PEONIES

I just finished updating the Peony page on our website https://vermontflowerfarm.com. Peonies are available for sale at the farm as potted plants in 12-quart peony pots. Each root is planted at the correct level so you can take pots home and replant them at the same depth they  are currently growing. Planting depth is very important to your success so please be sure never to plant the roots deeper than 1.5" to 2" deep. Plant deeper and the peony will live well but as for blooms--it probably will not happen.

Peonies are only available at the farm--no mail order is offered. They are available until they sell out and it's first come, first sold. We do not reserve pots in advance but feel free to call us at 802-426-3506 after April 15 to check availability. There are four peonies that are noted as being in short supply but the balance of varieties will begin the season with 20 pots or more.

Here's the peony page with pictures and descriptions. Herbaceous peonies are $32. Most Itoh peonies are $65. 

https://vermontflowerfarm.com/category/d-peonies/

 TICKS

April 2, 2023. 7:30 AM. 24.4° The wind is swirling snowflakes in big circles as small birds such as nuthatches and chickadees have trouble landing at the feeders. The temperature is dropping because of the wind but also in front of another weather pattern that made us smile yesterday with 62° in the afternoon but frown now. Spring is fickle and what we want is not what we always see. There is +2 feet of snow here on the mountain above Peacham Pond but a walk in the woods requires snowshoes as the snow depth exceeds 3 feet. It will be a while before the snow is gone but in the meantime, maple sugaring is doing well and with cooler forest floor temperatures sap should continue in better quality and quantity longer. "Should" is the operative because one weather front from the southwest and things can look different in a day or so. 

Here's the latest from one of the organizations that keeps me informed about ticks. Because of climate change Vermont has declared that there is no "season" but instead ticks should be considered a problem year-round. In case you have gotten lazy over the winter on tick control, get with the program right now. 20 miles to our west are towns such as Montpelier and Barre and many properties have no snow left. Yesterday I saw people working in their yards and if you are outside now, ticks have to be a concern. I have permethrin spray bottles by the back door here at the house, in the cars and truck, and at the flower farm. Don't wait until it's too late, take command now. Keep reading sites and newsletters and check yourself, and your family members including your pets. Becoming infected is just not good.

https://lymediseaseassociation.org/news/newsletter/

Vermont Flower Farm

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MONARCH BUTTERFLIES

Each year we try to do more to encourage monarch butterflies at our flower farm. We are doing a better job every year but there are many, many natural forces involved that make things more difficult. In 2021, there were consecutive weeks when any day you could walk into the fields and easily count 25 monarchs at any time. In 2022, the best consecutive total was 17 but most days 10 would have been an exceptional count.

Here's a link to Mary Holland's Naturally Curious. Insight is always helpful and suggests more that we should do. Read on. Visit us this summer, walk the gardens, and talk with us about all pollinators.

https://naturallycuriouswithmaryholland.wordpress.com/2023/03/24/2022-23-monarch-butterfly-winter-numbers-decreased/

Vermont Flower Farm

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