November at Skylands
I love Maine in summer, when I can enjoy the great weather with family and friends, but it's also very beautiful there in autumn, when one can see the glorious changing of the seasons.
Cheryl DuLong and Wendy Norling, who work up at Skylands, my home in Maine, love the outdoors and nature. They often keep me updated by sending photographs of the property and the surrounding areas. Here are some wonderful late fall images.
Enjoy.
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- Like me, Cheryl enjoys taking photos early in the morning before the work day begins. Here’s a sunrise photo she took last week as she was headed to Skylands.
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- Skylands and the surrounding areas have already passed their peak of fall foliage – many of the deciduous trees are now bare, but here is Acer pensylvanicum, better known as the striped maple, moosewood, moose maple or goosefoot maple – a small North American species of maple tree. In fall the leaves turn bright light yellow.
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- This is what the lost pool looks like in fall – now drained of water and cleaned. My outdoor grounds crew will fill the pools again in spring.
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- And here’s a view that never gets tiring. Taken through the woods above another natural pool, this view looks out to Seal Harbor. In the center is a late blooming rhododendron that shows off beautiful white blooms in early summer.
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- Here is a moss covered forest floor. Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants that typically form dense green clumps or mats, often in damp or shady locations. During summer, we fill garden planters with moss and other natural elements. Once the season is over, we always make sure the moss we harvested is returned to the forest where it can regenerate and flourish.
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- These steep steps originate from my main house and lead to the footpaths toward my guest house. One will always get some good exercise at Skylands.
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- From this location at one of the natural pools, one can see some of “Rockefeller’s teeth” at the top – large, irregular blocks of granite that serve as guardrails.
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- Cheryl photographed this fall scene of some of the changing colors of the ferns at Skylands. These are hay scented ferns, Dennstaedtia punctilobula. The fronds release a fragrance reminiscent of fresh mown hay when brushed with a hand.
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- This wall is seen outside the laundry room windows. The small tree on the left is witch hazel – hard to see without its foliage. Witch hazel is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae and is closely related to the sweet gum. Most species flower from January to March and if given enough room to spread and grow, they will display a beautiful and fragrant border of spidery blooms when everything else is still winter gray.
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- Here, the carriage road is filled with pine needles. They’re blown down from the woodland and then gathered in the center where they can be picked up and brought to the compost pile.
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- Can you guess what this roof is for? My Skylands team is carrying the protective roof for Aristide Maillol’s ‘La Riviere’s’ winter shelter. The custom made enclosure is put up as soon as the temperatures start to dip up at Skylands.
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- Here is our ‘lady’ in her box, ready to be covered for the cold season. The box is made using strong plexiglass, so she can still be seen even in the snow.
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- Slowly and carefully, the roof is put into place. On the right one can see some of the high bush blueberry bushes with their crimson fall colors – the fruits from these bushes are some of the sweetest I’ve ever had. Once secured, Aristide Maillol’s ‘La Riviere’ is safe and all tucked away until spring.
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- These steps lead to Aristide Maillol’s ‘La Riviere,’ now completely enclosed, and to my large “iced” terrace.
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- This area is down by the shop where we cook lobsters during summer. It’s a different scene now – the grill is all covered for the winter and the area is very still and quiet. Above is a maple tree all bare of any foliage.
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- Wendy is all set to plant the garlic. We plant lots of garlic here in Maine and at my Bedford, New York farm. She took photos of her process.
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- To make the holes for planting garlic, Wendy uses a dibble or a dibber. Although garlic can be planted in the spring as soon as the ground can be worked, fall planting is recommended for most gardeners. This allows extra time for the bulbs to grow and become more flavorful for the summer harvest.
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- Cloves should be at least three inches deep. And always plant the tip of the clove faced up, and the root side faced down.
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- All the holes are left uncovered until the last garlic clove is placed – this ensures all the holes are filled. Next, Wendy backfills everything and rake the surface so it is neat and tidy. The garlic crop will tolerate some shade but prefers full sun. This garlic will be ready next August.
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- On her way home, Cheryl captures a few more photos – this one is taken at the beach where the docks have already been brought to shore and secured for the winter. Boats wait until high tide and then pull them to land where they are tied. In spring, the docks are pulled out once again.
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- And here’s a sunset photo of Seal Harbor taken from Cooksey Drive. What a beautiful view. If you’re ever traveling through New England, make a stop in Maine, visit Acadia National Park, the surrounding areas, and enjoy all that nature has to offer there.
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