Dahlias

Dahlias

This is the time of summer when dahlias begin to show buds and and make us reach for shears or a garden knife to cut bunches of colorful stems for a vase.  The American Dahlia Society is a wonderful resource to use to learn more about growing dahlias. I am growing a few dozen dahlias for the first time in over twenty years.  I'll keep you posted on how I make out. The first blooms began today at the flower farm. Stop by and see how we are doing.

American Dahlia Society

https://dahlia.org

Hydrangeas

HYDRANGEAS

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Vermont Flower Farm has the largest collection of hydrangeas in Vermont with 25 varieties for sale and many more on display in our fields and gardens. These are all New England hardy plants that will grow well in your gardens. They are coming into bloom now. 

Here are pictures of Incrediball, the very large flowered hydrangea some gardeners grow, Bobo (my favorite) just coming into bloom, Quickfire growing in our daylily display garden, and Incredibelle Spirit, a wonderful plant with a color that draws attention from afar. Stop by and see the rest. Have questions about how to plant and care for hydrangeas? We're happy to explain how easy they are to grow.

Visit us at 2263 US Route 2, Marshfield, Vermont. Open 9-5 seven days weekly through October. Call us at 802-426-3506. Visit us on Facebook at our Like page, Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and learn about gardening in the north at my personal George Africa page. If you garden, I know you will find something of interest. Want to walk the fields with us? Call ahead and schedule a time.

Post Bloom Peony Care

Post Bloom Peony Care

Many, many thanks to the dozens and dozens of gardeners who stopped by to purchase peonies this spring. We grew +50 varieties and still have a good assortment which can be planted in your gardens any time between now and mid-October. Stop by and discuss availability with Gail. No blooms left of course but Gail has good pictures and descriptions for planning color and garden height. There are two Bartzella left for those who want a very nice yellow. Yellows are more expensive but are not always available at nurseries as a result.

Hollingsworth Peonies in Missouri has been in business for a long time. They most always have peonies you have been looking for. They just posted this piece about post-bloom care which is worth reading. Larger plants and bountiful blooms next year means good care now. Read on. #peonies; #bartzella; #vtflowerfarm;

"Summer Care of Peonies

Summer! We are now in the later part of the growing season for peonies. Maintaining healthy leaves not only provides for attractive “foliage plants” in your garden, they give structure and dimension to the flower bed and serve as a backdrop for other flowering perennials and annuals. Summer is a critical time during which peonies accumulate food reserves in form of complex sugars (starch) to be used in the fall and early spring to grow new roots, a larger crown and if successful more stems and flowers. Here are some tips to ensure your peony plants will grow and prosper for years to come.

Foliage - Maintain your foliage as long as possible and don't cut it off unless it is badly infected with mildew or has started to turn brown. Some peony varieties actually go dormant early especially the species hybrids. The Itoh hybrids and most lactiflora hybrids maintain their foliage until the end of the growing season. The longer you can maintain healthy foliage the more food the peony plants can store in their roots. The more food stored the better.

Water - During the first year and to some degree also in the second year after planting check your young peonies frequently. Peonies have coarse and thick foliage. The stems are stiff. For the untrained eye it is difficult to observe wilting. Use your fingers to test the soil. Moist soil is usually darker and clings to your skin. Dry soil is grayish in color, dusty and does not cling to the skin of your finger. Observe companion plants and if they wilt your peonies should also get water. When irrigating, water deep, provide an ample amount of moisture that penetrates deeply into the soil. Always irrigate in the morning so the foliage can dry off during the day. Moisture during the night is an invitation for fungal disease such as mildew.

Dead head - Spent flowers and seed pods should be cut off. Many peony varieties are quite fertile and will produce seed. This seed, if allowed to fall to the ground, may sprout. New seedlings will start growing and over time compete with your original peonies. It is not uncommon for open pollinated seedlings to be more vigorous and stronger growers then their parents. We sometimes get Email from people wondering why their pink double flower form peonies are all white (single flower form). That’s the reason why. Most peonies grown from seed are quite different from their parents - often not very attractive.

Mildew - If you have mildew problems get rid of the dead foliage and burn it. If your area does not allow burning put it into the trash. Don't put sick material into the compost since the spores will survive there until next year. All infested material (including any nearby plants) should be removed off-site or burned. It doesn't take a lot of dead leaves for spores to find a winter refuge. If you have a lot of problems contact your Extension Service, they can point out fungicides approved for your state. The Master Gardeners in your area can be a great resource as well. "

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Back around 2007 when the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden was finishing up construction, I paid special attention to how they planted masses of the same flower near the parking lot lights and carried the use of mass plantings through the entire garden. At the time I was trying to figure out the piece of swampy land that would become our hosta display garden/shade plant garden. After I drained the area and removed the cattails and alders, I added lindens, yellow locusts and half a dozen hybrid maples. That's when it became obvious that planting 6 different daylilies in masses between each tree along the edge of the garden would give a great look from Route 2. I planted 25-30 daylilies between each set of trees as you can see from this picture of Daylily Lemon Lollypop. Over time we sold out popular daylilies such as Wayside King Royale but the timing was consistent with the growth of the trees and the extra shade they provided which was more than the daylilies preferred. Today the shade opportunities are more conducive to hostas and since the +600 hostas has maxed out the initial planting area, the new space is working well. If you stop by you'll see how the mass of daylilies works and also see the new hostas we are adding to the understory. If you are contemplating a new or restored garden, keep these thoughts in mind. If you need help with a garden design, Gail does excellent design. Don't expect to come away with a CAD presentation, expect a garden design with plants that are low maintenance and Vermont hardy. Give Gail a call at 802-426-3506 or email at vermontflowerfarm@outlook.com and she'll set up a time for you. #hostadisplaygarden; #shadegardens; #massplantings; #vtflowerfarm;

George Africa
Vermont Flower Farm
2263 US 2
Marshfield Vermont 05658

http://vermontflowerfarm.com
On Facebook as George Africa and also as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens