Your Lawn

35.1° here on the mountain this morning and windless for a change. That's nice. The crows are pleased with me at the compost pile where they are going over last night's vegetable parings and egg shells. They love those shells and fight over them until they have all been carried away, over the back fields and into the red pines. I never figured out what the attraction is but it is always there.

As a professional gardener trying to act professionally, I am always reading web magazines and various trade magazines. The amount of garden related information available now, whether you grow vegetables, flowers or a mix of everything, trees and shrubs included, is mind boggling and it seems that every company has their own site to offer new products, new opinions.

One of my favorite companies is Ball Horticultural Company. One of their on-line publications is titled Landscape Insider and they just released these statistics on lawns and the value a good lawn has relative to your home. Read on.

Green = Home Value Boost

Think having a healthy, green lawn contributes to the overall value of a home?

So do 79% of homeowners, according to TruGreen's new Lawn Lifestyles National Survey of America.

In fact, 56% of homeowners say when buying a new home, a nice lawn could warrant a higher price, and 53% say the quality of a homeowner's lawn can tell a lot about the quality of the home overall.

According to the National Association of Realtors, the majority of homeowners (71%) surveyed in the TruGreen report say curb appeal was important in choosing their home. Most of the homeowners surveyed report having purchased a home with a healthy, green lawn (71%) and well-maintained landscaping (72%). 

I  haven't verified these stats but have no doubt they are accurate. I also did not check to see if Ball sells any of the chemicals I complain about.  But here's the rub for me, not with the statistics but with the green lawn part. People seem to have the sense that having a nice looking lawn means going to the store and buying bag after bag of weed and feed, get-rid-of-the-dandelions, etc etc etc. Much of the industry has turned lawns into three season "dump on more product" and that is a concern. As example, yesterday's mail contained an offer for buying the first three bags of what was purported to be a plan of four chemicals/fertilizers/ insecticides/herbicides guaranteed to make your lawn took great. What wasn't advertised was that dumping on that many chemicals showed complete environmental disregard. This "chemicals are good" approach is not the way to go. As you tell me  "Yes, but I really want a nice lawn." I ask if you remember that this is Autism Awareness Month, and that there are dozens of neurological diseases with no known cause, no known cure, that might be caused in whole or part by our overuse of chemicals. And if the autism/neurological notion doesn't interest you, then how about the notion that over 30% of honeybees have died in recent years and we aren't sure why---and--here's the big one--over thirty per cent of what we eat is the direct result of bee pollination. Does dumping more chemicals on you lawn with these two consequences make it look any different? I hope so. 

If you get a chance, Google up my friend Paul Tukey founder of SafeLawns and take a look at a different way to think about green lawns. I like Paul's ideas a lot better and you can still reach that green-is-good lawn look you might want.I know you can!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where recent rains have lowered the snow in the fields and woods here but boots remain a necessity for travel anywhere. Deer are beginning to get out and about and a growing flock of red winged blackbirds, here for two weeks now, are cleaning up last falls leftovers. Spring is nice!

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 

We are always here to help you grow your green thumb! 

Nursery opens Mother's Day 2013 for the season; web opportunities every single day!!

 

Earth Day Thoughts 2010

The significance of Earth Day is something that everyone should be reminded of. A month or so back, Jan from the garden blog Thanks for Today sent out a request for Earth Day commentary from garden bloggers. She was offering a nice prize as incentive to participants. I mentioned the competition on this blog and fully intended to compete myself but getting our nursery ready is a challenge of sorts and until today I just couldn't get organized. The offer is closed now to afford time to review the submissions and render a decision but I can't forget the significance of Earth Day.

Late is sometime better than not at all so this morning I refreshed myself about Earth Day's origins. Here is a site with some background information dating from the days of President Kennedy. It's an interesting journey worth reading.

And here are some thoughts from yours truly, thinking and writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond. The pond's shoreline has concentrations of mercury as all Vermont ponds and lakes do. In contrast, peregrine falcons, once almost extinct due to DDT contamination, have returned to fly the skies here. A recent bald eagle restoration program is showing success and Vermont will no longer be the only continental US state without a resident eagle population. These are great gains for which we are proud. Here are my thoughts.

Earth Day 2010

I was standing in a line at a store the other day and two college students were horsing around. One called the other “Retard” and I cringed at the sound. These were above average young men attending a very good state university and yet some place along the line their parents, grandparents, neighbors, friends, religious leaders, teachers, and professors had never taught them respect. Having spent my entire career of over forty years in human services work and being a parent who wakes up every day to be greeted by a son on the autism spectrum, I am very sensitive to inappropriate language. We need to understand who we share our planet with and how very important we are to each other.

As I look back to grammar school days, autism is something that I just cannot remember. I know it existed but I cannot think of a single classmate who displayed any of the characteristics that are so clear to me now. Over my lifetime, the birth ratios of babies born with a diagnosis of autism have risen from 1 in 10,000 children to 1 in 100 or less. As more research is completed, the ratios become more frightening.

