1 The sun is trying to be seen through the heavy cloud cover.

2 Leaves still dropping

3 So much work went into building this nest. I wonder where the little birds flew off to?

4 These dried stalks were the flower stems of leafy hosta plants.

5 The crab apple is now without leaves.

6 A close up of the fruit

7 A row of bald cypress nearly bare of foliage

8 These wisteria standards are late to drop.

9 How funny and strange - an oriental poppy is wanting to bloom in November!

10 My giant Kenneth Lynch urns have been covered over with protective burlap.

11 The cole crops - kale and collards look good in the vegetable garden.

12 The asparagus bed has gone to seed and needs to be trimmed back. I cannot wait to eat more in the spring.

13 How did we miss those raspberries?

14 I hope the berry patch is as prolific next season.

15 Entrance reducers have been installed in the bee hives to help keep the hives warm during frigid weather.

16 This is my cold frame.

17 This is what's growing inside the cold frame - leafy lettuces and herbs.

18 My little Japanese garden

19 The climbing hydrangea - clinging vines

20 Remember the jewel-like currants?

21 The woody stems of the blueberry bushes have a red tinge.

22 Into the woods

23 The Pomeranian geese are happy in their penned yard.

24 A grove of metasequoia - a coniferous tree with deciduous needles, thought to be extinct until it was discovered growing in China in the 1940s.

25 Needles and cones dropping from white pines

26 The dried flowers of a peegee hydrangea

27 Again - the sun

28 The tennis court with net down and lines lifted

29 The newly planted Japanese maple grove now void of color

30 No leaves left here

31 Ramon sporting his winter coat

32 This tarp is beneath the giant ginko tree collecting the falling, smelly fruit. When dried, the nuts are edible.

33 The tree peony bed all trimmed and cleaned

34 The herbaceous peonies cut back and resting for the winter

35 Another renegade flower - this time a clemetis

36 Sans blooming clematis, the pergola looks so bare.

37 Not much foliage left on this landscape.

38 Leaves still clinging to pin oaks

1 This is approaching the tub grinder in the compost yard with piles in various stages of decay.

2 As you can see, this is major heavy equipment.

3 An excavator is used to grab big mouthfuls of logs and brush.

4 It is then transferred into the revolving tub of the grinder, which, by the way, measures 10-feet 6-inches across.

5 As the tub revolves, a hammer mill below, shatters the wood into fragments.

6 Those fragments travel on a long conveyor belt, forming a large mound.

7 You can see how finely the wood is ground up.

8 What is Laura taking a picture of?

9 Oh! It's Eliad in the Hi-Lo taking a picture of Laura!

10 Eliad got a better view from above.

11 That's Dan in the excavator feeding the tub grinder.

12 As the tub spins, friction actually causes some of the wood to smoke.

13 A better look

14 In one year, this wood pile had gotten quite large.

15 Another view of the ground up wood. By the way, it's very fragrant.

16 When the pile gets too tall, Dan uses the claw to push it down a bit.

17 This machine can lift even a mighty tree trunk.

18 It's hard to imagine that this could fit into the tub grinder, but it did!

19 Dan retrieves the nicer looking wood from the pile that he thinks will make good firewood.

20 That wood is sawed into manageable pieces and is neatly stacked for splitting into firewood.

1 All of the bulbs I ordered arrived in late October for autumn planting.

2 I ordered between five and six thousand spring flowering bulbs.

3 These are assorted packaging for allium bulbs.

4 I decided to have allium planted in the knot garden. Here are the bulbs all laid out waiting to be planted.

5 As you can see from how they look, allium is the onion genus, with about 1,250 species. I just love their flowers.

6 Digging a hole about 6-inches deep

7 Setting the bulb in the hole, root-side down

8 Covering the allium and filling up the hole with soil

9 Allium ‘Ambassador’ is a giant with 20”-tall bright green stems and long-lasting 8”-diameter dark purple flower heads.

10 After all the allium were planted in the knot garden, the soil was raked smooth.

11 Beneath the allée of linden, Shaun planted clusters of hyacinthoides Hispanica Excelsior or Scilla/Spanish Bluebell

12 He laid out groupings of three.

13 Wilmer followed by digging and sprinkling bonemeal for nutrition.

14 Shaun and Wilmer cleaned out the lily borders for more planting.

15 Lilium asiatic Linda is bright and cheerful lily with warm tones of yellow and 'sunset'.

16 Lilium Red Hot is not red at all but the color of glowing embers.

17 Wilmer's gloved hand displaying a lily bulb.

18 Elsewhere on the property, the crew was busy planting hundreds of daffodils on what I call the 'triangle.' The ground was cleared and amended, before the bulbs were laid down.

19 The daffodil bulbs were then covered over thickly with rich, composted soil.

20 These circles of daffodils are so exciting and I cannot wait for spring!

1 The setting sunlight cast a golden glow on the tree tops.

2 It was truly spectacular!

3 The weeping willows were quickly dropping their leaves right before my eyes.

4 The woods were filled with shades of orange, yellow, amber, and brown. That hairy vine climbing up the tree is a poison ivy vine and should really be severed low to the ground - note to Shaun.

5 Strolling past a rushing brook with the vibrant pink of a burning bush in the background.

6 My horses were also enjoying this splendid sunset.

7 Zoom in - hello beauties!

8 So many shades and colors - and such interesting shapes of trees

9 I'm standing low down at the farm looking up towards the stable. All these recent tree plantings are growing nicely.

10 And that's my house in the distance.

11 These beech trees are spectacular and they will become more stately as they mature.

12 Another glowing tree as the sun sinks lower

13 The view from the stables in the fading light

14 This little tree seems hesitant to give up its green. By the way, it's a Persian parrotia - a relative of witch hazel.

15 As the leaves drop from the crab apple trees, you can see that they are laden with fruit.

1 I love shooting this view. I've taken it in every season and in every weather condition.

2 A closer view of these, often photographed, ancient apple trees

3 The sun beginning to rise over Cantitoe Corners

4 The corn crib was nearly hidden in the shroud.

5 This tree in the distance is a young pin oak - a new addition to the landscape.

6 An eerie bank of fog rolling across the meadow

7 Draped in fog, this carriage road seems to go on forever.

8 A wooded road leading to an open field

9 A grove of maples turning with the season

10 Dense fog at a lower elevation

11 The woods are very peaceful in the early morning fog.

12 There is such an exciting contrast of color.

13 This is the run-in shed for my horses, painted Bedford gray, just like all of the other buildings at the farm.

14 You can barely see the tennis court off in the distance.

15 It's amazing how quickly these weeping willows have grown over the past few years.

16 These are my chicken coops - the roosters are crowing with the rising dawn.

17 This ancient crooked sycamore makes a great silhouette on this foggy morning.

1 A year ago, the view down the carriage trail leading to the stable, was aglow with vibrant color.

2 Not such vibrant color this year

3 The allay of linden trees were yellowing brightly last year.

4 This year, those same trees, and the surrounding ones, are more brown than yellow.

5 Last year, the trees beyond this stand of white pines were amazing.

6 This year, there are far fewer leaves and very little color.

7 Another sweeping vista from a year ago.

8 As you can see, there are far fewer leaves on the trees this year.

9 One year ago, these deep woods were a lush green while this tree was glowing yellow.

10 The same place - one year later

11 Last autumn, the trees surrounding this meadow were spectacular.

12 This autumn, they are far less vibrant with many leaves already fallen.

13 One year ago, this sugar maple next to my green house was glowing brightly.

14 This year, that same maple is still gorgeous, however, the trees beyond have far fewer leaves and less color.

15 A year ago, my little bass pond was covered with colorful fallen leaves.

16 This year, the floating leaves are mostly brown.

17 As you can see, these maple leaves are badly mottled with tar spot fungus.

18 Thankfully, these giant sugar maples are still putting on a lovely display this autumn.

1 Rainbow carrots - a colorful array of yellow white, and orange

2 Amazing artichokes

3 Three kinds of beets - golden, red, and a candy striped beet called Chioggia

4 Beautiful full heads of cabbage and large stalks of broccoli

5 This is the largest broccoli we had ever seen - grown in my own garden in Maine - it was delicious and fed eight of us!

6 Tom Joseph prepared the dinner with me - he is one of the chefs in our TV test kitchen. He is a student at New York University working on his MA of Food Studies - his thesis is on Vietnamese Foodways/Pho (a traditional Vietnamese beef noodle soup).

7 Tom making faces!

8 Tom made a lemon tart with meringue - the curd was from the juice of my own Bedford lemons.

9 The table for this Saturday night supper was set in the kitchen because we were serving messy lobsters in the shell.

10 We roasted freshly harvested Mt. Desert potatoes - they were wrapped in parchment lined foil and baked until tender in the oven.

11 This is before they were roasted.

12 I am about to smash the potato on the table - this breaks up the flesh into a snowy fluffy mound - so delicious.

13 I love my potato with butter and sour cream and chives.

14 The lobsetrs were from Downeast Lobster Pound - soft shells called shedders - the meat is tender. The 1 1/4-pounders take 15 minutes to cook in boiling water.

15 Sauteed Swiss chard, potato, and broccoli - simple, fresh, nutritious

16 Here is Tom, really enjoying the fruits of his labors. The egg cups held the clarified butter for dipping the lobster meat.

17 And the piece de resistance - lemon curd tart.

18 Another view - Yumm - I could eat the whole tart.

1 This monumental Eric Soderholtz planter was created before 1930, in Gouldsboro Maine. I found the pot in an antiques store in Maine - Bob Withington's. It was planted in June with exotics including giant alocasia and succulents.

