Dimming Lights

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Already almost 5:30 AM and I am making slow but steady progress getting ready to head to the nursery for the day. An hour ago I awoke from a good sleep to a strange thud-thud-thud sound that almost reminded me of a page from H. P. Lovecraft or perhaps Steven King. Something big was walking up the outside front room steps and whatever it was knocked over a couple begonias. Once again Gail had left the door open and apparently that left enough dinner smells to serve as a greeting card for the local bears. I wish she wouldn't do this but after a long day outside, some things are forgotten even if they are important.

As many along the east coast have noted, this has been a strange growing season. The daylilies are about finished blooming and the zinnias, cosmos and statice planted long ago for cut flowers are beginning to bloom but a month late. A couple daylilies look as if they will bloom again but the fields are already turning a shade of brown as even the leaves are finished. The maples along the roads are turning and yellow leaves are already littering the ground as if the first frosts of late September have begun.

Last night I walked out back with Karl the Wonder Dog and the wild apple trees are dropping small fruit for the deer about a month earlier than usual. A doe and nursing twins held steadfast under a tree as mom ate apples and the little guys bumped her for milk and flicked flies with their tails. We walked further into the woods and noticed the white birches are yellowing and dropping leaves too. The spring up the road from our house has a line up each night of campers, locals and long distance visitors in need of water because their systems have already failed or because usual sources have dried up. Just more sign that things are changing.

I'm at the nursery myself today as Gail and Alex are in Burlington for the day. The weather should be nice and I expect I will be busy. If you are out and about today, stop by. We have some very nice hydrangeas for sale --8 varieties left--so enough to find something right for your property. There are plenty of farmers markets and outside activities this weekend. Be sure to remember Kingdom Farm and Food Days next weekend. Different perspectives of the Northeast Kingdom where farmers farm and people smile friendly welcomes to people they have never met.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where 8 turkeys are feeding outside my window. Now that the sun has risen a bit I see that last night's thud-thud-thud was the bears as the remaining blackberry bushes over the bank are rolled flat. I sure do miss sunrise at 4:30!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook at Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Much Needed Rain

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Rain continues at Vermont Flower farm. 1.9" has fallen since yesterday and the Winooski River is flowing faster and higher than it has for several weeks. The flower seeds we sowed three and four days ago --zinnias, cosmos and sunflowers--have all germinated and give us encouragement that cut flower sales will be better than last year when repeated rains and frosts rotted many seeds before they even got started.

Color in a garden and what color will sell well is a challenge in any year. Earlier this year we had a beautiful viola--those "little pansies" that appear here and there in the garden for years to come. It was a yellowy orange that made you want to take home an extra pack even if you didn't need one. It was a color that you knew your best friend would like in her garden even if she didn't have any violas or maybe didn't really even care for them. The color was so popular, they sold out in a couple days. Gail found a very nice back up but it wasn't the same and only half have sold in a week.

Today a customer stopped. The lure of another nursery to visit on the way home was greater than the hassle of opening and closing the umbrella again. The lady and her two friends challenged the rain and toured our gardens. The woman's gardening skills were obvious and she raised questions about our selection of hydrangeas, our temperate zone by the river, and our success with a small appearing yellow leaved Ninebark.


Just talking about hydrangeas reminded me of two we had growing at the old farm house back in the 50's. One was the smaller snowball type and one was a massive, unpruned shrub better than 8 feet tall and full of large blossoms that we brought into the house as "cuts" or hung upside down in the "summer kitchen' and dried. I mentioned "Pinkie Winkie", a fairly recent introduction and explained that I had seen several in my travels in northern Vermont but none seemed to live here for a second spring.

Our discussion turned to an astrantia named 'Claret' that Gail likes. I have never been happy with how long it seems to take to get started here but the abundance of blooms when it gets settled in is worth the wait. These are popular plants from English gardening times and hybridizers continue to explore new colors.






As our conversation ended with the sale of daylilies 'Nile Crane' and 'Woodside Ruby' and the customer and her companions drove away, I made a quick tour of the gardens. Rain drop bubbles were everywhere as the rain continued. My friend and personal mechanic, Mike just called to report that my Troy Built Horse rototiller is finished save for the muffler. He is replacing the standard muffler with a quieter type made especially for people who have just signed up for Social Security. He says it's quieter and I'll like it. Stop by later this week and see for yourself!


Writing from the nursery where the only noise is rain on the roof and an occasional car on Route 2. Sales have been surprisingly good today despite the rain. Some gardeners have to buy new plants and get them in the ground on a day like today. Gail has Hosta 'June' on sale for the entire month for $12 from a regular of $16. This is a "must have" hosta! Come see.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm & Gardens and also as just me George Africa
Tweets on Twitter as vtflowerfarm

6 PM Flower Walk

Monday, August 25th, 2008

Didn't return home until 5 PM today. When I stepped out of the truck, it was apparent that September was closer than I hoped for. The wind was stirring just enough that it conflicted with the way the clouds were rolling in and the temperature rose and fell, rose and fell. My layers of two tee shirts and one long sleeved Carhartt shirt came on and off with the temperature until 6 PM when the sun fell behind the mountains and the wind slowed to a whisper.

Gail departed as I arrived at the nursery and Austin arrived shortly afterward with my truck, full of crates of leaves and compost. He is making good progress planting the daylily display garden which is good because Friday is his last day with us so he can return to college. We talked for a few minutes and then I bid him good evening as he and his mufflerless truck headed for Montpelier. I cleaned up a couple projects in the shed and covered the pump for the night. About all I felt like doing was taking some pictures and going home to rest. The tall, pale yellow daylily named 'So Lovely' looked so calm to me, picture-perfect in front of clouds of hydrangeas.


As I started to walk the fields, my attention was drawn away from the daylilies I had come to enjoy and my eyes caught the bright colors of the zinnias. These were planted late but knowing that the seed was from Johnny's in Maine, I had virtually no worry about viability. This is one of the very best seed companies and everything they do is done well.

In the past week, the consecutive days of heat brought out more and more buds and the stems drew skyward so bouquet making became an easy task. A handful of zinnias however, is not the same as a pageful of pictures on a computer monitor. The detail in the centers is worthy of inspection and that's what I continued to do through the Panasonic lens.

I never seem to remember the flower parts but if you click on the pictures, they will enlarge and you'll see what I mean. Insects sometimes appear and sometimes beautiful flowers develop instant defects never seen until enlarged.

I have always bought mixes but bought some individual selections this year. As with most all gardeners I bought more seed than I had time to plant and some will have to wait in the freezer until next year. Until then there is plenty to look at. Here are a few more pictures.




It's quiet here now. I have a busy day in Newport and then return to help celebrate Alex's 16th birthday. It seems impossible that he can be 16 already and that in that time I have become a home school father and an authority of sorts in the ways of autism. Time flies. garden walks are a nice way to end the day.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the mixer is smoothing a birthday cake batter as Karl the Wonder Dog begs for a lick.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens