The Fogs of Fall

Friday, October 5, 2007

When September ends in northern Vermont, evening temperatures of 40 degrees or below encourage morning fogs which drift as the sun rises. Travel on the roads can be tricky but a visit to nearby ponds is a pleasant sight as banks of fog float in waves across the waters and adjacent swamps.

We are lucky to live so close to so many bodies of water. The Marshfield Reservoir, Peacham Pond, Bailey, Goslant, Kettle, Osmore and Groton Ponds are all somehow connected by swampy areas and meandering brooks. It's fun to get out early and witness the changing visions as the fog burns off and the autumn colors offer such enjoyment.

In a few minutes Karl the wonder dog and I will walk out back to the White Spring. There are some Lilium canadense seed pods which should be ripe by now. I want to harvest them and spread the seed along the swamp banks to encourage a colony. This picture was from last

year when there were slightly more buds. This year this particular plant put forth another stem but fewer buds. About half the flowers set seed and the bulb maintained a 7 foot scape again.

If you have some time to get out and about today, the colors are very good where there is a good maple concentration. Areas with ash and oaks already have changed to dull browns but from mountain tops like Owls Head, the views are spectacular. The Forest and Parks staff open the gate to Owls Head about 9:30 and it closes at 8. Give it a try!

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where Karl whines "Take me out" and two mourning doves discuss the day's news which pecking cracked corn.

Fall garden wishes,

George Africa

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

Splitting Peonies

Friday, September 28, 2007

Almost 8 PM. I have been out twice with Karl the wonder dog listening to him snort at something I know I can't see and I don't think he can see at all. His breed has better ears than eyes and snorting is his way of getting what he thinks he sees to turn and look or not turn anymore. That's my take on his behavior but I've surely seen it a lot. Since Gail recently saw Mrs Bear and the cubs and neighbors have reported other bears, I'd rather Karl give a few snorts so I can catch on to danger before I have to react to it.

It's 55 degrees out right now and the ground is still soggy in places from last night's storm. We really needed the rain we received and a little more would not have hurt. More rain will be here any time now.

The ground was dry yesterday when I helped Gail dig a peony for an order. It could have been a Kansas or a Felix Crouse or a Mrs Margaret Truman or something we had in pots, but no, it had to be a Sara Bernhardt (registered in 1906), one of a couple dozen which have been growing in a close row since way before Alex was born 15 years ago this August.

Gail was convinced that this was exactly the peony flower her customer was looking for so who was I to interfere with such a deliberation. I watched Gail circle the plant with the shovel and although I knew she was cutting into some of the roots, I worried not, for age had given these plants some especially heavy roots. I grabbed my shovel and together but to no avail we tried to free the roots from the ground. "Tenacious" is a good word to describe how the roots held fast until I opted for my six foot pry bar and in minutes had the root mass turned on its side, like a predator overturns a desert turtle. I got the big yellow wheelbarrow, tipped it on its side and righted a beautiful peony root which must have weighed 60 pounds.

Gail usually uses a bread knife to cut perennials and divide other plants such as hostas and daylilies but no bread knife was up to this task. She hosed off the root system while I went to the shed and grabbed a tree pruning saw, the kind with the 32" blade. This one was fairly new and still had a sharp blade. In minutes I had the monster cut into three pieces, each a foot or more in breadth and sporting many root buds.

Peony roots are quite brittle and no amount of care will keep pieces from breaking off. In this case I cut off two nice sections, each with 8-12 buds. Half the mother system remained as one additional piece because I had truly run out of energy.

The customer will be very pleased with her purchases and although flowers will be limited or perhaps nonexistent next spring, the following year the bloom count will be spectacular and the plant will look as if it has been in the garden for a long time.

Planting peonies requires thinking about a good location because no one would want to go through this digging performance very often. By overdigging a hole and placing a well mixed selection of amendments, your peonies will last a long, long time. As years pass, the flower scapes and flowers will increase in number and your friends and neighbors will offer praise and "how did you do-its" at the same time. Most garden centers still have some peony roots for sale and many nurseries have some potted. Don't let the price scare you aware. They are worth every bit of the price tag. Don't believe it? Stop by 256 Peacham Pond Road and you can help dig a few. Reality will come quickly, I guarantee it!


With fall gardening wishes from the mountain above Peacham Pond where birds and beast curl close to cover as the rain drops heavy to the ground.

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

Things To Remember To Do

Monday, September 24, 2007

The sun has long since retired for the night and the moon is starting the night shift, providing light for migrating geese and foraging deer. Early this morning a moose came to the garden perimeter and let out a bellow suggesting its displeasure with the so called "deer fence". A couple-three nights ago, Gail followed me home from the new property. The time it took for her to grab some milk at the general store spaced our vehicles out just enough that she had to stop to let three bears cross the road above the hosta shade house. A sow and two little cubs added to our list of fall visitors.

When the nights grow shorter like this, there is little time to get things cleaned up before fall winds turn to white showers. We are especially busy with the business move but things are going well. I watched two couples in a car from New York as they slowed to look at the current Vermont Flower Farm. As they passed by I could see the wonderment in their faces: "What is going on there anyway?" We have stacks upon stacks of plastic crates, many empty, some filled with daylily roots ready to be planted. If there is gardener-speak for "disheveled", that's kind of what it looks like around here now.

No matter where you are at with your gardens, if your peonies need to be divided, do it now. Here's a picture of a nice Topeka Garnet which needs to be divided but may not make it this year. It's a great color and one any gardener would enjoy.

I just heard an ad on the radio the other day to put Grub-Ex on your lawns so you don't have to deal with Japanese beetles next year. The last thing we need to do is put more chemicals into our aquifers. Try Milky Spore which is a bacteria on your lawns and gardens any time until the soil temperature heads below 55 degrees. It may take a tad longer to see the total results but you won't be contaminating your lawns and gardens for those who might use them in later years.

I've been more busy than I like to think about but have tried to write a bit at Vermont Gardens
If you have any fall gardening questions, do let me know. For those who I promised a copy of my great grandmothers German Apple Coffee Cake, hold tight and I'll get it out in a few days. There's no better time than now with fresh apples to try new apple recipes and remind yourself and your family what a great fruit apples really are.

In the meantime, I have to switch to e-mail mode and answer some private queries. If you have a question but don't feel right about posting back to one of the blogs, send it straight to me and I'll get you an answer. I'll even try to make them "right" answers.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where colored sugar maple leaves float gently to earth, piling one atop another to dry and crunch under foot until fall rains compact them the day before I receive the command to rake. Why does it happen like this?

Best gardening wishes,

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

Coastal Maine 2

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Good morning again from Vermont Flower Farm where it's windy and 51.9 degrees with very soggy ground after a tremendous storm last night. I never like to cut short anything I am writing but the thunder storm approached quickly last night and I wanted to get things shut down here. We are surrounded by a number of objects that lure in lightning strikes and although we have never had a problem at the house, we want to keep things that way.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a work in progress that is already a masterpiece of delight for gardeners like me. As I left Route 27 and made the entrance, the series of sculptures made me slow to enjoy each one. As I entered the parking lot there were about 20 cars but it was still early I thought and what could I expect of a garden which had just opened in June. From the time I parked the car and began my journey, it was abundantly clear that this was a masterfully designed and planted garden which everyone would enjoy.

I made my way up the walk to the front doors and entered. Three ladies greeted me at the front desk and we chatted about my journey and how I had become aware of the gardens. We exchanged questions as gardeners always do and I exited the building to the side lawn and my first view of what to expect. I stopped short, in awe of all in front of me, as I tried to take in the colors, textures and heights. I stuffed the map brochure in my camera case and began a journey that took well over two hours.

I walked along the Visitor Center to the Kitchen Garden, then the Rose and Perennial Garden and the gazebo, then down to the Hillside Garden and the Meditation Garden. I went up and down the hill a couple times to be sure I didn't miss anything but each time something else caught my eye. I knew a lot of the plant material but fewer of the trees and shrubs than I wish to admit. On and on I walked, respecting all the time the almost countless hours that went into the planning and design, let alone the planting of this enourmous place of beauty.




Walking the paths time and again reinforced in my mind the difficulty the design team must have had pulling together divergent design philosphies while matching plant materials which would grow successfully in an area where fog and sea salt breezes are part of the competition.


