Attack of the Wild Chervil

Monday, June 6, 2011

A beautiful morning here above Peacham Pond. Windless for a change as the sun pushes through the fog and steam rolls gently off the machine shed roof as last night's dew becomes this morning's humidity.

Gail is banging around, muttering here and there, loading the truck and trying to get out the door for the nursery. She is a trooper for putting up with me and clearly my broken leg was not what either of us thought would be a good way to start the summer. Last night when she had barely returned from a long day, I begged if she would take me for a brief ride so I could get away from here for a bit. Gail is Gail and off we went down George Jewett Road to Route 2. The Jewett Road is a mess and you need real care to keep away from the wash outs as the road width lessens. Out towards Hookerville, the impact of Mollys Falls Brook rising over ten feet is still obvious as you can spot tree limbs hanging out of trees along the brook and piles of grass and rushes stuck in the top of the brook alders. The temporary bridge at the start of Ennis Road was added after folks were stranded in there for 4 days. It looks odd as we are accustomed to the old wooden bridge that this time of year always has kid's bikes leaned against the rails, waiting for them to return by school bus at the end of the day. Only in Vermont!

We headed up Route 2 to the Cabot-Danville Road and Gail turned around as enough was enough for me. As we approached the flat before Goodrich's Sugar House, I could see a black form in the distance come out of the swamp on the right. I asked Gail to slow and the "black form" turned out to be a black bear intent on crossing the road but not willing to deal with our car or the sound of more vehicles from the west. The bear looked straight at me and plopped back into the swamp. We tried but couldn't locate it in the grass so don't know if it was a sow with a cub or two or a bear that was old enough this spring to get the word from Mom to leave her company and go it alone. Regardless, seeing wildlife like this lends a great feeling and a bigger admiration for Vermont, the real place to live!

Along the road it was apparent what a giant problem wild chervil has become in Vermont. It is carried by vehicles and wherever a seed drops, it turns invasive. The University of Vermont Extension Service wrote this piece about it eleven years ago and I doubt the author knew at the time what a giant problem it would become. Try this link: wild chervil

The picture up top is a bank at a neighbors where the chervil has overtaken what was a very nice perennial garden. Years back when Gail owned the property she hired a local guy to cut the chervil down with a weed whacker. A couple days after the job he was limping around with sorry looking legs having been splattered by the plant sap as he mowed down the chervil. Maybe not everyone is allergic to the plant but for him, the reaction was no different than that of poison ivy. Right now in Vermont you can see large patches of this plant along every road. We even have some near the front door this year that must have seeded in from the road. Another invasive to add to the list. Because people love white flowers, I offer a strong cautionary note that you should not pick "wild and white" unless you know what you are doing. A flat topped white flower may look like Queen Anne's Lace to you but this is too early for that to bloom in Vermont so what you pick may not be what you think. Be careful!


Any minute now one of my friends will call demanding to know if I'm laying flat with my leg elevated. I don't want to have to tell a story. It's a beautiful day out there this morning so if you can, get out for a walk. Wonder where the bear is walking now????


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
Growing Hardy Plants For Hardy Vermonters and Their Friends!

Quick garden Thoughts

Saturday, May 14, 2011

48° with a 3 mph breeze greets gardeners here on the mountain this morning. The weather folks are depressing us again with what will apparently be 7 consecutive days of rain. Have to get to the nursery right away and make the best of the morning for planting and then probably inside for paperwork this afternoon as the rain starts.

If you're out and about today, the pansies and violas look nice and make little children smile with thoughts of becoming real gardeners. They will. Gail has an assortment of hanging baskets that are very nice. Although I am not that keen on red, the large flowered geraniums are drawing in the very busy male hummingbirds in interesting numbers. Hummers are real competitors and stake out a plant they like and defend it from their bird friends.

The bergenias are opening. I should know the name of the red leafed variety that is coming into bloom but a short night is interfering with my morning memory. Maybe another cup of coffee with help.

