Today in Westchester, New York, we're expecting abundant sunshine with temperatures in the mid-70s - more springlike than early fall, but autumn is definitely here, and if you live in an area where foliage changes with the seasons, you know how exciting and beautiful this time of year can be.
The changing leaves are already providing lots of color - red, orange, yellow, and brown can be seen in areas across the landscape. I've planted thousands of trees and shrubs at my farm, so it's a fantastic place to take in the season's changes and enjoy all it has to offer.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Here, the changing leaves haven’t quite peaked yet, but the fall foliage is already looking so pretty around the farm. Some trees change early, others late – usually from October to November in the Northeast.
My pin oaks, Quercus palustris, have done so well over the years. In fall, because of changes in the length of daylight and changes in temperature, leaves stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the yellow to gold and orange colors come out and give the leaves part of their fall splendor.
The perimeter around my paddocks displays such wonderful shades of orange, yellow, amber, brown, and green. 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 seen 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. Here is my grove of American beech trees seen from across the pasture.
Another popular vantage point is this one looking down between the paddocks with the corn crib on the right and the changing sycamores and allèe of lindens.
Here’s a view through the woodland. Many of these trees are deciduous, meaning they tend to seasonally shed their leaves after showing off their brilliant fall colors.
Even the potted tree seedlings are changing. I have thousands of young trees potted up behind my stable. They are doing very well and will eventually be planted in the ground and added to the ever-evolving landscape at my farm.
The white pines in the distance are majestic. Seen from nearly every angle on this side of my farm, these trees stand tall in the changing landscape. 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.
These are the horse chestnuts, Aesuclus x carnea, at the foot of my Boxwood Allee in front of my stable. These trees are changing to yellowy-red for fall before the leaves all drop.
Here are the weeping hornbeams, Carpinus betulus Pendula, on one side of my “soccer field” where my grandson plays whenever he visits. I love these weeping hornbeams – the branches of these trees gracefully weep creating an umbrella of foliage that reaches the ground. The leaves are beginning to change – the foliage turns a bright yellowish color this time of year.
Up close, one can see the seed catkins hanging from the branches, holding about 10 to 30 seeds each.
This is a Japanese Stewartia, Stewartia pseudocamellia, just behind my gym building. Native to Japan, this tree is known not only for its brilliant shades of orange that emerge in fall, but also for its interesting exfoliating bark and delicate blooms. I love Stewartia trees – do you know why? Here’s a hint: it’s in the name.
These are my bald cypress trees that line one side of the carriage road to my Winter House. These too are just starting to change color. Bald Cypress trees, Taxodium distichum, shed needlelike leaves. In fact, they get the name “bald” cypress because they drop their leaves so early in the season. Their fall colors are tan, cinnamon, and fiery orange.
Not far is this striking burning bush shrub with fiery scarlet foliage just starting to show. This bush is as low-maintenance as it is dazzling, making it exceptionally easy to grow as either a single specimen plant or in a grouping.
Persian parrotia or Persian ironwood is a small upright tree or large, rounded, multi-stemmed shrub. It is related to witch-hazel. The oblong green leaves turn various shades of red, orange and yellow in the fall, often persisting into the winter months.
Here are the bright yellow branches of the American larch, Larix laricina, out in the pinetum. This tree is commonly called tamarack, eastern larch, American larch or hackmatack. This deciduous conifer will drop all these showy needles just as winter approaches.
These sugar maples above my tree peony garden bed also display gorgeous color in fall – the leaves turn vibrant shades of yellow, burnt orange, and red.
This maple is also beginning to transform for the season. This one is just across the carriage road from my tropical hoop house not far from the chicken yard.
Guests that come around this time of year often ask, “what are those flowers that look like crocus?” The common name for Colchicum is autumn crocus, but they are not true autumn crocus because there are many species of true crocus which are autumn blooming. Also, Colchicum flowers have six stamens while crocuses have only three. The colchicum are all blooming now.
Here is another colchicum. Colchicum is a member of the botanical family Colchicaceae and is native to West Asia, Europe, parts of the Mediterranean coast, down the East African coast to South Africa and the Western Cape. When the weather is mild, colchicum’s flowers begin to unfurl. Most Colchicum plants produce their flowers without any foliage. This is why these flowers were first known by the common name “naked boys.” In the Victorian era, they were also called “naked ladies.”
And look what else is starting to bloom here at the farm. This is just one of hundreds of saffron flowers planted by my friend and colleague Hannah Milman.
Planting is done in July, August and September either by hand or by machine. Harvesting comes at the end of October to mid-November, roughly eight weeks after planting.
And soon, my outdoor grounds crew will be busy blowing all the leaves. I’ll share more photos of the trees as they reach their peak fall colors. What does autumn look like where you live? Let me know in the comments section below.
After eight years of planning, the French luxury label Hermès is now open for business at its new flagship store in New York City.
Last week, I joined hundreds of others to celebrate the opening of Hermès Maison Madison - a 20,250-square-foot, five-floor store carrying the full range of Hermès products and collections. The celebration featured a tour of the space, a three-part musical commissioned for the event, food and drinks, followed by dancing at the former flagship, which was transformed into an all-orange speakeasy. It was definitely a fun and memorable party - leave it to Hermès.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
It was a beautiful evening for being out in New York City. This was my view looking west on 57th street in Manhattan. I posted this photo on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 – I hope you follow me.
In the window of the new Hermès flagship, one could see dozens of the iconic orange-hued boxes.
The store features a smooth and curved stone staircase. Kevin Sharkey, who took many of these photos, captured this image looking up all the way to the fifth floor. An adjacent 49-foot-high wall was decorated as a vertical gallery with paintings and equine themed photographs. Follow Kevin’s Instagram @seenbysharkey.
Looking down, there were beautiful speckled terrazzo floors.
Here is a view of the high ceilings and decorated curved walls.
The store is comprised of a series of salons, giving it a more intimate and special feeling for customers. Here I am in front of the beauty items on the first level. This floor also features jewelry, silk scarves, and Hermès perfume.
I stopped for a quick photo with Hermès VP of Press and Influence, Michael Carl.
There was a musical performance, “Love Around the Block,” where actors sang and danced while wrapping orange Hermès boxes through the store.
The first of the three-part show was performed indoors.
Actors performed in the aisles as guests toured the store’s clothing, accessories, furniture, and homewares.
The costumes were colorful and quite direct in its messaging.
On this wall, there was a scarf designed after artist Josef Albers’ “Interaction of Color: Homage to the Square” painting.
I admired this turkey scarf hanging nearby.
Colorful belts were also artfully displayed.
… Along with many cashmere blankets and throws. This front design is from their Parcours de Sangles Collection.
It matches this Parcours de Sangles pillow.
Here is another beautiful geometric blanket by Hermès.
After the first act of the performance, guests were instructed to head outdoors for Act II. Several streets were closed to traffic just for the event.
Several food trucks were on hand, offering an assortment of dinner bite options such as pizza, tacos, cheesecake, pies, pretzels, burgers, hot dogs, fries, dumplings and falafel – one can find all sorts of food in New York City.
The final act was held at the old Hermès location, which was turned into an all-orange nightclub for the evening. Here I am on the stairs of the former store. It was a fun event and a very interesting way to celebrate the store’s opening. The store officially opened for business this week, so plan a stop at Hermès Maison Madison the next time you’re in New York City.
The next time you're in the New York City area, I encourage you to visit Untermyer Gardens.
Last weekend, I attended a Mehregan gala, an ancient Persian harvest fair, hosted by the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy. The event was a fundraiser honoring celebrated photographer Firooz Zahedi. The evening included delicious Persian foods, music, dancing, and a performance by Iranian singing star, Sattar. Untermyer Gardens is an historic 43-acre park located in Yonkers, New York, not far from my home. The gardens were named after lawyer and civic leader, Samuel Untermyer, who purchased the original land from former New York State Governor, Samuel Tilden, in 1899. During the first 40-years of the 20th century, Untermyer, who was passionately interested in horticulture, developed the property with help from architect, Welles Bosworth, and made it one of the finest private gardens of its time. Today, the gardens continue to be lovingly revived and restored by the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy.
Enjoy these photos.
This is the entrance to the Walled Garden of the Untermyer Gardens. It was inspired by the great Indo-Persian gardens of antiquity – originally intended to resemble a “paradise on earth.” Above the doorway is a carved stone plaque of a recumbent Artemis sculpted by Ulric Henry Ellerhusen.
Just inside the entrance is the first of four crisscrossing canals of the Walled Garden. Here, one can see the overhanging boughs of two majestic weeping beeches, Fagus syllvatica ‘Pendula’. The wide marble fountain basin spills into this central canal.
Here is a view of the same canal looking back to the entrance and the grand beeches.
This is called the Temple of the Sky, a roofless crown with its columns of Alabama marble, where legendary Persian singer Sattar performed later in the evening. The mosaic floor encircles a portrait of Medusa, the winged demon in Greek mythology.
Here I am in the Temple of the Sky with Drew Schuyler, assistant head gardener at Untermyer.
This is a view from the Walled Garden’s Lower Terrace looking out onto the Hudson River and the Palisades.
Below the Temple of the Sky is the ruined Persian Pool, once the swimming pool of the Untermyer family. Construction is underway to transform it into a reflecting pool.
Along the East Border of the Walled Garden is this Auraucaria auraucana, also known as the monkey puzzle tree or Chilean pine. I also have one in the greenhouse at my Bedford farm. There is also Dasylirion longissima, a Mexican grass tree on the left and azaleas on the right.
This section of the East Border features oakleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia, and Persian silk tree, Albizia julibrissin ‘Summer Chocolate’ – showing the contrasting colors to the mostly green foliage of the early fall plantings.
Here, one can see the dried flower heads of Hydrangea quercifolia in front of an espaliered southern magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora ‘Edith Bogue’ which is flanked by two crape myrtles, Lagerstroemia indica.
This is a stoa, a covered portico or walkway according to Greek architecture. It is embellished with a group of potted tropical specimens including a container planted with various ferns: emionitis arifolia, Selaginella, Impatiens repens, Pteris cretica ‘Albolineata,’ Pteris ensiformis ‘Evergemiensis,’ and Pellaea rotundifolia.
Here is another canal leading to the garden’s Amphitheater with gorgeous green foliage along both sides.
Here I am in the open-air, Grecian-style Amphitheater where guests are often entertained by musicians, dancers, and other events. Seasonal container plantings line the back wall and include elephant ears, Alocasia, bird-of-paradise, and mixed containers with tall fuzzy fronds of dog fennell and Eupatorium capillifolium ‘Elegant Feathers.’
These Alocasia plants which were planted in the canal beds last year grew quite well and were repurposed into some massive planters in the Amphitheater this year.
In front of the Amphitheater are two sphinxes by noted Art Deco sculptor, Paul Manship, who was also famous for Prometheus at Rockefeller Center in New York City. The sphinxes are sitting on top of cippolino marble columns. The mosaic floor of the Amphitheater stage refers to designs at Tiryns and ancient Roman villas.
A reflecting pool below the sphinxes is filled with assorted aquatics and framed by a border of annuals that attract butterflies in warmer weather.
In this bed – Nandina domestica ‘Seika’ OBSESSION on the lower terrace contrasts nicely with the various hydrangeas.
This is the Hydrangea Border on the Lower Terrace with arching stems of Patrinia scabiosifolia reaching toward the path.
Here, the Hydrangea quercifolia is starting to show its signature fall color.
This is a stunning view down the Vista Stairs. It is enhanced by the 99 Cryptomeria japonica ‘Radicans’ and ribbons of Japanese forest grass, Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’.
After our tour of the Garden, we sat down to a delectable Persian entrée of grilled jujeh kabob and kabob barg; a bundle of sabzi, or greens; timbale of sabzi polo, which is herbed rice; grilled red, orange & yellow peppers, and plum tomatoes.
A lavish dessert buffet includes a selection of summer fruits, my own lemon meringue tartlets, assorted mousse shots, homemade chocolate barks, chocolate dipped fruits, chocolate clusters and truffles, Persian sweets baklavah, bamieh, sholezard, and graybeh, stuffed dates, marzipan fruits, knafe, koluchen yazdi, chay and rock candy, and a Persian tea station.
And here’s a night view of the Temple of the Sky looking out onto the Hudson River and the Palisades. It was a beautiful early autumn evening. For more information on the Untermyer Gardens, please go to the website, or just click on this highlighted link. If you are able to visit Untermyer, I know you will enjoy it as much as I do.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