I have been so busy this summer that I haven't been able to get to Seattle to revisit my still new-to-me grandson. When I am in that city I always enjoy Dale Chihuly's glass sculpture which to me is difficult to describe but easy to enjoy. As I made my way to the Forest Pond, there in the middle was one of Chihuly's works, reminding me of what I wouldn't see in Seattle this fall. The yellow was a perfect match to a large group of senecing ferns which caught my attention near the parking area.

As I made one final tour around the Great Lawn, I let the images I had seen filter back through my mind. This is truly a remarkable botanical garden, still in its infancy but already a tribute to the very dedicated group who took a vision and created a monumental coastal garden.

I chatted with the ladies at the desk one more time and headed for the parking lot. Vehicles of all descriptions had filled many of the lots and the access road was a long line of vehicles. If you get close to Boothbay next time you're in Maine, plan a visit to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. If you are a gardener like me, you'll come away energized and carrying a new vision of how to plant and display differently, even on the scale of your own gardens.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond, Marshfield, Vermont where the strong winds have forced the temperature to remain a steady 51.9 degrees despite the departing clouds and the welcome sunshine.

Best gardening wishes,

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

Coastal Maine

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Every year just after Labor Day, Gail and I put a sign on the sales table that says that we are open by chance or appointment. When we get to that point in the season, the majority of sales have been completed and we really need a breather. Our sign should probably say that there's always someone here to wait on customers but it's easier to say something like "chance or appointment" in case one of our dedicated helpers is out walking Karl the wonder dog or digging hostas in the lower garden when someone arrives.

We don't travel far and we don't travel for long but we always slip away with Alex to sit by the ocean in southern Maine and enjoy the sun and the waves, read our books and magazines and eat some fresh fish. This year was no different.

Gail always tells people that I cannot be made to sit still and it's useless to try. Usually this is true but this year I have been running on one burner as we close down business here on Peacham Pond Road and move everything to our new location on Route 2 just west of Marshfield village. Gail was so overwhelmed to see me sitting for hours reading my books that she actually took pictures to show folks. Truly, I needed a break and the weather was in my favor.

Some time ago I had started China*Inc. by Ted C. Fishman and I really wanted to reread parts and finish the rest. I also wanted to get through Man and Nature in time to sit at the Rachael Carson Reserve outside of Kennebunk, Maine and rethink Silent Spring. Man and Nature was written by George Perkins Marsh in 1864 and it was really Rachel Carson a hundred years earlier. If you have thoughts about our environment like I do, read them both and this will become clear.

So we made it to Maine and Alex read his H.P. Lovecraft and Gail read a stack of magazines, filled out plant orders for next year and read a best seller with a name I cannot remember. We ate fresh fish and enjoyed the sun.

I have been going to Maine every year at least once, often more than once, since I was a kid. I never figured out how my father, who set an example of Vermont poverty, ever scratched up a few bucks trip money every summer but he did. In the times of 17 cent a gallon gas and $3-5 a night cabins by the ocean, we'd arrive at one of a network of cabins he located and he'd get us a place for a couple nights. Often that meant he would have woken the owner or promised he'd do something the next day to pay for the accommodation but whatever the exchange, we'd have a place to enjoy. This wasn't just once a summer but often a couple-three times. We'd eat out of an old Scotch Cooler Mom would pack and we'd stop at clam shacks where somehow there'd be some handshake kind of exchange of bottled Reingold beer for clams for us to eat. I never did figure that all out but that was how my father did things and it worked.

I like Maine enough that I always subscribe to Down East: The Magazine of Maine. It helps me keep up on what is happening and provides reminders of places to visit. In the June 2007 issue, I caught the article In Full Bloom about the opening of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. June is a bad month for me because business at our place is hectic and magazines get stacked up one on top of the next for late fall and winter reading. The botanical garden article was a fleeting memory but on Sunday when rain was predicted up north and Gail and Alex refused to leave the beach, I headed north for Boothbay.


The June issue was an enticement but a letter to the editor in the September Down East, entitled Boothbay Garden by Daniel R. Jones completed the "hook, line and sinker" treatment on me. The thunder and lightning are coming fast here now, so here are some photos to carry you through a virtual visit until I can get back to this tomorrow. Try the website too, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, PO Box 234 Boothbay, Maine 04537 207-633-4333. http://www.mainegardens.org




Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where lightning causes us to pull cords and avoid sparks. Retreat!

