I have thousands and thousands of trees. Many were already well-established when I purchased the property, but the rest I've planted - in allées, in groves, as privacy hedges, around my pool, and in rows within my living maze. One type of tree, however, stands out this time every year - the ginkgo.
Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as ginkgo or gingko, and also known as the maidenhair tree, is the only living species in the division Ginkgophyta. It is found in fossils dating back 270-million years. Native to China, the ginkgo tree is widely cultivated, and was cultivated early in human history. Ginkgo trees have beautiful green leaves that turn a luminous golden-yellow in autumn. This time of year, the female trees also start dropping their fruits all over the ground. Ginkgo nuts are a delicacy in China, Japan, and Korea, and are prized for their flavor, nutritional value, and medicinal properties.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This year, I have so many ginkgo fruits. Female ginkgo trees produce tan-orange oval fruits that fall to the ground in October and November.
They start off high up in the tree like this before falling. This ginkgo is outside my Summer House garden and it is full of fruit.
And this ginkgo tree, another female, is the main focal point of my sunken garden. It is about 250 years old.
In June, it’s filled with beautiful bright green foliage.
In October, it is a gorgeous golden yellow. The ginkgo biloba is one of the most distinct and beautiful of all deciduous trees. It prefers a minimum of four hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day. The ginkgo has a cone-like shape when young, and becomes irregularly rounded as it ages.
Here are some leaves as they started to change color. The leaves are unusually fan-shaped, up to three inches long, with a petiole that is also up to three inches long. This shape and the elongated petiole cause the foliage to flutter in the slightest breeze.
And now, the tree is bare. Typically, on one day after the hard frost sweeps down the east coast, this ginkgo, along with others at my farm and countless more in the area, drops its leaves, but with such mild temperatures this autumn, the “great fall” seems less dramatic.
The leaves fall all over the boxwood hedges…
… and in the garden beds, covering the entire area in yellow.
The ginkgo leaves are easy to identify.
They are often deeply grooved in the middle of the leaf, producing two distinct lobes, hence the name Ginkgo biloba, meaning two lobes.
Mixed with the fallen leaves is a group of newly fallen ginkgo tree fruits. The most noticeable thing about these is the smell – it is hard to miss, and the stench is quite disagreeable. The outer, nasty smelling pulp is known botanically as sarcotesta.
Inside is a single hard-shelled seed enclosing an edible kernel. The kernels are often roasted and used in Asian cuisines.
The ginkgo seeds contain urushiol, which is the same chemical that causes poison oak, ivy, and sumac, so always wear gloves and protect your skin whenever handling the fruit.
Here is a closer look at the fruit and seed. It is small and fleshy – about the size of a small jujube, or Chinese date.
Ginkgo trees are dioecious, meaning that male and female reproductive parts develop on separate plants. Ginkgo trees typically reach sexual maturity around 20 to 30 years old. Male trees do not drop fruit. This young ginkgo tree is in the northeast corner of my herbaceous peony bed. It has lost most of its leaves.
This tree is in a field east of my chicken coops and off a carriage road to my run-in paddock. It still has many leaves left on its branches.
This ginkgo is outside my raised bed vegetable garden. It is the first to lose its leaves here at the farm.
These are my newest ginkgo trees, six Ginkgo biloba Goldspire™ Obelisk trees, which I planted by my pool last May. They too have lost lots, but not all, of their leaves.
In September, I gathered the new ginkgo seedlings that started growing near their parent tree outside my Summer House. I repotted them so they could be nurtured in one of my greenhouses until they are transplanted in more permanent locations. It’s a cycle of growth, fruiting, abscission of leaves, and then dormancy for the mighty ginkgo.
This time of year, my grove of Japanese maple trees is aglow with autumn color - bright yellows, oranges, and reds.
Many of my Japanese maples are varieties of Acer palmatum - trees that have been cultivated in Japanese gardens for centuries. Over the last several years, I’ve planted many of these trees in one section of a shade garden not far from my chicken coops and tropical hoop houses. They were planted in honor of my late sister, Laura Plimpton, who adored these trees. These specimens provide countless variations in size, leaf shape, and color, creating a landscape of beauty and texture that gets better and better every year. This week, my outdoor grounds crew turned their attention to this grove, adding nutrient-rich composted mulch to each specimen, covering their bases just to the root flare, so they are all well-protected during the colder season.
Enjoy these photos.
Every year, all of us here at the farm wait for this woodland to burst with color. With more than a thousand varieties and cultivars including hybrids, the iconic Japanese maple tree is among the most versatile small trees.
Japanese maples are native to areas of Japan, Korea, China, and Russia. In Japan, the maple is called the “autumn welcoming tree” and is planted in the western portion of gardens – the direction from which fall arrives there. I love the contrast between the bright reds, oranges, yellows, and greens in this grove. The heavy leaf cover on the ground also enriches the soil and adds even more fall color.
But those brilliant fall colors aren’t a guarantee. The colors are a result of climate, weather, and environmental conditions. Here in the Northeast, fall weather usually arrives in September, with temperatures cooling off rapidly at night even when the days are still warm. These cool nighttime temperatures trigger the leaf-changing process. Unusually warm early fall weather may even prevent the leaves from turning red. This is because the color changes occur with gradually cooling temperatures – not cold snaps.
The deciduous trees above have already lost all their foliage leaving all the gorgeous colors down below.
