The Morning After a Mid-September Storm
We’ve been quite fortunate, weather-wise, at the farm. We’ve had plenty of rain all summer long and many pleasant, sunny days. However, on Tuesday of this week, the weather reports were not promising. They were calling for gale force winds, as a vast cold front was moving into the region. By late afternoon, many areas were issued tornado warnings and all I could think about was the twister that barreled through the farm a little more than two years ago. Here’s my blog posting about it. That damage was quite devastating. I was at work in New York City when this recent storm blew in and I got home late at night. I fretted all evening long about what I would find in the morning. Much to my relief, it wasn’t all that bad!
1 As predicted, the skies cleared the morning after the storm and I was so relieved that damage to the farm wasn't too bad.
2 However, directly across the street, a large tree fell down at 4:30 PM on the day of the storm, bringing down power lines and blocking the road.
3 By morning, the road had been cleared, but the lines had not yet been repaired.
4 Fortunately, after buying the farm, I had a large generator installed in the carport building behind these vents for just this sort of circumstance. When the power is interrupted, the generator automatically kicks in and keeps things running.
5 Tall white pine trees break easily in high winds, but very few branches fell to the ground.
6 Many leaves were ripped from their branches and the leaf blower was used to clear them.
7 Leaves fell into the antique bird bath in the courtyard where many tropical plants spend the warm months.
8 Now there's an interesting leaf upon one of the bluestone drainage covers.
9 A beautiful orange sugar maple leaf is a sure sign that autumn is on its way.
10 Phurba was hauling branches out of the woods.
11 Pete was right behind him.
12 Downed branches were piled along the roadsides.
13 The chipper was moved from pile to pile chipping and sending those chips back into the woods as mulch.
14 This was the worst damage that occured. This ash tree's core was rotten and couldn't stand up to the strong gales.
15 Unfortunately, when it fell, it took another a maple tree down with it. The guys will have to get their chainsaws out to clean up the mess.
16 Some stalks in the pop corn patch were toppled by the wind. They are still rooted so we'll see how they fare.
17 My iconic sycamore tree had a few branches blown off, but nothing too severe.
18 There were more branches covering the carriage road deep in the woods.
19 A rather large limb
20 You may recall my blog about aerating and seeding the hay fields. This field looks quite green and thick.
21 Aside from some branches and leaves, nothing too major occurred here at a far edge of my property.
22 I was quite relieved that the apple trees suffered very little windfall and there are still plenty for picking.
23 I recently had all of the trees surrounding this little pond pruned, and there was no damage here. I have big plans for landscaping this area and I can't wait to begin.
24 Because it rained all throughout the day of the storm, Ryan and the crew worked inside this greenhouse, cleaning the beds and edging them with granite posts. It will soon be time to get vegetables growing in here again.
25 The granite posts are 18th-century antique and were part of a large lot that I had shipped over from China. This one has Chinese figures carved into it.
26 These posts have found many uses at the farm. Here they are used to support raspberry canes.
27 And those same granite posts were used as uprights for all of the pergolas.
28 I was happy to see that the colchicum, or 'autumn crocus', are blooming and have spread so nicely. They add an element of bright surprise to a fading perennial border.
29 Colchicum are also called 'naked ladies' because they form a rosette of dark green leaves, but only after the flowers have faded. Although the plant contains a substance used pharmaceutically to treat gout, the leaves, corm, and seeds are quite poisonous.
30 Another plant blooming profusely are the passionflower vines growing along the pergola. There are about 500 species of passionflowers and if I lived in a warm climate, I would grow the variety that bears edible fruit because I love passion fruit!
31 These small variety of agave plants have been very happy on the terrace all summer long. Soon, with all the other tropical plants, they'll be moved into the tropical greenhouse for the cold months approaching.
32 This garden is outside my back door next to the driveway. It's called the white garden because everything that flowers is white! So what's blooming now?
33 Fall-blooming anemones! These cheerful flowers bring a nice touch of beauty to the fading autumn landscape and the blossoms last well into October.
34 Also by the back door is this giant potted fern, which has gotten so tall over the summer. It, too is soon headed for the tropical greenhouse.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
Martha, I hope you will tell the full story of how you found, acquired, and shipped the Chinese granite posts someday. That must have been quite an adventure!
Posted by: Gin | September 20th, 2012 at 1:16 am
Martha, I'm glad you fared as well as you did on your farm, and I pray everyone else in the area were as Blessed and didn't suffer a lot of damage.
The plants and farm are beautiful, as usual.
My son, who died nearly 6 years ago, always wanted a white only flower garden, and if it is in my power to do so, I still hope to plant one for him.
Thanks for showing us around.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | September 20th, 2012 at 3:44 am
Thanks for this post...as usual, Martha...especially for the tips on the autumn-blooming flowers in your gardens. All the best.
Posted by: Burndett Andres | September 20th, 2012 at 6:40 am
Martha, I'm so glad to hear your farm suffered minimum damage during the recent storms in your area. I can imagine how worried you were since you were stuck in the city working. How smart of you to have a generator in place, I think it's prudent for everyone to have one in case of emergencies. My sister lives in New Orleans and after losing power with huricane Isaac lost all her food in the fridge and 2 freezers wishes she had invested in one. Thanks for the update on your farm, it's so beautiful. The granite posts have proved very useful haven't they? I love the chinese figures on them and I can't wait to see what you have planned for the little pond!
Posted by: Cindy F | September 20th, 2012 at 7:12 am
Martha, a good thing it wasn't all that bad! Thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | September 20th, 2012 at 7:17 am
That's a great idea to edge the beds with your granite posts. You sure do have a lot of them but better spread out than piled up and not being used. It's good that you didn't get a lot of damage from the storm but you got enough. Clean-up is a big nuisance and it takes time. Having a chipper is pretty handy but you really need one with all the trees you have. I really love the pergola in picture #27. Trish
P.S. Two weeks and 2 days until your Cooking School debuts on PBS - October 6th. I watched this clip online yesterday. youtube.com/watch?v=y6Y0nTAi6Jg …
Posted by: Trish | September 20th, 2012 at 9:15 am
Fall comes early to these Dakota prairies. Loved the fall bulbs and tropical plants yoiu showed us. Corrine's apples did not fare well yesterday in 60 mph
winds here but will enjoy the windfalls, as we must.
Posted by: ann | September 20th, 2012 at 9:35 am
Hi Martha, Oh, thank God you didn't have another horrible twister or tornado storm last Tuesday! I'm sure you were worried and I would have been, too! Viewing your blog about that terrible twister on July 27, 2010 again, was nice to see, and I recall all of those photos of the horrible knocked down trees plus those great workers who cleared things up for you! They were so happy to get those delicious treats you baked for them! Didn't you also have another bad storm last year around the end of October? I'll have to look that one up, also! Your fabulous photos of this latest storm are terrific and I also love your comments! The power outage was terrible, but thank God you have a great generator to keep things running! We bought a great generator at Costco this year to keep our power running if we have a bad storm! Our weather has been extremely dry and hot since July 20th this summer and who knows what could happen next! I love your photos of the orange sugar maple leaf as a sign of autumn! Using that chipper sure was a great idea! Sure hope your popcorn patch improves! That sycamore tree still looks great! Photo #20 of the hay field looks good, too! So glad you didn't loose a lot of those beautiful apples! Can't wait to see the new planting in the greenhouse and everything else looks great! Loved seeing you on the Today Show twice yesterday fantastic! Hope all is well and hope you have a great day today! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | September 20th, 2012 at 10:19 am
The link I put up about Martha talking about her Cooking School doesn't work but hopefully this one will - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Y0nTAi6Jg
Posted by: Trish | September 20th, 2012 at 10:21 am
Looking forward to your new show on PBS! You will be missed on the Hallmark channel. Have you ever considered producing a daytime show for stay at home moms and dads? Call it Baby Baby, and cover all the issues that parenting magazines do, include pediatricians, fashion, schools and etc... food, holidays and etc.(get Alexis involved!).
How about One on One with Martha? a show that takes you out of the kitchen and into the living rooms of the people who fascinate you most.... it would be great to travel with you as you discover new places .. How about a show called 101, that teaches everything from your home-keeping books and beginning home economics and management perfect for PBS
Anyway, Congratulations on your new show and three cheers for the future.
Posted by: Andy | September 20th, 2012 at 10:49 am
What do you do with all the food you grow?
Posted by: Jeffrey | September 20th, 2012 at 11:20 am
Just plain beautiful!! All your farm and plants are just wonderful..That would be a place very suited to my taste, if I could win the Mega million this is the first thing I would do..only in Michigan!!:) Thanks for sharing and loving wildlife and plants the way I do!!
Posted by: virna mccourt | September 20th, 2012 at 8:25 pm
I have some anemones like yours (Photo #33) blooming in my garden here in Santa Barbara CA. I don't know if this will work for you in New York but out here we let the flowers go to seed. They form round pods that eventually burst. When they do burst the hummingbirds come and pick the "cotton" from the pods. I think they use the cotton for their nests. It's fun to watch the hummingbirds zipping around!
Posted by: Cathy | September 20th, 2012 at 8:55 pm
.
Storm's Wake
.
Clouds like tousled ringlets, hiding a beautiful sky of blue.