Autism has no known cause or cure but some of the current thinking involves environmental influence to women as they carry their unborn. This has not been confirmed but there are myriad examples of possible interactions that deserve consideration. Many of the food and beverages we use every day come packaged in plastics that are now known to impact on human endocrine systems. Water which we drink is purified by our state of art water processing plants but still contains chemicals that affect us. As example, purified waste water from many Vermont communities flows into rivers and eventually into Lake Champlain. The water is then retrieved, reprocessed and sent on to surrounding communities as drinking water. Measureable, significant quantities of antibiotics, mercury, poly-chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and even caffeine are common in the reprocessed water and as yet cannot be removed.

Some of our homes are constructed with lumber, sheet rock and insulating materials that were manufactured with contaminated products including arsenic. Landfills have become repositories for all forms of waste including forbidden chemicals. Some landfills lack suitable protective liners and older landfills, long since buried, leach waste back into our environment.

Earth Day has to be “every day”. We need to retrain ourselves to take the extra step to properly handle all waste, conserve better, and always think of the implication of “out of sight, out of mind.” In my lifetime I’d like to see autism prevented. It’s possible. But we have to work at it every day. Start today by making Earth Day every day!

A Different Kind of Gardener

Friday, October 9, 2009

Forty degrees here this morning, still and quiet, The back door just closed as Gail took Karl the Wonder Dog for a morning walk. It's barely light enough to see but Gail has this fearlessness to the unknown that scares me at times but doesn't bother her. She has a way with animals and I guess if you have that talent, fear is erased. The bears that have been about for several weeks are onto a different food source I guess, as it's been bearless here for some time but they will return to surprise me.

All gardeners have different pursuits, some by interest, some without choice. Gail and I have an interest in autism because our son Alex is on the spectrum so we live it every day. Autism research is a moving target and every day new information comes forth. We read all we can and attend as many events as possible to learn what others have to say. Last night was such an evening.

Sterling College, located in Craftsbury Commons, Vermont, is a small college with an enrollment just over 100. But small often means talented and in Vermont it's ever so true that little schools, little organizations, small groups sharing single interests are very organized and very, very talented. Last night the school hosted Dr. Temple Grandin and if you know autism or you are interested in animal behavior or animal management, then you know this very interesting professional. As we ended the lecture, we were grateful to Sterling College for bringing her to speak.

Time is getting short here like the hours of daylight. Much to do before the snow starts to challenge my desire to work in the gardens. There's still work to do but Alex is feeling better and Gail is ready to pitch in. Saturday the sun is supposed to shine in the afternoon so I will have helpers by then. At noon our local volunteer fire department celebrates 100 years with a parade and other events. Locals support local events and we'll be there.

As I get the motor running here this morning, I want to suggest that if you do not have anemones in your garden, give them some fine consideration. They are a great fall perennial and when they get established you'll enjoy large masses of a very nice flower. They make a great cut for fall arrangements and keep the butterflies in the garden until hard frosts and seriously cold weather stops all flight. They are difficult for us to sell because people don't seem to know about them yet and since they don't bloom until after we close for the season, it's only by Internet sales that they move along. We love them!!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where more and more maples are naked but still surrounded by colorful ground floor blankets of reds, yellows, oranges, greens and browns.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm: One of Vermont's nicest little nurseries

That's another shot of Osmore Pond up top.

Bountiful Blossoms

Friday, July 31, 2009

The clock read 4:03 AM when Karl the Wonder Dog's thunderous commands brought me to attention. I neither understood his message nor really wanted to hear it. Yesterday's arthritic leftovers made thoughts of an early morning walk less than desirable.

I layed there for a minute waiting for the noise to stop and then between barks I heard the calling of a cat. The voice was different than any of the neighbors cats and I assumed that it was a "left-over", a cat that was brought on vacation to Peacham Pond and then left behind as it wandered while the family packed and left. Not all cats are good at adapting and this one is on that list.

With reluctance I got up, started the coffee and headed out with Karl. 57 degrees, still and overcast as if more rain is predicted. The previous night the rain gauge measured 2.75" here and exceeded 5 inches in southern Vermont. The wet summer that is not a summer continues.

I have to say the gardens are lush with all the rain and the daylilies are especially thick and full of blossoms. Morning walks here at the house are best for me because the absence of foot and car traffic allows me to hide from the embarrassment of gardens in shambles around the house. This is the second year we are trying to get the new nursery organized and priorities require that sacrifices be made. The wild impatiens is 4 feet tall with the rain and even some of the grand hostas in the lower garden are almost out of sight because of the rain and weed growth.

Up top is a picture of the Lilium superbum which came out yesterday. It's a poor picture but I'll get back to some better ones tonight if the weather comes around. These are tall lilies, sometimes reaching ten feet here. The bulbs are actually in the shape of a dog bone. They are easy to scale and start anew but even the simplicity of that reproductive process is something I couldn't find time for last fall or this spring. I have lost a few to voles and other critters and it's about time to get with some restoration.

Bee balm, monarda, Oswego tea, that mint family herb that does make a tea if you are into that stuff is in full bloom. I should dig and bag some and sell it but it's just another thing on the "to do" list that makes sense but I don't get to doing. I promised some more to Leslie down at the pond and I'll have to give her a call and tell her where the shovel is.


