A Light January Snowfall
When I am home, I always try to take snapshots whenever snow falls - so many of you enjoy the photo tours of my Bedford, New York farm throughout the seasons.
Yesterday morning started off bright and snowy. This recent system was light, crunchy, and short-lived - by afternoon, much of it had melted as temperatures rose into the 40s, but it left a beautiful coating of white fluff across the landscape.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Once again, the farm is covered with glistening snow – everything looks so pretty. I love to tour the property early in the morning to check that everything is in order and to take photos of the newly fallen powder. This view is of the white garden in front of my Winter House.
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- Whenever it snows, I am always grateful for the stakes we put up delineating the carriage roads. The little basket house is nestled in the grove of bald cypress, Taxodium distichum.
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- Here is a view between two of my horse paddocks. The skies above are a beautiful shade of blue.
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- Fortunately, it was not damaging snow – everything is intact, and today’s weather here in the Northeast is expected to be sunny with low winds. This photo was taken from one end of my pergola. In the summer, the vertical posts support beautiful clematis vines which bloom in white and various shades of purple and blue.
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- Nearby is my expansive soccer field or “party lawn”, where I love to set-up games for guests during summer parties and where my grandson, Truman, loves to play soccer with friends. On the right, one can see the snow covered roof of the old corn crib and the weeping hornbeams. We prune these regularly to keep their beautiful shapes.
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- These are the mighty pin oaks, Quercus palustris, that grow alongside my large Equipment Barn – these tall, handsome trees look beautiful in every season.
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- The pool is now covered for winter, but look closely at the staddle stones at the far end – so perfect in that location. Staddle stones were originally used as supporting bases for granaries, hayricks, game larders, etc. The staddle stones lifted the granaries above the ground to protect the stored grain from vermin and water seepage.
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- Here’s a gurgling stream peeking through the blanket of white. One can see the grass outlining the length of the narrow creek.
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- At this juncture, one of several trees in my grove of American beech trees, Fagus grandifolia. This weather system left all the tree branches heavily dusted with snow.
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- This is one of two lower hayfields. On one side, the weeping willows add a light golden hue to the winter landscape.
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- In another field, an area of evergreens and gorgeous Christmas trees. I am so proud of all the trees I have planted around my farm – thousands and thousands. It’s one way I can give back to the Earth and help to create a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable planet for my grandchildren, and for everyone.
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- Thankfully, the wind was not strong, so none of the trees suffered any damage. These trees stand tall in the woodland along this carriage road leading to the back hayfields and to my little woodland cottage.
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- And here is the old sycamore. The mighty sycamore is the symbol of Cantitoe Corners. A small bird house is located just below the branches – I wonder if any screech owls have taken residence inside.
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- This photo was taken when the skies were a bit lighter. One of my “blue boy” peacocks is perched on the fence with Banchunch, my Fell Pony standing nearby. The animals enjoy their time outdoors. In fact, they much prefer this weather to the hot humid days of summer.
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- This is the fence surrounding my pigeon yard. The snow seems to stick to everything.
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- This is the espalier of Asian pear trees we planted last summer in front of the peafowl pen. Espalier refers to an ancient technique, resulting in trees that grow flat, either against a wall, or along a wire-strung framework. Many kinds of trees respond beautifully to the espalier treatment, but fruit trees, like apple and pear, were some of the earliest examples. And, because necessary sunlight reaches every piece of fruit that these trees bear, espalier pruning remains standard procedure at commercial orchards in France.
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- Snow covered the burlap structures down the long Boxwood Allee. The outdoor grounds crew did such a wonderful job putting up the burlap covers this year. The Boxwood Allee looks so different in winter.
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- The allees look so pretty covered in snow. I planted this linden tree section several years ago. The linden tree, Tilia, is also referred to as basswood or lime, though it is not related at all to the lime fruit. They are straight stemmed trees with smooth bark. The antique fencing casts wonderful shadows below.
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- Looking in the other direction – blue, blue skies, and a nice view down the length of the paddocks with tall white pines on the right. This path extends down to the chicken coops.
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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.
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- This is the carriage road near the Summer House, which curves right and leads to the stable downhill.
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- And going back toward my home, this is the side of the Summer House with the snow covered branches of the azaleas in the foreground. Azaleas can thrive in a wide variety of growing conditions, which makes them useful in so many different landscapes. They are popularly referred to as the “royalty of the garden” – long adored for their brightly colored flowers and evergreen foliage in spring.
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- This photo was taken from the back steps of my Summer House. The giant tree at the rear is the old ginkgo – original to the farm. Not long ago, this area was covered in golden-yellow colored leaves from the ginkgo trees – what a difference the snow makes. On both sides of the footpath are my boxwood shrubs covered under more protective burlap.
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- This view outside my Winter House is among my favorites. These iconic apple trees have been here for many, many years. One can see the roofs of the chicken coops and the stable beyond.
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- The snow from this storm will soon be gone with temperatures expected to be in the high 40s today, but I am glad we captured some of the beauty while it lasted. Go to my Instagram page @marthastewart48 for more of my photos.
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