Tulips are among the most popular of all garden flowers - grown for their graceful leaves and bright, cheery blooms.
Yesterday was "Tulip Day" in New York City's Union Square. A pop-up field of 200-thousand tulips were displayed for visitors to create their own bouquets. The event was hosted by Royal Anthos, a Dutch trade association for flower bulb companies, the European Union, and the Netherlands Consulate General of New York. It's part of an initiative to honor the 400-years since the first Dutch settlements were established in the city. My tulips aren't blooming just yet, but to join in the celebration I decided to share some photos of the tulips I've grown over the years.
Enjoy these photos.
Every year, I always plant a variety of tulips in my garden. Tulips are bulbous plants of the genus Tulipa, in the lily family, Liliaceae. The flowers are usually large, showy, and brightly colored.
Tulips have a fascinating history. Although closely associated with Holland, tulips were first cultivated in Turkey. The name tulip is believed to be derived from the Turkish word for turbans, “tulbend,” because of their resemblance. They gained popularity in Europe in the 17th century, peaking in 1636 to 1637. Now, the Netherlands is the world’s largest commercial producer of tulips, with around three billion exported each year.
And do you know… tulips were once as expensive as some houses? In the late 1630s during the Dutch Golden Age, tulips were more popular than ever before creating a ‘Tulip Mania.’ This however, did not last long. After a year, prices had skyrocketed so high buyers could no longer afford them.
There are currently more than 3,000 registered varieties of tulips – separated in divisions based on shape, form, origin, and bloom time.
These are crisp, white tulips. Tulips have been hybridized in just about every color except blue. Most tulips have one flower per stem, but there are some multi-flowered varieties.
I have grown solid colored varieties as well as multi-colored types. Tulip bulbs should be planted in full sun to partial shade. Too much shade will diminish blooming in spring.
The broad, strappy leaves of tulips have a waxy coating that gives them a blue-green color. There are usually two to six leaves per plant.
Here is an image from above. Typical tulips have bell shaped flowers with three petals, three sepals, and six free stamens.
Tulips need well-drained soil. Sandy soil amended with some organic matter is perfect. They also prefer a slightly acidic soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5. I am so fortunate to have such great soil here at the farm.
Here is a bright yellow tulip with double flowers.
Inside this one is a touch of soft yellow.
And look how stunning they are planted en masse. Most tulip plants range between six to 24 inches tall.
When in bloom, I always enjoy cutting flowers and bringing them indoors to decorate my home.
When cutting, select those that are just about to open fully, when they have about 75-percent of their full color.
These yellow tulips with bright red streaks are striking for cut arrangements.
I displayed these in my sitting room on a table. Keep cut flowers in a cool area as heat reduces the bloom time.
These tulips were displayed in my entrance hall. Tulips follow the sun even when they’re in a vase. Watch them. Tulips also continue to grow even after they’ve been cut.
I also display flowers on the counter in my servery, where I can see them every morning on my way to my kitchen.
Last November, we planted several beds of tulips in my new 1/2-acre vegetable garden. They will all bloom before we plant the vegetables.
Tulips grow best in zones 3 to 8 where they can get eight to 12 weeks of cold temperatures while under the soil.
Here they are now. Tulips usually begin emerging from the ground in late winter or early spring. The beds are filled with healthy bold green tulip leaves. In a few weeks, these beds will be overflowing with colorful tulip blooms – wait and see!
The garden beds at my Bedford, New York farm continue to evolve.
I'm always looking for ways to improve my gardens. I love planting interesting and rare specimens that add texture, growth and beauty at different times throughout the year. I also enjoy arranging large groups of certain plantings to create borders and appealing displays. Recently, I decided to make some changes to the garden bed near my front gate. I finally removed the remaining trunks of a stand of white pines that were battered by Super Storm Sandy in 2012. I will plant something beautiful in their place, but in the meantime, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew planted a row of lovely boxwood along the edge of the bed.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I love boxwood, Buxus, and have hundreds of these bold green shrubs growing all over my Bedford, New York farm. I take very special care of these specimens – they are regularly pruned and groomed, and in winter they are covered in a layer of protective burlap. It’s so nice to see them thrive in the gardens.
Down near my chicken coops I set up a boxwood “nursery” where we plant bare-root cuttings and nurture them for several years before they are planted around the farm. Here, Phurba is grooming some of the more developed young shrubs. This is easier to do before they are moved. These shrubs will be perfect for our newest project.
Outside my main greenhouse, one can see where the trunks had been removed. The space looks so different already.
I called in the professionals to grind up the stumps. The grinder has discs that spin at high speeds gradually cutting further down the stump until there is nothing left.
This machine is controlled remotely from a handheld unit. In just minutes, the stump is reduced to wood chips and shavings. Any old roots will eventually decay into the soil.
Here is the bed after the stumps are completely gone – a top dressing of composted mulch covers the entire space.
On another day, Phurba begins removing some of the plantings where the boxwood will be placed. These will be saved and replanted.
Holes are dug twice as wide as the boxwood root balls, but no deeper. Once in the hole, the top of the root ball should be a half-inch higher than the soil surface. We’ve had a lot of rain lately, so the soil is quite moist and soft.
Remember what I always say, “if you eat, so should your plants.” We’re using Miracle-Gro Shake ‘N Feed Flowering Trees and Shrubs Plant Food. It contains natural ingredients to feed microbes in the soil and provide continuous release feeding to maintain deep, lush green foliage.
Once a hole is dug, Phurba thoroughly mixes the fertilizer with the soil. This is important, so the fertilizer does not have too much direct contact with the roots, which could burn them.
The boxwood is planted right away in the spot. Landscape twine is also positioned to ensure the shrubs are lined up perfectly where the bed is straight.
