Much Needed Rain Falls Over My Farm
Here in Bedford, New York, we're expecting overcast skies today with highs in the 70s and maybe a few lingering showers - after a full day of good, steady rain.
We haven't had any soaking rains here since June. Much of this region has been under a drought "watch" for weeks. Here at my farm, I'm fortunate to have a strong well system, so we could keep all the gardens and groves adequately hydrated. But yesterday, we finally got some much needed precipitation - all the sprinklers were turned off and all the hoses were coiled and stored next to their designated bibs. It rained consistently for almost 24-hours dropping more than an inch of rain over my home. We still need some more, but this was a good start.
Here are some photos. And be sure to watch me on QVC today at 1pm when I share some of my newest Halloween decorations!
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- We’ve been waiting for rain for quite some time. We’ve heard about rain in the forecast, but it always seemed to “just miss us.” Finally it came. It started the night before and lasted through the day. Here is a view of the dark, ominous clouds from my terrace parterre.
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- Here in Bedford, the rain was not extremely strong or damaging, but it was steady. This is one of two hand-casted antique fountains I purchased many year ago. One can see the rings of the raindrops on the water.
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- The skies look eerily gray over the paddocks and trees. On the left is my grove of American beech trees. All the trees need a good watering.
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- Even with gray clouds overhead, the great white pines stand tall in the landscape. These white pine trees are visible from almost every location on this end of the farm. Pinus Strobus is a large pine native to eastern North America. Some white pines can live more than 400-years.
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- On one end of the Boxwood Allée is this beautiful weeping copper beech, Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea Pendular’, an irregular spreading tree with long, weeping branches that reach the ground.
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- Not far is my Pin Oak Allée – one of several allées at the farm and the first one guests see when they visit. A recognizable trait of the pin oak is that its lower branches hang down. It also has horizontal middle branches and upright upper branches forming a most interesting growth habit.
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- This is part of the newer of two allées of lindens at the farm. This one is in between two of my paddocks. It extends from my pergola all the way down to the chicken coops.
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- Here is a view north looking at the allée of lindens. These trees are growing so nicely.
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- And here is a view looking south from the Boxwood Allée, through the maze paddock and my Winter House in the distance. Be sure to follow my blog and my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 for updates on my developing living maze.
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- The Asian pear espalier outside my stable is full of fruits, and the raccoons know it. We covered the espalier with netting to keep the hungry critters away.
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- All but the geese sought cover during the hardest rainfall. The geese didn’t seem to mind the rain at all and continued to walk around, graze, and flap their wings.
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- There are still many hydrangeas blooming in the perennial garden across from my vegetable garden. Hydrangea is a genus of at least 70-species of flowering plants native to southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. The Hydrangea “flower” is really a cluster of flowers called a corymb.
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- This is my grove of weeping willows on the edge of one of my hayfields. Weeping willows are upright, fast-growing, deciduous trees that can grow up to 80-feet tall. Because of their massive root systems, they need a fair amount of room to grow. They also prefer wet feet and are often planted on the banks of streams and rivers to prevent erosion.
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- They’re prized for their delicate, weeping branches that graze the ground with fluttering, silver-tinged leaves.
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- The rain came down hard in the woodland too…
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- … just not hard enough to wet all the bark on all the trees.
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- Finally there’s water in the streams again – they had been so dry this summer.
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- Here’s a view through a grove of dawn redwoods, Metasequoia – just behind my chicken yard. Underneath is a large bed of hostas, a perennial favorite. Their lush green foliage varying in leaf shape, size, and texture, and their easy care requirements make them ideal for so many gardens.
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- All our trusted Gilmour hoses and sprinklers are getting a break on this day, but they’re standing by ready to use – who knows when the next strong rains will fall over Cantitoe Corners.
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- And did you see my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48? My handsome Friesians and Fell pony were enjoying the rain too. How much rain have you been getting this summer? Share some of your weather updates with me – I am eager to hear from you.
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