Gardening wishes,

George Africa

Diggin' and Plantin'

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

I've been away from the computer for a couple weeks as the move to our new location is on. As our typical season drew close to Labor Day, Gail prepared for a sale of some daylilies and other things she wasn't in favor of moving to our new nursery home. Last weekend Michelle and Elizabeth helped her while I was busy transplanting daylilies down on Route 2. The process we mapped out is working very well and end-of-season sales have been very good too.

The picture above is not the best but it represents what we are moving. This is Artic Snow, another "not white" daylily that blooms very well and grows quickly. Although this is quite a clump, it pulls apart without too much trouble and as a result I planted about 50 for next year.

Here at Peacham Pond Road, many daylilies continue to provide good color despite the hot weather. It hasn't rained here in over three weeks and Gail has elected to water what we have potted but will leave the display gardens alone. When you notice all the weeds laying flat on the ground, you know things are dry. I fear for forest fires more than garden problems as the woods are like tinder.

The Olallie varieties I picked up a few years back are pleasing me with their late August into September. bloom. Olallie Autumn Gold, Rose Persimmon, Vermont Creamy Yellow, Vermont Ocean Swells, and Vermont Rare Gem are some I picked up there that are doing very well right now. Oriental Opulence which I mentioned in an earlier post has twice the blooms it did back then and it just keeps producing. Autumn Prince is standing +5 feet tall and is pushing out blooms and enticing a large doe to return for a snack as she did early last week. This is a stand- out daylily for the fall and it works well with purple or rose asters and sneezeweeds of any color.

A couple other daylilies that I always recommend are Miss Amelia and So Lovely. The first has been blooming for over 6 weeks now and still has a number of buds. So Lovely just started a couple weeks ago and at +3 feet tall, it's more than lovely. Gail has it with some asters and a hydrangea whose name escapes me. It's a noteworthy combination and one to consider.

So despite the hot dry weather, the responsibilities inherent in moving a business to a new location and the end of year chores, Gail has mustered the corps and things are going very well. If you stop by and the place looks like a plant factory in transition, crates and buckets everywhere, you know the reason. By May 2008 we'll be successfully relocated. In the interim if there's something you're still looking for, drop us a note or stop by. No telling where we'll be but we're never too far away. Good gardeners always succeed in finding each other!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where it's 45.6 degrees outside and quiet. This afternoon a very large black bear visited the lower daylily garden looking for some favorite apples from an adjacent tree. The reminder of the bear in Gail's mind translates to me walking Karl the wonder dog for the last time tonight. Got to go!

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

Oriental Opulence

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

I was driven inside half an hour ago by an armed band of mosquitos that escaped from a Yard Guard commercial. They were small but nasty buggers and I'm still itching both forearms which were uncovered as I tried to snap a few pictures in fading sunlight. My Dad used to keep a bottle of witch hazel by "his" kitchen chair so he could douse himself when situations like this arose. The only witch hazel I really like is a daylily by that name. It's been blooming for more than two weeks now and it probably has another week to go, maybe a little more. If you'd like to see a picture, let me know.

As August draws to a close I try to be sure to get out each night after supper and enjoy the flowers. Summers in Vermont are short and you have to train yourself to enjoy every minute. I had a couple things on my mind tonight and I just wanted to toss them around a little as I walked among the rows of daylilies in the lower nursery.

Raising flowers and operating a nursery is kind of like raising jerseys or holsteins and trying to sell milk. Although the government doesn't get involved in telling you what to sell flowers for, there are a multitude of necessities which increase in price every year and impact on how you operate. This part is just like dairy farming, and there's not too much "getting rich" involved.

I always liked the word opulence which I remember James Clavell liked to use in his Tai-Pan/Shogun/Noblehouse series that was initially released about the time I was graduating from high school. (Did older folks notice I said "graduating from high school" not "graduating high school?). I'm not sure why I liked the word as even back then I had no aspirations for the incredulous wealth Clavell described in certain Hong Kong families. Just the same I like the word and liked it even more a couple years ago when our friend Leila gave us a fine plant of the daylily named Oriental Opulence. Tonight I had a chance to view Oriental Opulence and capture her beauty. She's pictured above.

