A trio of colorful pheasants are now members of my farm's flock.
Not long ago, I went to visit the Animal Nation Farm Sanctuary in nearby South Salem, New York, a wonderful and caring organization and go-to resource for at-risk animals from New York City and the surrounding areas. While there, I saw three golden pheasants and decided they would be wonderful additions to my farm. These exotic gamebirds are native to the forests in the mountainous areas of western China. They are not particularly large - males are about 35 to 40 inches in length with their tails making up about two-thirds of that measurement. They are beautifully marked with mainly bright red, orange, and yellow plumage. Right now, these pheasants are getting acclimated to their new coop just outside my stable where they can be closely monitored. I am looking forward to learning about these birds and watching them thrive here at Cantitoe Corners.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
The Animal Nation Farm Sanctuary is home to more than 250 animals. Animal Nation also runs a non-profit Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation Facility and a Domestic Animal Rescue & Adoption Center located in Norwalk, Connecticut. The organization’s mission is to eliminate cruelty to animals while spreading and teaching compassion and the humane treatment of all creatures.
The Farm Sanctuary is home to horses, sheep, goats, llamas, pigs, turkeys, chickens, and even two emus.
There are also many birds including ducks, geese, peafowl, and swans. In fact, Animal Nation helped me re-home a wounded Mute Swan a few years ago.
In one of Animal Nation’s Sanctuary barns was an area specifically for pheasants – beautiful colorful gamebirds.
I took these three back with me to my farm – two red golden pheasants and one yellow golden pheasant.
For now, they are in this safe enclosure, where they can be warm and well protected from predators…
… And right next to some very welcoming neighbors – my gaggle of geese. My geese don’t mind the winter weather at all. Remember, they have very warm goose down feathers.
I always provide a good bedding of hay, so they can relax comfortably. Hay also helps provide good footing on icy surfaces.
This is the yellow golden pheasant. 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.
This is the red golden pheasant with its bright colorful plumage. This bird is a little more social than the other two. He often comes to the front of the coop to see visitors.
Males have a golden-yellow crest with a hint of red at the tip. The face, throat, chin, and the sides of neck are rusty tan.
The upper back is green and the rest of the back and rump is golden-yellow.
All my outdoor birds get a good supply of seeds. Pheasants also eat insects, berries, and plant matter.
I provide different types of feeders with lots of seed especially now when birds like to bulk up on high-energy foods to build fat reserves that keep them warm.
Pheasants also enjoy fresh greens and some fruit for fiber and vitamins. I provide lots of fresh greens for all my birds – grown right here in my gardens.
And of course, there is always fresh water – checked and changed often to ensure it is always clean and free-flowing.
Pheasants are very curious, but they prefer to perch up high in their coop. This pheasant has a deep bold red chest.
And while they can fly clumsily in short bursts, they tend to run and spend most of their time on the ground. The striped cape can be spread in display, appearing as an alternating black and orange fan that covers the face.
Pheasants are also hardy, very intelligent, and friendly.
Well cared-for golden pheasants can live an average of 15-years. These birds will live very happily here at Cantitoe Corners. Look out for them in future blogs.
It's the middle of winter here in the Northeast - spring is still more than eight weeks away, but it's never too early to start thinking about the garden.
As many of you know, I am a very serious and passionate gardener and am always interested in learning as much as possible about plants and trees. Yesterday, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, and I joined fellow members of The Bedford Garden Club for a very special presentation by native plant expert, Uli Lorimer, author of "The Northeast Native Plant Primer: 235 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden." Uli talked about the importance of growing native plants to heal and enrich our landscapes, provide for beneficial insects and other wildlife, and lessen the amount of maintenance needed in our own backyards. If you don't already have it, I encourage you to pick up his book. It's a wonderful resource for planning a garden filled with native ferns, wildflowers, perennials, shrubs, trees, and other specimens.
Enjoy these photos.
Here at my farm, I am always trying to improve the beauty of the landscape. My farm sits on 153 acres of lush pastures and woodlands. This is the carriage road leading to my hayfields, compost yard, and woods.
This is the back field, where there are many native trees – many I planted, but many that were here when I purchased the property.
I also planted various garden spaces, and included a host of different, interesting, and native specimens.
This is Native Plant Trust and Horticulture Director Uli Lorimer. Uli oversees the operations at both Garden in the Woods, Native Plant Trust’s botanic garden in Framingham, Massachusetts, and Nasami Farm in western Massachusetts, a nursery focused on propagation of and research about New England native plants.
His book, published by Timber Press, talks about the native plants of the Northeast and offers ideas for planning a garden filled with native species.
In his presentation, Uli explains that growing native plants is an important choice that removes carbon from the air, provides shelter and food for wildlife, and promotes biodiversity.
In this slide from Uli, he shares important points for creating the best native plants garden – aim for 70-percent native plants, leave some bare earth, and ask questions whenever visiting the local nursery.
Uli talks about witch hazel, a native shrub. I have a lot of witch hazel at my farm. With their fragrant, butter yellow to orange and scarlet red flowers, witch hazels add a lovely spark of life to otherwise gray winter landscapes. Although witch hazel has many common names, its generic name means “together with fruit” – it is the only tree in North America to have flowers, ripe fruit, and next year’s leaf buds on its branches at the same time. Their diversity, beauty, and all-season appeal make them one of the most well-loved garden specimens.
