Last updated on October 15th, 2015
In late-autumn, when the skies are clear, the sun is shining, and leaves are crunching underfoot, I enjoy taking leisurely walks. Would you like to see what I see when I wander the gardens here? Then you must join me on this sip-and-stroll tour:
The zippity-sip du jour is a classic martini.
How I make this enchanting drink:
First, put a drop of vermouth in a cocktail glass.
Then add a sensible amount of Bombay Sapphire gin. If you store your gin in a freezer, as I do, you won’t have to chill it first in a cocktail-shaker.
Finally, skewer 3 Spanish olives, and add them to the glass.
Now click your heels three times…
And…
SWOOSH! We are standing at the entrance to the rose garden.ย As you can see, the boxwood has grown by leaps and bounds since its early-May trimming and shaping.
And the roses that performed so abysmally over the summer? Well, I’m happy to report that several are budding and blooming now. Apparently they required 8 long months to recuperate from the dreadful winter of 2014.
Say hello to ‘Mary Rose,’ one of David Austin’s sweetly-scented “English” varieties…
And this handsome yellow ‘Graham Thomas’…
And this pompous pink ‘Mayfair.’
As we head north, we encounter a retaining wall. I built this field-stone fortress around an ancient silver-leaved maple. Beneath the bed’s groundcovering of pachysandra, numerous daffodils are busy making their roots. Rooted bulbs don’t freeze in winter.
Continuing north, a bluestone path that leads to a grove of white pinesย is completely obscured by maple and oak leaves. My policy is to save and shred the leaves, and use them as mulch. As it decays, the mulch turns into leaf mold — the greatest soil amendment on earth.
We are standing beneath the white pines now, looking west, with a view of the headless Venus de Milo. How Venus lost her head.
On our right is a long hedge of arborvitae. These shrubs were only 5 feet tall when we planted them in 2004. Today they are 14-foot skyscrapers. The “arbs” screen out the swimming pool. They also provide winter shelter and spring nesting quarters for birds.
The aforementioned statue. She has held this perch for the past 10 years. Except, that is, for the unfortunate time she was toppled by a careless lawn-mowing dude.
Making a right past the statue, we bump into the Kitchen Garden. There isn’t much to see here now, except for dead leaves, some zinnias, some alyssum, and some kale. Kale is an amazing plant. It will continue to produce until the first hard frost.
And by the way — have you tried my Brown Rice, Lentil, and Kale soup yet? Here’s the easy recipe.
Opposite the Kitchen Garden is the Pool Garden. The pool is closed now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t visit the statuary within.
Are you drawn to lecherous men? Feel free to flirt with this Satyr.
If you prefer women, you can certainly share gossip with this sultry, scantily-clad “Summer”…
Or this somber (and also scantily-clad) “Autumn.”
Between the pool and kitchen gardens are two demi-lune-shaped, boxwood-edged beds.
Within the beds are peonies, baptisia, and daylilies. Their foliage is still mostly green, indicating they are receiving nourishment from the sun through photosynthesis. I won’t cut these perennials to the ground until their foliage withers.
This arch marks the entrance to the Woodland Garden. Shall we peer inside?
This place, too, is buried beneath a thick layer of leaves. I won’t remove the leaves until spring. They are doing precisely what they should do in a woodland setting, and that is to protect the vegetation beneath.
And here is the pond. It was the home to several goldfish for many years, but they all perished last winter, even though I’d installed a new pond-heater for their comfort. The severe cold caused the heater to burn out. Now the pond is home to frogs.
Peering over the edge of the woodland, we can see the stream that leads to the Hudson River. It’s a joy to behold now, since the forest trees are mostly nude.
Before we exit this garden, let’s spend a few moments rocking on the swing.
What’s that you say?
You’re ready for another martini?
Then we should head back to the house. We can make our descent via the Serpentine Garden.
Here’s a rear-view of the house. As you can see, three of the tin roofs were recently painted. The fourth (and tallest) roof will be coated in spring.
Providing bits of color in the Serpentine Garden is this lone Coreopsis…
And this tenacious Geranium ‘Roseanne’…
And this purple Nicotiana. Nicotiana, or “flowering tobacco,” emits its glorious perfume not during daylight hours, but from dusk to dawn. It blooms until the first hard frost. You need only plant it once. Thereafter it will reseed itself. And how.
Let’s pause for a moment on the bench beneath the Yoshino Cherry tree.
On our right is a long hedge of dwarf lilacs.
The same view from the bench, in late May.
On our left is a pair of Witch hazels, dressed to kill in gold lamรฉ.
At the base of the Serpentine are some flowering quince shrubs. These are dropping their edible fruit onto the pea-gravel path below. The hard little “apples” make a terrific jelly. Or so I’m told.