Phurba backfills wherever necessary. Boxwood shrubs have shallow root systems, so proper mulching after they are planted will help retain moisture and keep the roots cool.
Boxwood prefers well-drained soil with a lot of organic matter. Loamy soil or sandy conditions are best. Most boxwoods like some shade, but some varieties handle full sun exposure better than others.
Here is the border so far. It starts in front of my main greenhouse and will extend around a corner along the carriage road.
Each hole is dug carefully, especially as the bed curves. Phurba makes sure every shrub is positioned properly.
The outdoor grounds crew cut a piece of bamboo to help space the plants as they’re planted.
The shrubs are planted exactly two-feet apart and one foot from the edge – better to measure repeatedly to avoid any replanting later.
Phurba tamps down around each specimen to establish good contact with the soil.
Buxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood. The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Boxwood shrubs are slow-growing with dark green glossy leaves arranged opposite from each other, making pairs. Leaf shape depends on the variety; some are round while others are elliptical. This is Buxus ‘Green Mountain.’
Known as “man’s oldest garden ornamental” according to the American Boxwood Society, ancient Egyptians used boxwoods as decorative plants as early as 4000 B.C. Here is one side all done.
Boxwood has upright, naturally cone-shaped habits making them excellent candidates for planting free-form or for a sculpted hedge or border.
I am even more excited to see how this border develops over the next couple of years. And wait until you see what’s planned for the center of the bed. What do you think?
There's still time to order your garden seeds! The process of ordering through seed catalogs can be daunting, but it also provides many advantages, such as being able to choose seeds based on how they are grown and how they are treated.
Here at my farm, we start sowing seeds indoors soon after the New Year. This week, we're planting trays of flower seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company - one of our favorite sources. Started in 1998 as a hobby, it has since grown into North America’s largest heirloom seed establishment.
Here are some photos, enjoy. And be sure to follow this blog on Instagram @marthastewartblog - we're having so much fun posting on our new page!
Baker Creek in Mansfield, Missouri, offers one of the largest selections of 19th century heirloom seeds from Europe and Asia, and now features more than 1,000 different seeds in its catalog.
We plant many Baker Creek seeds every year and love how they grow. Each of the colorful packets shows how the flowers look when in bloom or how the vegetables look when mature and ready to harvest.
Inside my head house, Ryan chooses all the necessary seed starting trays. These can be saved from year to year, so don’t throw them away after the season. Seed starting trays are available in all sizes and formations. It’s best to use a pre-made seed starting mix that contains the proper amounts of vermiculite, perlite and peat moss.
Ryan fills several trays at once in a production line process. Select the right kind of tray based on the size of the seeds. The containers should be at least two-inches deep and have adequate drainage holes.
Here are two packets of seeds with their corresponding markers. Hollyhocks, Alcea rosea, can reach five to eight-feet tall and up to about four feet across. The flowers come in an array of colors, from white, red, pink, yellow, and even black.
Hollyhock seeds are brown and quite large in comparison to other flower seeds. They form in brown seed pods on the Hollyhock stems during late summer and early autumn.
Ryan drops one to three seeds into each cell. It’s always a good idea to keep a record of when seeds are sown, when they germinate, and when they are transplanted. These observations will help organize a schedule for the following year.
He gently presses down on each seed so it is fully covered with soil.
Canterbury bells, Campanula medium, are elegant, graceful, and delicate flowers native to southern Europe. They have long been enjoyed in landscapes and cut flower arrangements. Canterbury Bells are biennial plants, meaning that the large, showy blooms appear in the plant’s second year.
Ryan also planted some Asters. This mix produces clusters of large, glistening sea urchin shaped blooms in pastel colors in pink, white, and lavender.
Aster seeds range from light to dark brown, and are long with pointed ends. They’re also fairly large and easy to see and handle.
Look closely and one can see the seeds in the cell. These seeds will be selectively thinned in a few weeks. The process eliminates the weaker sprout and prevents overcrowding, so seedlings don’t have any competition for soil nutrients or room to mature.
After each tray is seeded, Ryan covers them by leveling the soil and filling the tray holes back in with the medium.
This packet contains Balloon flower seeds, Platycodon grandiflorus, a species of herbaceous flowering perennial plant of the family Campanulaceae, and the only member of the genus Platycodon. It is native to East Asia and is also known as the Chinese bellflower or platycodon. The balloon-shaped blossoms open to a unique star shape, these in soft pink.
Some seeds are very small – be very careful when pouring them out of the packet. Balloon flowers have tiny, brown seeds that look almost like miniature grains of brown rice.
Every tray is well-marked. Ryan places a label at one end of each row indicating the variety of seeds that are planted. In some cases, one variety gets three or four rows.
These Black Bowle viola seeds are deep purple to inky black – a charming variety popularized by E.A. Bowles, a prominent horticulturist of the late 19th and early 20th century. The Historic Flower Pansy Mix includes an assortment of shades from plum to to bronze with canary yellow centers.
Have you ever grown stocks? These are Murasaki No Uta – a royal purple, single-stemmed variety that is fragrant and resplendent in the garden and in a vase. Averaging 34 to 40 inches tall, each plant produces a robust stalk topped with colorful ruffled blooms.
Lace flowers are delicate, light colored blooms that gracefully sway atop wiry but sturdy stems. Plants reach up to three-feet tall and blooms average about two-and-a-half-inches across, with a subtle, sweet fragrance.
Ryan takes all the trays into the greenhouse where they can get a good drink.
On average, it takes at least a week or two for flowers seeds to germinate and then at least 50 to 60 days until flowers appear – some up to 100-days, but we’re sure to have many gorgeous blooms this summer. I can’t wait. Follow my blog and see!
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