Bitten By The Fence

Monday, July 2, 2012

Birds are already singing to me this morning through a fog that floats along the meadow border and cozy ups to the wood line. The view is less than clear through my tired eyes but there is something tranquilizing about the way the fog moves. It reminds me of the Maine coast, my favorite place other than Vermont.

I was away from the flower farm this weekend as I had committed to helping a friend paint her house in Barre. You have to understand that my dad was a great painter and wall paperer but when people asked if I would follow in his steps, I always looked the other way. I greatly dislike paint brushes but the weekend's excitement involved using an airless sprayer to apply paint to a hundred year old house with dry cedar shakes. I'll leave that story there and just say that my painting days are officially over but the house is painted and just needs a couple-three days to clean up the mess, over spray here and there, that kind of thing. It really does look good and neighbors have been very kind with compliments, horn toots and thumbs-up congratulations for trying to fix up this old house.

The flowers at the farm are coloring up nicely and the daylilies should be impressive from along Route 2 in another week or so. The bloom time for some seems very confused with some later bloomers already putting up loads of flower scapes. In contrast, some are behind but some are right on target. Beloved Country pictured above, is an example of a timely daylily at our place.

This morning I thought I would take a couple pictures of Beloved Country which grows in a row outside my office window. It was supposed to be transplanted to the flower farm but after a couple years now it appears to have been forgotten as it competes with high grass and a terrible weed named colts foot. I grabbed the Olympus and headed out, already late from spending too long on Karl's walk.

As I approached the row, I found a few blooms that looked like a picture but as I bent over for a close-up, my derriere came in contact with the electric fence which protects the honey bees from bears and other critters. Let's just say that expletives were plentiful. Reluctantly I returned at a different angle and snapped a couple more shots. Here's another one.

Beloved Country is right on target based on Gail's records. For the last two years it has opened on June 29th and it has not disappointed us. Bloom time doesn't matter to many but to those people thinking in terms of a special event, a birthday, or remembering the loss of a friend, the date is important. Weather changes over the past few years have made some flowers change their bloom time but Beloved Country has held firm. Keep it in mind if you need something that is 34" tall and has slender bloom scapes that wave in the breeze. We like it--bet you will too.

Gotta get moving here. I have committed to spending the day with Alex and we are going to begin in Hanover and West Lebanon, NH. Gail and worker bee Michael will be at the flower farm so if you're driving by, stop and say hello.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where honey bee flights have commenced in great magnitude and the now-absent fog has left a series of spider weds and cobwebs everywhere. Slender strings of web with drips of dew suggesting another hot day! Be well, be cool!

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
And remember: We always help you grow your green thumb!

Just Fizzle

Saturday, July 4, 2009
Independence Day Evening

Almost 9 PM here and the last bit of light is fading as it's Gail's turn to take Karl the Wonder Dog for a quick walk. Neither of them seem to mind the fact that the big bear is around here some place. I guess they have both resigned themselves to dealing with an encounter if one materializes and until then, to proceed as if it's just another day. Gail and Karl have met bears before and also a couple moose so they apparently have developed some sense of trust that works.

It was a dismal day that started bad and didn't get much better. The heavy rain held off until late morning and the real heavy rain began around 4 and continued for over an hour. Our road is already having that old fashioned washboard look that puts struts and shocks of the car and truck to a regular test. We live on a dirt road and the man with the grader has some self induced game of seeing how deep the pot holes get and how many irate calls come into the town garage before he fires up the machine and levels out the road. It's difficult to understand this whole game unless you live in a rural state where dirt roads are common and every town has a road grader that they covet.

In between rain storms I piled up weeds from this week's work, moved some more hostas into place in the new garden and helped a few (too few) customers with info and purchases. You just can't get interested in gardening when the ground is turning green with moss and the water, so frequent of late, is puddled up everywhere you turn. I really wanted to get the grass mowed today but the weatherman (person) was wrong again. It almost seems that if it's a great drying day tomorrow, it cannot possibly dry enough to get the tractor on the fields. We'll see.

The daylilies are coming out more and more and with one day of sun it will be like someone holding up a big stop sign out in front of the nursery. The question however, is when will the sun come. A little more "We'll see." I guess.

A few more daylilies that came out today include Custard Candy (top):

Over There

Jeune Tom

Beth Barth

Beloved Country

It's clear that I have to get into the picture taking mode as I have to catch up with these that are out too: Creepy Crawler, Respighi, Sinbad Sailor, Golden Prize, Fragrant Treasure, Salieri, Wayside King Royale, and Strutters Ball. There are others but my "thinker" is getting tired tonight. I ended the evening around 6 digging the last daylily of the day which was Red Volunteer. It about did me in as it was a monstrous plant with 6 scapes. Then when I got home I remembered I had promised to dig some spearmint for a friend. All the commitments are finished now and we should have a quiet night. I heard a couple fireworks from Peacham Pond kind of fizzle so I assume a hundred per cent humidity and a light rain are making lift off a challenge. In the days of our country leading to Independence Day, there have been challenges bigger than lighting fireworks. Take a minute before the day is over and think about how we got here. Pretty nice country, kind of like the daylily directly above here--Beloved Country.

Be well!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener