The Gardener's Clothes

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

40.8° already with a bright sunshine rising above the tamaracks and spruces. Gail just headed out withe Karl the Wonder Dog for his "real" morning walk, suggesting that my walk at 5:30 in starlit darkness really didn't do the trick. The critters of the woods will be out and about now and there's no doubt Gail will return with a story. She and Karl have seen more big game on their morning walks than most hunters see in a season. I cannot get many stories out of Karl save for a waggy tail but Gail gives good detail about how close they get to deer, bear, moose, woodcock, partridge and turkeys. Their encounters have always been positive but some of the stories raise concern.

I really intended to get back to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay and then head up the coast for a ways before returning to Portland for a night or two. I usually do this in October by myself but this year there have been too many chores and I have to be content with looking at pictures from previous years. This one up top is from a few years back and I always look it over again because of the great use of color, height and texture.

Every gardener has fall chores and one of ours is the local winter clothes exchange. Years back a local lady who runs the food shelf and handles all kinds of situations for needy people started a winter coat exchange. She had always worked with local kids and ran a day care that cost free-to -nothing because she knew the long term importance of starting kids off with a good education. She was also concerned about kids keeping warm during Vermont winters. Over time the coat exchange became a clothing exchange and a sandwich board notice by the side of Route 2 brings in a bundle of people each year. This happened last Saturday and Gail volunteered as she always does. It was not a gardener's fall responsibility perhaps but for Gail this was an important part of community life in rural Vermont. After this year's floods and the very poor economy here, being warm is a serious challenge so warm clothes can help.

The stories Gail brought home of who she helped pick out clothes would bring tears to your eyes. Getting a warm thank you hug and a smile from someone you've never seen before is a memory that doesn't leave quickly. I mention this because every gardener needs new clothes once in a while--jeans without holes in the knees, socks without toe holes, gloves that match and don't have missing thumbs, a hat with a visor the dog didn't eat yet. But gardeners all live in a community where everyone may not be as fortunate as they are. If you are a gardener and your community is having a coat exchange soon, go through those closets and drawers and help out. If you have a little time, volunteer to help. The reward will be like planting seeds. It may take a while to see the real proof but it will come in great glory.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a flock of Canada geese appears heading in the wrong direction if they want to spend Thanksgiving on the Chesapeake.
"Nav-i-gator--check the maps!"

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

Dividing Daylilies

Dividing Daylilies

A quiet morning here on the mountain. There's a light wind and it's still raining. The walk with Karl the Wonder Dog was short as the rain pelted down through the coloring maple leaves and leaves joined rain drops, falling to the ground. I'm packing up in a few minutes to head for the nursery and get working. Sun is supposed to reappear by noon but I cannot wait for drier weather before taking on more refencing. Two floods in one summer knocked down lots of fence and it has to go back up as deer are moving more and I don't want them to get used to a new buffet at Vermont Flower Farm.

This time of year we clean up the daylily fields by cutting down the leaves and spent scapes and weeding as best we can before rototilling between the rows. Yesterday I noticed that Fire King, which started blooming August 1st, is still blooming in the garden and so is one of my favorites, Chrystalline Pink Both are pictured here. At the house a number of Olallie daylilies are still blooming too although the flowers are getting smaller now as the end of the bloom cycles nears. There are other daylilies scattered about in minor bloom but to see them you have to walk the rows.

Some people have trouble making themselves divide daylilies. We do it all the time and we dig and divide daylilies until about Columbus Day here when the soil temperature drops below 50°. We dig the clumps with shovels and spade forks by digging around the root ball and popping it out. With older, mature clumps that may weigh over a hundred pounds we use a six foot pry bar after digging around them. It's not always easy and it's good to do some stretching before you start. Once the clumps are out we hose them down with water so they are clean like in this next picture. Then we divide them down to the size we want. Two fans go into pots for next years sales, single fans get lined out in the gardens to grow on for later sales.....that kind of thinking.

Some daylilies split easily with your hands but others require a knife or other cutting instrument. I buy el cheapo knives from Wally World--knives like bread knives with serrated edges or the heavy bladed cutting knives. These are about $3 each and actually last a long time. I recommend to folks that they be ruthless and cut away but just the same, some gardeners just cannot make themselves do the cutting. Be strong, give it a try!



Gotta scoot. Much to do today. Stop and say hello if you are passing along Route 2.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a flock of noisy, communicative Canada geese are passing overhead. We know their message!

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
Visit us, we'll help you grow a green thumb!!

Winter and Winterberry

Sunday, November 2, 2008

A crisp morning here on the mountain. The crows are noisy and their message is confusing. I think perhaps they are calling friends to a breakfast at the compost pile. It is amazing how far into the woods I find food scraps that they drop. This morning's offering is a few egg shells and a bowl of apple parings from last night's Apple Crisp. That's a fall delight for sure and anything goes well with the "crisp" bite of the fall air.

There has been "sleeping trouble" here at Vermont Flower Farm of late and last night made three nights in a row that Karl the Wonder Dog sounded his animal security barks at a time when I really wanted to be dreaming. It wasn't the three bears this time. I woke at about 12:30 to the sound of deer hooves walking up or down the path from the drive to the house. At that time of night (morning), it sounded like the Budweiser Clydesdales on a paved road.

Eighteen years ago I built a wooden walkway of pressure treated decking boards and although it has lasted well, I'd never do it again. I had seen several configurations in garden magazines at the time and they looked very nice, landscaped right to the edge. A chop saw made cutting angles easy and articles suggested ways to add a serpentine look without too much carpentry skill. I thought there was some merit in the ease of construction and future care. The downside, I find, is that over time the walks develop a slippery coating of algae and moss that creates a challenge that aging ankles and legs don't need in the winter. Last year I took three headers, each time landing in either the lilac bush or the Alberta Spruce. Strange safety nets that worked!

The noise of the deer woke Karl from the front room and in nanoseconds he was at our bed shouting barks of "Go-Away, Go-Away" that took a while to register with the deer. By then we were wide awake again, hoping that slumber would return. There is a price for any good security system!

As fall weather brings it's first snow, I always make a ride to the same place where I have cultivated a nice stand of winterberry. If my timing is right and I haven't allowed too many 15 degree nights to get ahead of me, I pick a nice bucket full of winterberry for the house. This is the native variety found along Vermont streams, ponds or in bogs. It grows to 9 feet tall and in good years offers a profusion of berries. The key is to getting to them early. Successive cold nights eventually wear down the anti freeze in the berries and when you bring branches inside, the temperature change turns them mushy in a week. If you plan it right, you have a nice display through Thanksgiving. There are several hybrids on the market now and other than needing a companion variety to set berries, they are a nice addition. Color through the fall and another seed crop for birds and small creatures.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a large flock of Canada Geese is moving overhead. The sky is clear, the air pressure high and the geese are at several thousand feet but there are so many, their voices are clear even here inside the house.


With kind fall wishes,

George Africa
The (sleepy) Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm