Clematis are among the most decorative and spectacular of all the flowering vines - it's always exciting to see them bloom year after year.
I have grown many varieties of this wonderful plant. Soon after I bought my Bedford, New York farm, I built a long pergola along the front carriage road leading to my home, where I could grow lots of clematis. I concentrated on creating a palette of blue and purple flowering cultivars. And every summer, they provide a graceful and colorful display.
Enjoy these photos.
There are several different varieties of clematis planted along my winding pergola that extends from the carriage road in front of my flower cutting garden all the way to the west end of my soccer field. Each pair of posts supports the same variety and every year around this time, they stand out in all their gorgeous colors.
Copper wire is wrapped around each post, so the climbing tendrils of the clematis vines could attach easily. The uprights for this pergola are 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 had bought more of them.
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 are native to China and Japan and are known to be vigorous, woody climbers.
Most species are called clematis, but it has also been called traveller’s joy, virgin’s bower, leather flower, or vase vine. It’s also been called “Old Man’s Beard,” because of the long fluffy seed heads that look similar to an old man’s beard.
Clematis leaves grow in pairs along the stems. The clematis leaf shapes vary with different varieties, but knowing how they grow can help differentiate them from other vines.
The standard clematis flower has six or seven petals, measuring five to six inches across. Colors range from light lavender to deep purple, white to wine red, and even a few in yellow.
For this area, I chose various shades of lavender, purple, and blue.
Some of the cultivars grown here include ‘Parisienne,’ ‘Blue Angel,’ ‘Jackmanii,’ and ‘Eyers Gift.’
It can take several years for a clematis vine to mature and begin flowering prolifically. To shorten the wait, one can purchase a plant that’s at least two-years old. Clematis also prefer soil that’s neutral to slightly alkaline in pH.
Both butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to clematis flowers.
This is Clematis viticella ‘Betty Corning’, which has slightly fragrant, bell-shaped flowers that bloom from summer to fall.
Here is a similar variety in deep pink.
Both produce a multitude of blooms every year.
Many clematis are lightly scented. Flowers vary in shape and sizes. They can be flat, tubular or bell-shaped and can be as small as one-inch wide.
The timing and location of clematis flowers varies – spring blooming clematis flower on side shoots of the old season’s stems. Summer and fall blooming vines flower on the ends of only new stems.
As a perennial, clematis are vigorous vines that return yearly and are hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9.
Some clematis cultivars will bloom in partial shade, but to really thrive, they need at least six-hours of sun each day. Just think, “head in the sun, feet in the shade.” The vines like sun, but cool, moist soil.
Clematis plants are also heavy feeders and benefit from a low nitrogen fertilizer such as 5-10-10 in spring, when the buds are about two-inches long. Alternate feedings every four to six weeks with a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer and then continue this alternate feeding until the end of the growing season. The blooms appear constantly for many weeks making their everblooming nature a must-have in any garden.
Once established, clematis should be watered about an inch or so weekly, and more deeply during dry spells.
Across the carriage road from my pergola, I also have some clematis vines planted at the base of several bald cypress trees. On these trees, we used twine to secure the climbing vines. Known as the “Queen of the Climbers”, Clematis plants will train onto almost any upright support and will bloom beautifully for years.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, I always encourage my crew to "use the right tools for the right jobs." Among our favorites are the tractors from Kubota, a leading manufacturer of all kinds of farming machinery, tool attachments, and utility vehicles.
My Kubota equipment is used all over the property every single day - to mow the pastures and fields, transport compost and mulch, dig holes for trees, maintain the carriage roads, and many, many other important outdoor tasks. The machines are dependable, efficient, and great additions to my working farm. #KubotaUSA #KubotaCanada #KubotaTractor #Loan #LandPrideDoesThat
Here are photos of my tractors at work, enjoy.
I am out and about around my farm several times a day – checking the gardens, pruning trees and shrubs, weeding, watering, and working with our big agricultural equipment. Here I am with my Kubota M4-071 tractor in one of my horse pastures.
I am very fortunate to have two Kubota tractors – the M4-071 and the M62. Both of them have front loaders, and one of them is equipped with a backhoe.
The bucket attachment is used for so many things – from transporting mulch and compost to carrying heavy potted plants to delivering heavy stone and logs.
This is the Kubota M62 Tractor Loader Backhoe. This is essential for digging holes and planting large trees. It has a 63 horsepower engine, a front loader with a lift capacity of 3,960 pounds, and a powerful backhoe with 169.8 inch digging depth.
And look at the size of these wheels. The tractor wheels are five feet in diameter.
On this day, the tractor is used with a 3-point spreader to drop the grass seed in one of my paddocks.
Here, the large bucket is used to carry new forsythia shrubs to their planting locations.
… And to move my tropical plants and their heavy urns from winter storage in the hoop houses to areas around the farm for display.
And here, the tractor bucket is loaded with pieces of heavy sod removed from a designated space, so new specimens can be planted.
The tractors are also essential for maintaining the four miles of carriage road around my farm. The Land Pride PR1690 Power Rake is secured to the back of our tractor in order to rake and grade the carriage roads, but it is also capable of windrowing soil, rocks, and debris in a field.
When the rake is lowered onto the road surface and tilted to the proper angle, this attachment moves the gravel and road dust to the center, creating a crown. On less used roads, the power rake freshens up the existing gravel as it turns and brings any compacted gravel to the surface.
Weights are used on the aerator to help maintain even piercing in the soil.
The same tractor is used to bale. Here it is pulling the baler and the hay wagon.
The backhoe is controlled from the safety of the tractor’s cab. The operator can turn and sit facing either direction to maneuver the backhoe or the loader.
The backhoe is guided so easily and so precisely, so it cuts the soil and digs the hole right where “x” marks the spot.
The backhoe works quickly, digging several holes in less than an hour.
Here, the tractor’s stabilizing feet are extended to keep it well balanced and safe.
Any unneeded soil is hauled away in the tractor’s bucket.
It’s a lot of work to maintain a farm – there’s always a long list of chores to complete. I’m glad we can get so many of them done with the help of our trusted Kubota equipment.
A white peacock and two female golden pheasants join my flock at Cantitoe Corners.
Earlier this year, I adopted three male golden pheasants from Animal Nation Farm Sanctuary in nearby South Salem, New York. The males are marked with bright red, orange, and yellow plumage. I knew they would make wonderful additions to my farm. Last week, when I heard two females were available, I adopted them also, along with a young white peacock. I am happy to report all the birds are happy and acclimating well to their new surroundings.
Since most of my peafowl were hatched right here at my farm, they are all accustomed to the loud noises and busy activities. My peafowl live in a large enclosure just outside my stable where they can be monitored closely during the day. Here is one of my mature “blue boys.”
This week, our friends from Animal Nation Inc. came by with a delivery. This organization is a go-to resource for at-risk animals from New York City and the surrounding areas. The peacock they brought over was in need of a home – I saw it during a recent visit to the sanctuary.
Patrick Moore is the president of Animal Nation as well as a New York City firefighter. With him is Lisa Loprinzo, a longtime dedicated volunteer.
And here is our new peacock – a three to four year old male who was found as a stray in Poughkeepsie, New York.
The bird quickly flew to a top perch in the peacock coop. Most white birds have a genetic condition called leucism, which causes pigment cells to fail to migrate from the neural crest during development. Leucistic peachicks are born yellow and become fully white as they mature.
It wasn’t long before the other white peafowl found him and kept him company. My new rescued peacock is on the far right.
I think the three will get along just fine. Peafowl are members of the pheasant family. There are two Asiatic species – the blue or Indian peafowl native to India and Sri Lanka, and the green peafowl originally from Java and Burma, and one African species, the Congo peafowl from African rain forests. All my peafowl are Indian.
My “blue boys” have such gorgeous long trains. I visit the peafowl and all the other animals every day during my tours of the gardens and grounds.
It is mating season, so during this time, the males will show off their tail feathers to the females. This peahen doesn’t look so interested. Males also fan their trains to show dominance, intimidate predators, and communicate with others.
Both peacocks and peahens love foraging. Peafowl are omnivores, meaning they eat both meat and vegetation. In the wild, peafowl eat
ants, millipedes, crickets, termites, centipedes, locusts, scorpions, small reptiles and mammals, as well as seeds, grass, flower petals, and berries. I also fortify their diets with a good seed formula.
Here is one of my peahens. A hen’s plumage is generally more muted than the vibrant colors of male peacocks.
I am so happy all my peacocks and peahens get along. They are outdoors all day in their enclosure, where they are safe from predators. And then put into the coop at night.
I also adopted these two female golden pheasants.
Female golden pheasants, or hens, are completely brown and dotted with black spots.
Pheasants are also foragers and love to spend time on the ground, where they eat waste grain, other seeds, and insects when available.
The two females took to the males right away, and vice versa.
They all seem so happy to be running around together. Pheasants are native to the forests in the mountainous areas of western China.
Inside, the five birds have a ladder where they can roost and rest. These birds are not big. Golden Pheasants can weigh between one and two pounds when full grown.
This is a red golden pheasant with its bright colorful plumage. Males have the golden-yellow crest with a hint of red at the tip. The face, throat, chin, and the sides of neck are rusty tan.
The yellow is a color mutation of the red golden pheasant. It was originally developed in the 1950s. To maintain the yellow coloring, these birds need shaded areas to protect their feathers from the sun.
These hens are already enjoying their large outdoor yard. The males are also coming out more since these two arrived. Do you know… while pheasants are able to fly fast for short distances, they actually prefer to run. And they run very fast – sometimes up to eight to 10 miles per hour.
Right now, they are very content getting to know their new male friends and their farm surroundings.
And already, the hens have laid two eggs. We put them in the incubator right away. I think the pheasants and peacock will be very happy here at the farm.
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