Garden of Dreams

Monday, February 7, 2011

24° here on the mountain this morning. The sky is cloudy and there is a typical post-Super Bowl lull as if another calendar page has turned. A flock of red polls cover the feeders and the ground so thickly that even the greedy jays sit in the maples waiting their turn.

As Gail drops off a fresh coffee, she mentions that I better put the plow back on the truck. 4"-8" coming late today. We were spoiled by last winter and the early part of this winter when storms stopped along Route 4, 60 miles to our south. In recent weeks it has been one storm after another and cold enough that the snow hasn't come off the roofs. Rake and shovel as I may, I cannot seem to catch up.

The gardens are well covered in snow now and we are left with a garden of dreams save for leftover skeletons from hollyhocks or actaeas or ligularias. I still like this time as it forces me to remember what plants needed attention and what gardens need new additions.

I have been surprised by the number of catalogs that have arrived this year. We work hard to eliminate all but very few catalogs but the economy obviously suggests struggles for new customers. Some of the largest, most successful growers in America are in serious financial condition now, a direct result of the housing situation, and some have already folded. During a discussion with one of the growers we use, I asked about a shrub plant I was interested in. The grower said they had reduced the number of new plantings because of royalty fees on some of the new varieties and because of lack of projected demand two years out. Essentially the grower was saying that if you plant it and it doesn't sell, you still have to take care of it and if it gets too big before it sells, it becomes almost worthless.This is a lesson a home gardener has no reason to understand but it does impact on what is available.

To help us better understand what flower growers are planting, I signed Gail up for a membership with the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. This is an association for field and greenhouse growers. I wanted to join for some time and I kept belaboring the annual membership. I finally wrote the check and in the first journal issue we have recouped the price in the new information we have learned. To make your garden of dreams current you have to get out and about and see what others are growing.

As you scan the catalogs that probably are arriving in your mailbox, pay close attention to growing conditions on the newer varieties. There are many new flowers to tempt you but some may not make it in your gardens no matter how much you wish they would. Also think twice before you buy those "big collections of perennials" with the cheap price tags or the two pound cans of wild flower mixes for $5. You will definitely receive something for your money but what will actually grow in subsequent years may be another question. Spending just a little more from a local grower will provide a source for planting instructions and a person to actually talk to. Buy local when you can!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a few snow flakes are falling and the red squirrels are reminding me that the sunflower seeds need replenishing!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
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Hollyhock Hellos

Saturday, March 6, 2010

12 degrees here on the mountain this morning. Colder than was predicted but the high pressure that moved in is a large front and I could tell by the moon at 10 last night that the morning would be clear. By noon it should be to 40 degrees and I'll be encouraged that spring is only another month off.

This morning it's my turn to take the trash and recycling to the village. I don't mind the job at all and in fact it's a strange challenge because you never know what you will be charged. Last year the law changed and recycling could have fees as well as trash but there is no standard. A collection of gallon milk jugs in a 55 gallon plastic bag might be a buck or the same number on a string 50 cents. I noticed some of the attendants aren't all that strong with math skills and the amount owed always comes out in even numbers. No making change with even numbers. "Gimmee four bucks."

When I make the trip I never plan anything else for at least two hours. The thing about Vermont is people like to talk and you also never know who will be at the recycling center when you arrive. It's kind of like that any place in rural Vermont. Yesterday I stopped at the little village store on the way home from work to grab a paper. I was standing in line waiting for a conversation about a girl's boyfriend rolling his truck and going to jail the night before and I felt a pull on my jacket. I turned and a diminutive, older lady all of 5 feet tall looked straight at me and asked "How do you grow them hollyhocks?" Never saw her in my life but she knew me. I suggested we pay up and move outside to my "office" which was not a smart thing to say as I still don't think anyone understood me. At any rate we had a nice conversation and I probably have a new customer ....but not for hollyhocks.

I'm guessing but hollyhocks, an old New England favorite, are probably more of a country than an urban flower now. They get tall--even the smaller varieties are over 3 feet-- they take space and they add a bunch to the compost pile. They are susceptible to rust and Japanese beetles which diminish their popularity. I recommend to everyone that if they want hollyhocks, buy a package of seed and sow in early spring, be patient for the first year and enjoy the plants from then on.



The root system makes attempts at transplanting a futile exercise because breaking off the roots, even a couple, is sure death to the plant. I give away plants every year with the warning. Few are successful but many try. Winnie, our 82 year old Chief of Hydrological Services at the nursery (she likes to water) is about the only really successful transplanter. She uses care with anything she does and at 82 is not in a rush so that's probably why it works for her.