But some storm wreckage evident with power lines askew.
Quietly behind vented doors a generator with watts needed.
Trees take a beating no matter how well the warnings heeded.
Branches break off, snap and dangle, leaves strewn about,
A chipper put into action, after the wind and storm's clout.
A steadfast bird bath and a sugar maple leaf, unscathed,
An ash tree with rotten core fell victim and could not be saved.
And the new pop corn patch, disheveled but up to its duty;
The iconic sycamore got a pruning by Nature, still a beauty.
Carriage road deep in woods littered but tall trees standing.
Healthy hay fields, a compliment of hard work and planning.
The apple trees held on tight to their bounty, pickers waiting.
Big plans for the little pond, suspense, with a Master creating;
Granite posts from China can be found throughout the farm,
Supporting raspberries, pergolas and such, preventing harm;
Lovely blooms of 'autumn crocus' - 'naked ladies' that uplift,
Along a pergola the passionflower vines that is another gift.
All in all, Cantitoe really survived quite well, and yet,
We all know Martha will await the next storm and fret.
.
thanks Martha, i've truly missed your show.
.
Posted by: celia stock | September 20th, 2012 at 9:35 pm
What a beautiful farm! It was a blessing that the damage was minimal and the cleanup quick. Your autumn flowers are beautiful and give me inspiration to make my flower beds more seasonal friendly.
Posted by: kimberleeannkreations | September 20th, 2012 at 9:45 pm
In Tennessee the passion flower (or something that looks just like it) grows wild. It has green pods of pretty good size on the vine. Are you saying they are edible? I would never try it without verifying it with a local expert. What do they look like when ripe? These are always green and pop pretty loudly if stepped on. As a child, I think we called these "milk weed" because the green pod contained a milky looking liquid.
Posted by: Pam | September 21st, 2012 at 7:11 am
What a joy to have you back. Thank God you are moving forward. Looking forward to your pbs show. Thanks for being there. I am old school from back in the day when the beauty of set, the slowness was so I could follow along like an old time movie.
The pictures of the country side are just enough to have me remembering my Indiana day growing up. The change of color in Bloomington Indiana was pretty remarkable.
I know I am rambling but thanks for being back. You are a remarkable lady...
Posted by: ftfereday | September 21st, 2012 at 2:02 pm
Martha I am glad you and your loved ones made it safely through the storm! We live in a a log home on 13 acres and often have such storms(specially in early
Spring), and we hear the tall pines breaking and falling with a thunderous thud!
It can be a scary experience, particularly if it is night time. By the way I am as
Handy and crafty as you are around the house and garden. You have inspired many of my creations. Almost everything in my home is " Martha Stewart".
My Husband often calls me "Martha" when I am in the process of reproducing
Or inspired by one of your ideas. I smile with pride !!!!! Love your magazine and IPad app!!!
Sincerely
A faithful fan!!!!
Posted by: Marilyn Fiallo Pardinas | September 22nd, 2012 at 12:49 am
Hi Martha
I am so happy to see your beautiful place did not get too much damage
Also I always learn so much from your blog and love the flowers that bloom in your garden
I was pleased to see the autumn crocus (colchicum) which I have never heard of
so I will check with the place where I purchase all my bulbs etc and purchase them
They will certainly brighten up my garden.
My Rose of Sharon are slowly going too sleep.
I have 3 one blue, pink and rose
As well as many other perennial flowers..
I am so happy that I can read all about your home,animals and of course you
You are a beautiful, interesting person with so many wonderful ideas that make my start of my day always sunny!
Martha also what kind of spray is used on those beautiful apple trees?
We only have one in our yard but not knowing what is safe to use our beautiful apples are not eaten because the worms get their fill.
So Have a Great Day!
Posted by: Beverly | September 23rd, 2012 at 10:56 am
I live in Santa Fe, NM. I see your TV show on Hallmark is no longer on.
I would like to know if you are going to be on another channel? Will you be coming back this fall on TV. I miss you already.
Posted by: Ricki | September 24th, 2012 at 10:35 am
Hello I been looking to watch the pn halmark channel but I Dont see you any more
my question is where can watch your shows I miss them a lo.
Dois
Posted by: Doris Rjas | September 24th, 2012 at 11:56 am
Ms Stewart I spoke to you on your radio show, was a little nervous talking with you, hope I did ok.
Thank you very much for taking my call and giving me a sense of selfworth.
If you are in Kentucky, please stop in and see us.
Thank you.
Tony
Posted by: Tony Davis | September 24th, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Martha, I absolutely love your farm! Your picture of the 18th century posts from China actually have Japanese katakana characters on it too. There must be an interesting story there...
Posted by: Suzy | September 29th, 2012 at 12:04 pm