Another Look at the Storm Damage
Yesterday’s blog about the untimely snowstorm and what ensued prompted so many wonderful comments and I thank you all for reading. As predicted, the temperatures have risen considerably and the snow is melting into already saturated ground. As the snow disappears, the damage is becoming clearer to assess. It’s heartbreaking. But also, we’re beginning to see hopeful signs for plants and shrubs that were splayed and flattened by this heaviest of snowfalls. As branches become freed, they’re beginning to spring back into a semblance of original form.
1 On yesterday's blog, this Chinese elm, one of a pair and my favorite tree, was covered with a heavy blanket of thick snow. I reported that it had suffered major breakage.
2 The Chinese elms were mature trees when I had them relocated to this space four years ago. They had adjusted to the move and were thriving in this spot adjacent to the summer house.
3 One of several torn limbs
4 Arborists from SavATree, http://savatree.com/ came to begin the major pruning process. The fate of these trees has yet to be determined.
5 Proper pruning is a learned skill and if it is not done correctly, the tree can suffer from rot and decay.
6 The pruned branches were piling up along the roadways.
7 Many ginkgo biloba branches
8 More ginkgo and maples awaiting the wood chipper
9 A flattened azalea - I actually have hope for many splayed shrubs, as they have been bouncing back into shape as the snow melts and releases their branches.
10 A large limb from a tall white pine crashed down onto this chestnut tree.
11 The limb wedged into this crotch, but the tree wasn't damaged.
12 I planted this grove of fast-growing Royal Paulownia trees as a tall screen. They were heavily damaged.
13 Now the leaves are dropping!
14 This weeping beech is fine.
15 My pair of black Welsh mountain sheep huddled at the far end of their paddock, where they found the one patch of bare grass to graze.
16 Another chore that had not yet been done - pounding in the wooden stakes, which mark the edges of the roadways for the snow plow.
17 More white pine damage
18 I have several fastigiate maple trees and nearly all of them had branches ripped from their trunks.
19 Breaks like these are really bad because they open up the trunk very wide for diseases.
20 Trees intact against an impressive sky
21 No damage here
22 More survivors
23 A not so lucky maple
24 The winter snow should cover over autumn leaves, not the other way around.
25 That thick, heavy snow collected on the bird netting over my blueberry bushes. Fortunately, it remained intact, unlike the wire roof of my chicken coop.
26 My raspberry bushes are supported on wires which are attached to antique granite posts. The weight of the snow actually caused a few of those posts to snap at their bases!
27 These posts are cemented into the ground and I'm stunned that snow can break granite!
28 Just the other day, there were beautiful lettuces growing in the vegetable garden. Not any more.
29 This plastic sheeting covering the shade pergola remained intact through the storm, protecting the tropical plants beneath it.
30 The remaining tropical plants were moved into the equipment shed, where they were pruned of damaged foliage and are awaiting their winter home in the new hoop house, which is under construction.
31 The old hoop house is snug and heated and filled with other tropical plants.
32 This upright wisteria bent with the weight of the snow despite its metal support.
33 Snow on apple
34 Snow on apple espalier
35 The top split right off of this redwood.
36 And this one, too.
37 Pete was busy repairing the damage at the chicken coops.
38 My boxwood allee, which really looked great this summer, is barely recognizable.
39 Mangled boxwood
40 I am now hopeful that, as the snow melts from the branches, these boxwood will spring back into shape.
41 Hopefully, this will occur with minimal distortion and damage.
42 Another toppled tree means another log for Dominick's sawmill!
43 More piles of branches
44 And even more
45 Branches to the right!
46 Branches to the left!
47 Branches across the road!
48 Our wood chipper has been used way too much lately!
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
That is still a lot of damage, but as the snow melts, you may find even more that survived. I sure hope so.
Even with all the loss and damage, please keep in mind, although it is hard, that some people fared worse and don't have the means or help to make it better as you do. I'm just glad you can make use of all the damaged trees and limbs.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | November 2nd, 2011 at 12:52 am
Good morning Martha My heart breaks when I look at these photos. Best of luck with all the clean up and repairs, and spring back into their original form. Blessings
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | November 2nd, 2011 at 2:27 am
I love the picture of the apple and snow.
Posted by: Monica | November 2nd, 2011 at 5:29 am
The heaviest of snowfalls indeed! Chamber has many great projects and Sweden has done much in sustainable farming and happy that you showed us much of this event, too. These pictures teach much about LIVING.
