Here at my farm, I have thousands upon thousands of trees. Many were already well established when I purchased the property, but I planted all the others — in beautiful allées, in groves, along privacy hedges, and in carefully arranged rows throughout my living maze. This time of year, one particular type of tree always captures my attention - the magnificent ginkgo.
Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as the ginkgo or maidenhair tree, is the sole surviving species of an ancient plant division, Ginkgophyta. Fossil records show that ginkgo trees date back more than 270 million years. Native to China, they have been cultivated there for centuries and are now grown throughout the world. In the sunken garden behind my Summer House stands a spectacular ginkgo that's probably about 250 years old. Ginkgos have distinctive fan-shaped green leaves that turn brilliant golden yellow in autumn. Then, usually after the arrival of a hard frost along the East Coast, the leaves on my ginkgos and countless others in the surrounding area drop almost all at once. It is one of fall's most spectacular natural displays, and one I look forward to seeing every year.
Here are some photos of the ginkgos at my farm, enjoy.
The ginkgo’s beautiful leaves are so unique – no other broadleaf tree has the same distinctive combination of shape, vein pattern, and growth habit as the ginkgo.
These ginkgo trees are in my sunken Summer House garden. The giant tree in the back is a female and the main focal point of this formal space. It is quite large and probably more than two and a half centuries old. This photo was taken just a few days ago.
The trunk of the ginkgo tree is a light brown to brownish-gray bark that is deeply furrowed and highly ridged. The ridges become more pronounced as the tree ages. The trunk circumference of the giant female tree measures more than 14-feet.
These ginkgo trees are also in my Sunken Garden – full of autumn color.
All the ginkgo trees have changed. One can see a tinge of green still left on this tree. The entire transformation process can take about a week or two.
The change of color happens after the breakdown of chlorophyll, the pigment responsible for the green. As the days get shorter and temperatures drop, plants prepare for winter by shutting off chlorophyll production.
Here the leaves are mostly yellow.
And here they golden yellow. The leaves are 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.
These are three of six Ginkgo biloba Goldspire™ Obelisk trees that surround my pool. I planted the narrow upright tower trees in the spring of 2024 and I am so pleased with how they are doing.
Here are the other three on the opposite side of the pool. In November, these trees are also golden yellow. Ginkgo Goldspire™ is a highly ornamental, non-fruiting male tree originating in Italy. It has a very upright, tight fastigiate habit. These are also starting to drop leaves.
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. This ginkgo tree is in one corner of my herbaceous peony bed.
This tree is in another corner of my herbaceous peony bed, which is surrounded by boxwood. The leaves look so pretty on the bold green boxwood shrubs.
Ginkgos are among the last trees to turn color, often after maples have peaked, reaching a uniform golden yellow before shedding.
These ginkgo trees are in a grove not far from my chicken coops outside my fenced pastures. The leaves are still holding on. The first significant hard frost is the main trigger for mass leaf drop, which could happen very soon. The exact date shifts year to year with climate patterns, but the synchronized drop is a normal seasonal occurrence.
Mixed with the fallen leaves below the female tree are newly fallen ginkgo tree seeds, covered with the foul‑smelling, apricot‑like outer flesh. The outer, nasty smelling pulp is known botanically as sarcotesta.
Here, Enma picks up a handful to show their size. They may look like fruits, but technically they are flesh-covered seeds.
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.
Inside the fleshy outer layer is a single hard-shelled seed enclosing an edible kernel. The kernels are often roasted and used in Asian cuisines.
Look closely and this tree – it is still full of seeds just waiting to fall.
I often collect the seeds and give them to chef friends for use in their Asian dishes – they are always excited to receive them. Enma shows just one bucket full.
I have so many this year! What a bounty.
What are the ginkgo trees doing where you live? Have they dropped their leaves and seeds?
Get your bulb planters and garden tools ready - it’s time to plant those spring-blooming bulbs!