Again, my photography skills show the bad side of working in haste but this daylily picture is of a daylily known as the best coral colored daylily on the market. It's not new but it surely is nice. It's named South Seas. If you see it in our gardens, you'll think there's something wrong with the photo or the photographer and both are a little off. The daylily is a beauty!

Lilium that did not succumb to the lily leaf beetles are in bloom and doing well. An assortment that Brent and Becky's Bulbs sent me a couple years back to trial are in bloom now and most are longiflorum-asiatic crosses. These tend to be taller lilies with thicker stems and larger flowers. Some have faint fragrance, others almost none.

Some Asistic lilies have been with us since the 80's. Tags get lost, memories get foggy and yet some still return despite thick weed competition and the beetle. I forget the name of this 5 foot tall Asiatic over by the compost pile but it returns each year even though I dig away a few each season for customers who bug me for a chance to add a strong bulb to their collections. Some days when I am tired I give in because it's easier than repeating "No, not this year".

Gail is in the garden now making notes of things she wants Austin to dig and bring down to the nursery today. Some of the plants will require lots of digging as they are older, established plants. I sure wish Austin would find my 6 foot pry bar. I don't need it today but he will.

I'm heading to the nursery in a few minutes. Gail will have breakfast at Maple Valley mid morning with some friends from the autism community. Autism is an important reality in our lives and with a couple of the ladies attending this morning. They have sons, ages 25 and 43, who have presented them with lots of challenges. At some point in most gardeners lives, autism appears as a family member, friend or community acquaintance and things look a bunch different. Among the many things Gail juggles in life is how to make a better world for those on the spectrum. Her knowledge gets applied first right here at home. She is quick to answer gardening questions but speaks authoritatively about many aspects of autism too. If you have a question, feel comfortable asking her. We have a list of resources on our website

Got to scoot. If you some time, stop by and see us at the nursery.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where ravens and "raucous' are made for each other.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

Gardening at Vermont Flower Farm where we grow hardy plants for hardy Vermonters and their friends. Come visit!

Christmas Afterthoughts

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Just in from a brief walk with Karl the Wonder Dog. His feet and mine weren't doing too well this morning on the glaze that covers the walks, driveway and road. That glaze arrived yesterday morning but is nothing like what is en route in the next few hours. It's 26 degrees right now and the wind is clocking at 9 mph. The humidity is 76% and that makes the air feel heavy outside and colder than the thermometer suggests.

Christmas Day has passed but the spirit and happiness we enjoyed here continues. I always try to take time off now to be here with Alex as sometimes the senses of the holidays get confusing for him and us too. Autism, just like gardening, is something everyone should try to learn a little more about in today's world.

Gardeners and especially flower hybridizers enjoy using Christmas names when they register a new plant. We grow a lot of hostas and daylilies and although we don't have such individual collections specific to Christmas, we're aware of the numbers out there. Each of these plants has its own society and membership is worth every nickel.

The American Hosta Society ranks number one with us but folks could debate that either way. We belong to both societies and a bunch of others too. For years now the hosta group have had an incredible journal of table top book quality paper and a pictorial display that's unmatched among the societies. I recommend membership for yourself or friends if you even think you should learn more about hostas.

During the past year the American Hemerocallis Society (hemerocallis=daylilies) has revamped their journals and taken on a larger paper/print/picture format. They are moving along with much more content and still publish seasonally four times. Again, a great journal with lots of information and details about regional and national events, plant sources, and growing information.

So the registered names, what are some examples? With hostas the list is a third that of the registered daylilies but still interesting. Actually that's not a bad ratio because there are probably 15 times as many registered daylilies as there are hostas. I recently wrote to the daylily registrar asking for the actual count because I don't know what it really is any more.

With hostas try Christmas Candy or Christmas Cookies or Christmas Cup; try Christmas Dome, Christmas Gold, or Christmas Jewel. How about Christmas Lights, or Christmas Pageant or Christmas Stocking? Try Christmas Tree, Christmas Tree Gala, Christmas Surprise or Christmas Tart. If you want to see what these look like, try the Hosta Library .

With daylilies the list is longer than I want to write. It's probably around 50 registrations. Try these as example, all with the prefix "Christmas". There's Christmas Angel, Balls, Blessing, Candles, Candy, Carol, Celebration, Cheer, Cherub, Chocolate, Colors, Comet, Concerts and another 40 or so. If you use Tinkers Gardens daylily database, many of these are pictured. Just enter "Christmas" in the database and you will get the list.

Slim availability here at Vermont Flower Farm which is probably surprising to anyone who knows us and knows how well we decorate for the holidays. We have the daylily Christmas Is pictured up top and then the hostas Night Before Christmas and Christmas Tree pictured below. Sometime maybe we'll move along with a collection.

Better get going here! From the mountain above Peacham Pond where a lone blue jay is sitting on the platform feeder outside my office asking "Where's the breakfast buffet?" Guess it's bird food time.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm