The First Snowfall of the Season at the Farm

December 12, 2017

The First Snowfall of the Season at the Farm

The first real snowflakes of the season are always fun to see.

Over the weekend, we received a light snowfall here in Bedford, New York - about four to five inches. It left a coating of beautiful white snow on the landscape. Fortunately, all my tropical plants are tucked away in temperature-controlled greenhouses, but we're still in the process of preparing for the winter season ahead - soon all the boxwood shrubs and hedges will be covered in burlap.

I always love touring the farm early in the morning after a snowfall. Here are some of my photos - enjoy.

: There is always a bit of excitement with the season’s first snow. This is a view between the paddocks. The old corn crib on the right is original to the farm. The unique “keystone” shape, flaring from bottom to top, was designed to shed water.

: This is the carriage road in front of my Winter House. So far, there’s only one set of tire tracks – made by the Polaris ATV I am driving.

: The giant kugels are hard to see covered in snow, but here they are – secured tightly to the branches.

: Here’s a closer look at one hanging on one of the lower branches topped with several inches of snow.

: One never tires of this beautiful panoramic view of my paddocks and the ancient apple trees. These are some of the oldest trees on the property.

: This apple tree, outside my Winter House porch, is still holding onto apples.

: This is a view of a stand of trees between my tree peony bed and my herbaceous peonies. It is located near the carriage road that runs alongside my Summer House.

: Down by the stable, across the courtyard from the carriage house, is an office building, where my business manager, property director and executive personal assistant work.

: Outside the stable, I captured this photo down the Boxwood Allee. I am so glad many of the shrubs and hedges are safely covered with burlap.

: This is the peafowl palais with its snow covered roof. All my paddocks are surrounded by this beautiful antique white spruce fencing.

: Here is my original Allee of Linden – so beautiful in any season. As these trees grow, the trunks stand like pillars with their branches covered with dense foliage, making them a great choice for a beautifully sculpted allee.

: Here is one of my five greenhouses not far from my stable and chicken coops. My tropical plants have been ready for winter for quite some time – we moved them into these temperature controlled structures back in October. Bales of straw are placed around the greenhouse to keep it even more insulated.

: The lilac allee looks so pretty with the snow covering all the branches. In spring, these shrubs produce flowers at eye-level – all the better to enjoy their sweet, captivating fragrance.

: This is an unplowed, untouched carriage road on the way to the tennis court. 25 Styrax japonicus ‘Marley’s Pink’ tree seedlings were planted last year. These trees feature dainty lightly-scented nodding pink bell-shaped flowers from mid to late spring, and green foliage throughout the season.

: My pigeons are safe and warm in their enclosures.

: Nearby, I caught a glimpse of a flock of wild turkeys. Do you know… a group of turkeys is also called a “rafter”?

: This is the Christmas tree field across from my compost piles. I planted a total of 640 Christmas trees in this field – White Pine, Frasier Fir, Canaan Fir, Norway Spruce, and Blue Spruce.

: All of these trees are growing more each year. They look so beautiful with their branches dusted with snow.

: The woodland streams are full – they look so dark against the winter white.

: These apple trees are located outside the Contemporary House. There are still some apples left on the trees – we had such a bounty of apples this fall.

: This storm dropped about four to five inches of snow in the area. Today, we’re expecting a good rain with temperatures in the 40s.

: The tree on the right is a weeping larch tree, Larix decidua. This curvaceous tree is located at “the triangle” where the carriage roads leading to the Boxwood Allee, the Pin Oak Allee and the woodland, all converge.

: Across from the larch is a lone weeping copper beech at the foot of the Boxwood Allee – a popular favorite for visitors.

: And, here is the mighty Pin Oak Allee that grows alongside the Equipment Barn. Several trees retained many leaves.

: This is my expansive “party lawn”, where I love to set-up games for guests during summer parties. At the end is the corn crib, and on the left is my winding pergola – now lined with beautiful boxwoods – they are doing so well.