Hollyhocks come in singles which I like and doubles which I do not. There are a variety of new colors now including some that are almost black. I prefer the older, pale colors and like an extra large planting of the red crepe color.


Bees enjoy hollyhock flowers and if you cut a couple stems for an arrangement, the bees will follow you right to the door. Be sure to give an extra shake or two or you'll be taking grief from bringing bumblebees inside.

In fall after heavy frosts, most gardeners are quick to cut the spent stalks off and get them heading towards the trash or the compost pile. I do not do any cutting until spring. The hollyhock stalks at ground level are an inch or more in diameter and to expose the hollow stalks to the air is like creating a funnel for water to be directed at the critical root mass. Frozen water in frozen stems translates to dead hollyhocks. Your choice, my opinion.


So if you want some hollyhocks in your garden for next year, buy some seeds right now. Don't wait much longer as they are popular.







Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the sky is clear, the blue jays are having breakfast and the cranberry muffins are almost finished baking.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
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Facebook Fan Page: Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
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Moving Hollyhocks

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Two sunny days in Vermont is a record for this summer. There were minor showers this morning but for the most part the temperature rose to summer-like levels. I was away most of the day but Gail said it was a nice change. August is supposed to be the summer month when tourism is higher in Vermont. The traffic on the roads today didn't support that theory and Gail said she met some very nice travelers but over all, visitors were less than she hoped for. Our friend Eric from Massachusetts will be returning tomorrow from Finland and within a week we'll get an appraisal from him including a perspective from across the big pond. Vermont has a record for international travelers and we want to see how things are doing. Eric had hoped to slip into Russia for a few days tour so it will be an interesting conversation when he returns.


When July ends and summer moves into August, the hollyhocks in this part of Vermont are very prominent. Something there is about a hollyhock that people really want to try to grow them, and then when that fails, they really want to buy them. We don't sell plants or seeds but we have a garden full on the hill above Peacham Pond. Makes some customers wonder about us.


Hollyhocks are really easy to grow from seed and you shouldn't be the least bit fussy about planting them. They prefer bad soil to highly organic, compost-rich soil and I tell folks they will grow better in the crushed gravel of our nursery walkways than they will in rich garden soil (which we do not have yet).


Growing from seed is really the way to go. There is ample time this year to purchase seed and get it in the ground. Finding seed in a store may be a challenge but visiting a friend who has been successful will find you more seed than you can ever plant. The plants are a different story.


Hollyhocks have a very strong root system comprised of some very important larger roots and a bunch of hair roots. They resent being moved and roots broken in the digging process almost doom the plant. We once had a customer who frequented us every year in the spring. Gail apparently liked something about his perseverance as every year she let him dig hollyhocks and every spring he returned with yet another story about how they had died. Once you have seeded in a bed and it gets established, falling seeds each autumn will encourage a larger supply each year. They are a memory from the past when every house door, every barn door, every outhouse had hollyhocks planted just outside. These were all singles, none of those fancy hybrids, and there were never any blacks or dark, dark purples.

Hollyhocks are one of those flowers that folks who do dried flower arrangements really like. I remember my mother in her earlier years soon after someone taught her the merits of combining Borateem borax and cornmeal to make a nice drying agent for flowers. Mom produced some of the nicest hollyhocks to use in dried arrangements. They almost looked like crepe paper. So did her pansies and violas. Today, however, people want hollyhocks in the garden. If you want to be successful, remember the size of the roots versus the ease of starting with seeds. The end product will be worth it.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where it's quiet, and Karl wants a walk....again.

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm

Vermont Gardens

August Colors

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Already heading for 8 PM here on the hill and I'm finding it difficult to get ready for tomorrow. Sat down to read mail and get off a little something at Vermont Gardens and I remembered that both pairs of glasses were sitting on the window ledge at the nursery. Four miles is a long reach when you can't read without your glasses. Karl the wonder dog and I headed down and it was apparently enjoyable for him as he got to bark at 5 different deer and one young turkey that should have been on roost by now.

Back here I just began to settle in and Gail presented me with three envelopes of checks that have to be processed for the bank. Apparently it's my turn to do this and I don't remember. We add the names and addresses to our data base which we use for mailing out notices about special events, overstocks, and that kind of thing. It's important data but not something you really want to do at the end of the day. I'll get to that a little later.

