Hazy Morn'

Flycatcher

Sunday, May 24, 2009

48 degrees and a hazy morning here on the mountain. The great grayness hangs at tree top level and the ground is thick with last night's dew. As I look out the office window I can see deer tracks from two deer as they dragged their feet through the tall grass. This must be last year's fawns as this years arrivals haven't even arrived yet. Whitetail deer in this part deliver all their fawns within a week of each other and by mid June their legs are strong enough to begin learning the paths to human gardens. I better remember to call my friend Jim and advise strongly that he bite the bullet and put up a deer fence this year to protect his new hobby as home vineyard manager.

The gardens are coming along nicely and traffic at the nursery has been very good. Gail has invited a man and his kids who grow vegetable plants as a project to sell some plants at our place. The kids have special interests, special needs, and they obviously take great pride in what their father has taught them. All the six packs, vegetables or flowers, are $2.75. The price is not as important as the message of what the man does with his two kids and the smiles on their faces when a pack is purchased. I wish sales were better for them but last Monday's 25 degree frost slowed thoughts of gardening so it will be a week or so before the interest grows again.

Forty Carats

The daylilies are growing very well and Elizabeth, an old daylily by Norton, 1942 is about to open. Actually it may be open now as it was about ready yesterday but I didn't check it in my bus-i-ness of working with Worker Bee Gail while wife Gail and Alex were away at a program in Jericho. We like the old daylilies and have a fondness for the species. Gail keeps saying that she really likes all the old daylilies and wants to collect them but each year we just get too involved and forget to place an order. If you have an interest in the real old ones too, let me know and I'll find the email address for a very good grower.

Here are some photos of a few more daylilies that are available at the nursery or via the Internet. There are hundreds more available too. Descriptions are available on the Internet. Flycatcher and Forty Carats are up top.

Cedar Waxwing

Bama Music

Ruby Throat

Miss Amelia

Leebea Orange Crush

Hyperion

Hesperus

Time is short, time to scoot. If you're out and about today stop by the nursery and say high to Gail or Gail. They'll both be there today. I'll be back and forth between home and the nursery gathering plants for the new shade garden. If you can't find anything to do today, look me up and I'll talk garden design while we work together.

Good gardening wishes from Vermont Flower Farm where Karl the Wonder Dog has expressed an impatience with my keyboarding as he wants a second walk towards Peacham Pond. Oh for life's multitude of controlling life forces!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm A great website for when you can't personally visit us!

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

Hosta Vision

Saturday, November 22, 2008

A dark, blustery morning here on the mountain. A sliver of moon struggles through the snow squalls to let us know it's up there. The ground is white from last night's snow and Karl the Wonder Dog makes it clear that this is not a morning to be sniffing around. I concur even though all I do is hold the leash.

The confines of the house with a cup of coffee and a screen full of summer pictures provides reminder to what kind of summer it was. I have been reviewing pictures of our hosta gardens here at the house in preparation for mapping out the new shade garden I pictured Tuesday as I wrote "Floating Snow Flakes". It's difficult for some folks to construct something this big in their mind or even on paper but for me it's a matter of how I want people to flow through the garden .........and from there everything falls into place.

When I planted the foundation garden here on Peacham Pond Road, I was learning about hostas. I had patience, and frankly in 2001, there were few big hosta gardens in Vermont and almost no place that was publicized to go see 200-300-400 different hostas at one location. The interest has grown rapidly since but back then it required quite a bit of salesmanship to convince people there were more than the 6-8 hostas they had grown accustomed to seeing at nurseries and garden centers.

As I started planting, I had yet to develop a sense of the mature size of the hostas I was planting. This small-medium-large thing was confusing at best and I had not learned that some hostas are slower than death to grow while others delight the gardener with good growth. The old barn foundation I was planting literally had tons of rocks to plant around but lacking the vision of true size, I over-planted most areas so that after a couple years the rocks were completely covered over by June.

Granite is in abundance in this part of Vermont and within a garden it becomes soft as its uneven edges break the complexity of masses of hosta leaves. Stone requires some mechanical assistance to move in quantity but once in place, it changes the landscape so quickly that you're immediately gratified regardless of the price.

Here's a comparative example. Last September we laid out the stones for what is to become our daylily display garden. We will follow this same lesson plan on the hosta/shade garden. Our friend Brien Ducharme took the cherry picker on his logging truck and placed stones to form the skeleton of a fine garden. All last winter people drove by asking themselves who would bring in stones in a part of Vermont already covered with more than its share. The land looked just as you see it in this picture of a year ago because the building hadn't been started. We knew it would become a great garden but some doubted our sanity--actually at that point, few knew whose sanity they were questioning because they didn't know we were moving.


We prepared the land with an herbicide, rototilled several times and then began planting. Slowly we incorporated trees and shurbs and a couple hundred daylilies. Today the garden is only half planted, maybe a little less, but it represents the same plan we'll follow on the new shade garden.



The ground is frozen hard now and nothing but planning can take place over the winter. That's fine as we need time for mental work and some relaxation from the heavy stuff. If you have a new garden in mind, follow suit and you'll be pleased with the eventual outcome. Keep an eye on our gardens and share your questions and comments. Good gardeners grow with each others ideas and cares!


Writing fromthe mountain above Peacham Pond where the morning temperature is down to nine degrees and the young blue jays are noticeably less fluffed up with protective feathers than their parents, aunts and uncles.

Good Gardening Wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

German Apple Cake

Sunday, September 28, 2008

A dark morning here on the hill. Last night's limited rain turned to a drip-drip-drip at about 4:30 this morning as the small drops slid down the standing seam roof and landed on the steps. Based on last night's forecast of a tropical depression heading up the coast, I half expected pouring rain by now. It's 61 degrees which this time of year and under these conditions can signal heavy rain. Not yet!

Yesterday was another "clean-up-the-gardens" day. Gail and I pulled weeds in the daylily beds at the nursery in preparation for dividing and lining out plants. I had pretty good control of the weeds most of the summer because I had a routine that was working well. Each afternoon when I came home from my regular job, I would relieve Gail at the nursery. During the last hour of the evening I'd pull weeds in one of the 21-12X50 foot beds. Long about mid August things fell apart as I had to finish the electrical and do some fence repairs. Weeds prosper in neglect and Gail and I are paying the price. Yesterday reminded me how many weeds I do not know by name. I also was reminded how insidious wild daisies and dandelions are.

There's a lot to do this morning so I want to end quickly with a recipe for German Apple Cake that was my great grandmother's. There's nothing novel about this and I would guess it was common to the time and only became known as my great grandmother's as one of those family things. Just the same it's a great cake with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk and it fares well at night with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Give it a try.

German Apple Cake
Recipe from my great grandmother Engelke but who really knows from where

4 medium apples, quartered and sliced
1/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. shortening
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. milk
1 whole egg

Cream the shortening and add sugar, egg and mix. Add dry ingredients, alternating with milk. Spread batter in buttered 9" baking pan. Press sliced apples on top in rows. Spread a mix of 1/2 c. white sugar, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon evenly on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, then 5 minutes longer with pan covered with aluminum foil or a cover. Remove from oven and let cool.

Apples pressed into batter

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the blackbirds are in the tops of the white birches having breakfast and a flock of robins is in a nearby cherry.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Sunflowers Have Arrived

Sunday, August 31, 2008

51 degrees out this morning with a light breeze and a clear sky. This is my kind of morning except that this time of year things start later than I'd like. My walk with Karl the Wonder Dog makes it seem like I have already lost a big part of the day. 4:30 "starts" in late May and early June make me happy.

Wildlife is beginning to stir this morning but most noticeable are the loons which have moved to the Marshfield reservoir on Route 2. I can tell from their calls that many have already moved on in their journey south. They are a prehistoric bird and I have no understanding of when they leave and where they go. Some of the young will stay until the ponds almost freeze and once in a while I notice a large old loon hanging on and I do not know if it's an age thing or not. It has the potential for a great story.

