Mid June Flowers

Sunday, June 19, 2011
Fathers Day

A beautiful morning here on the mountain. 45.6° and ever so quiet as the sun breaks through the tree tops and the blue of the sky welcomes a great day. Karl the Wonder Dog shot out of slumber at 4:30 and growled protective noises. By the time I rubbed sleep from my eyes he was in the front room perched on the couch and rumbling unhappy noises. I looked and looked but couldn't figure out what went by. I reheated leftover coffee and headed out, still in half-sleep, staggering a bit while being pulled by Karl's exuberance which I did not share. Very few birds welcomed us and we did not see any large wildlife. Maybe later.

The flowers in the gardens at the house are a sorry state of weediness but Gail and I simply can't keep two places looking good. Just the same the plants are healthy and the colors special this year with all the rain. The poppies are just finishing up here. We let them run through the weeds because when poppies pass for the season, their dormancy leaves brown, bushel basket sized holes in the landscape. I can see that some of them need to be cleaned up but it will probably be easier to so a good job spreading this year's seed in another month so the crop comes back nicely in a couple years.

I usually cut some poppies when the buds are just cracking with some color, then I sear the ends with a match and bring a few inside to enjoy. They are an enjoyment to look at but be sure to toss them the day before you think they are going by or you'll be picking up flower pieces for some time. If you have been stuck in an "orange poppy rut" for some time, buy a pack of white, raspberry or pink seeds. Oriental poppies are the large flowered poppies and they are perennials.

I notice that the Trollius Alabaster by the back door is now in bloom. They have been a mystery for Gail to grow and have not been quite as hardy as the yellows and oranges that we have grown for years. The toys in the picture up top get little or no use anymore but the surrounding trollius and few late tulips close out mid June with nice colors.

The Siberian irises are blooming nicely too as are the blue Scabiosas, various geraniums peonies and the yellow flags. More and more daylilies are popping and dots of color show everywhere. We are embarrassed by the weed situation in the daylily beds at the nursery this year but the rains that started in March have stayed with us ever too long.

I have to pack up the truck and get to the nursery now. Michael dug me about 50 new holes for replacement hostas in the display garden that got nailed by 10 feet of water going over the top. Yesterday I found 6 hostas that had been ripped out including First Mate that was hanging from an alder tree. Gail just bought that for me last year along with Empress Wu so they were special for other reasons.

Today is Fathers Day so if you are out and about stop by and see us. We still have some nice blueberry and raspberry bushes, grapes, one flat of strawberry plants and some nice shrubs for sale. The Ginkos and Witch Hazels are looking good as are the ninebarks and lilacs. The lilacs have finished blooming but they are strong and will flower well next year. Gail will be available to help and I'll likely be planting just down the hill. If you have courage, walk down and see what I am doing. I always like to meet new gardeners and take a break!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook at Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
At VFF we'll help you grow your green thumb!

Like Lupines?

Friday, June 10, 2011

A pleasant 67° here at 9 AM. A slight breeze is willowing the tree leaves and the air is thick with humidity from yesterday's rains. Here in Marshfield we were spared the 4-5 inches that fell across central and southern Vermont yesterday, downing power lines and flooding once again. It's warm enough now that you can almost see the grass growing.

This time of year lupines are blooming everywhere. They are evident in gardens but also in fields along the roadways where they self seed freely. At the nursery I refuse to grow them even though people ask for them as soon as they see them someplace else. I have always enjoyed seeing them myself but when they pass, the foliage looks ratty and aphids, specific to the lupines but aphids just the same, are prominent.

Aphids are vectors of other problems and I don't like the thought of encouraging insects that might spread other diseases around. As such I try to suggest to customers unfamiliar with a close up view of mature lupines what they might see. From the perspective of a garden, lupines are analogous to Oriental poppies which leave you with a big hole of brown when they finish blooming. Give both of these some thought in terms of where you plant them and what you expect from them. As with humans, if the expectation is clear, the product is not disappointing.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Dan and the road crew are dumping crushed stone and grading the road for the first time since February. They have been working long hours trying to clean up after the storms of the 26th of May that wiped out five counties in Vermont. Climate change anyone? Maybe, maybe not.


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
At Vermont Flower Farm we'll help you GROW your GREEN THUMB!

Poppies Friends

Monday, October 6, 2008

It's 34 degrees right now and the temperature is beginning to fall, but not quite as fast as the market did around 11 this morning. The temperature has actually been more predictable for me of late than the stock market.

We pulled the last of the zinnias last night knowing that "the real frost" would be here soon. This was a troublesome project and I had real problems pulling up perfectly beautiful flowers. I relented for a few brief moments and walked to the top of the hill for a 5 gallon bucket for one last bouquet.

Our building looked great surrounded by autumn colors but Gail and I knew that it's not uncommon to see snowflakes now so we busied ourselves with all the garden chores. Two hours later the truck was filled to the roof with spent Benary zinnias and the lone bucket of absolutely beautiful flowers sat in the middle of the garden, a new-found place of respite for every bumble bee in town.
But why the picture of the poppy serving as an intro above? Because we like Oriental Poppies and have finally figured out a thoughtful means of dealing with their spent foliage in July.

Oriental poppies come in many colors now so the orange that I grew up with is now accompanied by ruby and scarlet, pink, salmon, white and red. They all like full sun in Vermont but will take partial sun/shade if the "sun" part prevails more than shade. They are about 30" tall, eye catchers-in-bloom, are resistant to deer and they leave a giant gaping hole in your garden when their bloom time ends and they have to catch their breath for next year.

At last, I propose a possible solution!! Try planting anemones and Oriental lilies such as Uchida two feet or so from each poppy. These two are late bloomers so they will not detract from the poppies but will grow upward above the spent foliage and fill in the holes. If you have ever grown poppies before, you understand this problem without further description.





Anenomes are hardy perennials that grow in full sun to partial shade. Gail has grown Queen Charlotte and Robustissima for us for years now and added A. Pamina this year. The first two have proven themselves hardy in our changing climate. The good part is they are late bloomers with first flowers in mid September and lasting through at least the first three weeks of October.

When you have a need to try to get around the poppy-hole-problem or just want some nice fall colors, give the anenomes a try. They are an interesting flower and help us sell the fact that flowers in Vermont should be blooming in your garden at least through Columbus Day!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Karl the Wonder Dog snores loudly despite the wood stove's heat which is pushing 76 degrees with two doors open. Yes, the challenges of adjusting to seasonal change!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Flattened Poppies

Saturday, July 7, 2007

A foggy, damp morning here at Vermont Flower Farm. The sun is pulling its way above the mountain and showing some sign of hope for a brighter day. There was another half inch of rain last night and once again we have been spared the hail storms that have frequented the surrounding area. We are at 1530 feet elevation here and the hail has come within 200 feet several times now.

I just came in from my morning walk, wonder-dogless this morning as Karl snores away in the bedroom with Gail. We had company for a couple days and there were several little kids with high pitched voices and random movements that irritated a dog that prefers his domain to be in his control. It tires him. I haven't walked without my friend for a while and noticed that the walk is quicker and quieter when I don't have to remind the professional sniffer that he is that it's time to move on. Change is good.



There are a few earlier blooming plants which have started their decline and deserve some discussion. I'm talking about plants that draw lots of attention because of their color, quality and profusion of bloom. These same plants decline towards the end of their bloom and just don't look attractive. The problem is just a suggestion that you more carefully site the plants so you can enjoy their beauty but not have to relive the fallen foliage.

The blue bachelors button that is a perennial has a great blue that catches people's attention. Gardeners love the color blue and when they see this one in its glory they want it. This perennial comes in a rosy color too. As the blooms are about 80% spent the plant is tired and succumbs to fungus which discolors the foliage. If you cut the plants back to 4", they will spurt regrowth and bloom again in August. If you don't do anything, you'll have a hole in your garden and a messy looking affair that you'll walk by quickly when giving garden tours. We don't sell it but I have seen Gail give away a few clumps this year, asking only for a promise that the giftee won't tell where they got it and won't hold the gift against her when it declines.

Another plant is the Oriental Poppy. The poppy hybridizers of the world have come up with some great colors but have never "fixed" the fact that as the flowers fade, the foliage flattens with the rain from the plant's center on out. This creates a bushel basket sized hole in the garden that can't easily be replaced.

Here at VFF we postpone the inevitable as long as possible and then trim the plants to 4" and grab a large pot of something or other and fill in the hole. That's easier for us to do because we have so many pots but it can become a chore for the average gardener. The pinks, roses and ruby reds are very nice too and I expect the hybridizers will keep working on new colors but will continue to fail on making a sturdier plant.

As poppies go to seed, a beautiful seed head develops. Each contains thousands of seeds and it's best to remove these so the "hole-in-the-garden" problem doesn't grow larger from year to year. We cut the heads, wrap a rubber band around them and hang them upside down to dry. They make nice additions to fall flower baskets.

The final plant I'll include here is the red baneberry. This is not a common plant or one you'll typically find at garden centers because it's a wild flower. In Vermont we have white, pink and red baneberries and the red has great clusters of shiny red berries right now. As soon as the plant matures and the berries ripen, the plant moves quickly to dormancy. With the red baneberry that means the berries drop to the ground and the leaves blacken and shrivel all in a little over a week's time.

When I planted the lower hosta and shade garden I left all the native plants in place. By now the baneberries have grown in numbers and in a few weeks they will become unsightly and people will frequently ask "what happened here?" In the meantime they will beg me to dig more than the twenty I put up for sale this year and despite my answer they will repeat their questions as if I'll change my mind. People who do this are usually new visitors and they don't know me yet.

The lesson then is that whatever plant you purchase or bring home from a friend's garden, think about it's life cycle and plant accordingly. Some parts of good gardening require that little extra piece of thought to go with the good planting job. In the end, everyone is happier.

Now it's time to sound revelly and get ready for a busy day. Karl will be the easiest to get going. He stretches but he doesn't protest. Others who live here will.

With damp gardening thoughts and dry wishes for a great day,

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