No Snow Lilies

Saturday, February 28, 2010

Gail is in the other room still listening to tsunami news as I think about the weather and the world. Recent earthquakes in Haiti, China and now Chile stir geologic curiosity. I have heard of these events so probably others occurred someplace in the world.

Here in Vermont it has been snowing off and on all day. The flakes were those large, fluffy type that come down is great white-outs and then stop short for a while only to restart and add enough depth to make sweeping the steps imperative.

I noticed today on Twitter that several gardeners are mentioning lilies. These were a favorite at Vermont Flower Farm in pre-lily leaf beetle days but now we enjoy what are left in our gardens and keep a small library of images for people looking for a special image or to resolve a gardener's "discussion". It's sad not to be able to grow something so beautiful but the beetles are a serious critter and we refuse to use chemicals and don't know of an organic or insect alternative that works in this zone. Just the same, some gardeners continue to grow them and we enjoy seeing them.

Here are some pictures. If you have lily growing questions, write or call us. We still have answers, just not many lilies.

Siberia

Rosy Dawn

Luxor

Dizzy

Bright Star

Arena

As reference I like two books very much. I like Edward McRae's Lilies: A Guide for Growers & Collectors and I like George L. Slate's Lilies for American Gardens. McRae's book is readily available but you might have to look for the Slater book. 1939 by Charles Scribner's Son, New York and London. I found it at Flora & Fauna Nature and Garden Books, 3121 Government Way, Seattle, WA. I could get lost in there......in thought.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Karl the Wonder Dog snoozes by the wood stove, thinking springtime thoughts.

George Africa
Vermont Flower Farm
http://www.facebook.com/george.africa
http://www.twitter.com/vtflowerfarm

Coastal Maine 2

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Good morning again from Vermont Flower Farm where it's windy and 51.9 degrees with very soggy ground after a tremendous storm last night. I never like to cut short anything I am writing but the thunder storm approached quickly last night and I wanted to get things shut down here. We are surrounded by a number of objects that lure in lightning strikes and although we have never had a problem at the house, we want to keep things that way.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a work in progress that is already a masterpiece of delight for gardeners like me. As I left Route 27 and made the entrance, the series of sculptures made me slow to enjoy each one. As I entered the parking lot there were about 20 cars but it was still early I thought and what could I expect of a garden which had just opened in June. From the time I parked the car and began my journey, it was abundantly clear that this was a masterfully designed and planted garden which everyone would enjoy.

I made my way up the walk to the front doors and entered. Three ladies greeted me at the front desk and we chatted about my journey and how I had become aware of the gardens. We exchanged questions as gardeners always do and I exited the building to the side lawn and my first view of what to expect. I stopped short, in awe of all in front of me, as I tried to take in the colors, textures and heights. I stuffed the map brochure in my camera case and began a journey that took well over two hours.

I walked along the Visitor Center to the Kitchen Garden, then the Rose and Perennial Garden and the gazebo, then down to the Hillside Garden and the Meditation Garden. I went up and down the hill a couple times to be sure I didn't miss anything but each time something else caught my eye. I knew a lot of the plant material but fewer of the trees and shrubs than I wish to admit. On and on I walked, respecting all the time the almost countless hours that went into the planning and design, let alone the planting of this enourmous place of beauty.




Walking the paths time and again reinforced in my mind the difficulty the design team must have had pulling together divergent design philosphies while matching plant materials which would grow successfully in an area where fog and sea salt breezes are part of the competition.


I have been so busy this summer that I haven't been able to get to Seattle to revisit my still new-to-me grandson. When I am in that city I always enjoy Dale Chihuly's glass sculpture which to me is difficult to describe but easy to enjoy. As I made my way to the Forest Pond, there in the middle was one of Chihuly's works, reminding me of what I wouldn't see in Seattle this fall. The yellow was a perfect match to a large group of senecing ferns which caught my attention near the parking area.

As I made one final tour around the Great Lawn, I let the images I had seen filter back through my mind. This is truly a remarkable botanical garden, still in its infancy but already a tribute to the very dedicated group who took a vision and created a monumental coastal garden.

