Brilliant Reds From Africa

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

5:30 AM and quiet. Karl the Wonder Dog is sitting by the office door, quietly waiting to go for a walk. I am procrastinating as long as possible because the morning fog and the slow-to-rise sun have maintained a darkness I want to disappear first. It's a warm morning and is supposed to be another beautiful day.

I wanted to mention crocosmia earlier this summer as they are a really neat plant with origins in the South African grasslands. They started appearing in catalogs about 7 years ago and we bought our first about 5 years back. This one is 'Lucifer' and to my knowledge and experience it is the only one that is consistently hardy in zone 4. A couple visitors bragged about being able to grow all of them but I cannot confirm that as I never met the folks before. The white, yellow and pink varieties are not as strong but the red seems to grow quickly here.

Crocosmia are members of the iris family as are gladiolus which they resemble. The leaves and corms could easily be confused but they are hardy perennials here and unlike glads do not need to be dug each fall, dried and cured. In four years time, a couple corms will become a 3-4 foot tall grouping, 2-3 feet wide.

This plant is not fussy about rich soil and it is a magnet for hummingbirds which adds to its use. The tiny flowers actually resemble a little glad as they flower up the scape to the stem tip. They make great cut flowers too and are inexpensive to get going.


Gail has them planted here on the hill in a variety of settings and along the long fence at our Route 2 location. I intentionally planted some this year in a wet area and want to see what happens with them. Right now they are glorious but spring 2009 is a long way off.

I have to get going here on the first day of my vacation. Stan, our electrician, arrives sometime this morning to make the temporary entrance a substantial affair inside our building. I have roughed out the interior wiring and the outlets have been installed and wired in all summer. The convenience of a finished product was not worth the interruption to us while we advanced our new business but now that things have drawn to a close, projects like this need to be finished. It will probably take longer than I think but by the end of the day a line will be drawn through yet another item on my list of things to finish before warm weather turns to snowflakes.

Still some great looking daylilies in bloom and some specials on a few other items. We are essentially closed for the season now but never turn away an interested gardener or a question that seeks an answer.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where our barred owl friend stopped talking as daybreak approached.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

Finding Garden Color

Thursday, August 28, 2008

60.8 degrees here on the hill. The sun is long since passed and clouds hang above the fir balsams leaving wonder about tomorrow's weather. I hear the sound of water exiting the 3/4's inch line from the house to Gail, the Waterer, who is saturating next year's hostas. Perennials in this part of New England really need late summer water and the hostas that are getting it tonight are no exception. Gail said she spotted the drooping Little Sunspot when she came home tonight so she volunteered for the task. That's good because this gardener hasn't felt too sharp for a couple days now.

Karl the Wonder Dog begged for a walk and although I didn't feel like leaving the news I knew he was asking for a reason. We headed out and I decided to note tonight's garden colors. There's 700 feet difference between our home gardens and the nursery so different plants do different things at different times.

At the top of the page is a picture of gooseneck loosestrife, a disobedient plant which florists like but gardeners do not. I bought a 4" pot a few years back and the sea of wavy necks is everywhere now. It pulls up easily but don't toss a handful anyplace or you'll have an experiment in propagation not found in most gardening manuals.

The yellow trollius are a fine plant, slightly more refined and larger than the buttercups we are most familiar with. Save for the new Alabaster variety which didn't fare that well this year, all the other varieties Gail has are growing well. As long as you pinch the seed heads early on they will bloom again around Labor Day. They make a fine cut flower and work very well with zinnias which prevail in many gardens now.

Many daylilies have continued to bloom this summer because of the constant rains. This one is Jersey Spider which is blooming again. The flowers are smaller now because of the summer age of the plant but this is a nice tall daylily that grows very well. We have several in bud right now.


The daylily, Joylene Nicole, has always been admired by Gail and a friend of hers who passed on a couple years back. It has bloomed for several weeks now and is on a good run right now. I like taller scapes but the flowers are nice and the edge is consistent.