If you want a beautiful display of flowers in the garden next spring, autumn is the ideal time to get planting. Most spring-flowering bulbs require an extended period of cold temperatures to break dormancy and support healthy root development before their spring growth and bloom. Every year, I plant an abundance of bulbs throughout my gardens, including daffodils, Dutch iris, Camassia, alliums, and many others. Yesterday, my gardeners planted tulip bulbs from The Flower Hat, a floral design studio and flower farm in Bozeman, Montana. The bulbs were carefully placed in several raised beds in my vegetable garden, where I know they will put on a spectacular and colorful show come spring.
Enjoy these photos.
It’s always exciting to receive bulbs from The Flower Hat. We were sent a variety of different tulip bulbs, all in excellent condition. All tulips are planted in the fall and bloom in the spring. They grow best in zones 3 to 8 where they can get eight to 12 weeks of cold temperatures while under the soil.
Among the varieties we received – Tulip Mercure, which features deep burgundy-red flowers edged with a fringed yellow border. (Photo courtesy The Flower Hat)
Tulip San Martin has deep magenta-purple blooms with white fringes along the petal edges. (Photo courtesy The Flower Hat)
Tulip Lorenzo is strikingly different with its bold double blooms in rich orange and coral-red hues. (Photo courtesy The Flower Hat)
Tulip Cracker Parrot has deeply fringed, feathered petals in rich magenta-purple. (Photo courtesy The Flower Hat)
This lighter colored tulip variety is Perth. It blooms in violet-pink tones with soft rose edging. (Photo courtesy The Flower Hat)
Tulip Royal Centennial is a standout with its bold double blooms in rich orange and coral-red shades. (Photo courtesy The Flower Hat)
Tulip Rosy Diamond opens to shades of rose-pink delicately splashed with magenta. (Photo courtesy The Flower Hat)
All the beds were already well-fertilized. Ryan starts by making the rows using the bed preparation rake from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. This tool allows him to easily create shallow furrows in the soil.
Hard plastic red tubes slide onto selected teeth of the rake to mark the rows.
Matthew goes over the same rows with a hoe. This helps to make deeper trenches in the soil. Tulip bulbs are planted in deep trenches to protect them from freezing, ensure stable root development, and regulate soil temperature.
Ryan places the bulbs next to the bed in which they will be planted – all like varieties together.
One by one, Matthew places each bulb into the trench.
The papery cover on a tulip bulb is called the tunic — a thin, dry, papery outer layer that wraps and protects the bulb. One can peel it off, or plant as is.
Matthew places 10 bulbs in each row, equally spaced apart and following in line with the bulbs in the previous row. Because I take a lot of photos of my flowers in bloom, it is important that they line up perfectly.
These tulip bulbs look so healthy. Any kind of bulb should be firm and free of soft spots or visible rot. Check for signs of disease, cracking or other damage, which may cause the bulb to rot in the ground.
Matthew pushes the dibber into the soil making a hole as long as the dibber point. Tulip bulbs are medium sized, so they should be buried at least six to eight-inches deep. As a rule of thumb, bulbs should be planted about three times the height of the actual bulb.
A dibber or dibble or dibbler is a pointed wooden stick for making holes in the ground so seeds, seedlings or bulbs can be planted. Dibbers come in a variety of designs including the straight dibber, T-handled dibber, trowel dibber, and an L-shaped dibber. These are T-handled dibbers.
Every bulb should be planted faced up. This is important for all bulbs. If the pointed end is not obvious, look for the flat side of the bulb, which is the bottom.
With the large number of bulbs to be planted, Matthew and Ryan work together from opposite sides of this bed.
Here is the bulb in the soil. Matthew and Ryan plant all the bulbs before backfilling, so they can keep track of the planted holes and rows.
Once the bulbs are in their designated trenches, it’s time to rake and backfill the bed carefully, so as not to disturb the bulb placements.
