The Season's First Snow at My Farm
Even if you’re not a big fan of cold weather, it's hard not to love a gorgeous snow-covered landscape.
Winter doesn’t officially begin for another couple of weeks, but here at my Bedford, New York farm, we’ve already had our first snowstorm - we got about four to five inches of beautiful powdery white snow earlier this week. Thankfully, 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 my precious boxwood shrubs and hedges will be draped in burlap.
Enjoy these photos of our first snow.
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- There is always a bit of excitement with the first snow of the season. It’s always nice to tour the farm early in the morning after a snowfall. Here is a view between two of my horse paddocks. I am relieved this storm did not cause any damage to the farm. In some areas, the storm dropped up to 20-inches of snow.
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- We got enough snow to completely cover the ground. Here are the trunks of the mighty pin oaks that grow alongside my large Equipment Barn.
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- Tucked away between the Equipment Barn and a grove of weeping willows is my pinetum – a wonderful collection of evergreens I started planting about 10-years ago. This area includes pines, spruces, firs, and others. We recently planted this border of Osmanthus fastigiata, also known as Upright False Holly, Tea Olive, Olive Holly, and Holly-Leaf Osmanthus – dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrubs with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit.
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- Here is my stand of American beech trees. They are slow to grow, but can live up to 300-years. It’s interesting how some drop all their leaves, while others hold onto them as long as possible.
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- This carriage road into the woods winds so nicely with its canopy of naked tree branches overhead.
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- Fortunately, the snow did not harm any of the boxwood shrubs. The crew was tasked with gently brushing all the snow off these precious specimens. Heavy snow could damage the shrubs and splay their branches. Soon, they will be covered with protective burlap.
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- Even with the falling snow, it is hard to miss this stand of eastern white pine trees, Pinus strobus. White pines are the tallest trees in eastern North America.
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- Here is an allee between paddocks. The long building at the end contains a four-bay carport, a flower room, a generator room, and my blog studio.
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- Here is a view looking in the other direction towards the chicken coops on the left.
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- And this 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. Now the branches are covered in fresh white snow.
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- This particular snow is light and fluffy. The light fluffy snow forms when all layers of the atmosphere are below freezing. Because the air is cold, all the way down to the surface, snowflakes don’t melt. It was about 30-degrees Fahrenheit in the early morning with temperatures rising to nearly 40-degrees by midday.
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- I love how snow collects on this 100-year old white spruce fencing I purchased in Canada. This fencing is what surrounds all my paddocks at the farm. Here’s “Jude Junior” walking over to say hello.
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- “Jude Junior” is one of the two donkeys I adopted this summer. “Truman Junior” is the other. They are both so happy at the farm and get along so well with the resident donkeys – Rufus, Clive, and Billie.
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- Here are Rufus and Clive looking out from their shelter this morning after the storm.
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- The smallest of animal tracks are seen so clearly in the snow.
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- Here is the tall American boxwood that surrounds my Summer House garden. This hedge is already covered in netting.
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- Here is the side entrance to my ginkgo and boxwood garden behind the Summer House. At the far end, more American boxwood under protective netting.
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- The snow accumulated on every branch but did not weigh any down too much.
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- This is another view taken from the steps of the Summer House. The smaller trees are Ginkgo biloba and so is the giant tall one at the rear. Not long ago, this area was covered in golden-yellow colored leaves from the ginkgo trees – what a difference the snow makes.
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- One never tires of this beautiful panoramic view of my paddocks. From this vantage point, it’s easy to see the four chicken coop rooftops in the distance.
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- Whenever I entertain in cold weather, I always build fires in the outdoor cast iron sugar pots. This one is ready for the next gathering. I have two huge cast iron sugar kettles I keep as fire pits at the farm. They add such a nice accent to the landscape and have always been fun conversation pieces during parties.
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- Here, one can see the melting sheets of ice and snow hanging off the roof of my carport. This is where I hang feeders for all the birds that visit the farm on a daily basis – about 125 different species.
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- And here is the old corn crib that’s original to the farm. The unique “keystone” shape flaring from bottom to top was designed to shed water. It is located near my Winter House and long pergola. How much snow did you get with this storm? Share your comments below.
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