Some Self Seed

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

I just returned to the house after a chilly morning moving some gravel around a new culvert I installed in one of our woods roads yesterday. From yesterday to until today the ground froze solid and cleaning up the crushed rock from the bottom of the pile was a treat. I still have a few more things to clean up in the same area but need a couple more loads of gravel and those won't come until spring. This fall I have been outside every day working on one project and then the next. Blogging has taken a backseat to outside chores but the weather has been great and I am feeling good about what I accomplished.

During the past week Alex and I rebuilt two platform feeders and since we have not seen a bear here in a couple  weeks we decided to go for it and put the feeders up. The mourning dove count is at 15 right now and the first evening grosbeak of the season just arrived.

As we brought truckloads of spent flowers and old weeds from the flower farm, I was reminded how much seed was available on certain annuals and perennials. As we clean up every fall, Alex and I rub the seed pods on several plants just to spread the seed around and get some free crops growing early-on in the spring. Consider these.

Foxglove, pictured up top and again right here in pink, has been known for years as a biennial. In recent years some hybrids have been brought onto the market that flower the first year. These flowers are poisonous but oh so beautiful. If you have some already growing or have a friend who has some, a little seed goes a long way. Just sprinkle it on the soil. Nature does the rest.

Cleome is another favorite. It comes in heights from 8" to 6 feet and again, it self seeds nicely. For the amount of seed that is produced annually, only a small per centage germinate but it's always enough to remind you "I really like these!" The shorter varieties work well in containers too!

Verbena bonariensis makes me smile. It is an annual that self seeds here in this portion of Vermont but does not germinate in great numbers. Perhaps this is because I have always planted it close to the river where our soil is not that good. It is known as being invasive in many states even to the point of being prohibited and being placed on invasive/prohibited-to-plant lists. It is a pollinator magnet and butterflies of all sorts spend their winged days on it. It's great in flower arrangements and has a color that catches attention from the distance.

All forms of rudbeckia exist. Goldsturm shown here, is regularly seen in gardens, big and small. After several hard frosts you'll notice many small birds seeking out the seeds and in the process they disperse the ripened seed so some may grow next year. The birds never know what great farmers they are. There is a 6-7-8 foot tall perennial rudbeckia named Herbstsonne that is very nice and also a helianthus named Lemon Queen. Both self seed. 

As you clean up your gardens, spread some seed around and see what germinates in next spring's gardens. You may be surprised. I have been!



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where open water will continue into mid December according to the long range weather predictions. Kind of a surprise because on December 11, 2014 we had a foot of heavy wet snow that took out the power and made a mess around here for a week.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as George Africa and also as a Like Page, Vermont Flower Farm & Gardens
Visit Twitter at vtflowerfarm
Contributing on various other garden related social media sites

Always here to help you grow your green thumb!

Planning for Butterflies

 October 11, 2015

35.1° here on the mountain, windless, quiet. I have been thinking about how many fewer butterflies we have seen this summer and am searching for resources that will help me improve what we grow for flowers that will entice more butterflies. As with honeybees, there are many variables that impact on the health of butterflies. First we need to understand those variables and then monitor our progress. This past spring for example, I intentionally planted a large number of tithonia to serve as a monarch magnet. I really hoped for the best. The bright, fiery red-orange tithonia, 

sometimes known as Mexican sunflower,  did very well but the monarch count at the end of this summer was still only three. This is a sad commentary for sure!

Part of being successful requires knowing what the butterflies feed on and what their host plants are. This process takes some time. Perhaps five years back I became interested in a wonderful late summer plant named turtlehead or chelone. I had seen the flower at the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden and started to plant it here and there to try to get a sense of gardener's reaction here in Vermont. We do this when trying to decide what flowers to offer. After planting some turtlehead, it took a couple years but I began seeing a butterfly I did not know. It was the Baltimore Checkerspot. Here are pictures of the butterfly and the caterpillar. 

As I continue to try to match butterflies and food and host sources, a few more butterflies appear.  Here are a couple on-line resources 

that may help you identify some butterflies you see and at the same time better understand what crops you should be planting to make them happy in your neighborhood. 


http://www.insectidentification.org/insects-by-state.asp?thisState=Vermont

http://www.wayfair.com/post/Butterfly-Garden-Flowers-and-Plants-by-Region-E1185

http://www.thebutterflysite.com/vermont-butterflies.shtml


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Karl the Wonder Dog woke me after hearing an as yet unknown critter walked outside the back door. My guess is the bears are back.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook on a personal George Africa page.
On Facebook as a Like Page Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens.
On various other social sites related to horticulture.