Customer traffic at the nursery has come to an abrupt stop but that is typical this time of year. Gail had six customers and a few lookers yesterday and I had three customers early in the morning. This is the weekend that ends thoughts of summer and Friday night it was abundantly clear from the traffic on Route 2 that people were heading somewhere for the weekend. This slow down is good for us, especially this year, as there are hundreds of plants to get into new garden beds. An occasional customer or visitor is a nice interlude and an opportunity to stretch voice and other muscles from kneeling-bending-stooping postures that become difficult as one ages.

The sunflowers and tithonia have punctuated the ridge line parallel to the Winooski River with color and variety that's exactly what I planned for. Gail and I planted them later than usual, disrupted by a variety of new garden chores but set on giving the public a nice view as they road by on Route 2. We bought about ten varieties from Johnny's Seeds, the company that I brag about often. This wasn't because they sent me free hats to replace what the dogs had chewed up but because they are very nice folks with one incredible selection. These sunflowers and tithonia are examples. There's always time to go to their site and see what you really need to have for next year. Their vegetable seeds are impeccable and if that's your persuasion, plan ahead because vegetable gardens are sprouting up like dandelions in a spring garden due to food and energy prices and bad stories about contamination and illness.

Tithonia is a plant that Gail and I tried back in our first days together in Shelburne, Vermont. We grew some in an old barnyard and literally harvested the top three feet for cut flowers using a ladder. There was no other choice as they grew to 8-9-10 feet tall and held each other straight and tall by the closeness with which we planted them. I really should go find some old gardening pictures--yes... old fashioned photos--and see if I can show these plants. This year they weren't as tall because of our tardiness but they are special for sure.

The sunflowers are special too but their is a caveat to planting hundreds of them like we did. The planting part is easy but the fall clean up takes some time as one by one they need to be pulled from the earth and that takes gloves on strong hands and well stretched back muscles. We have sold a bunch and should have a good collection to hang as instant bird feeders along the river and here at home.
I remember the sunflowers that the old farmers grew when we first moved to Vermont. They had some name like Grey Mammoth or something that suggested the size of the seed head. Back then the neighboring farm family dried the heads on the sun room porch after rubbing off the external seed covering. If you know sunflowers, you can envision this process.

Last week as I drove up Route 5 along the Connecticut River I noticed a giant field of sunflowers in Newbury. I have no idea what the intended use was as I never saw them grown commercially in Vermont before. Perhaps it is for seed or perhaps to harvest and sell to one of Vermont's seed companies. I'll ask around but if someone has the answer, I'm interested.

The sun has dragged itself over the tops of the balsams and is shinning on my keypad en route to the monitor. Time to move along instead of closing the blind on what I have been waiting to see. Best gardening wishes for a fine Sunday. Drive with care but get out and enjoy the fine flowers and good vegetables which are everywhere.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where two tiny warblers sit perched on a five foot thistle that has no purpose outside my office window. They are pecking seeds or insects and I am asking myself again why I left the thistle there so long.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm An old but good website (ours!) with a great collection of hostas and daylilies that would look very nice in your garden next year

Vermont Gardens
Another blog I write that mirrors work at our new nursery

Evening Walk

Monday, August 11, 2008

I closed up shop this afternoon at 5 as it was feeling more and more like rain again. Gail and Alex had left some time earlier to go to Montpelier for the evening and I knew it would be me and Karl taking home the trash and getting things settled at the house for the night. Despite the weather which just will not turn good for more than a few hours, the nursery looks great and daylilies continue to bloom.

Each morning, Gail picks 30-40 blossoms and puts them on a table in small, water-filled jelly jars with the name, height and price. This serves as a nice display and makes it easier for folks to make a choice and send one of us to the garden to dig a nice clump. At close of business they still look too nice to dump but evening chores includes dumping the flowers and water and washing down the table for the next day. Clean and tidy sells in any business!

I got home and was just getting squared away and Liz came a knocking with a belated birthday present for Gail as well as a gift for taking care of their beagle while they were away for the weekend. Liz is a good neighbor, not because she brings gifts but because she cares about people and is always willing to help. She helps take care of Gail's mother and is always available to help. We talked for a few minutes and then she headed home to make supper and I headed out to the compost pile with Karl to dump a load of weeds and spent daylily heads. I picked Karl three handfuls of wild blueberries. This has become a ritual for him but it will soon end as the wild turkeys are eating the berries all day long and the crop is growing thin.

