More Snow Falls Over My Farm
More snow is expected to fall on my Bedford, New York farm today.
Over the weekend, we received at least five-inches of white powder on top of the 15 to 18 inches that fell last week. And temperatures in the area are freezing - mostly in the 20s for the next several days. The cold and heavy accumulation definitely make clean-up and regular outdoor chores difficult. My crew is very busy plowing the carriage roads, shoveling the walkways and terraces, and clearing any areas that need access.
Enjoy these photos.
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- This is a view looking into the woods – the ground covered with a blanket of snow. I hope all of the creatures are keeping warm in their woodland dens.
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- These are newly pruned trees up near what I call my “Contemporary House.” Snow covers the tops, outlining their interesting shapes. These are some of the oldest fruit trees on the property.
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- 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. They’ve grown so much since they were planted in 2009.
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- This weather system left all the tree branches laden with snow.
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- Are these snow mounds or compost piles? Actually, these are my compost piles covered in white tarps and glistening white snow.
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- Thankfully, the wind was not too strong, so none of my trees suffered any damage. These leafless trees still look so pretty across the back field.
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- I love the shadows of the tree branches in the snow. Look closely and see the footprints that run across in the distance – I wonder what creature recently traversed this field.
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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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- Snow disguises most of this gurgling stream peeking through the white snow. My grandchildren love to play here in the summer.
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- The 100-year old white spruce fencing has many new cedar uprights now supporting it. I love how the snow collects on the fence rails. I have photographed sections of this beautiful fence many times through the seasons.
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- Snow covered the burlap structures down the long Boxwood Allee. Here’s Domi sweeping the snow off the burlap, so the wet, heavy snow doesn’t weigh down on the shrubs underneath.
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- Chhiring works on pruning the trees near my Blog Studio. works on removing the water sprouts. He is cutting the water sprouts – thin branches which grow straight up from lateral branches and do not bear fruit. He uses a pruning hand saw for any branches that are tougher to cut with regular hand pruners.
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- Hard to distinguish these trees covered in white, but they are ‘Miss Kim’ lilacs, which bloom in May. They are some of the most fragrant of all the lilac bushes. This row stands in front of espaliered apple trees.
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- Across the carriage road are my Malus ‘Gravenstein’ espalier apple trees – also covered in snow. I love this crisp and juicy apple, an antique variety, which is wonderful to eat and great for cooking and baking. Next year, we should have a great crop of apples.
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- The shrub beneath this burlap will not lose its shape by the weight of the snow. It comforts me to see the burlap structures protecting the delicate branches.
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- This is a my herbaceous peony bed at rest – I cannot wait to see it overflowing with white and pink peony blooms this summer. With all the snow cover, it’s hard to see the outline of the beds. We’re expecting another three inches of snow today.
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- On the outside of the peony garden, the burlap-covered boxwood border is also safe.
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- The faux bois urns behind my Summer House are also protected under burlap, though several inches of snow surround it and cover the tops.
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- Down the center of the Summer House garden, this footpath looks pillowy with its bumps of snow.
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- And along the winding pergola, the birds are feasting on seed from my Martha Stewart MTS-CBF1 Real Copper Bird Feeders with Feeding Ports, available at my shop on Amazon. If you feed birds in your yard, don’t forget to refill your feeders as soon as they empty – our wild birds depend on us for sustenance during the winter months.
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