Dividing Daylilies

 Wednesday, September 9, 2015

For a couple weeks now I have been mentioning that my daily routine has involved digging and dividing daylilies to line out (plant in rows) in our gardens to replenish plant stock for next spring. I have received several requests asking what "line out" means and have also been queried as to how I divide plants.

Dividing daylilies, or any perennials for that matter, requires a simple understanding of how the plant grows. It also requires that you remember that you aren't going to kill the plant and that you need to be a bit ruthless. Here's an example of how I do it. I am using a daylily named Strutters Ball. It's one of our favorites because it produces lots of scapes and is a nice purple. In this example I wanted double and triple fans when I was finished but in a recent example demonstration I gave to the Waterbury Garden Club I divided a similar  plant of Strutters Ball with my hands and ended up with 11 single fans. How small you divide the plant depends on what purpose you have in mind for the plants when you are finished. Smaller divisions to the point of single fans will take extra time to mature and offer bounteous scapes and bud counts for your enjoyment.

I start by digging deeply around the plant. Over time you will have a good idea of how the roots grow. With Strutters Ball I know the roots will extend underground about 8 " from the perimeter of the root ball. With a plant such as the daylily Cherokee Star I know that the roots are more rhizome-like and grow thick roots horizontally from the root mass and more distant from the plant. That means I have to begin to dig further away so as to maintain the important roots which will serve to make more plants themselves.

When I have cut into the ground all the way around the plant, I carefully pry it out by putting pressure on the shovel or spade handle in a couple places around the plant perimeter. Lately it has been so dry here that the plant balls come out easily. Then I shake the root ball a few times to remove as much dirt as possible. This action shakes out insects and lets you see where worms and other critters may be living. It also makes it easier to identify any weed roots which should be pulled out. I remove any older leaves and essentially clean up the mass as best I can.

Dead plant scapes should be pulled out of the plant ball or cut as close to it as possible. They dry as hollow tubes and those serve as good places for bugs to lay eggs and over winter. By removing all the spent scapes you are removing problem areas. I have never read anything that speaks to fungal problems originating from the old scapes but I am sure old scapes could be a problem too---so--eliminate all you can. Then I trim the entire root ball so the fans are 3"-4" tall. 

Next I wash the entire root ball with the garden hose using as much pressure as I can get. My goal is to wash off as much dirt as possible. This makes it easier to see how the plant has matured and how the fans are related to each other.

I use cheap knives with serrated edges that I buy in quantity from box stores. I always tie a piece of orange surveyors tape to the handle so when I drop the knife, I can find it. I try to cut down through the root mass so that I am dividing the plant into two or three fans per piece. In this case I cut 6 pieces out of the original three year old clump of  Strutters Ball.

As soon as I have divided plants for planting, a get them back in the ground or in  pots. If I intend to grow the plants on in quantity so we can dig and pot them in the future, I spray the rows with horticultural oil. This is a common surfactant that is often used by orchardists because it smothers small insect pests and their eggs. 

Dividing daylilies is not that difficult a task depending on how old the plants are to begin with. Ending up with more divisions than you want can always be timed to garden club, library or school plant sale fund raisers or you can trade your extras with a friend. Give it a try!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the temperature is an even 63 degrees, the morning is windless, the sky is light grey. We may have a thunderstorm by 4 PM but the expected rain totals sound like less than we really need. If you grow peonies, be sure to water them as they set buds for next year's flowers and since mid August when this began, it has been hot and very dry. 

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm

On Facebook as George Africa and also as Vermont Flower Farm & Gardens.

Appearing on various other garden related social media venues.

Always here to help you grow your green thumb!

Peonies

 Sunday, August 16, 2015

Just a quick note of interest on caring for your peonies and insuring better bloom next year. Mid August in New England is when peonies set buds on the root stock for the following year. The best bud production requires moisture in the soil. Although we have  

received what might seem like a great deal of rain this summer, the wind usually followed the rain and dried up what we received.

If you want to enjoy significantly more peony bloom in 2016, be sure to water your peonies well right now. A 5 gallon bucket of water on each plant a couple times a week for the next couple weeks will really make the difference.

Don't fertilize the plants as it's too late to encourage more root growth that won't get a chance to harden off before soil temperatures drop below 50 degrees in mid October here.

Just provide the extra water and next June-July you will see the difference. It will make you smile!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the temperature is an even 64 degrees and very warm days are expected for today and tomorrow.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as George Africa and also as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens.
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
On various gardening social media sites helping you grow your green thumb!

