Showing posts with label Boothbay Harbor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boothbay Harbor. Show all posts

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Cimicifugas Became Acteas



Sunday, March 30, 2008

A quarter of the moon is high over the tamaracks already on it's way to Montpelier, Camel's Hump and New York before it retires from sight until tonight. Following behind is the sun which hopefully will warm a 6 degree night into a nice day without wind for a change. Yesterday I took Alex to one of his programs in Jericho and at the base of the mountains in Underhill, the day had the personality of early January instead of "almost April". Not too nice!

We've had a series of family situations here at Vermont Flower Farm which have kept me away from many responsibilities. Gail's mother, Miriam, two weeks shy of 91 years old, has been very sick and has required Gail to be with her almost constantly. That need kind of rearranges life for other family members. Karl, the wonder dog, has been back to the "not too healthy" routine for a couple days so we have worries with him too. Fortunately Gail, Alex and I have been quite good, but tired through this. At times like these, I remind folks that lives, just like gardens, need a good plan. When you pass 50 years old, it's a very good time to sit back for a minute and figure out who's on first base and what's the plan to make it home.

I'm a contingency person, in the garden and in life. Everyone is not. It really is a good idea to think through what you will do with your parents as they need care. It's equally as important to consider each other and what happens if one of you falls ill and cannot continue on with the original plan. Many people chose to live by themselves and that poses even a different layer of challenges. I find that having a plan makes it easier to deal with unannounced challenges because you have had the opportunity to run things through your mind.

Gardeners and their gardens age together. Each year, gardeners write to listservs and ask for advice. They have spent years creating and collecting beautiful gardens and suddenly find that they can no longer continue on. It can be something as simple as the trip back and forth to the ground to plant or tend or weed that is just too painful a journey. What happens to the beauty of people or gardens may not be the same.

There isn't any book of answers here, just like Gail cannot turn to page 26 of Dealing With Mom With Compassion, to find a recommendation on handling her mother. There is no book by that title but if there was, people would turn to it I'm sure. The decisions are difficult. Sadly, sometimes gardens fall into the same category as old folks and there is a limited interest in being involved with them. Here at Vermont Flower Farm we have contingencies and just want you to think about yours too. It's good advice.

As if there's always time to get everything done, Gail returned home last night at 9:30 and almost before she finished with a snack, asked me how many cimicifugas we have for sale. This is the sign of too dedicated a gardener. I was struggling away at the new website and I do mean struggling. I had just finished writing the description for Hesperus, a great daylily from 1940 and I found it difficult to mentally switch gears to cimicifugas. But I did. Cimicifugas are high on my list just like Hesperus because they lend a strength to the garden people always look for.


When the conversation finished, we agreed that we had around 100 atropurpurea. These are the cultivar that eventually reach +9 feet tall even though most garden labels say "3 feet" We have about 20 Brunette, about the same number of James Compton and we have half a dozen Hillside Black Beauty that I really don't want to part with. Someplace here we have 40-50 Pink Spike which is another favorite.


Cimicifugas were reclassified a few years back and are now known as Actea. This is the same family as baneberry which some of you like. I've mentioned this before but continue to have difficulty making the name transition. Regardless of the name, these are great plants. Although they have a fairly shallow root system (above photo) it's a giant mass that holds tight to the ground. They do well in wet areas but seem to prosper on garden perimeters where half shade, thick organic matter and consistent moisture prevail. If you have visited Vermont Flower Farm before, you've had the opportunity to ask "What is that thing?" as we have a giant A. atropurpurea planted in full sun right next to the umbrella table we use as a check out. It will certainly exceed 10 feet this year!

To give you an example how A. atropurpurea fits into the garden, here are two shots I took at Maine Coastal Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine last summer. Look to the right of the pine tree in the first photo and you'll see the white, bottle brush like bloom scapes. In the next photo you'll actually be looking through the scapes back towards the reception center there. This perimeter placement is an excellent use for these plants. If you are big on garden architecture, include these in your resource list.




The sun is rising and Gail just headed out to her mother's for the day. Alex is sleeping and Karl is stretched out in the sun on the floor next to the window. Looks like I am on my own for a while. Hope you have a nice day. All gardeners that read this don't have to wait for 3 feet to snow to melt before they can get excited. We still do!



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where two red squirrels sit on the snow drift outside my window, front paws grasped together, waiting with great patience for me to get out there with more sunflower for the bird feeder. Praying squirrels??? Have to go........


George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
who is still reworking the VFF website, juggling family matters and trying to write at
Vermont Gardens once in while too. Today is a good day to think about placing an order!


Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Coastal Maine 2


Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Good morning again from Vermont Flower Farm where it's windy and 51.9 degrees with very soggy ground after a tremendous storm last night. I never like to cut short anything I am writing but the thunder storm approached quickly last night and I wanted to get things shut down here. We are surrounded by a number of objects that lure in lightning strikes and although we have never had a problem at the house, we want to keep things that way.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a work in progress that is already a masterpiece of delight for gardeners like me. As I left Route 27 and made the entrance, the series of sculptures made me slow to enjoy each one. As I entered the parking lot there were about 20 cars but it was still early I thought and what could I expect of a garden which had just opened in June. From the time I parked the car and began my journey, it was abundantly clear that this was a masterfully designed and planted garden which everyone would enjoy.

I made my way up the walk to the front doors and entered. Three ladies greeted me at the front desk and we chatted about my journey and how I had become aware of the gardens. We exchanged questions as gardeners always do and I exited the building to the side lawn and my first view of what to expect. I stopped short, in awe of all in front of me, as I tried to take in the colors, textures and heights. I stuffed the map brochure in my camera case and began a journey that took well over two hours.





I walked along the Visitor Center to the Kitchen Garden, then the Rose and Perennial Garden and the gazebo, then down to the Hillside Garden and the Meditation Garden. I went up and down the hill a couple times to be sure I didn't miss anything but each time something else caught my eye. I knew a lot of the plant material but fewer of the trees and shrubs than I wish to admit. On and on I walked, respecting all the time the almost countless hours that went into the planning and design, let alone the planting of this enourmous place of beauty.




Walking the paths time and again reinforced in my mind the difficulty the design team must have had pulling together divergent design philosphies while matching plant materials which would grow successfully in an area where fog and sea salt breezes are part of the competition.


I have been so busy this summer that I haven't been able to get to Seattle to revisit my still new-to-me grandson. When I am in that city I always enjoy Dale Chihuly's glass sculpture which to me is difficult to describe but easy to enjoy. As I made my way to the Forest Pond, there in the middle was one of Chihuly's works, reminding me of what I wouldn't see in Seattle this fall. The yellow was a perfect match to a large group of senecing ferns which caught my attention near the parking area.

As I made one final tour around the Great Lawn, I let the images I had seen filter back through my mind. This is truly a remarkable botanical garden, still in its infancy but already a tribute to the very dedicated group who took a vision and created a monumental coastal garden.

I chatted with the ladies at the desk one more time and headed for the parking lot. Vehicles of all descriptions had filled many of the lots and the access road was a long line of vehicles. If you get close to Boothbay next time you're in Maine, plan a visit to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. If you are a gardener like me, you'll come away energized and carrying a new vision of how to plant and display differently, even on the scale of your own gardens.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond, Marshfield, Vermont where the strong winds have forced the temperature to remain a steady 51.9 degrees despite the departing clouds and the welcome sunshine.

Best gardening wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontgardens.blogspot.com
http://vermontflowerfarm.com