At 150-years old, the Kentucky Derby is the oldest continuously held major sporting event in the United States.
I hope you saw my Instagram photos @MarthaStewart48. I attended "The Run for the Roses" last weekend with several friends and had a wonderful time. The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes horserace held annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
The race, which is the first leg of the Triple Crown, is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of one-and-a-quarter-miles. It's been called "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports." This year, I was the event's Grand Marshall and delivered the iconic “Riders' Up” announcement to ready the jockeys for this memorable race.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Here I am at the 150th Kentucky Derby wearing my outfit by Peter Cohen and my hat made by Suzanne Couture Millinery.
The Kentucky Derby is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville and dates back to 1875, when the track was called the Louisville Jockey Club.
This year, more than 150-thousand spectators attended the event.
I attended this year’s Kentucky Derby with my friends, Douglas Friedman and Kevin Sharkey. Here we are stopping for a fun photo.
The racetrack occupies 175 acres, featuring a one-mile dirt, oval racetrack and a seven-furlong turf racecourse.
Here I am with Abby Melfi, founder of Sacred Spa + Wellness, and her husband, Anthony Melfi, owner and operator of GMP Farm, a 100-acre Equine Rehabilitation and Training facility in Schuylerville, New York. They also own one of the horses competing in the race – Society Man. Abby and Anthony invited us to their viewing box.
And here I am with some of our nation’s sailors.
The Kentucky Derby isn’t the only race on Derby Day at Churchill Downs — more than 10 other races are held through the day. The post-time for the 150th Kentucky Derby was set for 6:57 p.m. ET.
Seated with me are Susan Magrino, Jane Heller, Heather Kirkland, Helen Peparo, and Douglas. Kevin took the photo.
The day was warm, about 80-degrees Fahrenheit and mostly cloudy, but only a 30-percent chance of rain. It was a good day for the Kentucky Derby.
Helen’s ready to enjoy a mint julep. The Kentucky Derby’s traditional cocktail is an iced drink consisting of bourbon, mint, and sugar syrup.
Here I am with some of the young workers at the event.
And here I am as I announce Riders Up! “Riders Up!” is the traditional command for jockeys to mount their horses for the race!
And then one by one, each of the horses is brought out to the track and the designated starting gate. This horse is Forever Young.
Here comes Stronghold.
… Resilience.
And Society Man.
The field for the Kentucky Derby has been kept to a maximum of 20 horses since 1975.
Here I am after the race with jockeys Irad Ortiz, Jr. who rode Domestic Product and his brother José Ortiz who was on Catalytic.
This jockey is Ben Curtis who rode Honor Marie, a three-year old colt.
And did you see me with Josh Groban! He attended the race with his mother, Lindy Groban.
And a photo with Kid Rock. It was a great time and an exciting nose-to-nose race. And you all know how it finished. The winner was Mystik Dan, the handsome three-year old colt who who ran it in 2:03.34.
Beautiful, colorful tulips continue to bloom at my Bedford, New York farm.
By planting varieties with different bloom times, one can have tulips flowering for six weeks or even more every spring. These brightly colored perennials are hardy in zones 3 to 8 with species ranging in height, form, petal count, and color. Among the tulips flowering right now are 'Sanne,' 'Foxy Foxtrot,' 'Sugar Crystal,' 'Columbus,' 'Qatar,' 'Queensland,' 'Flaming Parrot Tulip,' and 'Estella Rijnveld.'
Enjoy these photos.
It’s always so exciting to see what flowers are blooming around the farm. We planted hundreds of tulips in my new vegetable garden and they’re still putting on such a gorgeous show. This variety is ‘Sanne’ – a beautiful dainty two-tone of deep rose in the center of the petals and soft pink along the edge.
Tulips are perennial, spring-blooming plants. They are grown for their graceful leaves and bright and cheery flowers.
All tulips are planted as bulbs in the fall and bloom in the spring.
Tulip ‘Estella Rijnveld’ is a flamboyant bicolor flower with bold red and white flames that vary in width and intensity.
The Flaming Parrot tulip is big and bold. It features a variegated yellow and red pattern on ruffled, textured petals atop 18-inch stems.
Tulips can range from six-inches to 32-inches in varying shapes and forms.
They come in a wide variety of colors. And although the red varieties remain the most popular, they range from white and pale yellow to deep mahogany and violet.
This ‘Queensland’ tulip is a double fringed variety. It has rosy colored petals accented with light pink ruffles and serrated edges. The flowers can grow to five-inches across and up to 14-inches tall.
Tulips require full sun for the best display, which means at least six-hours of bright, direct sunlight per day.
Blue Parrot tulips show-off shades of purple. As the buds open, the fluted and fringed petals unfurl into large blossoms.
Tulip ‘Columbus’ is a beautiful peony tulip in glowing reddish pink with white edges. Huge double flowers sit on strong tall stems making it a popular cut flower variety.
When planting tulip bulbs, space them about three to four inches apart for the best display in spring.
Tulip ‘Qatar’ is another striking double fringed variety – this one in bright red.
And do you know… tulips continue to grow after they are cut? Tulips grow about an extra inch after cutting and bend toward the light. Kept well-watered and away from heat, tulips can last about a week.
And yes, Tulip Mania was real! It was a period during the Dutch Golden Age when prices for some tulip bulbs reached extraordinarily high levels. It started around 1634 and then dramatically collapsed in February 1637.
Although Holland is the largest producer of tulip bulbs and flowers, the flower actually originated in Central Asia and Turkey.
Tulips hold many different meanings around the world. In Western societies, they represent love. In Persian and Turkish traditions, tulips signify spring and renewal. Dutch cultures associate tulips with wealth and prosperity.
These crisp white tulips are growing in a bed outside my greenhouse. Tulipa is the Latin word for tulip and is believed to be derived from Tulipan, meaning “turban” in Turkish – inspired by the shape of the tulip flower.
This unique tulip is called ‘Green Wave’ – it is mostly pink with dark green markings.
And here’s a delicate yellow tulip with tinges of light green. There are more than 100 species tulips and at least 3,000 variation tulips in different combinations, gradients, and patterns. What are your favorites?
Among the most fragrant blooms of spring are the colorful lilacs, Syringa vulgaris. My allée of lilac hedges is just exploding with gorgeous, sweet-smelling clusters.
I love lilacs and have enjoyed growing them for many years. In fact, the common lilac has been part of the American landscape for centuries. Lilacs planted in 1650 on Michigan’s Mackinac Island are some of the oldest known in the country. If you don't already have lilacs in your garden, I encourage you to grow one, or two, or even three shrubs - they will give you years of beautiful blooms.
Enjoy these photos.
I planted this allée of lilac more than 15-years ago and it has thrived ever since. It is located behind my chicken coops not far from my tennis court. Lilacs are easy to grow, and can reach from five to 20-feet tall or more depending on their variety.
The lilac, Syringa vulgaris, is a species of flowering plant in the olive family Oleaceae. Syringa is a genus of up to 30-cultivated species with more than one-thousand varieties.
Lilacs come in seven colors: pink, violet, blue, lilac, red, purple, and white.
The bold lilac colors look pretty against the vibrant green foliage. Lilac leaves are simple, opposite, ovate, about two to four inches long, and usually shaped like elongated hearts.
Lilacs have pyramidal clusters of blossoms with both single and double types – all with the same glossy green leaves.
‘Sensation’, first known in 1938, is unique for its bicolor deep-purple petals edged in white on eight to 12-foot-tall shrubs.
This lilac variety is white. Lilacs were introduced into Europe at the end of the 16th century from Ottoman gardens and arrived in American colonies a century later. To this day, it remains a popular ornamental plant in gardens, parks, and homes because of its attractive, sweet-smelling blooms.
And do you know… lilacs were grown in America’s first botanical gardens? Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew them.
As part of our maintenance program, we edge the lilac beds. These beds are rectangular in shape. Here’s Pete making very straight lines along both sides. The blade of the edger can be adjusted to a cutting depth of up to four inches.
Over the course of the year, grass and weeds grow at these edges, so it’s a good idea to go over the areas regularly.
The extraneous vegetation between the cut edging line and the mulched bed is removed with a hoe or long handled cultivating fork.
Here is an area edged and cleared. It looks so much better. Edging the beds gives them a beautiful finishing touch. Next, we’ll add a three inch layer of mulch grown right here at my farm.
I always take note of what areas need filling and add plants to those areas gradually. This year, we’re adding 15-lilacs to the garden. They are all from Monrovia and include ‘Yankee Doodle,’ ‘Lavender Lady,’ ‘Betsy Ross,’ and ‘Old Glory.’
Pasang digs the hole for one of our new lilacs. Lilacs appear from mid-spring to early summer just before many of the other summer flowers blossom. Young lilacs can take up to three-years to reach maturity and bear flowers – be patient.
Pasang scarifies the root ball, making intentional cuts to stimulate growth.
By planting an assortment, bloom time will be staggered and can last for up to two months. Just be sure to plant lilacs in full sun, which is necessary for good blooming. The soil should be moist, well-drained, and humus-rich. Lilacs cannot tolerate “wet feet” or wet roots. Soil that is average to poor with a neutral to alkaline pH is also preferred. Established plants will tolerate dry soil, but newly planted shrubs need to be kept moist for the first year until their roots are set.
Most lilacs thrive in hardiness zones 3 through 7, in cooler climates with chilling periods. Lilacs are typically clump forming, producing new shoots from the base of the trunk, which can be used for propagating.
And always choose a planting space that will allow for the plant’s mature height and spread. This tip applies to all perennials.
And here’s Ryan feeding the lilacs. Lilacs respond vigorously to regular and liberal amounts of fertilizer. One to two large handfuls of a 5-10-5 granular fertilizer will enhance growth and flowering.
Lilacs should be pruned each year shortly after blooming has completed. At that time, remove spent flowers, damaged branches, and old stems, but never prune after July 4th because at that point, the tree has already begun to set next year’s buds.
When cutting, cut the lilacs right at their peak, when color and scent are strongest, and place them in a vase as soon as possible. The purple lilacs have the strongest scent compared to other colors.
Here’s a view looking south. Lilacs have been well-loved by gardeners for so many years. They are tough, reliable, and ever so fragrant. I hope this inspires you to grow lilac, the “Queen of shrubs.” It will quickly become one of your favorites in the garden.
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