Posted by: ann | November 2nd, 2011 at 7:24 am
Good morning Martha! In all my years of growing up in Chester New Jersey the earliest snow was on Thanksgiving day and it was just a flurry. I recieved pictures from my brother who lives on a farm in Pennsylvania that reflect the same damage as you have shown us. I hope you can save those two favorite trees of yours!
Posted by: maria cerwin | November 2nd, 2011 at 7:38 am
I sure hope that only one of the granite posts broke like that! The blog post sharing all the stone work around your home in Bedford is one of my favorites.
Posted by: Deana | November 2nd, 2011 at 7:43 am
Amazing how beautiful the farm looks with the snow knowing the damage it caused. Good luck with the plants and especially the shrubs bouncing back when the snow fully melts. My goodness you must be having some sleepless nights! Thanks for keeping your fans updated on the assessment and clean up.
Posted by: Cindy F | November 2nd, 2011 at 9:01 am
We are not just experiencing the rare odd weather event but rather a quick succession of record setting, devistating events. And, no matter how much help one has, it is heart rending to the Gardner who goes to great lengths to make the world around them a better place for others to enjoy when they see damage such as this.
And I do hope your farm being so devastated by this most recent adverse weather event does not intefere with the MSL TV shooting schedule or digital magazine article productions I so look forward to seeing.
S-O thankful you are tenacious and are getting right to work setting about cleaning up the untimely damage and making plans for future gardens. You are an inspiration to us all!
Posted by: Cairn | November 2nd, 2011 at 9:11 am
Thank you so much for sharing, Martha. Very curious...can that upright wisteria be resupported? Or is it a loss? And once the snow clears from the boxwood lane, will they need pruned back a bit(assuming the branches are ok) before you cover them for winter?
Best wishes for you and your crew!
Posted by: Julie | November 2nd, 2011 at 9:39 am
Hi Martha, Your last 100 photos and today's 48 photos certainly are overwhelming about that freaky snowstorm's effect on your beautiful farm. I'm still praying that more and more of your beautiful trees, boxwoods, plants, etc. will survive and seeing your terrific crew at work is fantastic-they are very special fellows! How great to see that your animals are doing well, but so sorry about the loss of your hen. So great to see the Arborists from SavATree are pruning your trees-that should make a big difference! How great to see that there are some intact trees! The piles of branches are overwhelming, but will add more to your compost. How awful that the granite post was broken-awfully heavy snow-unusual. Your tropical plants look pretty good-hope they survive! Dominick should have fun with that long log! Sure hope the weather continues to improve and can't wait to see the recovery at your beautiful Bedford farm! Hope you have a great day! Off to see what F&S are doing during the Big Cleanup! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | November 2nd, 2011 at 10:11 am
I am praying that the more the snow melts, the more you find more trees/shrubs/gardens that survived. Leave it to Mother Nature to remind us that no matter what or how much we do in our yards/gardens/farms, there is always something to throw us off and leave us scrambling. Here in Oklahoma, the weather is ALWAYS
Posted by: Lori Wilson | November 2nd, 2011 at 10:13 am
Martha, sorry to see all the devastaion on your property. Thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | November 2nd, 2011 at 10:25 am
Martha, I have a great love of trees and find this so heartbreaking. I do feel your pain. Hopefully, things won't look so bad when the snow is gone. Some plants and trees are pretty resilent, as you know. Every cloud has a silver lining but that doesn't help at the moment.
Jean N
Posted by: jean | November 2nd, 2011 at 10:26 am
Martha,
The maple leaves on the snow and the snow on the apple are pleasing pictures.
I agree with Gloria regarding the damage and how few people have the labor supply you are using. We have had a similar storm and it is a neighbor helping neighbor event. Pots of chili and corn bread, root beer, cookies, rest among chain saws and tractors.
Posted by: Margie | November 2nd, 2011 at 10:50 am
Good morning Martha. I had a similar problem with evergreens last winter during a heavy snowstorm in Washington DC and surrounding areas. I live in a small suburban town just outside the DC line in Maryland. The heavy, wet snow we received last year wreaked havoc on my holly and arborvitaes. The holly is just now standing up. Some of the arborvitae I tied up to help with the straightening out of the branches. Others that I did not tie eventually took their form back, but it took all spring and summer for that to happen.
Posted by: John Newman | November 2nd, 2011 at 10:51 am
So sorry Martha. I enjoyed your ride with
D. Rockerfeller and I hope everything survived.
there.
Posted by: Lois | November 2nd, 2011 at 11:33 am
Hi Martha ! I'm so Sorry for everyone there on the East Coast, it was an unexpected Snow Storm, that caused so much harm to thousends of people.
To morrow you will be in a warmer place, Sunny California, signing your New Book.
I hope to see you tomorrow,at Macy's in South Coast Plaza.
I have been your Fan since you began.
Love what you do, and your "Sisu" (in Finnish)= "guts","survival" or in Jewish "hutspah" !
What ever it is You ! Got It !
Best of Luck on Your Book signing here in S.Calif.I hope You have time to visit My favorite Roger's Garden in my home town Corona Del Mar.
We would LOVE for You to visit This Beautiful Garden. http://www.rogersgardens.com
Posted by: panam jane | November 2nd, 2011 at 12:18 pm
Indeed very heartbreaking! The poor wisteria...all hunched over and the boxwood...yikes! I hope things will come full circle and be beautiful again. Fortunately, you are such a good steward of the land and plants...they are in good hands.
Posted by: sherey | November 2nd, 2011 at 12:36 pm
Hi Martha,
While driving from place to place yesterday on my errand run, I was telling my sister about the heavy snow that damaged many of your trees, plants and bushes on your farm. Then I pointed out some trees along the roadway with their heavy branches draping over the electrical wires and practically concealing them. This is our hurricane season which ends at the end of the month and I find it odd how we are constantly reminded all through the season to keep our trees and hedges trimmed back yet those trees on the main roads are the ones that get toppled and then we’re without power. The county needs to practice what they preach or bury all of the wires and not just on certain roads. I wouldn’t have paid attention to them if I hadn’t seen all of your damaged trees. As soon as I find an address, I’m going to write a letter and make some inquiries.
~
I too am amazed at that snapped granite post. When I saw how they were installed, I didn’t think anything would ever budge them except maybe a plow. Now you’ll have to dig up the cement casing which won’t be any fun. I’m glad the snow didn’t hang around too long and you were able to access more of the damage and get to work repairing. I’ll be saying special prayers for your boxwood because they really make a statement on your farm – I like those a lot.
~
I’m looking forward to watching the show at 2 P.M. today since a doctor's appointment prevented me from seeing it at 10:00. I’m glad it airs more than once! Trish
Posted by: Trish | November 2nd, 2011 at 12:43 pm
I have enjoyed your farm & home pictures so very much in the past and I am sorry for the damage to your beautiful gardens. Before we moved here to Idaho we had bad tornado damage in Oklahoma. I love trees and seeing them torn to pieces was heartbreaking and I am sure you are feeling the same. Thank you for sharing your home and gardens with us!
Posted by: Elizabeth | November 2nd, 2011 at 3:01 pm
With that strength in character that you possess and the people who work on the farm with you, your farm is going to be beautiful again. It will take a lot of time and work plus planning, but look at the photos compared to yesterday! Take care of yourself.....you are important and loved. I feel you care about the folks who work for you, also. We are thinking about you.
Posted by: Marleta Crim | November 2nd, 2011 at 4:57 pm
As a geologist I'm sorry to see that your granite post broke! Best of luck to you, hopefully the clean up/repairs will not take too long!
Posted by: Samantha Smith | November 3rd, 2011 at 3:19 pm
Dear Martha, I am a huge fan of your blog! I read it almost daily, my favorite blogs are about your farm and garden , to your travels to Skyland.
I have lived in Westchester , Maine ,and now live in Florida. Florida is not New England , and there are so many things I miss! I am deeply saddened about all this damage to your trees and shrubs!
This storm I think was the worst so far! I do hope everything can recover ! I am looking forward to your beautiful holiday pictures and that first spring bulb to pop up through the snow! Thank you for sharing!!!!!!!
Posted by: Juanita E.Ellis | November 4th, 2011 at 8:28 am
What devastation. As we see more freak storms and more and more severe weather it makes me wonder how so many can continue to deny that weather and climate patterns are changing. Thankfully Martha has expert assistance to help to minimize the damage and assist with the cleanup. I always look forward to blogs about the farm, they are inspiring.
Posted by: Caroline | November 5th, 2011 at 6:25 pm
Martha, that video was hysterical!!!!!I wish all advertising would be that entertaining!!!!let's have more!!!!!
Posted by: lynn | December 5th, 2011 at 3:50 pm