Last updated on December 13th, 2019
Today, because the sun is shining, and because the Northeastern leaves are at their colorful peak, I think we should steal a few moments in the great outdoors. Would you like to see what’s whirling and twirling here at Clover Hill? Join me on this virtual Autumn Garden Tour:
Naturally, we can’t enjoy about walk-about without having something to eat. Can I offer you a slice of this Apple Fold-Over Pie? It’s the kind of pie that we can eat out of hand. Here’s the recipe.
Autumn Garden Tour
Now click your heels three times, and…
SWOOSH! We are in the boxwood garden.
I grew most of the boxwood from cuttings, as described in this post. The shrubs, I’ll admit, are in dire need of a trim.
The dwarf, weeping crabapple trees that flank the brick steps are in fruit now. Birds and squirrels have already gobbled up most of the fruit. Good for them.
At the garden’s north end, we find a giant — and ancient — silver-leaved maple tree. Its leaves are not quite at the color-peak. In another week or two the leaves will turn a stunning shade of gold.
Heading north now, we encounter a leaf- and acorn-littered blue stone path. The path ascends to a trio of white pines.
Here’s our view at the top of the hill, looking through the aforementioned pines.
Beyond the pines (we’re heading west now) is a long row of arborvitae. Behind the tall shrubs is an in-ground swimming pool. We’ll visit that “room” in just a moment.
At the end of Arborvitae Row is the Kitchen Garden. The posts leaning against the arbor are from my now-dismantled tomato trellis. Although most of the veggies have been harvested (check out my potato crop!), several flowers still remain.
Here are the purple zinnias…
And the pink Nemesia fruticans…
And some stunning Helianthus (sunflowers).
Do you see what I see? A bumble bee is sleeping on one of the sunflowers. The poor thing certainly deserves a rest. It worked hard all summer.
I recently planted a bed of garlic, and mulched the bed with straw. After 11 years, the hemlock-framed beds are due for a makeover. They are on their last legs now.
And here are the leeks! I’ve harvested quite a few already, and have many more to go.
Opposite the veggie plot is the pool garden. The pool is closed now, but we can certainly visit the cement sentries there. They are eager to meet you:
Here’s Ms. Summer…
And Ms. Autumn…
And Mr. Satyr. He’s a lecherous old man.
Directly behind the pool and kitchen gardens is the Woodland Garden. Shall we have a look?
The ferns here are practically buried beneath maple, oak, and butternut leaves. At least the slatted swing is on view…
As is the picnic table.
At the edge of the Woodland is a Hudson River tributary. This is my favorite view on the property.
Let’s descend the hill to the Herb Garden. There, we can finish our pie while rocking on a swinging bench.
Here’s the entrance to the Herb Garden…
Where a patch of parsley is begging to be harvested.
And here is the swinging bench. As we sit and sway, please tell me what’s shaking in your own autumn garden. Have you finished harvesting your summer crops? Are your deciduous trees dropping their burdens of crimson and gold? Or is your garden in the South, where planting is currently underway? Talk to me in the comments section below.
xKevin
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Suzanne says
Hi Kevin!
What do you do to protect your boxwoods during the winter? I live in Minnesota and am constantly knocking the heavy snow off my boxwoods. Do you wrap yours up?
Thanks, Suzanne
jerry says
Thanks for the wonderful tour. You have a fantastic garden!
Isabelle says
You tour was lovely. I am in northern Wisconsin. Tress are all aglow with the golden sunshine. So similar to your walk.
Robert Meehan says
For your wood framed raised beds may I suggest a “composite lumber” option? I know…it’s plastic but they look good for a LONG time and won’t rot. They cost a bit more than regular lumber but you will have those beds for a LONG time. I really enjoy your cooking and gardening tips as well. 🙂
Kristi says
Here in Ohio we have a few rows of lettuce, spinach, kale and chard and a row of radishes with row cover on. Other than the newly planted garlic, most of the garden is put to bed under a cover of winter rye. Time to rest up, order seeds and plan for next summer. I love the change of the seasons.
JanRinn says
Kevin, do you enjoy your pool? Do you use it a lot? You never post (as far as I can remember) about swimming or using the pool. I would spend my afternoons floating and napping……
Jennifer Phillips says
Thank You for your beautiful and very inspiring garden tour. Your garden is magical. What a lucky home you have to have you to adore it and care for it the way you do.
Susan says
Thank you for the tour, Kevin. How beautiful! This weekend I am making soup and canning cranberry sauce to surprise my bestie who lives far away. She thinks I am just mailing out some books!
Colleen says
What a beautiful property you have! Thanks for the tour
Here in eastern Canada my kitchen garden is waiting to be tilled in. Only a few random carrots left to harvest. We are throwing in another cord of hardwood this evenimg for the wood stove, and there is a definite nip in the air! Enjoy your weekend, everyone.
Diane Luther says
Your posts are my Sunday morning treat! I just covered all of my beds with straw so that they will be ready for another New England winter. Diane L.
David says
Thank you for the beautiful tour! Absolutely beautiful Kevin!
Adriana Nowacki says
I absolutely loved the tour of your garden! Makes me yearn for the days before suburbia took hold with its endless boring landscapes. Also, your recipes sound wonderful. I think today’s the day to try those molasses cookies!! Thank you for your newsletters. I always look forward to the many interesting articles, recipes and photos.
Lori says
Yesterday was the last of our warm weather. I’m putting gardens to bed with a good weeding and tilling, setting old strawbales and shredded leaves. I’m excited for my front veggie bed as it has half the retaining wall done. I could install the fencing if I wanted to, but there is much winterizing to do around the place and temps aren’t warming up. Squash and late potatoes and onions are being hauled in this morning. I have so much that needs to be finished to make my spring easier, that I just to bundle up and work in sections until I’m done. Minnesota winter is on time this year.
But I have to tell you, I have the same blower/mulcher as you, and I put the attachments on with out the bag and mulched away….I have a pretty big section to do in the next couple of days and I want to get the leaves blown out of the flower garden patch and then mulch. But do you realize you can turn the mulcher side ways and have a blower and then hold it upright and have a mulcher? Sure saved me from exchanging parts on and off!
I’m so jealous of your sunny and warm days but I really enjoyed your tour. At least someone is getting sun and warmth.
Dianne Daniels says
I look forward all week to your appearance in my email! Your garden is lovely and I’m going to make those molasses cookies today. We woke up this morning to a little dusting of snow here in the mountain west, but I still have some work to do in the garden. Thanks, Kevin, for brightening my day.
Celeste says
Kevin,
I always remember your advice about leaving the garden in winter the way you want to approach it in the Spring. I’m not quite there yet. Still eking out curly mustard greens, arugula, field cress, chervil, kale, and turnips (the greens are a little tough but very flavorful).
BTW, I apply your advice, “leave the garden in winter …” to most other chores around the house.
Thanks for the tour. So beautiful!
Celeste
Marlyn Anderson says
All I have left is cut off Black-Eyed Susan heads, so they don’t self seed everywhere next spring. Then get the leaves mowed up and I’m ready for snow. My husband discovered to blow the hoses out with the air compressor. Way easier & less time, than unrolling the 100’s of feet of hose and draining on the slope of the driveway, then re-rolling them into their hose houses.
Thanks for the tour of your gardens.
I so enjoy the tours and the recipes you include.
Marsha Lockhart says
Love, love all that you say and do on this website. As a senior citizen, I have been cooking, baking and gardening for a long time and find I still have something to learn every Sunday, from you. In Connecticut, I still have a little more time to get the garlic and green onions planted, than some of the folks here. I’ve been cutting back the perennials and mulching leaves for the garden beds, and will be busy with leaf cleanup until mid November. Next year, I’ll try growing leeks, your way. I can do this and already have the mild jugs lined up for January planting… Thank you so much for the tour. It made me want to walk my paths, even in the rain today and see what I can see.
Molasses cookie time. Until next week,
Marsha
Michelle Collins says
We love you too, Kevin!!
Carolyn Yost says
I love your beautiful garden and your delicious recipes. How do you harvest your parsley, do you freeze some for winter soups?
Diane says
Your woodland is magical in the autumn light – thank you for sharing it!
Charlotte dipaola says
I also would like to know what you do with your parsley. I have a huge amount of flat leaf parsley.
Sue says
We’ve had a killing frost in WI so the garden has been cleaned up. Soon the chickens will be allowed in to eat what they can find and leave a little fertilizer behind!
Dodie says
Just spent a sunny crisp afternoon mulching Magnolia, Maple, and Cherry leaves then added them to leek, raspberry, strawberry, rhubarb, and herb beds. Made another raised 6′ X 12′ bed last weekend so added more compost and remaining leaves in there. Here on the west coast of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada we had a wetter than usual September and this month of October so many windy days that helped get the leaves down sooner, though still lots to go.
Apparently this week we will be blessed with more of the same beautiful weather that we had today, so I’m on a roll now.
Tomorrow it’s the Blueberry, Japonica, Elderberry, and Hydrangea bushes to cut back.
Then transplanting of Hosta’s, Shasta Daisy’s, Woodland Ferns, Grape Hyacinth, and Lily of the Valley into another new bed we made this summer around a huge (80′) Noble Fir tree.
About 20 years ago it was just a little 6 foot baby that was our live Christmas tree that year.
Love gardening in this season – no mosquitoes haha.
Give me a wheelbarrow, soil, shovel, and rake anytime – def my happy place!
p.s. also managed to wash exterior of my greenhouse today, last week did the inside.
Leftover pumpkin pie and Chai tea after a hot soak tonight … cheers everyone!