And here is the boxwood-framed blueberry patch, located behind the potting shed.
Although the blueberries have lost their vermillion leaves, the two holly shrubs — one male, and one female — are in prime condition. The female has produced an enormous crop of berries. I’ll use some of the berried sprigs for Christmas decorations.
And here is the Herb Garden. A woodchuck entered this gated sanctuary a few weeks ago (here’s the story), and promptly plundered my parsley. Fortunately the beast left my Swiss chard alone. And that’s a good thing, because I used the ruby-stemmed leaves to line a crudites platter for last weekend’s Halloween party. (To see pictures of the party, and to sample the crudites and other appetizers, just visit this spooky post.)
Last but by no means least are the boxwood cuttings that frame the four beds in the herb garden. Actually, at this point they are plants, not “cuttings.” Every stem has rooted, and all are pushing out new growth.ย If you’d like to produce your own boxwood crop, proceed this way.
I’m so glad you joined me on this brisk walk. Please take a seat in the parlor, while I mix up another round of martoonies. I mean martinis. Then we can have a good long chat. You can discuss anything you’d like. Perhaps you’d like to discuss the current condition of your own garden. Or the current condition of your love life. I’m all ears, baby.
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Miss Mary says
Love, Love. Love this!
Kevin- you are so generous to show us your beautiful home and gardens. Thank you for bringing us along on this tour. I am so glad you are enjoying your many beautiful gardens, even in this late Fall transition season. Also, so very glad to see the roses- never give up, I say! ๐
Here in middle TN, we are enjoying Fall as well, only our trees are just now reaching their peak of color-we went for a Sunday drive along the Natchez Trace Parkway last Sunday-utterly delightful, just like you. Maybe you could join us someday- you are always welcome here! <3
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Miss Mary – Thanks so much for joining me on this little tour!
Lee McLean says
Puff, puff, wish I was there, Kevin. But let me tell you… No matter how many times I practice (hic) clicking my heels together with my martini, I spill every drop.
Cary Bradley says
Thanks for the lovely tour Kevin, and for the delicious martini! So much fun to see your garden this time of year. How did I miss your woodchuck post? Just read it and boy, that was funny. So sorry about your screen, drat, indeed! Tell me, my dear, is your garlic in yet? I’m planning for next week planting and am just nosey. ๐
Tammy says
Beautiful, Kevin. Your strolls through your garden are so wonderful and now that I’ve visited, they’re even more meaningful. You amaze me.
Robin says
I love your tours and needed this walk today desperately! Thanks so much!
Julie Cook says
Very sweet. I enjoyed the tour immensely!
Louise says
Thanks for the stroll.
Wendi says
Loved this and thank you for linking the woodchuck story! Your strolls through your gardens are truly peaceful, comforting, and inspiring. Aaaahhh…
Eliza J says
I look at those pictures and smile Kevin! What a beautiful place you have made. Absolutely lovely.
Liz C in Salem says
Thank you Kevin for the wonderful autumn stroll. This is such a great time of year to enjoy the “bare bones” of our land. Up here in western ME, our outdoor chores are done, gardens put to bed and winter bird feeding stations up and active. Now our strolls (wine in hand) are to enjoy the views through leafless trees of the mountains and stream in the back. I too have a few hardy blooms (even after our freeze in Sept.) that spark the walk. Touring your gardens in autumn gives a visual and mental map of your outdoor talents. I’ll revisit this tour several times!
Bobbie says
Hello! You are too funny! I am enjoying read and learning some tips and details from you. I would like some guidance on preparing my carpet rose for winter please. Do I cut it back? It’s in a raised bed at the front if my house where a strong winter wind is always there (summer too sort of). And a lot of snow gets piled there. It is surrounded by a boxwood hedge (like you too funny enough) on the two outer sides. I’m in the Toronto Ontario area zone 5? If that’s helpful.
Beverly, zone 6, eastern PA says
I am a big fan of using stone, brick and gravel adjacent to plant material, always enjoying the way it contrasts. You’ve done a wonderful job enhancing your beds with stone. And congratulations on your new rooted Boxwood cuttings! Multiplying plants is so rewarding. Thanks for your tour today.
Belinda says
Kevin,
You picked a lovely day for photographing your well thought out garden in it’s fall colors, and I’m so glad you included the shot of your Lilac row from back in May. That image sticks in my mind as an example of gardening perfection.
Ava lansbery says
Thanks so much for the fall tour, it is amazing. I’m so jealous…where I live in down state Illinois I have to purchase every rock I own. And that isn’t easy, either. When we travel, my souvenirs are rocks….kinda crazy??? We are getting older and my rocks are getting smaller. I didn’t see the Lucille Ball movie untill I started this odd collection. the Long Trailer is the name, I think.
Angela says
Morning Kevin!
Thank you for a wonderful peaceful tour and cocktail!
You have such a beautiful home, thank you for sharing!
Have an awesome day..
Chuck Rasmussen says
Bravo!
Michelle says
Thanks Kevin! Your tours are always a highlight for me.
margo pohland says
I moved to Florida 10 yrs ago and still miss the fall colors. Thank you for your wonderful guided tour. Your estate seems HUGE! All I can think of is all the leaf removal !!!
Denise T says
How timely this was for me! I have all the ingredients for your Kale soup and on this very windy day today, I will make a large pot.
Saira says
Absolutely the picture of my dreams. Thank you so much from rainy London for injecting a little pleasure into my life. I love your website and love hearing and seeing anything to do with your gardens. They are so beautiful, the stuff of dreams, literally. Sometimes I wonder if they really exist ๐
Thank you so much for sharing your delights with us. I think I’ll close my eyes now….
Saira
Gretchen says
Oh Kevin, I so dearly love your garden tours. Always a pleasure and all are saved so I can enjoy a break from whatever. Your weekly posts are a part of my Sunday morning life. Love it~!!!
A note to Ava Iansbery, please – I too have collected rocks as souvenirs. Now most of them make up the stone wall that surrounds our living room fireplace.
Deborah L. Marshall says
Even though my “garden” down here in the tropics is nothing like yours, I still so enjoy the sip and stroll tours. You invite us into your home and your life. So special. You always make my day better. Thank you.
Edie says
Dear Kevin,
I have been enjoying your tours, tips, being tipsy, and recipes for a long time.
Your are not only artistic in your vision of your garden, but you are a poet, too.
Thank you for all you do for our souls.
Christine Thiessen says
Thanks for the lovely walk, Kevin! I enjoyed it so much.
David H says
Kevin,
Wonderful choice of gin! 43 bags of shredded leaves are in 45 gallon contractor grade bags and 132 large garlic cloves went in the the ground an hour ago. Here, just north of Kansas City, Missouri, we had a hard frost Halloween night. The fall broccoli has just been harvested and the red and green cabbage is close. The herb beds are covered in shredded leaves after the compost was put down. Great website and if any of you have not tried Kevin’s chicken and tarragon cream suace recipe, you are really missing something! Time to crank up the wood stove. Stay warm and save Kevin and thanks for sharing.
ToniBeth says
Dear Kevin,
I walked all the way through your spacious gardens today since we had an extra hour (daylight savings time}. Loved the view of the river and Happy to hear the David Austin roses did not die. I have a few of his roses… Love your witty conversations Lol You are quite a Ham!
Thank you for all you do to keep us gardener & foodies learning new Ideas & tipsy tips.
Donna says
Just loved the tour of your fall garden. I, too, moved to Florida 10yrs ago and still miss 3 out of the 4 seasons up north (it was that 4th season that drove me to Fl.). I do have a question that I hope you will be able to answer for me. One of your pictures on the tour was of a stone (cement) bench beneath the yoshino cherry tree. I have a similar bench (made out of cement) sitting out in my Florida garden. The weather here is doing a job on the surface of the seat and the finish is disappearing. The bench looks like it was finished with gray stone glaze so has shades of light and dark gray simulating a natural stone look. So my question is: Could you advise on what to use to refinish the surface to restore it back to its gray stone look? Thanks for any help you can give me and for your great website.
Bev Nolan says
Hi Kevin,
A week ago, here in Southern Oregon, we still had a green lawn. Now everything is covered with leaves from the Oaks and orchard trees. How is the release of that cookbook coming?
Judy Howell says
Hello,
I was curious about cutting the peonies to the ground. Do you do this every fall and is it required for blooms the following year?
Kind regards,
Judy
suzanne says
I really enjoy reading your blog. Your garden looks fantastic this time of year. I can’t wait to try the Earl Grey cookies. Thank you for this visual treat!
Valerie C. says
That was one beautiful tour! It’s just what I needed today ๐ Thank you.
Diane S. says
Thank you, Kevin, for the wonderful tour! Your garden is delightful and so are you!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Judy Howell – Yes, I cut back my peonies every fall after the foliage withers. This is purely for the sake of cleanliness.
Hi Suzanne – Do try the Earl Grey Cookies — they are yummy!
Anne Schomaker says
Having just enjoyed brunch with friends on this cold blustery day, it’s wonderful to be inside viewing your garden tour. I have tea instead of gin with a crackling fire in the background.
For fun, I brought my friends a full stalk of brussel sprouts pulled from my garden this morning. The stalk is about three feet high and covered in sprouts. It made quite a hit and I understand will be part of their dinner tonight. Just a thought for your many followers.
Warm hugs, Kevin. The scenes are just so beautiful.
Maura says
Gorgeous, I loved the tour, thank you!
Allison K says
I wish my backyard garden was in as good a shape as yours is. I still need to remove some tomato stakes/cages and my pea and cucumber trellises. My two house cats love to roam the fenced-in garden while I work or sit in my lawn chair and read but, alas, this past week was far too cold for any of us to be out for very long. This week is supposed to be a bit warmer.
Denise in Colorado says
I love our walks through your gardens! ๐
I cut back my peonies and got my garden ready for fall. This year I’m enjoying my greenhouse/garden shed/treadmill room we built this summer. The cats think it’s for them but I plan to start my seedlings earlier than I usually can. I still have two tomato plants trying to ripen their tomatoes on a sunny bench out there! I’m waiting to see how long they will live before it gets too cold and Monday night it is supposed to be 16 degrees for the low up here…
Naomi Shelton says
Kevin, the tour was great, altho’ I’m not really a martini kind of gal, I did enjoy having one–or was it two?–with you.
It was sunny here today and so I got out and did some work in my extremely full garage so that hopefully I can put some of the pots, etc. back in for the winter. I have many left-overs from a garage sale I held in the summer which need to be gone, gone, gone. Remind me next summer to “just donate it!” Garage sales are so much work for so little money. At least ours was, and we had some pretty good stuff.
My gardens have not been well tended the last part of the summer. Too much rain and too many mosquitos for me to be able to work outside. Disappointing, but maybe next year will be better. I think I will be downsizing a bit and that may help the overall look.
Right now I am bringing in a couple of geraniums to winter over and have potted some cuttings of impatiens for some winter color. We’ll see how they do. I haven’t done this before except with some begonias last fall and they were wonderful, blooming all winter.
Thanks for the tour and the recipes. I can’t wait to try the cookies!
Laura says
Kevin, I have to thank you for the great Spring and Fall shots of your lilac hedge. The shots are as close to identical as one could get. This is one of my biggest pet peeves when people
(magazines) show before and after shots. They usually are not even close to the same shot so many times it is hard to compare. But yours are spot on and there is no having to try to figure out exactly how the 2 shots line up. Thanks again for that and for showing us your gardens are such a nice fall day. They are always beautiful.
Oh, one other thing. Do you really clean up all those leaves my yourself? I was glad to learn you have someone trim the boxwoods. How much help do you get in your gardens? Mine are no where near the size of yours yet I find them very time consuming and as I get older I am considering shrinking some of them to make things easier.
Lisa in CO says
After working outdoors in the wind all weekend to tidy up and put areas to rest, it was a joy to be indoors tonight, and looking at your various gardens. You have a special touch, great vision and obviously a green thumb. Sure wish my father could have lived to see your website; he’d have been thrilled as he too shared in some of your talents growing beautiful and delicious items. As I age, I agree with Laura that it’s either time to reduce or find a helper with a strong back! Thanks again for sharing your gorgeous spaces, Kevin. Martini or not — it’s a delight to tour with you!
Gina says
You had me at martini and enchanted me into becoming your new fan. Stoli please?
Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening says
Maybe someone has already mentioned this–I only skimmed the previous 40 comments–but isn’t it the female holly that bears the berries, rather than the male? It was a lovely walk, and an excellent introduction to your site. I plan to peruse your archives once my own gardening chores are finished.
janet g metzger says
KEVIN,
SOS!!!!!! Is there ANYWAY to keep Kale or Swiss Chard growing THROUGH the winter??????
Or are there other winter greens????
If so, where do I get them?????
Pax,
Janet
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening — That typo is fixed. It is indeed the female who produces the brilliant holly berries.
Hi janet g metzger – If you live where the soil rarely freezes, then yes, you can keep kale growing (or at least keep it living) throughout the winter months. Be sure to harvest mature leaves to encourage new. If you can build a hoop-house around the plant(s), you’ll have even better winter success. Have fun!
LoveyO says
Immediately AFTER a brief external meeting, I can’t wait to join you with my own ‘tour’ and copy cat beverage! As always thank you for the wonderful inspiration!
Linda Miles says
Lovely tour…thanks, Kevin.
sandie says
What a lovely tour and beautiful, peaceful garden. Lots of work and time I’m sure. After reading your input on growing Rabbit’s Foot Fern etc., and thought I would look at your garden. Your input and humor remind me so much of my Uncle Don (who is no longer with us) and my cousin Jack…great folks, great humor and certainly makes you feel at home!
Not much on Martoonies….but maybe a cheap bottle of red wine! LOL
Rosemarie says
Thank you for the lovely tour of your garden. I just happened upon your website looking for help with my Rabbits foot fern and am so pleased that I have found you! This is such a gem. Thank you for all of your insights and wisdom and sharing. I LOVE it.