Fall has reached Tuckahoe, and this morning it truly feels as if winter is upon us! brrrr… it is 27 degrees outside as I write this.
I always think, that as wedding season comes to a close, we will all have a breather at Tuckahoe. But, as leaves begin to fall and the first frosts hit us, there is plenty of work to be done. From cleaning up the gardens and winterizing the buildings, raking leaves, and splitting firewood to stay warm, we stay very busy on the Plantation.
Here is a quick photo tour of the grounds at Tuckahoe as leaves change colors, begin to fall, and as we prepare the gardens for winter.
At the end of October, coming into November vibrant orange sugar Maples mark the approach to the Tuckahoe house.
Our gardens have begun to be cleared of all non-hardy annuals. Above you see the cleared annuals ready for snow (crossing our fingers!) and spring blooms of tulips, daffodils, and poppies. In the background you can see the vegetable gardens surround by yellow tags. These tags work all night, flapping in the wind and scaring deer away from our tasty food plants.
Just past the vegetable gardens we visit the Randolph family cemetary and the memorial garden to the right. The Crepe Myrtle trees in the memorial garden always turn a vibrant red/orange in the fall.
Looking accross the site of the old boxwood maze, you can see the beautiful structure of the black walnut tress which have already lost all of their leaves.
Just South of the Boxwood maze lawn, the slight slope resplendant in fall color is all that remains of the old terracing that led to the old spring and Kanahwa Canal. 
Heading toward the Tuckahoe house from the East, you can get an idea of just how large the plantation home is when viewed from the side. 
The South end of the Tuckahoe house offers great views of the James River Valley from its porch, and looks splendid adorned with a native Virginia Dogwood in full fall color.
This is the view of the James River Valley as seen from the lawn just to the right of the Tuckahoe Plantation house.
Heading North away from the River along Plantation street, there are plenty of bright leaves and heavily berried shrubs. 
The last photo I will leave you with today is of an elegant old Elm tree on the front lawn at Tuckahoe. You can see the old smokehouse in the background. 
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