spraying booth where the pieces are coated with zinc-rich primer. The zinc-rich coating provides corrosion resistance and adds to the durability of the furniture. The primer is delivered through a vibrating machine and hose and then carried through the nozzle with electrostatic charge. This process takes about 15-minutes per piece.
The primer is left to dry and then it’s time to powder coat. Powder coating is applied as dry powder through an electrostatic process, then cured with heat. It can be used on different surfaces, including metal, concrete and steel, Here, one can see the dark primed areas getting powder coated with color – “Bedford Gray.”
Below is a short video of how evenly and carefully the powder coating is applied. This step also takes about 15-minutes per coat.
Here is one of the ottomans nearly finished.
Next, the items are placed into a large oven where they are baked for about 15-minutes at 375-degrees Fahrenheit. This is crucial because it is the heat that gives it its durability.
Fortunately, Patty’s oven is 10-feet long, so several pieces can be baked at a time.
Here is the old baker’s table base going into the oven along with the chairs.
Once the pieces are cured, they are removed from the oven and left to dry and cool completely.
And here is the sofa – all done and back at the farm. It looks so great all restored and powder coated.
Here are the two chairs with their matching ottomans. I decided to place the entire set on one side of the gravel courtyard behind my Winter House Kitchen. It’s perfect for this space.
Everything looks brand new.
Here is a wider view of the newly restored furniture. On the right is one of my antique sugar kettles. Sugar kettles were used on 19th century Louisiana plantations for the production of sugar. Sugar cane was placed in the large, spherical vessels and cooked down to make syrup. Because they could withstand such high heat, they were also used for cooking. I use them as fire pits. They make instant and effective fire pits, and can be moved to different locations. I am looking forward to lots of entertaining here this summer. For more information, please visit Patty’s web site at pattysportico.com.
All our dahlias are planted, and I can't wait to see those colorful, spiky flowers that bloom from midsummer right through the first frost.
Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. They grow from small tubers - ours were saved and stored from the previous year. This season, I decided to plant our dahlias behind my large vegetable greenhouse where they can get full sun. There are many named dahlia varieties with flowers ranging from small to giant dinner plate size. Many of our dahlia tubers are from Floret, a family farm and floral design studio in the State of Washington. We also have some from Swan Island Dahlias in Oregon, a family owned business and the largest and leading dahlia grower in the United States. And, a selection from The Flower Hat, based in Bozeman, Montana.
Enjoy these photos.
This area is located right behind my vegetable greenhouse. It was previously used for my grape crop, but I knew it would work excellently for the dahlias. It gets great sun, and dahlias grow more blooms with six to eight hours of direct sunlight. And because this spot is behind this large structure, it is also protected from strong winds.
All these dahlias are frost-tender tuberous plants that can overwinter outdoors where the weather is mild. However, here in the Northeast, severe winter conditions can cause them to split and rot, so they must be pulled from the ground and stored away every fall. We store them in these crates and place them in the main greenhouse basement during the cold months.
Brian and Dawa dig all the holes for our dahlias. These are fairly shallow holes and about a foot apart.
Brian checks that each hole is the proper depth. Each of the dahlias must be placed at least three-inches down beneath the surface. Dahlias thrive in rich, well-drained soil. The pH level should be 6.5 to 7.0, and slightly acidic. For heavier clay soil, add in sand, peat moss, or aged manure to lighten and loosen the soil texture for better drainage.
Once the holes are dug, the area is also treated with a sprinkling of Osmocote – those small, round coated prills surrounding a core of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Brian also drops some super triple phosphate – an enriched source of phosphorus which encourages good root growth and flower formation.
Meanwhile, Ryan unstacks the dahlias and goes through each bag to decide where the tubers will be planted – keeping in mind their colors and height at maturity.
Each bag contains a bit of last year’s soil and some vermiculite which can be added to the soil when the tuber is placed in the hole.
The roots of dahlias are actually tubers. Similar to a potato, the tuber sends up a shoot that becomes the plant, which produces leaves and flowers.
Ryan creates a marker as each dahlia is ready to go into the ground.
Dahlia tubers look a lot like a bunch of brown carrots, and the little budding sprouts that end up as thick strong stems are called “eyes.” Pink “eyes” or a little bit of green growth are good signs of a healthy tuber.
Dawa places the dahlia in the hole and backfills the hole with soil. The first leaves should poke through the surface in about one to two weeks.
Once the dahlia is planted, Brian also sprinkles Epsom salt over the soil. Epsom salt will feed and nourish the growing dahlia bulbs and help increase the vibrancy of the flowers.
I designed these stakes for my gardens and had them made from galvanized steel, which won’t rust. I use these stakes for my herbaceous peonies and also to hold up the dahlias.
Dawa places a stake next to each planted tuber. Once the dahlia starts to grow, the stems will be secured to the stake to keep the heavy blooms from falling over. These tuberous plants have slender erect stems which are not always capable of supporting the larger flowers.
All the markers are inserted deeply into the soil next to each variety. The area looks quite odd without any plants, but it won’t be long before they start to poke through the soil.
Among the many, many dahlias we planted this year – this eye-catching cultivar, Dahlia ‘Castle Drive’. It has a soft blend of pink and yellow and is great in arrangements and gardens. This plant is also very attractive to bees and butterflies.
‘Myrtle’s Brandy’ is a red dahlia with white tips whose petals fold back towards the stems. It is an excellent cut flower variety.
This is ‘Karma Corona’. The Karma series was developed for the cut flower market. This variety has strong stems and flowers that open with a blend of beautiful salmon, yellow, and bronze.
‘Maltby Pearl’ has soft, creamy pink petals edged with lavender and tipped with white. This unique color combination gives them an almost metallic effect.
‘Thomas Edison’ has huge and magnificent, deep purple blossoms. The fully double flowers up to eight inches wide and are borne atop strong, sturdy stems. Blooming from now until frost, this dahlia grows up to three to four feet tall in the garden.
And of course, after everything is planted, the garden is given a good, thorough drink. I am looking forward to seeing these gorgeous blooms open later this summer. What dahlias are in your garden? Share them with me in the comments section below.
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