When we returned home, I grabbed the camera for a few quick shots while Karl waited in the truck, sitting straight and tall and acting like a guard dog instead of a house dog. The lilies have been quite nice this year even though some have become faded from the pollen running down the petals. A wasp was holding tight to a nice Orienpet lily as if to protect himself from the rain drops. The bee that checks all bees incoming to the nest at the end of the day will be missing one tonight.

I walked up along the path and was surprised how nice everything looked even though the gardens are unkept and full of weeds. Gail and I have been at the nursery every day since the snow began to melt so the gardens around our home have taken on a new appearance best viewed from a distance. As I walked along, I came upon a clump of 'Chicago Apache' daylilies which is about two weeks ahead of itself this year. I don't know if it has been the excess rain or lower or higher temperatures but bloom time is clearly different this year.

The Crocosmia 'Lucifer' are striking this year and are like a magnet to hummingbirds. 'South Seas', a favorite coral daylily, has passed on but 'So Lovely' has begun to bloom. It's tall and dusted and very nice. 'Lusty Leland', another red we sell a lot of, peers down from the back display area and the last few 'Missouri Beauty' keep it company. Along the edge, 'Grape Velvet', one of the finest purples out there, sports 8 blooms and dozens of buds while a row of 'Mini Pearl'

with shiny foliage seem to bloom forever. Two favorites, 'Wayside Green Lamp' and 'Witch Hazel' are in the garden with the tall 'Chicago Rosy', 'Alice in Wonderland', and 'Siloam Amazing Grace'. These all need to be moved to the nursery but it will be some time yet as Austin moved three truckloads last week that have to get planted first.

There's lots going on at Vermont Flower Farm. As depressing as the constant rain has been, people arrive each day and share stories and offer words of encouragement. Our friends have had the opportunity to drive down Route 2 and watch our progress and they know well how much work we have done to get to where we are. People tell us they come back because the quality of our product is exceptional, our knowledge of the plant world is special and we always demonstrate that we care about the person we're speaking with. Gail and I have always been that way....and always will.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where nightfall comes too early even if you're tired like me.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Monday, July 28, 2008

75 degrees and a quiet evening here on the mountain. The ruby throats are working overtime on the red monarda (bee balm) and now at about 7:30, the hummingbird moths are coming out of hiding to provide some company. Karl the wonder dog and I just returned from the compost pile out back and in a few minutes we'll have to find some supper. Gail and Alex are in Montpelier for the evening so we are on our own.

While out back, Karl and I feasted on wild blueberries. There is a great crop this year which means the bumble bees, the chief pollinators of this fruit, were able to avoid rain showers and do their work in late spring.

My first dog was an Irish Setter. Her name was Rusty which showed the lack of creative genius that prevailed when I was five. She was a great dog save for a propensity to try to eat porcupines and she loved berries. She would tickle the branches with her long tongue and stand for great periods of time eating berries. Bear, my Walker Hound, and Barney, my Beagle-Walker, also loved blueberries and raspberries but they used the side approach with shorter tongues and shorter legs. Baker, our Pug, was too short and round to approach the branches so he sniffed for fallen fruit and begged for hand picked quantities which he loved.

I am a berry picker with great skill. Part of that came from the need to survive at an early age. Our family were hunters and gatherers and I can't tell all the stories until I check with the fish and game statute of limitations. I can pick anything and can fill more buckets than most. Wild blueberries is the most taxing however, as the branches are at best 25" above the ground and most are only 10".