JUDY says
Kevin. I live in West Virginia we have not had a killing frost yet. The garden has been cleared and winter rye has been planted and coming up. Still can’t bring myself to pull out all the flowers but this week they are coming out BEfore it gets too cold.
Dodie says
^^^^ OOOOPSSS Kevin – forgot to thank you for the beautiful and whimsical stroll through your ever gorgeous gardens.
So. pretty. every season!
Also, will definitely be trying your recipe for molasses cookies on the next rainy day around here – they look awesome!!! Can almost smell their deliciousness … 🙂
Nancy says
Hi Kevin, thank-you for the tour of your beautiful garden. As the leaves fall and the colours change it makes me think of when I lived in Québec many years ago. Here in Vancouver, BC, the seasons are very different and you never know what kind of weather the day will bring. I’m glad to see you have boxwoods and I am going to look at your post. I have had a boxwood hedge that hasn’t done anything for quite a few years. For some reason this summer it has started to grow. I was debating if I should remove it, now……maybe not. Please keep up your wonderful posts.
Pam R says
Very nice walk! I can hear the leaves cracking underfoot and smell the fall air. Here in Florida, getting ready to plant. We are still waiting for cooler fall weather! And waiting, and waiting…..
Mary M says
thank you for the wonderful garden tour, Kevin… I live in Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada. Last Spring we moved from a sea-view house with tons of gardens into a ground-level 50+condo in Town..it was a terrible wrench leaving it all behind (though not all those Fall garden chores which were too much to handle any more). Fortunately, we do have a small brick patio and so have spent the warm months making it ‘ours’ with the many Alpine trough gardens and some choice driftwood which we brought with us.. along with window boxes and some potted Hostas, Astilbes, and a few annuals to brighten up the patio and balcony. We have not yet got a killing frost, so still enjoying the window boxes. The Alpine troughs will do fine tucked under benches and deck out of the wind in a few more weeks. Following your recent advice, have repotted and brought in some geraniums, and another colourful leaved annual (name escapes me for the moment!), and a large pot of petunias into our very bright living and dining rooms(and kitchen and bedroom!) to try my hand at overwintering them. They will keep company with my window shelves full of Succulents. So far they haven’t missed a beat and have carried on blooming..(bit of a problem with a few earwigs but not to worry).
Final and biggest worry is how to overwinter our potted dwarf Oregon Sunset Japanese maple. It is not hardy and was overwintered for 6 years in our unheated garage (none now)..I would hate to lose it as it was a 7oth birthday gift from friends.. working on a solution now, have bought a shrub cover and thinking we will surround the pot with insulation, put under the cover and lower into a protected window cavity next to the house. Biggest challenge will be in the spring with the freeze-thaw cycle.. we’ll see I guess.. any suggestions welcome, Kevin.Thanks so much for your blog.. ‘look forward to Sundays and reading what’s new with you!
Blaine Kaercher says
Thank you for a most engaging tour. The companionship was equal to the surrounding beauty. It brightened a typical overcast sky here in the northeast. The garden sentries reminded me of the Holy Trinity bridge in Florence where a seasonal statue marks each corner. Cabbage is still waiting for me in my garden, with sage and lingering parsley and beets…as we approach November I always remember what Tasha Tudor lamented, “No flowers, no fruit, no leaves, November!” But I’m reassured that you will continue to brighten these days with more delicious recipes, Field trips (!) and activities. I am preparing your salmon dish with veggies for company this weekend. Thank you so much! P.S. Kindness goes a long way in the harsh incivility surrounding us today. You are such a balm…
Mary M says
note to Susan,, too bad we can’t communicate.. I have the most amazing recipe for cranberry sauce.. has a whole unpeeled orange, o.j. slivered almonds and the secret teeny surprise stirred in just before serving (Grand Marnier)… my friends wait for it every Christmas..
nancy says
love your garden tours! thank you. When is the next time I can prune my boxwood. I am fearful of boxwood blight and wanted to wait until the least vulnerable time of year. they are so in need of pruning. Thank you.
Samantha Gray says
Kevin, I am grateful for a look at your autumn garden since (due to a complete knee replacement recently) I cannot get out and work in mine. My garden appears abandoned and the gentleman who usually helps me has had a back injury and is unable at present. So I will enjoy your peaceful, beautiful photos instead! However – that said, on the way back from my Orthopaedist’s office, my husband drove me around the corner (we’re on a corner) to see the wonderful spires of red pineapple sage blooming freely at the end of our property. And a rusty rose single day lily is reblooming as well in the middle of the Montauk Daisies. The rest of the garden? Don’t ask…. but it’s appropriate for Halloween!
Angela says
Always love your garden tours. Have you tried Wet & Forget? I used it for the first time on my patio and privacy fence this summer and it took all the green away! Just spray it and “forget” it and let the rain finish the job. Highly recommend!