Skylands, my well-loved home in Maine, is under a blanket of snow.
The recent snowstorm, which covered my Bedford, New York farm with about six to seven inches of snow also hit Seal Harbor, Maine - it was the most significant snow we've had in the region this season. As you know, I don't get to visit my home in Maine as much as I would like during the winter months. Fortunately, Cheryl DuLong, who works at Skylands, is a wonderful photographer, and always keeps me updated by sending images of the property whenever she can. The weather there was a bit colder than here - in the high 20s, so the snow was light and fluffy and beautiful.
Enjoy these photos.
As soon as Cheryl arrived at Skylands, she went out to start taking photos. The snow was so pretty and still untouched.
Here is a clump of young spruce covered in white. Up in Maine, the snow was lighter and more powdery. 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, and that allows the individual flakes to stay light and fluffy.
The snow stuck to many surfaces including this ledge going from the back driveway to the front of Skylands.
Can you see the fir trees covered in snow? A little snow cover is actually good for the gardens, trees and plants. Snow cover helps keep the soil from freezing deeper in the ground preventing root damage. For small evergreen and non-deciduous shrubs such as rhododendrons, snow also helps to lessen the impact of desiccation or loss of water in the plants.
Cheryl captured this photo of the snow stuck to the trunks of the trees. Sometimes one can tell the direction of the wind by looking at how the snow accumulates on the bark of trees.
Here is a faux bois bench up at the lost pools, which are located just above the front circle.
This is the smaller of two lost pools at Skylands. It has no water now, of course, but during summer when my grandchildren were much smaller, they enjoyed wading and playing here and searching for frogs.
This is the larger of the two Jens Jensen–designed lost pools with its natural stone formation – now all covered with snow.
This is a view looking down from pools into the woodland.
Along one of the footpaths, this little light looked almost like a snow covered mushroom.
This image looks down toward the driveway of Skylands. Everything was covered in white, but weather forecasts expected temperatures to rise again into the high 30s, so this winter wonderland was not expected to last long.
This young spruce tree’s branches were completely disguised by the snow. Thankfully, the snow was light, so there was no damage to any trees or shrubs. When possible, the crew will also sweep some of the snow off the nearby trees and shrubs, especially if they are weighed down.
This photo shows the sunlight shining onto the snow covered rocks and trees. In the upper left corner is a gray box protecting one of the many garden urns at Skylands.
Here’s a mature spruce with all its snow covered branches. Spruce trees are pyramidal in shape with needles that are sharply pointed and square. I have many spruce trees as well as fir trees at Skylands.
Buried beneath this light layer of snow are the new buds of the wild blueberries growing at the edge of the driveway. These wild berries are so sweet – we harvest many during the summer.
Outside the front of my home is a circle garden planted with hay-scented ferns, purple smoke bushes, and spruce trees, Picea orientalis ‘Skylands’. When I found these trees, I got many to plant here in Maine.
Here is the back door and porch surrounded by spruce trees, maple trees, and hemlocks.
One of our favorite photos is the one taken of this dining room double pane window which faces south. One can see the beautiful and clear reflection of Seal Harbor and Sutton Island in the glass.
This is my favorite spruce tree, which can also be seen outside the dining room window. It is very tall and very old. Unfortunately, it may be nearing the end of its life – it loses a few branches every year.
Here is a view looking through the branches of the same tree out to the bright blue ocean beyond. Skylands is paradisiacal in any season – I can’t wait to return. Cheryl took all these photos just in time. Like us here in New York, Maine is also expecting another storm tomorrow, with perhaps more rain than snow.
Today, the temperature is expected to hit 44-degrees Fahrenheit at my Bedford, New York farm with clouds and possible showers in the afternoon - melting and washing away most of the recent snow.
Over the years, I've shared many photos of the white fluff across my farm's landscape, but the most beautiful are those images which capture the snow stuck to all the trees, shrubs, fences, and other surfaces. This happens when the temperature is slightly warmer than freezing, which is 32-degrees Fahrenheit or zero-degrees Celsius. The snowflakes melt around the edges and stick together to become big, heavy flakes.
Yesterday's snow was picture perfect. I shared some photos on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48. Here are some more, enjoy.
Whenever it snows, it’s a rush to get photos before everyone starts arriving at the farm for work. On this morning, the farm was covered with about seven inches of beautiful white snow. Here is an image taken of the driveway in front of my Hay Barn. (Photo by Patrick Tierney)
Across the carriage road are six of these weeping hornbeams with my pavilion on the right. We prune these rare hornbeams regularly to keep the beautiful shape. (Photo by Chhiring Serpa)
This was not a strong storm, but it did drop heavy wet snow, which stuck to all the branches. Fortunately, there was no damage to any of the trees. These are some of the evergreens in my pinetum, an area I developed behind my Equipment Barn and near one of my weeping willow groves. The pinetum collection has grown so well over the years. It includes pines, spruces and firs, as well as other evergreens. (Photo by Phurba Sherpa)
Here is a view in between the stable and my carriage house looking north. The outbuilding on the opposite end is my stable office, where my business manager, property manager and operations manager work. (Photo by Fernando Ferrari)
Fernando also took this photo – down the allée of linden trees near my stable. The road is still so clean and white.
My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, took this photo just before sweeping the snow off the burlap-covered boxwood along my pergola. I am happy all the boxwood shrubs and hedges are still protected with burlap. This snow came very late in the season. (Photo by Chhiring Sherpa)
The frames under this burlap are made of steel and are regularly used to frame hoop houses. I knew the same materials would be great for covering the giant shrubs along the Boxwood Allée. (Photo by Fernando Ferrari)
Here is my studio building just below my carport. The snow seems to outline every branch of the Sargent crabapple trees. Malus sargentii, occasionally called Sargent’s apple or Sargent crabapple, is a species of crabapple in the genus Malus. This photo was taken before 8am. By late afternoon, much of it was washed away by rain showers. (Photo by Chhiring Sherpa)
Here is another photo showing the boxwood covered in front of my Winter House and around the herbaceous peony bed. (Photo by Elvira Rojas)
The snow was so wet that it stuck to the upright bark of these majestic pin oak trees.
Here is a view looking into the orchard – such a different scene than summer, when these trees are laden with colorful peaches.
The streams that meander through the farm’s woodland show the reflections of the snow covered trees above.
In this area of the woods, it is so quiet, one can just hear the snow falling in clumps from the trees.
This tree is barely visible covered in snow.
This carriage road is still clear of any tire marks. The untouched snow is so pretty early in the morning.
These trees are part of my “Christmas Tree” garden. I planted hundreds of evergreens here more than 10-years ago and they have all grown so beautifully – White Pine, Frasier Fir, Canaan Fir, Norway Spruce, and Blue Spruce.
These apple trees are original to the farm. They produce lots of delicious fruits every year.
Venturing further to the back hayfield, one comes across this stand of trees along one edge of the carriage road. I’ve planted thousands of trees here at the farm.
Do you recognize this? It is one of many catch basins around the property. They are all marked with black tipped stakes, so they are easy to find under the snow. They are all checked during the inclement weather to be sure the drainage holes are all clear. This one is in good working order.
This is my newest tropical hoop house – one of six greenhouses here at the farm. Because of the shape of this structure, snow just rolls off it – accumulating on the hay bales surrounding the base.
Here is a view across the paddock with the great Eastern White Pines standing strong and bold green.
Just outside my Winter House are four rows of espaliered apple trees. Birds love to congregate here after dining on the hanging bird feeders nearby.
Across from the dwarf espaliers are these espaliered “Gravenstein” apples.
The grove of bald cypress, Taxodium distichum, looks stately even without any foliage. The small structure nestled within the trees is my basket house – filled with beautiful antique and vintage wicker baskets.
This snow even covered every surface of my long and winding pergola. One can see snow on the granite uprights as well as the wooden cross beams and rafters.
Here’s a stand of dawn redwoods, Metasequoia, with their straight trunks – impressive trees by any standard, and beautiful in any season. One can sometimes tell the direction of the wind by the way the snow collects on the trees – it creates such interesting patterns on the tree trunks.
Here’s a view of the 100-year old white spruce fencing from Canada. It has newer cedar uprights to support it. I love how the snow collects on the fence rails.
One of the first tasks after a snow storm is to shovel all the snow leading to the bird enclosures and areas within the fenced in yards. The chickens are happy to venture out and enjoy the newly fallen snow. By afternoon, temperatures had already risen into the upper 30s.
This photo was taken in the late afternoon – the snow has already fallen off these linden trees. We’re expecting another storm end of this week, with possibly more snow – winter is definitely not over yet.
It may be a little late in the season, but we're finally seeing some snow here at my Bedford, New York farm. We're expecting snow and rain showers throughout most of today.
Yesterday, my outdoor grounds crew, gardeners, and stable staff worked hard to prepare the farm for the storm - making sure the greenhouses were well-secured and that all the heaters were in good working order, checking that the road and catch basin stakes were in place, and readying any equipment that would be needed for the cleanup process once the storm ended. It's very important to be prepared for any storm system - big or small. One never knows what could happen. Additional tips include: knowing where all the flashlights are kept and making sure they are equipped with fresh batteries, stocking the first aid kit, and checking that all vehicles are filled with gas - a full tank will keep the fuel line from freezing.
Here are some photos.
Early in the morning, it didn’t look like snow was on its way – the skies were blue and temperatures were in the high 30s Fahrenheit, but we were all listening to the weather reports, so we could all be properly prepared. We were expecting five to eight inches of snow in this region.
One of the first tasks is to make sure all the animals are safe and sound in their enclosures. Phurba makes sure the chicken yard is clean, raked, and all the coops are equipped with heaters. The chickens will be checked again in the afternoon to ensure they are comfortable after they are put inside.
These chickens don’t seem too phased by the pending snow. They are all enjoying their cracked corn and the calm before the storm.
I do provide shelter for the geese, but they prefer to stay outside, so we lay down extra hay for their bedding. They will all huddle together in one large group to keep warm if needed.
High traffic areas of the goose pen are also covered with extra hay in case of freezing. The hay will prevent the birds from slipping and getting stuck to any ice.
Fernando checks every stake along the carriage roads and secures any that have gotten dislodged from the soil.
These stakes are very important here at the farm – they mark where the roads meet the grassy lawns and garden beds.
Stakes that are tipped with black paint indicate where the catch basins are in case they need to be cleared during or after a storm.
By afternoon, the clouds started rolling in and the blue skies began to disappear. In the distance, one can see the long Boxwood Allée covered in protective burlap. If snow accumulates on top, the burlap will protect the plants from any splaying due to heavy wet snow.
Here is the path between the paddocks with the old corn crib on the right and part of another covered boxwood shrub in the foreground. A little snow cover is actually good for the gardens – it’s just coming a little late this year.
All the hoop houses and greenhouses are checked to make sure they are all closed tightly and that there are no open areas around the perimeter where cold air could enter.
Here’s Juan cleaning one of our trusted Polaris vehicles, so it is clean and ready for all the chores after the storm.
The crew drives around the entire farm to make sure nothing is amiss. This is the back hayfield with the great sycamore tree, the symbol of my farm, in the distance. There were no winds – it was very calm.
Pete has been working on filling the sides of the carriage roads where rain and snow may collect and pond. This area along a pin oak allée near what I call my “Contemporary House” is looking so much better.
Here is Fernando blowing leaves and debris in the middle field – we are always doing work in the woodland to keep the farm looking its best.
Chhiring and Pasang continue chipping the wood branches – it’s a race to get as much done as possible before the ground is covered with snow.
Hylke and Geert are out in their pasture during the day to exercise and get fresh air and then they’re brought indoors before the snow starts falling. I like my horses in their safe and secure stable during any inclement weather. Rinze, Bond, and my Fell Pony Banchunch are in the paddock across the road.
Extra hay is brought into the stable for all the equine residents.
And look at the peafowl – they don’t mind the weather at all. For them it is the beginning of breeding season. From late February until early August, the peacocks display their stunning and iridescent tail feathers, strut back and forth shaking their feathers and hindquarters to produce a rattling sound, and make loud calls to the females nearby. It’s always very interesting to watch these mating rituals up close – the “tail show” can be quite amazing.
By early evening, the skies were all gray. Here is a view of the cloud cover above my stable. Once all the horses are put inside, the giant barn doors are closed tight to keep the wind and snow out. The farm will look completely different after the snow. Check back tomorrow for more photos.
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