Every year on select weekends at the nursery, Gail prepares blueberry coffee cake for weekend guests. This is a super cake and many demand the recipe. Some are even bothersome about asking for the recipe and hint that an occasional, fully prepared cake would be much better than the recipe itself. Since I have been neglectful in my recent promises to write it again, here it is as my closing thought for tonight. I'm very tired and just wish I had a couple pieces and a glass of milk right now

Blueberry Coffee Cake

2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp baking powder
1 c. milk
1 1/2 c. blueberries
1 tsp salt
2 eggs well beaten

Topping:
1/3 c. each brown and white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 chopped walnuts
1 tbsp melted butter

Combine the dry ingredients, cut in the butter. Make a well in the center and add milk, eggs, vanilla. Stir until moist. Fold in blueberries. Pour in 13 X 9 pan. Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

As I have written about this recipe in the past, there is a problem with it. A 13 X 9 pan is insufficient to satisfy many people because it is so tasty that nobody can stop after a piece or two. I even know of a man who has regularly driven from a camp in the hills above Groton Village to secure a piece or two on a Saturday morning. That's a distance of about 15 miles each way. Guess that explains how great it is. Share the recipe freely and make friends happy!

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where Blogger refuses to accept pictures tonight and where Karl is barking at something I better inspect.

Good gardening wishes!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

PS: Gail's bare root daylily sale continues. She'll probably even mail you some if you call her. She is making me a bit grouchy as she is selling off tons of Susan Elizabeth and today I found Atlanta Lucky Piece in the pile. When did you find Atlanta Lucky Piece in your daylily collection last?

Heavy Rains, Bright Thoughts

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

This is the July for us to remember. The first July at our new location, the first in many which presented so many challenges, so many expenses and so many new and hidden responsibilities. One by one we have solved the mysteries and moved on to the next. Sometimes you have helpers and sometimes you do not.

This morning the rain started an instant replay of two days ago when over 4 inches fell. I just checked the weather and there's a chance that today and tonight will exceed that amount. It begins to get a little scary when the rains fall out of the sky so hard that the daylilies seem to float on the beds. This is one problem no one can fix. We have become good at predicting the weather but not good at changing it.

I was in Burlington today when the rain crossed Lake Champlain and nailed the city hard. It was not the day to have forgotten an umbrella and a raincoat. I headed back to Waterbury and then went to Morrisville where the rain was equally as strong but the area was cloudier due to elevation and temperature. As I passed farmers fields, I felt badly for them too, as getting off this year's hay crops has been difficult. In many places, large round bales sit in water, fields are furrowed with the deep water tracks of tractors and farm implements, and some machines are buried in mud waiting for a drier day. I stopped along the way and picked up three lemon squares for Gail to sweeten up her day.

As I approached our nursery, the daylilies cheered me up as did one car leaving and one entering. Gardeners are used to heavy rain and some purposefully go out in it on sojourns destined to accumulate more plants to add to their gardens.

Gail was a muddy mess as only she can become. Her boots were caked clay almost to the top and her knees were painted in brown clay and grass. Her light blue-green raincoat was a bit of a disaster and it was obvious where she had wiped her hands. She smiled as I approached, happy to tell of a surprising number of customers. I presented the lemon squares and put on some boots to check things out for myself.

If you cannot get over to our new nursery for a visit, try to enjoy the pictures that accompany this blog and Vermont Gardens. With almost nonexistent exception, the pictures I share are of plants that are available for sale. If you see a flower you like and cannot find it on our Vermont Flower Farm site, drop us an email and we'll confirm availability, price and shipping.

Despite the rains and the squo-woosh, squo-woosh as you walk, the blooms look beautiful and provide a nice show for vehicles passing by on Route 2. There are thousands of blooms and lots of good looking plants. Here are some pictures I took last night before the rain.


This first one is Joylene Nicole, a plant that Leila Cross brought to Gail as a gift way back when. Gail likes it a bunch as it has a special meaning beyond being a gift from Leila. It also has meaning relative to a gardening friend and customer who passed away a couple years back. The scapes are close to the base but the ruffles compensate for anything else you can find that you don't care for.



Jeune Tom is a daylily Gail found last year at one of her suppliers. I like the flower size and the tall scape. It can be mixed, odd-even in a row with daylilies of similar stature such as Miss Amelia. It's strong and the straight up scape makes it a good choice for a one-day flower arrangement.


Corky is a favorite of mine. I like the brownish purple scape color and the profusion of small flowers which remind me of the origin of many daylilies. Those who are interested in older daylilies have to have this one in their collection.


Chorus Line is a very nice 3.25" flower. The green throat accents the coral pink and makes it more desirous. In a large mass, it is very special. We have only sold 2-3 but I think over time it will catch on.