Crocosmia is a wildflower from the southern African plains. I have trouble getting pictures of the bright reds which resemble little gladiolas. The corms look like glads too and in 3-4 years time a group for 4-5-6 glads will form a large clump nearly 4 feet high and loaded with flower scapes. It's hardy here although the white, pink or yellow varieties are not. This one is 'Lucifer'.

Right now I have some reading that has to be finished before work tomorrow. The day holds great promise and that's the way I want to start a weekend. It will be more than a Labor Day for Gail and me but with bright sun and a little breeze, we will be happy. Tomorrow is Austins's last day before he returns to UVM in Burlington. It's been a fun summer at our new nursery despite the torrents of rain. Walking the gardens at night reminds us of our accomplishments. Hope you have had some gardening success too!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the little birds of the forest are bringing this night's choral event to a close.

Good gardening wishes to each of you!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

Evening Walk

Monday, August 11, 2008

I closed up shop this afternoon at 5 as it was feeling more and more like rain again. Gail and Alex had left some time earlier to go to Montpelier for the evening and I knew it would be me and Karl taking home the trash and getting things settled at the house for the night. Despite the weather which just will not turn good for more than a few hours, the nursery looks great and daylilies continue to bloom.

Each morning, Gail picks 30-40 blossoms and puts them on a table in small, water-filled jelly jars with the name, height and price. This serves as a nice display and makes it easier for folks to make a choice and send one of us to the garden to dig a nice clump. At close of business they still look too nice to dump but evening chores includes dumping the flowers and water and washing down the table for the next day. Clean and tidy sells in any business!

I got home and was just getting squared away and Liz came a knocking with a belated birthday present for Gail as well as a gift for taking care of their beagle while they were away for the weekend. Liz is a good neighbor, not because she brings gifts but because she cares about people and is always willing to help. She helps take care of Gail's mother and is always available to help. We talked for a few minutes and then she headed home to make supper and I headed out to the compost pile with Karl to dump a load of weeds and spent daylily heads. I picked Karl three handfuls of wild blueberries. This has become a ritual for him but it will soon end as the wild turkeys are eating the berries all day long and the crop is growing thin.

When we returned home, I grabbed the camera for a few quick shots while Karl waited in the truck, sitting straight and tall and acting like a guard dog instead of a house dog. The lilies have been quite nice this year even though some have become faded from the pollen running down the petals. A wasp was holding tight to a nice Orienpet lily as if to protect himself from the rain drops. The bee that checks all bees incoming to the nest at the end of the day will be missing one tonight.

I walked up along the path and was surprised how nice everything looked even though the gardens are unkept and full of weeds. Gail and I have been at the nursery every day since the snow began to melt so the gardens around our home have taken on a new appearance best viewed from a distance. As I walked along, I came upon a clump of 'Chicago Apache' daylilies which is about two weeks ahead of itself this year. I don't know if it has been the excess rain or lower or higher temperatures but bloom time is clearly different this year.

The Crocosmia 'Lucifer' are striking this year and are like a magnet to hummingbirds. 'South Seas', a favorite coral daylily, has passed on but 'So Lovely' has begun to bloom. It's tall and dusted and very nice. 'Lusty Leland', another red we sell a lot of, peers down from the back display area and the last few 'Missouri Beauty' keep it company. Along the edge, 'Grape Velvet', one of the finest purples out there, sports 8 blooms and dozens of buds while a row of 'Mini Pearl'

with shiny foliage seem to bloom forever. Two favorites, 'Wayside Green Lamp' and 'Witch Hazel' are in the garden with the tall 'Chicago Rosy', 'Alice in Wonderland', and 'Siloam Amazing Grace'. These all need to be moved to the nursery but it will be some time yet as Austin moved three truckloads last week that have to get planted first.

