So many brightly colored daffodils are blooming at my farm - different forms of white, yellow, cream, and orange Narcissi. It's quite a sight to see.
When I moved to my farm, I knew I wanted to grow a continuous swath of daffodils. After lots of planning and planting over the years, I now have a border that extends the length of one side of my property from my Summer House, past the stable, and down to the Japanese maple grove. Over time, some have faded away and are being replaced with other varieties, while others continue to flourish. I’ve also planted daffodils in the garden beds outside my Tenant House, across from my chicken coops, near my main greenhouse, in patches through the woodland, and in various tree pits around my home, including those underneath the majestic allée of pin oaks where I planted a variety of Narcissi named after me, Narcissus ‘Martha Stewart.'
Enjoy these photos.
My long daffodil border is broken up into various groupings – different varieties, different shapes and sizes, and different blooming times. This provides a longer splash of color through the season. This view is from one end of my allée of lindens. We planted this section in 2019 and the flowers continue to blooms profusely every year.
Narcissus is a genus of spring perennials in the Amaryllidaceae family. They’re known by the common name daffodil.
These are some of the first daffodils to bloom at the farm. Daffodil species are native to meadows and woods in southwest Europe and North Africa. They tend to be long lived bulbs and are popular ornamental plants in public and private gardens.
There are up to 40-species of daffodils, and more than 27-thousand registered daffodil hybrids.
The flowers are generally white or yellow with either uniform or contrasting colored tepals and coronas. This white daffodil has a bold contrasting orange center.
Yellow is the most common color for daffodils, but they also bloom in white, cream, orange and even pink. They also come in a variety of flower forms, including trumpets, doubles, split-cups, large-cups, and jonquils.
Daffodil plants prefer a neutral to slightly acidic soil. When planting, be sure there is room for them to spread, but not where the soil is water-logged.
Planted in clusters instead of rows will provide a fuller, more natural look.
Normal rainfall will typically take care of any watering requirements during the spring flowering season. The most important care tip is to provide daffodils with rich, well-drained soil.
I take stock of my daffodils every year to see what is growing well and what is not, so I can learn what to remove, where to add more, and what to plant next.
When choosing where to plant daffodils, select an area that gets at least half a day of sun. Hillsides and raised beds do nicely.
Cultivars with bold colored cups generally retain better color when planted in a little shade to protect them from the hot afternoon rays.
And remember what I always say about all plants and flowers – if you eat, so should your plants. Fertilize daffodils with extra phosphorous to encourage good root development, especially when they’re young.
Few pests bother daffodils. The bulbs are actually quite unappetizing to most insects and animals, including deer and voles.
After daffodils bloom in the spring, allow the plants to continue growing until they die off on their own. They need the time after blooming to store energy in their bulbs for next year.
When cutting daffodils, they should be kept alone in the vase as their stems secrete a fluid that promotes wilting in other flowers. If you need to combine flowers, soak them alone first and then add them to the arrangements last.
One of the more interesting daffodils blooming right now is this Narcissus ‘Rip van Winkle’, an heirloom double daffodil dating before 1884 with whorls of narrow, pale greenish yellow petals, some with a slight twist.
Narcissus ‘Martha Stewart’ is a Karel van der Veek hybrid with a three-inch white perianth surrounding a pale yellow cup. These flowers are reliable bloomers and can continue to produce each spring for decades.
In full bloom, these flowers grow up to about 16 to 18 inches tall. Daffodil season is a great time of year, and there are many more beautiful blooms to come…
For impassioned gardeners, it's so rewarding to plant interesting specimens and watch them grow and flourish.
Yesterday, I received a large assortment of beautiful plants grown by Monrovia, a wholesale plant nursery specializing in well-nurtured shrubs, perennials, annuals, ferns, grasses, and conifers with several nursery locations across the country. Soon, we'll be adding beautiful lilacs, holly, peonies, and other lush evergreens to my Cantitoe Corners gardens.
Enjoy these photos.
As a serious and diligent gardener, I am always looking for ways to add more beauty and texture to all my garden beds. I was so excited when these plants arrived from Monrovia.
Once plants arrive here at the farm, we always organize them in rows according to type so they are easy to see, count, and access when it is time to plant. Creating a garden takes time. Add a few specimens every year and keep track of what grows well and what doesn’t.
I grow many berries here at the farm – blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, and currants. These additions will ensure even bigger, sweeter summer harvests.
I love lilacs and have an allée dedicated to white, and shades of purple, blue, and pink colored flowers. This is Lavender Lady Lilac, Syringa vulgaris ‘Lavender Lady’.
And this is Betsy Ross Lilac, Syringa x oblata ‘Betsy Ross’. It’s an early spring bloomer with very large, sweet-smelling, pure white flower panicles.
Little Darling® Lilac
Syringa ‘SMSDTL’ also features large clusters. The dark-purple buds open to lilac-hue flowers. And, it blooms twice – heavily in spring, with a second, lighter bloom set in fall.
Gold Coast® English Holly, Ilex aquifolium ‘Monvila’ is a small evergreen shrub with many branches of dense, small, toothy, dark green leaves edged in bright golden yellow. This is a male form, so it has no berries, but it will act as a pollenizer for other female English holly varieties.
Red Beauty® Holly, Ilex x ‘Rutzan’, has bright red berries and glossy, dark green foliage.
