Sunday, April 24, 2011
34° here on the mountain. Easter morning and the sky looks as if it has been painted in horizontal pastel pinks and blues interspersed with thin lines of grey-white clouds. The rain and wind have stopped and the fog that was obvious as the moon went back to bed half an hour ago has now dispersed. Robins talk to each other along the road looking for worms and other breakfast foods and a lone pileated woodpecker pounds hard on a dieing sugar maple over by the mailbox along the road. It looks like the start to a nice day.
Yesterday Gail and friends went to Montpelier for an illustrated talk by Dr. Leonard Perry. He is the Greenhouse and Nursery Extension Specialist at the University of Vermont and if you know flower folks in Vermont, you have probably already met Leonard. He spoke about new or underused perennials and provided everyone with a very informative program.
Dr Perry offered a handout where he broke down topic plants according to growing conditions, so "Shade", "Part Shade" and "Sun"--over 8 hours per day. I'll scan the list sometime but for now, here are the newer plants on the "Sun" list for your review.
1. Achillea millefolium-Tutti Fruitti Series
2. Baptisia australis 'Purple Smoke', 'Screaming Yellow', 'Twilight Prairie Blues'
3. Echinacea purpurea 'Green Envy', 'Coconut Lime', 'Tiki Torch'
4. Geranium x 'Rozanne--perennial geranium
5. Geum 'Totally Tangerine'
6. Leucanthemum x superbum 'Broadway Lights'
7. Phlox paniculata 'Peppermint Twist'--a tall garden phlox
8. Panicum virgatum 'Ruby Ribbons'--a switchgrass
The only one on this list I am not so sure about is #8. I shouldn't speak with doubt about something I know nothing about but I have this thing about grasses. One time a friend of Gail's gave her a "you must have this" grass and she planted it by the back door. It's not there any more because I spent three years getting rid of it. BUT------If you walk down the George Jewett Road from our house towards the backside of the pond and look, you'll see some that got away. I'm just not enamored with grasses because I have yet to be introduced to varieties that stay in place and don't over seed the world. If you know grasses and can help me, I'd like to learn. Please.
Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the moose tracks in the snow from a couple days ago have melted bigger and Sasquatch-like. I have to get out of here now and get down to my friend Mike's and do morning chores for him. Bucky the bantie rooster will be greeting me with a morning melody and I expect there is a fresh little egg from his friend Becky who pecked me twice yesterday afternoon when I tried to slide my hand under her during egg collection time. The other girls were more friendly.
Happy Easter wishes!
George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Yesterday Gail and friends went to Montpelier for an illustrated talk by Dr. Leonard Perry. He is the Greenhouse and Nursery Extension Specialist at the University of Vermont and if you know flower folks in Vermont, you have probably already met Leonard. He spoke about new or underused perennials and provided everyone with a very informative program.
Dr Perry offered a handout where he broke down topic plants according to growing conditions, so "Shade", "Part Shade" and "Sun"--over 8 hours per day. I'll scan the list sometime but for now, here are the newer plants on the "Sun" list for your review.
1. Achillea millefolium-Tutti Fruitti Series
2. Baptisia australis 'Purple Smoke', 'Screaming Yellow', 'Twilight Prairie Blues'
3. Echinacea purpurea 'Green Envy', 'Coconut Lime', 'Tiki Torch'
4. Geranium x 'Rozanne--perennial geranium
5. Geum 'Totally Tangerine'
6. Leucanthemum x superbum 'Broadway Lights'
7. Phlox paniculata 'Peppermint Twist'--a tall garden phlox
8. Panicum virgatum 'Ruby Ribbons'--a switchgrass
The only one on this list I am not so sure about is #8. I shouldn't speak with doubt about something I know nothing about but I have this thing about grasses. One time a friend of Gail's gave her a "you must have this" grass and she planted it by the back door. It's not there any more because I spent three years getting rid of it. BUT------If you walk down the George Jewett Road from our house towards the backside of the pond and look, you'll see some that got away. I'm just not enamored with grasses because I have yet to be introduced to varieties that stay in place and don't over seed the world. If you know grasses and can help me, I'd like to learn. Please.
Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the moose tracks in the snow from a couple days ago have melted bigger and Sasquatch-like. I have to get out of here now and get down to my friend Mike's and do morning chores for him. Bucky the bantie rooster will be greeting me with a morning melody and I expect there is a fresh little egg from his friend Becky who pecked me twice yesterday afternoon when I tried to slide my hand under her during egg collection time. The other girls were more friendly.
Happy Easter wishes!
George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