Leaf color best develops when nighttime temperatures remain above freezing but below 45-degrees Fahrenheit. A sudden cold snap could turn the leaves more plum-brown seemingly overnight, skipping the vibrantly red stage altogether.
This year, the warmer weather lasted longer than usual, and it’s been unusually dry, but we’ve watered where necessary and these trees are still giving a good show.
Red leafed cultivars are the most popular, followed by green shrubs with deeply dissected leaves.
I also have more rare varieties. These leaves are deeply divided, but each lobe is also dissected, giving them a lacy effect.
This compact Japanese maple has narrow, sword-like leaves that are deep red to plum in color.
Japanese maple forms can be weeping, rounded, dwarf, mounding, upright, or cascading. Japanese maples typically grow about one-foot per year for the first 50-years, but they can live to be more than a hundred.
Many of the Japanese maples with green spring leaves will eventually turn to an orange color in the fall. This orange can range everywhere between a darker burnt orange and a bright, almost florescent orange.
With the right conditions, the fall colors of the Japanese maple may last for several weeks. Unfortunately, as it gets colder the colors begin to dull.
My crew is busy adding composted mulch to the base of every Japanese maple in this grove. I am fortunate to be able to make lots of compost here at my farm.
As each wheelbarrow is filled, Alex manually drops a certain amount around each tree depending on its size. The composted area around a tree should extend to the drip line of the branches, or at least cover a four to five foot diameter area around the trunk.
The crew is doing this just in time. They noticed a couple of trees had lost soil around their bases caused by run-off. Composting now ensures all the trees will be well-protected during the cold season.
Here, José uses a hard rake to spread an even layer around the tree base.
It is important to only cover up to the root flare. The root flare is a swelling at the base of the trunk where the roots begin to spread out. It’s usually visible at or near ground level.
When mulching, start the layer about four to six inches from the trunk and spread it out wide. The mulch should be just a few inches thick, and not mounded directly around the trunk.
Adding composted mulch is good to do in spring and in the fall. Not only does this look great, but it prevents weeds, gives the trees essential nutrients, and insulates the roots.
Looks great, José and Alex! This week, daytime temperatures dipped into the 50s, so it was good to get this task done.
As the weather cools even more and daylight hours shorten, the leaves of the trees continue the autumn process of drying out, and falling off until the tree bare. And then come spring, new leaves emerge again.
This project is almost complete, and the trees look excellent.
I am sure my sister Laura would be very happy to know I am taking such good care of these Japanese maples.
I'm on my book tour this week, so I hope to see you at one of my appearances! Last month, I celebrated the launch of this milestone book, at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's new Midtown restaurant, 425. The event kicked off this year's New York Wine and food Festival. Hosted by Chef Jean-Georges and Lee Brian Schrager, Festival Founder and Director, guests were treated to a menu inspired by my book as well as some of Jean-Georges' own exquisite dishes. Later that week, Chef Daniel Boulud and I hosted a brunch at Tiffany's Blue Box Café, where I personally signed more than 50 books before sharing a wonderful three-course meal. You may have seen photos of both events on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48. Please get a copy of my book. "Martha, The Cookbook: 100 Favorite Recipes, with Lessons and Stories from My Kitchen," is a collection of 100 of my most treasured recipes and tips, along with photos from my personal archives and the stories behind them. I am very proud of this book. It's the one I know you'll want to read cover to cover.
Enjoy some of these celebratory photos.
I’m currently on a book tour for my 100th book. I hope you’ve signed up for one of these events. I’ll also be sure to share some photos.
Last month, I enjoyed a very special party on the top floor of 425 Park Avenue to celebrate “Martha: The Cookbook: 100 Favorite Recipes with Lessons and Stories from My Kitchen.” The party was hosted by Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and the Bank of America. So many people attended – devotees, food enthusiasts, colleagues, and friends.
Here I am with Chef Daniel Boulud and his wife, Katherine Gage Boulud.
And here’s a photo of me and Chef Jean-Georges.
During the reception, bites inspired by my book were served. These are puff pastry cheese straws.
And these are called gougères. A gougere in French cuisine is a baked savory choux pastry made of choux dough and mixed with cheese. These are always a big hit at my own parties.
Here I am with Chef Jean-Georges and Lee Schrager.
Also in attendance, restaurateur Drew Nieporent.
Lisa Wagner was part of a small team that helped me with this 100th book. Lisa and I have known each other for many years. She was an original member of my creative team for the Martha Stewart Living Magazine.
Here I am with Chefs Jean-George and Daniel Boulud.
Business entrepreneur Roy Tin also stopped by the event.
And look who else… none other than my dear friend, Snoop Dogg!
Who do you think got the best snapshot of us?
It was a fun evening and the best way to launch this year’s New York Wine and Food Festival and to celebrate my book! Be sure to get a copy!
Later that same week, I hosted a brunch with Chef Daniel Boulud at the legendary Blue Box, the charming and elegant Daniel Boulud-run café inside Tiffany’s Fifth Avenue flagship store. Here I am with our own Thomas Joseph and Kevin Sharkey.
It was good to see Chef Jean-George at this event too.
Tables were set with the iconic “Tiffany blue” colored plates.
And here I am with my longtime publicist and friend, Susan Magrino. It was a marathon week of celebrations for my book, and we’re still going strong.
Get tickets to see me at these book tour events. I started in Boston and am in Long Island, New York City, and Charleston, South Carolina.
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