Moroccan Feasts, Memorial Day and More: The Latest from Martha's Blog

Spring is the perfect time of year for outdoor lunches.

Last weekend, after our visit with Bunny Williams and our morning at the Trade Secrets rare plant and garden antiques sale in Sharon, Connecticut, we drove to a tranquil town in New York State, where we enjoyed a lovely lunch at the weekend home of our senior EVP of Merchandising, Patsy Pollack.

The boxwood garden in Patsy's shade looked very lush and healthy. Did you know there are about 90-species and more than 365 different cultivars?

This charming round iron planter was used for growing chives, which are popular, edible, and used to flavor many dishes.

Lunch was served buffet style inside Patsy's house - a delicious Moroccan-themed feast. Patsy used recipes by Moroccan-American chef Mourad Lahlou.

For me, Memorial Day weekend signals a significant change of seasons. It's traditionally the weekend I go to Maine, to my home called Skylands, to plant the outdoor pots and planters. I take many plants from Bedford, where they have wintered in the greenhouse.

Our July issue of Martha Stewart Living will feature the terrace gardens, and the photographs will give you a good idea about the scope of the work we try to accomplish in the next three days.

There are few plants that can compete with the tree peony when it's in full bloom.

Tree peonies flower anywhere from late April to early May. Look at the bold pink color of this tree peony!

Tree peonies thrive in fertile, well-drained soil, along with other conditions you can read more about on my blog.

Tree peonies are hardy through zone-4, but they do need protection from winter winds. In winter, I surround the tree peony garden with burlap secured to the ground with stakes.

After I returned home from a weekend in Maine, I decided to take a drive around the farm to see how all the flowers, trees and plants were doing. 

During the drive, I took these photos of the growth I observed. Despite the weather, everything is growing beautifully . Enjoy the photos!

The Pin Oak Allee looks more lush every week. Pin oak, or Quercus palustris, is one of the most popular trees for landscaping because because it provides dense shade and is tolerant of pollution, soil compaction and heat.

The terraces at Skylands are brimming with plant life and color once again.

I spent this past weekend at my home in Maine to carry out my yearly task of planting all the large urns, pots and planters. It’s quite an undertaking, but I actually enjoy the time, especially with the group that accompanies me from year to year, including my gardener, Ryan McCallister, and I, oversee all of the planting chores.

I planted uniquely shaped succulents in this ancient English stone trough. 

A nice wide view of my terrace at Skylands as it begins to take on more life with all the planted specimens. On the left, one of the two glazed terra-cotta sphinxes watched over the terrace and guarded the entrance to the house. These sphinxes were designed by Emile Muller.