Mid-October Colors at My Farm
Here in the Northeast, the plants and trees continue to show off their gorgeous fall colors.
This time of year, because of the changes in temperature and length of daylight, the leaves stop their food-making process. When this happens, the chlorophyll breaks down and the green color disappears, making way for all the shades of autumn. Here at my Bedford, New York farm, we're still waiting for a hard frost, but the colors across the landscape are beautiful - various shades of orange, yellow, brown, red, and evergreen.
Enjoy these photos, and be sure to check out my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 to see what fall activity I did with my granddaughter this past weekend.
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- There are leaves everywhere this time of year. Some trees change early, others late – usually from mid-October to mid-November here in the Northeast.
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- Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the green leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs.
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- At my farm I planted many different types of trees in hopes that they would shade, provide climate control, and change color at different times, in different ways. It’s so beautiful to see them change through the seasons.
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- What a difference a couple of weeks make. I photographed this maple earlier this month when it was just starting to turn. Now, it’s golden leaves are falling off its branches. This tree is just across the carriage road from my tropical hoop house not far from the chicken yard.
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- This path is between my vegetable garden on the left and a horse paddock on the right. It was just freshly mowed – no leaves on the bold green grass.
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- I like to plant climbing hydrangea at the base of some of the large trees. These plants are true climbers, using the suckers on their branches to climb. These large plants sometimes reach 50 feet tall or more at maturity. They look so pretty under the changing leaves above.
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- The perimeter around my paddocks displays such wonderful shades of amber, brown, orange and green. I also get many compliments on the fencing – it is antique spruce fencing I bought in Canada, and it surrounds all my paddocks for the horses, pony and donkeys.
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- Here is the winding road leading to my hayfields and woodlands. This is always a popular viewpoint – in every season.
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- Another popular view is this linden allée that runs from the pergola to the Boxwood Allée. I loved it so much, I extended it all the way down to the chicken coops in the opposite direction.
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- The stand of giant white pines is majestic. Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, white pine, northern white pine, Weymouth pine, and soft pine is a large pine native to eastern North America.
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- This is one side of my allee of pin oaks, Quercus palustris. They are starting to turn a gorgeous russet brown.
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- Here is a look through the woodland – so beautiful with its palette of gold, green and auburn.
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- And this is what one sees driving out of the woodland on the carriage road to the back hayfield – what a glorious sight of colors.
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- At the edge of the back field is the giant sycamore tree – the symbol of my farm. The foliage of American sycamore trees is a vast crown of large leaves. In autumn, sycamore tree leaves turn shades of yellow and brown.
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- I love the layers of color created by the changing leaves. Although some autumn coloration occurs wherever deciduous trees are found, the most brightly colored foliage is found in Canada, the northern United States, Scandinavia, northern and western Europe, the Caucasus region near the Black Sea, Russia, eastern Asia, Argentina, Chile, southern Brazil, Korea, Japan and New Zealand’s South Island.
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- Just outside my kitchen on the terrace parterre is this weeping katsura, one of my favorite trees. Cercidiphyllum japonicum f. pendulum has pendulous branches that fan out from the crown and sweep the ground. Caramel-scented foliage emerges bronze or purple-red, turns blue-green, then fades to golden-apricot in autumn.
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- Nearby is this beautiful Nyssa sylvatica, or black tupelo. Its summer leaves are a dark green, but in the fall its foliage turns yellow, orange, bright red, purple or scarlet – all colors that may appear on the same branch. It’s just starting to transform.
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- But look closely, and one can see many of its berries. The fruit is a black-blue, ovoid stone fruit, with thin, oily, sour tasting flesh. These berries are very popular with small birds.
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- Here’s my handsome Emperor Han enjoying the fresh fall air and guarding his home.
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- This time of year is always so magical. Here’s my Fell pony Banchunch grazing in his pasture surrounded by the beautiful foliage. I hope you are able to enjoy some of these autumn colors where you are.
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