Bella Lugosi (below) is a daylily which Alex picked out years ago when he was preparing a stockpile of good plants of hybridize with. He was 8-9-10--somewhere in there--when he began to show interest in hybridizing. That lasted one season and was destroyed when someone pulled off all the protective foil he had placed on his crosses. Just the same, Bella and the other 20 odd he bought have all been excellent sellers for us.


Rooten Tooten Red is an Oakes daylily if I recall. It does better in less sun than we have it planted in. The flowers are nicely rounded and the throats draw your attention. A large group follows in a few years and makes all the difference.


Little Pumpkin Face (below) is one of those daylilies with tall scapes and lots of flowers. This one is sharing the stage now with Little Dandy, Little Women and my favorite, Little Skipper.



It's too difficult to think of over 60,000 registered daylilies on the market. It's great fun though to see as many different daylilies as you can, and begin to incorporate them in your gardens. If you get a chance, drive out to Vermont Flower Farm (or drive up, drive down, drive over...) We'd love to meet you and express how we feel about all the flowers we grow.

Good gardening from the mountain above Peacham Pond.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens

Some Don't Like Orange

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Here it is, already past 9 PM and I'm still trying to finish up something I started last night. Gail and Alex were away for the entire day and early evening and I worked at the nursery until almost eight. When I returned home, Karl the wonder dog made it very clear that he had been neglected so I let him ride shotgun as we drove out to the compost pile to unload a truckload of weeds and spent daylily flowers.

When we returned to the house, I opened and closed the refrigerator and freezer doors several times trying to figure out what would comprise dinner for me and Karl. In the end I gave Karl a scoop of dog food and I opened a box of Hoods New England Sherbet. The photo above shows what was inside the box. The flash against the box reflected but the orange sherbet in the middle served as testimony to the fact that some around here don't like orange. I do. I ate the balance of the sherbet but during the process I was reminded about customers comments about yellows and oranges. Gardeners either cannot get enough of them or there are already too many in the world and I have to listen to this being relived.

There are lots of nice oranges and you have to see them close-up to enjoy their beauty. There are probably more yellow and orange daylilies than any other color--just a guess. We have a large number so I'll share a few and you can make up your mind. The first is My Reggae Tiger, a good bloomer here with a nice bud count. Sometimes I think they go by too quickly.

Next is Rocket City, with strong ribs that define the petals. The color in this photo isn't that great because of it being a late shot.


Mauna Loa has an edge with a slight contrast as it ages through the day and a ruffle I like.

Kwanso (below) is common in ditches that abound in New England. I have enjoyed them for some time and have taken to collecting them. They seem to sell faster than I can collect them but that seems fair. Here I have them planted with some purple echinacea.

Bertie Ferris is a little orange which blooms very well and grows fast. I have been surprised this year with how many we have sold. The smaller size makes it a great border plant.

The next one is really more gold than orange. It is a nice mix but remains unnamed. It was part of a collection from Gilbert Wild many moons ago and I'd buy a hundred tomorrow if I could because it's four feet tall and has great substance. Here on the mountain I have it planted adjacent to an old bird house that's now completely covered with one of Alex's grape vines, an exercise in vineyard management that never got past vine number two.


Leebea Orange Crush is another that sells well for us. It seems slow this year but that's probably because the plant size is less than other available daylilies. I like the edge and the eyezone.



Orange Vols (that's right, Tennessee!) has been offered here for some time and has a great bud count and grows to 36". I have always liked it although some customers look at the name and stumble around for a while. All gardeners are not sports enthusiasts!


There really are tons of oranges out there and they deserve respect. They mix very well with a variety of companion plants and hold well in strong sunlight--something we haven't had much of lately.

If you come for a nursery visit, take a walk and compare these and other orange flowered daylilies. I'll bet you'll want to try some!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a neighbor has seen a strange cat, tawny yellow, three feet long with a long tail. I remember when we were building the house here in 1989, a contractor mentioned that his brother had once seen a pair of cougars in early winter as they crossed frozen Lake Groton. Maybe, just maybe, there is a story here!

Come visit!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
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