Most bulbs prefer full sun and average moisture. We’ll have a beautiful cutting garden of colorful tulips come spring.
Homegrown garlic has a wonderfully robust, fresh, and complex flavor that's hard to match - and fall is the perfect time to plant it.
While garlic can also be planted in spring as soon as the ground is workable, fall planting is generally recommended. It gives the cloves time to establish roots before winter dormancy, resulting in well-developed bulbs ready for harvest the following summer. Every year, I plant a generous crop of garlic from Keene Garlic, a family-owned farm in Wisconsin that specializes in certified organic and naturally grown gourmet varieties for both eating and planting. Garlic is not only a great ingredient in the kitchen, but it offers a number of health benefits. And knowing that the garlic is also grown right here at my farm makes it even more rewarding.
Enjoy these photos.
I have been planting Keene Garlic for several years and am always so pleased with their growth and taste. Here’s my box containing several different varieties for planting ready to be shipped from Keene to my farm. (Photo courtesy Keene Garlic)
This is Keene. Every one of Keene’s bulbs goes through an inspection process. The entire staff at Keene is trained to check for good quality and feel. Keene is holding one of his favorite varieties – Chesnok Red, which has great flavor and is easy to grow. (Photo courtesy Keene Garlic)
Keene Garlic ships across the entire United States. There are two main types of garlic that can be grown – hardneck and softneck. Hardneck garlic grows best in colder climates, while softneck garlic thrives in warmer areas such as California and Texas. (Photo courtesy Keene Garlic)
Once it is at my farm, the garlic is prepared for planting. Each bulb is carefully broken to separate all the cloves – the largest cloves for planting and the smaller ones for eating. These cloves were placed in a special bioactive liquid garlic soak the day before to help produce larger, healthier bulbs and improve nutrient absorption.
Most of the beds in my half-acre garden are already cleaned for the cold season, but it’s a great place to plant the garlic, where it can get full sun.
The designated bed is sprinkled with fertilizer specially made for garlic and alliums.
Ryan uses a Bed Preparation Rake from Johnny’s Selected Seeds to create furrows in the soil. Hard plastic red tubes slide onto selected teeth of the rake to mark the rows.
Jute twine is secured at one end to ensure the rows are perfectly straight. This is a guide for all the other rows in the bed. Ryan already determined how many rows would fit in this bed and how many garlic cloves would be planted in each row.
Remember the terminology – a head of garlic and a bulb of garlic refer to the entire structure that contains multiple individual segments.
And each of those segments is called a clove. A typical garlic bulb contains about 10 to 12 cloves, but this can vary depending on the size and variety. Some larger varieties may have only four cloves, while smaller bulbs can have up to 15 cloves.
Ryan positions each clove. When planting multiple rows of garlic, be sure the rows are at least one-foot apart.
It is also important to give each clove enough room to grow and develop. They should be planted at least several inches from each other.
Here are several rows well spaced for planting.
To make the holes for planting garlic, Norman uses a dibble or a dibber. The T-grip on the dibber allows the planter to apply enough pressure to create a consistent depth for each hole.
Norman drops a seed garlic clove into the hole. It is planted with the pointed end faced up. The majority of garlic in the US is planted from mid-October through November before the ground freezes.
Cloves should be pushed down at least three inches deep.
Ryan and Norman work in tandem – as one places the seed garlic in the row, the other plants it. If the soil in the bed is well cultivated, this should be a fast and easy process.
Norman also makes sure to leave one row uncovered, so Ryan knows the proper placement of each clove.
After planting all the cloves, Ryan backfills the rows.
Next, the entire bed is topped with a new layer of soil.
I use Miracle-Gro Organic Raised Bed and Garden Soil.
Once the new soil is spread across the bed, Ryan rakes the bed again, so it is level and smooth.
This garlic will be ready to harvest mid-July to August. And that’s it – we wait until next year to pick. If you’ve never grown your own garlic, give it a try.
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