I chatted with the ladies at the desk one more time and headed for the parking lot. Vehicles of all descriptions had filled many of the lots and the access road was a long line of vehicles. If you get close to Boothbay next time you're in Maine, plan a visit to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. If you are a gardener like me, you'll come away energized and carrying a new vision of how to plant and display differently, even on the scale of your own gardens.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond, Marshfield, Vermont where the strong winds have forced the temperature to remain a steady 51.9 degrees despite the departing clouds and the welcome sunshine.

Best gardening wishes,

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

Flower Show Delights

Saturday, February 3, 2007

A cold start this morning but nothing like the next front which is on its way.Yesterday was the exception and the first night that wasn't below zero in 8 or 9 days. I came home from work knowing that I had to take advantage of the temporary warmth and clean the chimney. Ground Hog Day signals we're halfway through winter and serves as a reminder to get up on the roof and run the brushes up and down. This winter's mild temperatures have kept volunteer fire departments busy with chimney fires and some lost homes and buildings. Like it or not, if you're going to burn wood, someone has to keep the chimney clean.

I pulled out the 28 foot ladder and grabbed the ropes. Up I went to the roof's edge to toss the ropes over the house to the other side. I have this procedure which is probably crazy to look at but it keeps me safe. I tie the rope to a birch tree on the other side and then to the ladder so I have a rope guide for going up and down the roof with tools and brushes.

The rope part was easy but with all the cold, the snow never came off the standing seam roof. I grabbed the snow rake and pulled one roof section to the top but the snow wouldn't come clean. It seems that no matter how old people are, they still have too many "Why nots?" that have been left untried. I looked at the rope and the roof and said "Why not?" In just two steps off the ladder rung I found myself hanging by one arm and half a leg. It happened too quickly for expletives as I molded myself to the ladder and got both feet firmed back on a rung. "No climbing the roof today," I thought.

Two hours latter the chimney was clean, from the cellar up this time. Gail helped do the stove while I took the two sections of stove pipe outside to wire brush clean. The shop vac hummed and things were cleaned up for the balance of the season. Chimney sweeps are available for this chore but until I can't do the work, I'm the boss on this cleaning crew. Or is it Gail??

With the advent of Ground Hog Day come flower shows, designed to jump start a gardener's emotions and facilitate the Federal Reserve's next interest rate decision. There's no doubt about it, flower shows, especially those which occur when it's still very cold outside, encourage people to begin planning for spring work and summer gardens. That translates to money spent. As example, two days ago when the daytime temp was having an effort of a time crawling above zero degrees, we received an on-line order for hostas. It was the second order in two days, thank you very much, but the earliest we'll be able to find the hostas in the garden is April. Just the same it shows that garden catalogs, flower shows and too much cold weather all suggest to people to get going.


The pictures I'm including today are from the 2004 Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle. It's something like 8 acres in size and is one of the big ones. It's a nice show to go to if live out that way as the landscaping companies which display do a great job with life size home facades and accompanying hardscape and plantings. This year the show runs from February 14th through the 18th.


In the northeast, the Connecticut Flower and Garden Show is February 22-25 in Hartford, in Maine there's the Bangor Garden Show March 23-25 and the PortlandFlower Show March 7-11. In Masschusetts there's the Central Masschusetts Flower Show in Worcester, March 2-4 and the New England Flower Show in Boston March 17-25. New Hampshire offers the Seacoast Home, Garden and Flower Show March 30-April 1 in Durham, and New York has shows in Syracuse, Henrietta, Troy, Hamburg, and Hempstead. Pennsylvania offers the oldest show in the US at the Philadelphia Convention Center from March 4-11 and Rhode Island has its show February 22-25. If you're close to any of these shows or can plan a trip to one or more, you'll be impressed with the enthusiasm and sorry you didn't visit a show sooner.


Here in Vermont the Vermont Association of Professional Horticulturists is gearing up for its show March 9-11 at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction. This year's theme is A Walk On the Wild Side. It will emphasize woodland , meadow and wetland gardens and will host Bill Cullina of the New England Wild Flower Society as a guest speaker. Try http://www.vermontflowershow.com

If you have a flower show in your area, post me a note so others know what's going on and where. It takes great financial and personal expense to pull off a flower show each year and the best reward for those doing the work is to see good crowds with lots of questions. Try to be part of the gardening crowd!!

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where the sun shines brightly as the wind creates circular whirlwinds of powder show and the spireas along the bank hold tightly to their snow caps.

Gardening thoughts and wishes;

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