Hostas by the thousands are beginning to unfurl. Hosta 'First Frost' is showing its early spring edge of yellow as we remind people this will turn to cream as summer approaches. Gail is planting 3-4 hostas of the same variety in 20 gallon pots so those who don't want to walk down the hill to the hosta display garden can get an idea idea of mature size.

Various epimedium are beginning to flower. The heat has held them back a little but they are growing well now and are a good ground cover type plant for dry, "under-that-tree" type locations.

My new honey bees should be available to pick up next week and already I am leery of this endeavor. I have never cared for a hive and I don't fear the bees or the challenge. I fear the possible interaction of the 3 year old black bear my friend Gerry, across the road, had looking in his window last Sunday morning at 5 . I'll keep you posted. But for now, it's off the the nursery. Log onto 2263 US Route 2 or Vermont Flower Farm on your GPS today, find us and stop by--rain or not, we'll be there.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where buds are forming on the beautiful yellow leafed bleeding heart, Gold Heart. Some available at the nursery, small but 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
Remember: At VFF, we help you GROW your GREEN THUMB!

A Barely Bearly Morning

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Almost 8:30 PM and this gardener is a tad tired. The day was another day of rain and wind. I am glad I never invested in a new water gauge as the five gallon white buckets are doing quite fine this year. It is amazing to me that 2/3's of the surface of the world is covered in water and yet here in Vermont it has still been raining since Spring started and ended. A maple tree on the edge of the Winooski toppled into the river today and this is another bad sign as more of our land is heading west to Lake Champlain. Nothing we can do but watch.

Some days start better than others. Gail and I vowed that today would be a positive day. It was raining when I headed for the shower just before five this morning and when I made it to the kitchen Gail said that we had a visitor. Me and the towel did a quick rearrangement as I looked around for the visitor. In our house you really never do know what to expect. Gail smiled and then explained that as she left the front room for a second cup of coffee from the kitchen, a black bear was standing outside the kitchen window looking in. Gail said the bear looked and looked, then walked around to the front room and glanced in before casually walking over the bank and down into the old daylily nursery. This siting confirmed for me that Gail, often accompanied by Karl the Wonder Dog, has seen more bears around here than most Vermonters.

When I left real work in Waterbury today, it was with the understanding that I had the day off from nursery duty. I was prepared for a nice late afternoon to catch up on some paperwork here. Just about the time I got two computers in update mode this afternoon, the phone rang. It was Michelle with bad news from the nursery. The port-a-potty man had elected to take the truck into monsoon season's no-man's zone and he had gotten stuck big time. Michelle said the good news was it was 20 yards from my tractor.

As I arrived at the nursery (so much for a nice late afternoon to myself) the truck represented a problem. It was stuck to the rear bumper in clay and was a couple feet from sliding into my deer fence and was on top of a portion of the hosta garden. I had brought 25 feet of tow chain and a 100 foot wire rope cable. Although I knew I should try to get the truck out, I also knew it was pointless and the driver needed a big wrecker. What I knew best was that the same driver did the same thing last summer. My dismay at this repeat performance was a close match to last year's expletives. An hour and a half later the tow truck arrived, extracted the tank truck, and away they both drove, leaving me with an assortment of ruts that will take until late August to smooth out. Not all days that start nicely end the same way. That's part of business, part of life. My day still had a better ending than for the port-a-potty guy as last time the boss told him repeats were on his nickel. Big truck probably translates to a big bill.

On a slightly brighter note, Elizabeth Killian from East Montpelier left a showing of her artwork at the nursery. She's a good friend, a great landscaper and a talented artist. She is also a skilled picture and photo framer having owned a fine shop in Bradford. Her landscape work has taken her from here to Long Island, the Maine Coast and several places in Vermont. If you are interested in purchasing any of her work or having a landscape done, let me know and I'll send out her contact info.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where even the pond has set new height records and the current rain is going to make more to write about for the morning news.

Best garden wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm A place with fine perennials and oversized daylilies, dug from the garden and delivered by mail order for those who cannot visit in person.