Luxus® Compact Japanese Holly
Ilex crenata ‘Annys5’ looks very similar to boxwood and can make a nice replacement option. It has dark green foliage and a naturally dense, rounded shrub form with leaves that keep their color year-round.
I am also very fond of peonies – herbaceous, tree and Itoh peonies. This is Magical Mystery Ride Itoh Peony,
Paeonia x ‘R6P5’. This peony flower is just beginning to open, but when blooming its petals range from peachy orange to creamy white and fade to pink towards the edges.
Itoh peonies have finely divided leaves which grow close to the ground in an elegant mounded shape.
This is Paul’s Gold Threadleaf False Cypress,
Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Paul’s Gold’. With its year-round golden green foliage and tight growing habit, this conifer adds an excellent contrast to darker green shrubs and trees.
If you’re looking for an excellent tall hedge plant, consider Hicks Yew, Taxus x media ‘Hicksii’. Its long, upright-growing branches and dense, glossy, dark green foliage naturally form a narrow, columnar habit and can provide good privacy screening where needed.
Dense Spreading Yew, Taxus x media ‘Densiformis’, is an excellent low spreading plant for a hedge or border.
Another yew is the Emerald Spreader® Japanese Yew. It is a cold hardy, evergreen shrub that works well as a ground cover, border, or a low hedge.
Many may recognize the foliage of arborvitae. This Monrovia exclusive is Tiny Tower® Green Giant Arborvitae Thuja x ‘MonRig’. It is great for its upright, more compact habit and lively green foliage.
Tight Squeeze™ Western Red Cedar is a low maintenance conical tree with shiny foliage that retains its green color well in the winter.
Magnolias are stunning in any color. This is Black Tulip™ Magnolia, Magnolia x soulangiana ‘Jurmag1’, the darkest, most dramatic tulip magnolia, with rich, deep burgundy-red six-inch-wide blooms that appear before the foliage emerges in early spring.
Yellow Bird Magnolia, Magnolia acuminata ‘Yellow Bird’ has bright canary yellow flowers that appear later in spring after the danger of frosts. If planting in multiples, try to find those that are early, mid- and late blooming, so there is color all season long.
Dozens of beautiful stone pavers that once covered my former East Hampton terrace have new purpose here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Now that I have a new and giant half-acre vegetable garden closer to my home, I needed to figure out what to do with the smaller garden down by the chicken coops. Last year, we used it to grow all our pumpkins. Once they were all harvested, I decided I wanted this space to be a more formal flower cutting garden, where varieties would be organized in sections and size, color, and bloom time would be planned appropriately to maintain a continuous supply of flowers throughout the season. So far, we've tilled the soil, planted a selection of herbaceous peonies, and yesterday, completed the new bluestone footpath down the center of the garden.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This was my vegetable garden in 2016 – in a fenced in space down by my chicken yard.
The garden produced bounties of delicious vegetables for many years, until I decided to create a larger raised bed vegetable area closer to my Winter House.
Last summer, this garden was used as our pumpkin patch. It produced a wonderful harvest of cucurbits – pumpkins, squash, and gourds.
Earlier this year, once the ground was warm enough, we went to work to transform the space once again. The entire enclosure was cleared, cleaned and then Pete rototilled the soil twice.
And then amended the soil with compost.
Along the fence, we planted sweet peas.
On both sides of the center footpath, we planted herbaceous peonies. None of the work interfered with the plants.
I wanted to create a stone footpath. Doing this would look neat and tidy, but also provide good, sturdy, and hopefully dry footing for anyone entering the enclosure. Pete secures landscaping twine from one end to the other on both sides to ensure the finished path is completely straight and matches the measurement of the bluestone pavers.
Using a hoe, Pete removes any leftover weeds, or small rocks from the area.
Pete drops stone dust in the path. Stone dust is a non-porous material, which is good to use under stone. It will stop heavy rain water from seeping below and reduces the risk of shifting or damaging the pavers.
Next, Pete uses the back of a landscape rake to spread the stone dust. It is the perfect width of the path.
… and then he turns it over to level the area. The razor-back aluminum landscape rake has a wide head to level the dust quickly and smoothly.
Before carrying any stone over to the path, Pete measures again – every piece must be 19-inches across.
Once it is brought to the location, Pete carefully lines up the stone paver over the space…
… and then gently drops it in place.
Each piece must be positioned so it is straight with the twine and spaced evenly with the preceding piece of stone.
Pete uses a fork to make minor adjustments to the stone. These pavers are very heavy, so using the right tool is key to avoiding injury.
Bluestone is a natural stone typically found with a blueish color and veins of grey and brown. The colors vary depending on where it is mined. Its durable composition makes it popular for use as stone steps, pool surrounds, terraces, paths, etc.
Here, Pete uses his hand to move extra stone dust underneath, so it is completely secure.
After the stone is in place, Pete steps on it and tests its sturdiness – no teetering allowed.
Here, Pete drops the last paver at the east end of the garden. It fits just right.
I am so pleased with how it looks. This is the full length of the new footpath. The twine farthest left and right marks where the peonies are planted. There are also three hose bibs in this garden for watering.
Outside the gate, Pete spreads native washed stone gravel. It looks great. Follow along and see the rest of the transformation. You’ll love it.
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