2 A closer ciew of the same pot - there are two on my terrace.

3 A Gertrude Jekyll-type pot filled with oversize succulents - They were planted in June, and by Sept/Oct had attained a very good size.

4 An early Eric Soderholz planter filled with succulents, aloe, and cordyline - One of a pair, this large bowl sits on a wall of my terrace at Skylands.

5 The same pot - different view

6 The same pot - different view

7 The mate to the former pot - set in front of a kiwi vine climbing on my house.

8 Another shallow cement planter filled with well-grown plants

9 A beautiful faux bois urn with a single planting

10 The garden at Lily Pond reaches it peak - when? In October! The turquoise blue pots, collected over the years, were planted with several varieties of alocasia. The ones in the back are giagantic this year, underplanted with caladiums and dicohndra.

11 This alocasia is smaller in height but the very beautiful fabric-like leaves are highly defined with many shades of green.

12 The pool perimeter pots were planted with scented geraniums and kalanchoe.

13 The pool perimeter pots were planted with scented geraniums and kalanchoe.

14 Two kalanchoes in one pot - the pockets are planted with small succulents.

15 This is one of the pockets.

16 Caladiums from Home Depot grew very well, as did the dicondra, which was tiny in June, when we planted it.

17 These plants are almost nine feet tall!

18 A view of one pot with a hydrangea pee gee in the distance

19 The pool is surrounded with bluestone and brick, on which we can set the big planted pots. The pee gees are a welcome shade of mauve this time of year.

1 The Japanese maples that Shaun bought at Environmentals were unloaded down in the shade garden.

2 The great variety will so much color to this area.

3 Going over the order of taping with Laurie Hepburn and Gary Nardilla.

4 The rest of Gary's crew standing by along with Mary Curran - hair and makeup

5 When planting trees, we like to use this organic Bio-tone Starter fertilizer to help promote root growth.

6 The camera is rolling.

7 Laurie is happy with what she sees in the monitor.

8 Shaun is describing the characteristics of Japanese maples.

9 Rich and moist compost from the compost yard

10 Preparing the hole for planting

11 This is so much fun! Now, we only have 116 more to go!

12 When TV was done taping, the real work began. This is Phurba Sherpa.

13 Wilmer, digging away

14 This is not the easiest task with so many roots and rocks.

15 The Biotone

16 Shaun sprinkles 1-1/2 cups per 2 gallon container.

17 This beautiful maple will be planted in this hole.

18 Aptly named Acer palmatum 'Sunrise'

19 Very pretty leaves

20 Shaun is demonstrating the planting process again for the blog camera.

21 Removing the tree from the pot, Shaun uses his garden knife to scarify the root ball.

22 It's important to break up the roots this way, all the way around the root ball, to stimulate new outward growth.

23 Lifting the compost

24 To blend it into the soil and Biotone

25 Placing the tree into the hole

26 Shaun checks to see that the trunk is perfectly upright.

27 He then begins filling in the hole with the amended soil. It's important to mound a dam around the tree to hold in water.

28 Busy at work

29 The Japanese maples from Environmentals were grown from grafts. You can see the 'V' cut where the graft took place. Hybrid trees are multiplied by grafting.

1 The ivy-covered wholesale office at Environmentals

2 A really fun planting in a garden cart - dahlia, sweet potato vine, and lantana

3 This is Bob who oversees the nursery - he is also a poet and passed along two of his poems for Shaun to read.

4 This is Frank who helped with the sale of the plants and gave a tour of the gardens at the nursery.

5 The owner of Environmentals is Connie Cross and this is her home nicely situated in the garden.

6 The chicken coop

7 A cascading Japanese maple at pool's edge

8 I love the aged worn look of these chairs.

9 The pool and cabana

10 Another beautiful Japanese maple in the garden

11 A very cutleaf form

12 Many conifers can be found planted throughout the gardens and nursery areas of Environmentals.

13 Here is a rather large specimen of Pinus aristata.

14 A very beautiful Cedrus deodara thriving in the sandy, well-drained soil of the Northfork

15 The is the hoop house which was filled with many varieties of Japanese maples.

16 Shaun was happy that here was a great deal of variation in color, size, and form.

17 My truck with trailer was parked and ready to be loaded.

18 This trailer is great for transporting furniture, equipment, and plants.

19 As Shaun pulled the trees, Fernando put them into groups of three of a kind.

20 These are some of the bigger trees in 15-gallon pots.

21 TJ of Environmentals got busy loading the trees.

22 As did Bidal

23 Baulilio took the lead in loading the trailer.

24 Many were loaded but will all 117 trees fit?

25 These are the last of the trees to be carefully loaded into the trailer.

26 This is all that was left in the hoop house after Shaun picked all of the best specimens for Bedford!