Now some people have a pocket full of greenbacks but I'm satisfied and proud to have a good sized patch of milkweed. Here's a plant with real value because it's the preferred food choice for the caterpillers which create magic as they transform from caterpiller to chrysallis to Monarch butterfly.

Tonight I walked along the 5 to 6 foot tall plants looking for a caterpiller, nicely striped in white, yellow and black. I knew they would be motionless and "sleeping" for the night as the temperature had already dropped below 55 degrees. I looked towards the bottom side of the milkweed leaves and in time found a couple. These represented opulence to me because I do so enjoy the return of the Monarch butterflies in the spring and their presence during the summer. The little gold and black dots on the shiny green chrysallis always catch my attention, but most of all their presence reminds me that it's perfectly ok not to use chemicals on your plants. Plants with holes from bugs without names are ok to me as long as I can enjoy these butterflies. Many visitors agree.

Each year the milkweed patch grows a little bigger. This year the number of butterflies was very good, last year it was off a bit and the year before it was very poor. In time I think Oriental Opulence as well as butterfly opulence will grow and please me. I hope your wealth grows too.


Writing from the moutnain above Peacham Pond where wealth can include the sounds of a barred owl or a loon saying good night.

Great gardening wishes,

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

Good Gardeners, Good Cooks!

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Still raining here on the hill. It's an even 50 degrees but with the slight wind it feels colder than it is. The rain is heavy enough that it's falling straight down despite the breeze. This is nothing compared to what is likely to befall Jamaica all too soon.

Karl the wonder dog and I attempted our morning walk together but he bored of a wet back quickly and I had to return him to the house before we got too far. He is a good companion when riding in the truck but during walks he is very particular about what he will tolerate. I hate starting something and then having to quit even if it's just a morning walk.

The lower hosta garden sadly displays my absence during the past month or so. I have been so busy readying the new property for next year's gardens and business that there have been days in a row when I haven't even chanced for a visit. Customers tell me it is special but they have to be offering gardening courtesy as I know the weeds are deep and the leaves haven't been raked from the walkways in at least two weeks.

The red baneberries are on the verge of dormancy, quick to follow Trillium grandiflorum which turned brown, whithered and dropped to the ground in hiding last week. The baneberries will fall from the mother plants and then the leaves will darken and gardens will have noticeable holes of missing plants until next spring. There is something about the red berries which encourages more and more gardeners to want to include them in their gardens even though I protest with each sale and remind what to expect. As the red baneberries fall to earth, chipmunks, mice and red squirrels gather them. At the same time the white baneberries, poisonous but eye catching, begin to form on bright red stems, a visual lure of sorts.

This morning Alex and I will go to the St Johnsbury Farmers Market. I really enjoy it but have been so busy this summer I haven't made it. There is a baker there with great ciabatta bread and some dill-garlic pretzels which Alex likes. The bread is Italian in origin and the name comes from it's supposed slipper shape. I can only verify that no two loaves are the same but every one is delicious and absents itself from our kitchen shelf all too quickly. I also want to stop at the Gadapee Sugar House booth where Dianne Gadapee will hopefully be selling her new sweet and sour sauce. This is another of her many great maple syrup recipes, home grown in the mountains of Danville where good cooks and hard workers go hand in hand. I tried some a couple weeks back and although it's designed as a traditional salad dressing, I put a small dollop on each pan seared scallop I prepared for an evening meal. The sauce brings out the sea flavor with a hint of maple and a slight bite that creates happy smiles and kind comments.

I better get going here but I can't leave without a long over due recipe for Coconut Carrot Cake. As you have seen before, The Vermont Gardener mentions good food because as well as being good gardeners, Gail, Alex and me are happy in the kitchen, clanking pots and pans and scraping bowls of batter. This recipe is one we serve this time of year when garden guests arrive and if Gail gets a minute she throws one together to offer customers. Like her blueberry coffee cake, this is a winner.

COCONUT CARROT CAKE

2 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 c. oil
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1/2 c.chopped nuts
2 c. grated carrots
1 1/3 c. Baker's Angel Flake Coconut
1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple drained

Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt.

