Get New England Fall Foliage Delivered to Your Door

It’s officially fall foliage season, which may have residents of some parts of the country wishing they could trade their warm winters for a quick peek at this regional spectacle. Well, now they don’t have to, thanks to a company that's shipping handfuls of New England leaves to doorsteps across America. 

ShipFoliage.com was founded by Massachusetts hiking enthusiast Kyle Waring as a way to share the beauty of New England foliage with people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to experience it. Waring recruits “foliage experts” to hike throughout the Northeast and hand-pick the most perfect leaves they can find. They then undergo a special preservation process and are shipped out in packages that include customizable, hand-written notes.

The leaves are delivered in color-balanced sets of three: one red, one yellow and one green. Bundles go for $19.99 a pop, and if that seems like too much to ask for a few dead leaves, keep in mind that these particular leaves will last long after the season has ended. The preservation method includes soaking them in a mixture of baking glycerin and water for three days, then leaving them to dry for three days more. This enhances the color contrast and gives the leaves a glossy texture, and, according to the website, preserves them for years to come. 

Waring’s previous business ventures include starting a company that ships snow, and now he’s struggling to keep up with his new customers' demand for foliage. He said he's received more than 75 orders in just 24 hours of business, which is probably the same number of orders it would take to build a decent leaf pile in Southern California. You can purchase your own little piece of New England autumn at ShipFoliage.com.