There's lots going on at Vermont Flower Farm. As depressing as the constant rain has been, people arrive each day and share stories and offer words of encouragement. Our friends have had the opportunity to drive down Route 2 and watch our progress and they know well how much work we have done to get to where we are. People tell us they come back because the quality of our product is exceptional, our knowledge of the plant world is special and we always demonstrate that we care about the person we're speaking with. Gail and I have always been that way....and always will.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where nightfall comes too early even if you're tired like me.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

Montbretia, My Crocosmia

Friday, August 3, 2007

Just in from turning on the hoses as the hot, hot weather is drying out the potted plants faster than we can water. Gail and Winnie watered until dark last night until hunger for supper became more important that drooping plants. This morning it's 76 degrees out and an immediate reminder of yesterday's heat. The Fairbanks Museum reported that yesterday in 1975 New England heat records of 100 in Cornwall,Vermont and 107 in Boston, Massachusetts were set. We won't get close to that today but there is a stuffiness in the air that guarantees an afternoon thunderstorm. Lots of rain in a short amount of time calms the dust on the road but does almost nothing for the gardens.

Wednesday night Gail invited Jerome Bolkum, his friend Barb and our mutual friend Julie to come see the flowers and have a little dinner. If you live around here you know Jerome as Jerome the Florist from Barre. He is one of the finest florists in the business and his arrangements, regardless of the intended event, have a speciality to them that always elicit fine comments. It's always fun to walk the gardens with people who like flowers because you can learn a different perspective about colors and combinations and those little pieces of info that have a place in later work.

The crocosmia was in bloom in the display gardens and Jerome commented on how beautiful it looks. He knows it as Montbretia as that's the way the flower industry refers to it. This is a member of the iris family although the leaf and corm would make you think you are dealing with some type of gladiola. The plant is actually from the grasslands of South Africa although I somehow have it in my head that it grows in South America. I have a habit of missing things by thousands of miles so this error is not uncommon with me.


Montbretia is listed as zone 5 but the brilliant red named 'Lucifer' is certainly very hardy here in zone 4 and perhaps into zone 3 if properly sited. There are white, pink and yellow montbretias on the market but these do not make it here and must be considered an annual. Some have told me that they haven't been successful with 'Lucifer' but after a little discussion we usually arrive at poor siting in wet areas. South African grasslands and under the eaves of a house in Vermont are just not the same.

Gail wanted everyone to come see the daylilies and any time after 6 PM as the sun begins to fade, the daylilies have a special beauty that is never better. Around and around we walked, down through the lower hosta garden, out into the field past the peony nursery and then back up around the house to the main gardens. There was plenty to see and the smiles supported the variety available.

Here are four daylilies I snapped quick pictures of as we walked along. Real Wind, Orange Vols, Chicago Peach and Sea Gold are not expensive daylilies but they are popular with gardeners who visit here. Sea Gold is sold out and I am kicking myself for selling more than I should have. That's how it is with me and begging, badgering, "oh-just-one-please" gardeners.






Well, the sun is coming up fast and I have to get going. Mark is coming for the next three days to help me finish the deer fence at the new property. Gail has her bare root daylily sale going on this weekend so she is already busy getting things set up. Elizabeth will be here to help with sales as Michelle is off to Newport RI to a concert. I'll probably fill in between both places as we get closer and closer to beginning planting at our new property.

If you get a chance over the next three days, stop by and consider some exceptional bare root daylilies. If you can't make it, Gail might (?) be coerced to mail you some if you don't mind some extra shipping and handling and a half bushel of roots. I think she has about 9 varieties prepared for sale and you can't beat the root size for $3 each. Give it some thought.

On a final note I'd like to thank everyone who has made donations to Gail's raffle. She is sponsoring the raffle to support a fall conference on transitioning young adults on the autism spectrum to adulthood and the world of work. Interest has been exceptional and Gail is really pleased to be able to promote information about autism and help with something very dear to both of us. If you want to particiapte but can't make it here, send a donation and Gail will get your raffle tickets into the drawing.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where folks from the pond are speeding up the hill faster than they should so they can get to work and talk about how hot it is.

Best gardening wishes,

Come visit!

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://vermontgardens.blogspot.com