As cooler weather sets in, my outdoor grounds crew rushes to complete the long list of fall tasks around my farm.
One of the main projects is to gather and prepare all the tropical plants for winter storage, including all the specimens planted in decorative pots. Plants are removed from their vessels, trimmed where necessary, and then repotted in plastic containers before they are put away in one of six greenhouses here on the property. It's quite an undertaking, but it's the best way to ensure my plants are ready for the cold months ahead.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
It is so beautiful this time of year when all the deciduous trees show their stunning autumn colors before dropping their leaves. Here at my farm, fall chores are now in full swing.
Leaves can change their color from as early as mid-September all the way through mid-November. This is the carriage road leading to my woodland.
And these are the great pin oaks, Quercus palustris, that line both sides of my carriage road just outside my pool. Some of the leaves have fallen, but these trees will show off a vibrant display of deep reds and oranges before they go completely bare.
Off to the side of the pin oaks, I’ve started the arduous task of gathering my warm weather plants for winter storage. Many of these actually came from my home in Maine, where they are displayed for the summer months.
I have lots of tropical plants – agaves, Bismarkias, and other palms. They are grouped together, groomed, and repotted if necessary.
These are two of my staghorn ferns. I love displaying them under my pavilion during summer. The staghorn fern is an unusual and attractive epiphyte that thrives in the tropics. Over the years I have collected quite a few of these magnificent specimens.
Here, Ryan grooms each one before it is carried into the greenhouse. Ryan removes any dead or damaged fronds. Doing this will encourage the plant to produce new growth and maintain overall health.
Ryan also assesses its shape and makes his cuts accordingly. Trimming a staghorn fern can be done any time of year, but I like to groom all my tropical plants before they are stored for the season.
Once Ryan is done trimming, Pete and Phurba gingerly remove the fern from its hook if it is hanging. They do this with a long steel rod that can carry the heavy weight of the plant.
Then they walk it across the carriage road to the hoop house – never do they even have to touch the fragile staghorn.
The staghorn ferns are rehung on the strong frame of the hoop house. Staghorn ferns are called Platyceriums. They are Old World tropicals native to Africa, northern Australia, and Southeast Asia.
Here’s Fernando cleaning the outside of all the hoop houses.
Here’s Alex working on a ponytail palm, Beaucarnea recurvata, that needs repotting.
He trims any necessary dead leaves and then gives the root ball some beneficial scarifying cuts.
Then it is repotted and fed. Now it’s ready to be stored. Once inside any greenhouse, potted plants or trees are arranged with enough space in between them, so they don’t touch. Keeping them separated prevents any diseases that could possibly spread during storage time.
Agaves are also moved into plastic pots. Some of the lower leaves are also trimmed if necessary. When working with agaves, always be careful of the sharp tips of their leaves.
Tree ferns that are too tall for the hoop houses are stored in my vegetable greenhouse. Here they will get lots of light and still be completely protected from any winds.
This is one of my Australian Brush Cherry trees, Eugenia myrtifolia, also now known as Syzygium paniculatum. The Brush Cherry is an evergreen tree or shrub with shiny dark green leaves native to Australia and New Zealand. I usually display these topiaries in the courtyard behind my Winter House kitchen during summer. It is manually moved inside another hoop house.
Meanwhile, all the hoses around the farm are gathered, drained, recoiled, tied, and then stored away for the season. This too is a big task – I have hundreds of hoses, sprinklers and watering wands around the farm.
I have a long custom made yew table under my pavilion built from a giant yew tree that was at my former home in East Hampton. It is made of three separate tables and must be moved also. Pete and Alex take it to a glass enclosure off my Equipment Barn.
And slowly, the pool is also emptied – plants are removed from the decorative planters and furniture and umbrellas are taken indoors.
Here’s Adan beginning the weeks-long chore of blowing leaves. Leaf blowers are noisy, but they are the most effective for gathering leaves into large piles before they are discarded. There’s a lot to do. What’s on your fall list?
If you’re looking for interesting, easy-to-care-for trees, but don't have a lot of space, consider one of the many unique and attractive tree types with narrow upright habits.
I'm in the process of planting a living maze in a pasture just outside my Winter House. Much of the three-acre area is now complete and all the plants are growing excellently. Some of the latest plants include Parkland Pillar Birch, Betula platyphylla 'Jetpark,' and Green Wall Spire Crabapple, Malus x astringens 'Jefwall' - both from First Editions Shrubs and Trees.
Here are some photos.
I’ve been working hard on my living maze since I started planting it in the spring of 2022. I carefully plan and design every puzzling path and row of plants. And then I print a detailed schematic for my gardeners to follow. I am very proud of how it is growing so far. And yes, like a true maze there is only one right way from the entrance to the goal location. These Parkland Pillar Birch trees are next to be planted. They are thoughtfully placed in a row that has already been stripped and measured.
The Parkland Pillar Birch has dense dark green foliage that turns a beautiful golden yellow in fall. It’s known for its narrow, upright habit and interesting white colored bark.
My crew works hard while there is still time to plant in the gardens. Here is Chhiring digging one of the holes.
When the soil is very dry, I instruct my team to fill the hole with water first before planting.
Each hole is sprinkled with a generous amount of fertilizer. I use Miracle-Gro Organic All Purpose Plant Food.
Chhiring uses a hard rake to carefully scratch the root ball and stimulate growth. Essentially, small portions of the root ball are cut to loosen the roots and encourage new development.
Chhiring places the tree in the hole and makes sure it is planted at the right height. The top of the root ball should be level with the top of the hole when in place.
Then he backfills the hole, tamping down as he goes.
Here they are now – already beginning to show off their autumn color.
I also planted these Green Wall Spire Crabapple trees. These will grow to about 20 feet tall and five feet wide.
Green Wall Spire Crabapples prefer full sun and are drought tolerant.
The foliage is glossy and green in summer, bronze in fall, and in spring, this tree is covered in white flowers.
These crabapples typically produce fruit in late summer to early fall. The red berries attract many birds.
Each hole is dug precisely with enough room for the plant’s root ball. The rule of thumb when planting is to dig the hole two times as wide as the rootball and no deeper than the bottom of the rootball, similar to how it is in its pot.
Once again, Chhiring fills the hole with water.
And then the root ball is scarified. I teach all my outdoor grounds crew members how to scarify.
I always say, “if you eat, so should the plants.” Chhiring sprinkles more Miracle-Gro Organic All-Purpose Plant Food into the hole.
And backfills again – remember, only plant up to the flare, where the tree meets the root system.
I can’t believe how the maze is looking – it’s almost done, and all the trees and shrubs and other plants are all thriving.
The 2025 fall Rosen House Concert Series at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is now in progress - please take the opportunity to attend one of their wonderful events if you're in the area.
Caramoor, which is not far from my farm, is an 81-acre former country estate where art and music enthusiasts Lucie and Walter Rosen built an Italianate-style villa and gardens to entertain their friends from around the world. In 1946, the Rosens opened their property as a performing arts center, which now hosts seasonal concerts, historic house tours, educational programs, and other outdoor affairs and performances. Concerts range from classical, opera, and chamber music to jazz, American roots, global sounds, and the American songbook. Earlier this month, Caramoor welcomed accomplished classical cellist, Abel Selaocoe, to their Music Room stage. Other performers scheduled this year include jazz and soul singer Christie Dashiell, classical guitar sensation Raphaël Feuillâtre, and the talented Poiesis String Quartet. In addition, Caramoor is open all year round and available to visitors who wish to wander the grounds and its historic gardens.
Enjoy these photos, and please visit the website at caramoor.org to see what events are being offered in the coming weeks.
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is located in the picturesque hamlet of Katonah, New York and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. If you haven’t been, Caramoor is a wonderful place where one can hear exceptional music, enjoy interesting and informative programs, and walk through beautifully maintained and historic gardens.
The Rosens built the estate and restored the grounds gradually during the 1930s, importing many architectural and decorative items from Europe. The Caramoor became a center for the arts and music following the World War II death of the Rosens’ only son.
The Cedar Walk is a 300-foot path through an allée of high eastern and western cedars. A hammock at one end provides respite for visitors.
Also on the Caramoor grounds is this commissioned sound art sculpture, in”C”, created by Trimpin. Born Gerhard Trimpin, Trimpin is a kinetic sculptor, sound artist, and musician. His work integrates sculpture and sound across a variety of media.
The gardens are meticulously manicured and maintained. Some of the original gardens were planted around 1912, making them one of the oldest native features of the estate.
This is the inside of the Venetian Pavilion. The theater is set around Greek and Roman marble columns topped by Venetian arches and protected by a billowy tent. It’s always brilliantly lit and the acoustics excellent.
(Photo by Gabe Palacio)
The Venitian Pavilion is the second-largest building on the property. It was added in the late 1950s as an additional music venue.
The Rosen House is a two story stucco building with a red tiled roof in a variety of asymmetrical gables and hip configurations.
This is a family portrait of Lucie Bigelow Rosen and her children, Walter and Anne. This was painted in their New York City townhouse and is now displayed at Caramoor along with the green desk in the painting.
Here is one wall of the formal Dining Room at Rosen House. (Photo by Gabe Palacio)
The Dining room was a central entertaining room at the estate. The room’s design and décor reflect the Rosens’ love for music and the arts.
The “Monkey Bedroom” of the Rosen House was reserved for guests and showed Lucie’s love for nature. (Photo by Gabe Palacio)
The La Loggia Bedroom is another elaborate guest space at Caramoor. Every room in the Rosens’ country home was filled with fine decorative art and furniture.
(Photo by Gabe Palacio)
This is the Music Room at Caramoor. This room seats 170 guests and is known for its Renaissance furniture, Gothic tapestries, and stained glass elements.
This 16th century coffered ceiling is from a palace in southern Italy, carved in a design of squares and crosses with rosettes in the center.
Above are 16th century French and Swiss glass windows. Nine of these windows were made especially for the Music Room.
On one side is the Spanish alcove within the Music Room. It features a Gothic 16th century ceiling from an inn near Toledo, Spain. Chairs flank a 17th century Italian table. The Rosen family regularly gathered in this area to entertain and play board games.
The Music Room is now used for intimate musical performances, recitals, opera and lectures. My nephew, Christopher Herbert, performed here in 2018 with his musical group, New York Polyphony, an amazing a cappella vocal quartet that sang both early and new music.
Not long ago, the Caramoor held its first event of the fall season with a performance from Abel Selaocoe, a boundary-breaking cellist from South Africa. (Photo by Gabe Palacio)
His captivating solos weaved together Western classical traditions with the rich musical heritage of Africa. Abel released his second album, Hymns of Bantu, this past spring. (Photo by Gabe Palacio)
I encourage you to visit Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts the next time you’re in the area – it’s open all year round. Check out its calendar at caramoor.org or stop in for a pleasant walk through the historic gardens.
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