I made a quick tour tonight of the gardens here on Peacham Pond Road. Yes, they have not received any attention this year but they contain surprises along the way. Along the fence are some very tall Lilium superbum. They are in the eight foot range and they were obviously planted by chipmunks some time ago. Rodents love the starchy sugars of lily bulbs and as they scatter scale pieces about and store some for winter snacks, they are really planting future flowers. Rodent memories are apparently about as good as mine at times as this spring we have a collection of misplaced looking lilies that neither Gail nor I planted. This is obvious down in the lower hosta garden where lilies are out of place but actually quite strong and interesting. I suspect the work of chipmunks as that area is more popular with them than the red squirrels which work up closer to the driveway.


As Karl and I walked along the sandbox, prominent with untouched metal Tonka trucks from days gone by, I noticed a very old Asiatic lily which was like meeting an old friend. This was something we carried at least 8 years ago--probably closer to 12. It was not the strongest lily back then and it had some bad traits including an affinity to botrytis greater than usual and a habit of picking up tulip breaking virus at the blink of an eye. These must have come back from scales that were dormant for years as I just cannot remember how far back these go. I do remember that people used to call them tiger lilies like the old orange lancifoliums and that drove me nuts.

As I continued along, a phlox caught my eye, pushing away Sweet Annie and other improper weeds which have gotten more and more carried away by our brief absence. The phlox is a strong signal of what we will have in a couple more years at the nursery where Gail intends to build a substantial collection of various varieties. I am just beginning to learn the names of what we stock this year but I do know we already sold the last Starfire today and the Tenor, a less bright red, is going fast too.

Older gardeners and New England gardeners like phlox even though they remember the mildew problems of the older varieties. I was told one time that if you plant phlox within other perennials, the mildew will be less of a problem and the individual plants will stay very strong. That may be true but I like big swaths of color. If any of you are successful with phlox and have any pointers or written resources, we'd all be very appreciative I am sure.

Adjacent to the phlox but very much unplanned were groupings of pink hollyhocks which add nice contrast to the phlox. Again this was probably part of the rodents seed relocation project, an annual event which precedes winter. Regardless of the "how did they get there?" it's a fact that they match nicely.

I keep eyeing the pile of checks and guess I better end here. I hope the buckets of rain haven'
t bothered your drive for a handsome garden. If you can't stand the rain, get in the car and get up to see Gail. She always has a new idea and a new surprise color to consider.

Good garden wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

Fall Hollyhocks

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Already 9 PM and the rain is finally quieting after a couple hours of pounding like a heavy fist on the standing seam roof. The weather people predicted more than an inch of rain and I won't be surprised if we surpass that amount. It is such a contrast to California and the South where serious problems continue. We are lucky here at Vermont Flower Farm to have several excellent supplies of water. It's not just any water, it's the best tasting water I have ever tasted.

Fall 2007 has been interesting. The weather yesterday was like a July day but without the higher humidity. After work, I rode the tractor making a 10 foot by 200 foot long garden at the new property. It will serve as a buffer between the parking area and the sales building and will have a split rail fence the entire length save for the opening for delivery trucks and entering/exiting customers. I misread the amount of clay I would have to remove and backfill with good soil, compost and manure and I had to order up another 25 yards of soil tonight. The garden will be the first thing a customer sees as they park their vehicle so I want it to be well prepared and good looking.

This morning I had to head south for the day down towards Brattleboro. First I had to get the truck back to a tire place on the Montpelier side of the Barre-Montpelier Road because they sold me a defective radial tire last week. They did a weird trial and error thing until they figured out what to do with it and that left me less than pleased. Today was my third visit and now I'm driving on $600 worth of tires that track straight. I left them with my message in economics: If I tell ten friends of the problem and they don't buy $600 in tires, that's a $6000 loss. If they tell 10 friends each, that becomes $60,000 in potentially lost sales. Customers are not always right but when they are, they need to be treated appropriately.


When I returned tonight I needed a good walk to stretch out some arthritic joints. For some reason, hollyhocks caught my attention. The first picture above shows some plants from this summer when hollyhocks were in their glory. Now singles are opening and although the masses are not there, the individual flowers are noteworthy. The flower bees are slowing down their visits but the bumble bees and a neighbor's honey bees keep working every available flower.




Many visitors ask us to dig up hollyhocks but we won't. This is a plant that is best seeded into your garden space and this is the time of year to do it. Our garden seed production was not that good this year but this is a plant which produces more than I want to deal with from year to year. It was a nice surprise today to see so many in bloom. There are still some trollius showing color, several campanulas, the last of the monardas and one last Hemerocallis 'So Lovely'. Looking back on our gardens this past summer, I can reiterate, "They really were so lovely."


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where sunsets come too early, daylight is too brief.

Best garden wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

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