Great Hosta Year!

 Sunday, July 5, 2015

55.2 degrees and foggy at the flower farm. Almost 8 AM. Gail just arrived for the day. Even though it rained last night, I have the sprinklers going on the hostas. They look wonderful this year because of the temperature and the almost constant rain. The slug and snail population is not as bad as I thought it would be but the thinner leaved hostas and those with white or cream edges are getting some leaf marks now. Slug/snail control is something you have to think about in the early spring and by now it's too late to take action because the hostas are too big to address the problem. Reality.

 If you get a chance in the next couple weeks, come visit us. We are located on Route 2 just a half mile west of Marshfield village. The hostas are exceptional because of their age and because water is the best fertilizer--- and we sure have received enough rain this season. 

 Last weekend we held "Walk & Talks" in the hosta garden and we will do the same again this coming Saturday and Sunday, July 11 & 12 at 1 PM. These are informal "walk the gardens" tours followed by half an hour of instruction on how to plant and care for hostas. I explain how to divide, site and plant hostas and share some hosta resources I know.  It seems to be well received information and the number of questions asked seems to confirm the growing interest in hostas in Vermont and other eastern states.

 The benefit of visiting a hosta display garden is that it adds reality to the hostas you consider buying that you see growing in pots. Some folks sell small tissue culture plants in 3" pots. Some sell everything in 4.5" pots, we use number 400 and 600 pots (4 and 6 quarts) and have limited pots in the 15 gallon range for instant gratification gardeners.  The truth is that a potted plant may give you an idea of leaf shape, color, texture but it leaves eventual plant size to your guess. Most gardeners prefer to plant a hosta and leave it to develop to maturity but planting the wrong plant can cause future work. I always mention the customer who was convinced a Sum and Substance would work well by the back door. I protested but the purchase was made and years later I didn't hear a "you told me so." but I did hear a complaint about how big it got and how crowded the entry became. I did not volunteer to come move it!

So if you get a chance, come visit us, ask questions, walk the gardens or come on the 11th or 12th for a talk and tour. We never know who will show for the tour but we can guarantee you will learn something about hosta you may not have heard before. Give it a try!

Writing from the office of the flower farm where I can see clearing sky and bright sun from the east. Traffic is building on Route 2 and it should be a great day here. Come visit!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as  George Africa and also as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
On a variety of garden related social media sites.
Always here to help you grow your green thumb!

Planting Hostas

 June 9, 2015

59 degrees and pouring rain here at the flower farm. May and early June always bring us rain and here at the farm we always watch the Winooski River with caution as it rises and falls, rises and falls, first with spring runoffs and then with rains such as this. A week ago when I was hiking in Maine, Gail had Steve fertilize everything and then when I returned I did the hosta display garden myself. Gail is working on the potted hostas and she is about half way through getting them rearranged and fertilized for the start of the busy season. Things are looking great.

 Just prior to the floods in 2011 I had the hosta garden walkways mulched in stay mat. That's crushed granite which is abundant in this part of Vermont. The walks looked great and walking even for older folks was quite easy. Michelle spent a week mulching all the hostas and although they were small at the time, they looked super. The floods ruined that in sort order and it was on a morning that looked just like this morning that I came to work to find 10 feet of water on the fields. Some plants were lost but today you would not know that as the hostas are reaching maturity and the weather has been perfect for them.

 This morning I have a little correspondence to catch up on and then I will be out planting hostas. It's a perfect day. I dig oversized holes, fill the bottom 6" with old maple leaves and then mix the soil with manure and compost, some commercial fertilizer and then I plant the hostas. Hostas in pots need to have the bottom few inches of soil loosed and the roots spread out so they "catch" quickly to the new soil. Once planted I water well with Epsom salt in a ratio of 2 cups to 5 gallons of water. I pour half a bucket on each plant. This is magnesium sulfate and it stimulates root growth which is very important for subsequent growth.

As the hostas start to grow, I pick off any leaves that may have been injured in the process and I continue to water as needed. Water is truly the best fertilizer for hosta and it really does encourage growth in all directions.

If you have not planted hostas before or have doubt about doing it, stop by and I'll give a demo. On any given day there are usually potted hostas at the entrance to the display garden waiting to be planted. We are always here to help you grow your green thumb too! Come visit!

Writing from a very wet, foggy, rainy flower farm this morning. Stop by for a visit. I am probably working in the office until the rain slows some.

Best gardening wishes!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
On many other social media venues as Vermont Flower Farm

Open 9-5,  7 days a week. Come visit!!