He recommends Solomon’s Seal wildflowers with their graceful, arching stems and white fragrant blooms. This Solomon’s Seal is in the garden behind my Tenant House. In late summer, these plants show off small blue-green fruit that birds and other small animals love.
Another native is rudbeckia, also known as Black-Eyed Susan. These are popular and versatile flowers in the garden – and a big favorite for pollinators. In autumn, the seeds are eaten up by visiting birds.
Uli also explains that it is sometimes challenging to find native plants. The important thing is to talk to reputable gardeners and landscape architects in one’s area.
Fortunately, there is a lot of improvement. Nurseries are stocking more native plants and there has been a marked increase in availability and sales over the last few years.
Uli says the best way to start a native plant garden is to understand the conditions of one’s yard – what kind of light the space has, how much moisture is available, and what is the condition of the soil.
Birds depend largely on native plants for nesting. This is a Chickadee.
And this is a Chickadee at my farm. According to the Audubon Society, my farm welcomes more than 125-different species of wild birds. I feed them all year round.
These birds are perched in a tree outside my Winter House kitchen and terrace, but there are so many birds all around because I offer them many trees and shrubs for nesting.
Pollinators need native plants in order to get sufficient amounts of nectar and pollen.
Here is a slide of salix, also known as pussy willow. I have an entire grove of pussy willows – also good for pollinators.
There are so many beautiful native plants one can add to the garden. I hope this inspires you to add native specimens to yours, and to learn more about how these plants can help the wildlife and the environment. Remember to pick up a copy of Uli Lorimer’s book, “The Northeast Native Plant Primer: 235 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden.” And get ready for spring – it’s only eight weeks and five days away!
Many gardening chores are best done in winter when the plants are dormant. Among them - pruning.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, I grow a lot of berries - raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, gooseberries, currants, and of course, blueberries - those plump, juicy, sweet fruits that are low in fat, yet packed with vitamin-C and antioxidants. My blueberry bushes produce an abundance of fruit every summer, but they do need some maintenance to keep them productive. Not long ago, just before the season's first snow storms in the area, my gardener, Brian O'Kelly, pruned the blueberry bushes. Pruning produces larger berries in greater volumes, ensures good air circulation and light throughout the plants, and helps to control diseases that might otherwise spread through the patch.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Blueberries are among the most popular berries for eating. Here in the United States, they are second only to strawberries. During summer, we pick boxes and boxes of these sweet, delicious fruits.
Blueberries produce from early summer through late fall. We eat some fresh, and then freeze the rest for use throughout the seasons.
Blueberries are ready when they are completely blue. One may want to pick them as soon as they turn, but it’s actually best a few days later, when there are absolutely no hints of pink or green on the fruits.
Blueberry bushes have glossy leaves that are green or bluish-green from spring through summer. The leaves are ovate, in an irregular oval or slightly egg shape that is wider at the bottom than the top.
And just before these blueberry bushes are laden with fruits, we place a net over the pergola to protect the developing berries from all the birds. The netting covers the blueberry bushes on all sides and on the top.
I planted this blueberry patch more than 12-years ago. This is what the bushes look like in summer, when they are full of foliage and fruit. They grow very well here.
This is what they looked like before pruning. When pruning, we always make sure the outer rows are within the pergola posts. Here, it is easy to see how much growth has occurred.
In winter, flower buds are easily visible on one-year-old wood and their numbers can be adjusted by pruning to regulate the crop load for the coming year.
New growth shows visible swelling of the flower buds. It also indicates good healthy plants. This stage can also tolerate cold temperatures.
When pruning, Brian uses these Okatsune pruners – they are very dependable and long lasting. Everyone on my crew has a pair.
Flor slightly larger branches up to two-inches in diameter, Brian uses his trusted STIHL bypass loppers.
Pruning blueberries is an essential chore for several reasons. Proper pruning maintains an open growth habit, opens the center of the plant to sunlight, and reduces disease. Annual pruning also maintains productivity by encouraging the growth of new fruit-producing stems. Brian begins by cutting off any dead, diseased, or damaged branches.
He cuts the stems off all the way back to where they join a thicker branch.
Brian also makes sure all his tools are extremely sharp, so they make clean cuts.
The goal of good blueberry pruning is to remove enough old growth to encourage the production of new.
It’s easy to discern an old blueberry branch from a new one – the newer branches are pliable and dark in color, while the old branches are rough-barked and lighter in color. When pruning, cut about one-third of the branches all the way down to the ground to stimulate new stems to emerge from the roots.
Brian also checks for any crisscrossed branches or ones that are rubbing. He goes through each bush carefully as he prunes.
These bushes look so much better already – no more overcrowding and all within the granite posts.
Blueberry shrubs are actually extremely hardy. Some varieties survive down to minus-35 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, blueberries need a set number of hours below 45-degrees in order for their flower buds to open and produce berries. Without ample cold weather, blueberries do not produce fruit.
Every so often, Brian steps back to see the work he has done and to assess where he must trim next.
Here are pruned branches ready to be taken to our chipping pile. Pruning takes some time, but the benefits are great. With good, regular pruning and maintenance, our bushes are sure to produce a bounty of fruits year after year.
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