Beat oil, sugar, eggs thoroughly. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth.

Add pineapple, carrots, coconut, nuts, pour into greased 9"or 10" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.

Cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan, and frost.

For frosting:

Saute 1 c.Baker's Angel Flake Coconut in 1 1/2 tsp margarine until golden. Stir constantly, remove and spread on absorbent paper. Cool.

Cream 3 ounces of cream cheese with 1/4 cup margarine. Alternately add 3 cups sifted confectioners sugar, 1 tbsp of milk, 1/2 tsp vanilla. Add 1/2 the coconut and beat until smooth. Top with rest of coconut.

That's it folks. The only problem with this cake is you have to get the first piece or you may not get any piece. It's great!

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where rainy days are good for gardens but make bakers comment on how baked goods rise in humid conditons.

Garden wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontlfowerfarm.com
http://vermontgardens.blogspot.com

A Gardener's Trials

"

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

There are parts about being a gardener that remind us how different we are from those with other pursuits. I really enjoy gardening now that I don't have to depend on hard work as a means of survival. When we moved to Vermont in the early 50's, green beans and squash from the garden and deer from the woods were staples. I couldn't stand spinach or Brussels sprouts or cabbage prepared any way imaginable or even carrots or broccoli, with or without cabbage worms despite repeated soakings in salt water. Those were memorable times but not great memories.

During the summer months when our nursery business is in full swing, there are certain parts about our lives that change. I am reminded of my younger years. Our house becomes a series of piles--piles of clothes, piles of mail, piles of ironing, piles of unread magazines. This list goes on and the house is a challenge to live in. When things get really bad, Gail hires someone to come in and mumble to themselves for a few hours while they put enough of us back together to make it through another couple weeks.

Liz lives next door and she is called upon annually to come bail us out. She does a great job and never rearranges things like Gail's friend, Corrine. Corrine also does a great job but with it comes a couple months of finding out where she hid everything. She's one of those people who will move around a wing chair so when she is finished you kind of have to put a hand behind yourself before you try to sit down because the chair you are shooting for might not be there any more. Liz cleans and organizes but she doesn't move stuff and I really appreciate that. Gail had her come in a couple weeks back and she spent parts of a couple days here.

Gardeners bring a lot of dirt into the house. I don't know if you're a better gardener if you bring in lots of dirt but Gail and I bring in tons. Within a week or so there was so much dirt that it was almost time to bring Liz back.

Two days ago I came back in the house to get the tractor keys and I noticed Gail with a hand full of dirty laundry heading for the washer. In one hand she was dragging a bath towel across the floor, kind of rearranging the dirt or maybe making some kind of fancy pattern in the dust. She resented the fact that I caught her performance which apparently was some attempt to rearrange the dirt so I wouldn't notice it and complain. I do a lot of work in the summer but house cleaning is never on my list.

Watching Gail brought me to an instant flashback of a time when I was about 8 so probably around 1955-6. We lived out of town and there weren't a lot of kids around so if I wanted to play with anyone else, I had to ride my bike or walk. A little over a mile away lived a couple of brothers with whom I occasionally played baseball. It wasn't all that much of a sport as we took turns hitting balls in the farm field and usually we spent more time finding the ball in the grass than hitting or catching it.

One day Delmar called and asked if I wanted to come down. Delmar was the older of the two boys who lived with their mother and without their father which I could never figure out. Delmar called JK13 which was our phone number back then. It was a party line and every one got on it at the same time when they heard it ring. Privacy was an unfamiliar term and once in a while I heard my father say some nasty words to scare away some of the unwelcome listeners.

Anyway, Delmar called and I said I'd be right down. "Right down" meant coasting down the first half mile and then pushing the bike up the next hill, holding firm to my baseball glove, bat and ball. When I got to Delmar's I thought we'd start playing ball right away but his mother had other plans for him first. She was in the cleaning mood and because Delmar was about a foot and a half taller than she was, she wanted him to clean the living room before he played ball. Back in those days people had a lot of glassware and knick knacks in the living room and the stuff always collected dust.

Apparently there had been some sort of discussion before I arrived as the house never seemed to be an example of "clean and tidy" during previous visits so I was unclear why it had to be cleaned before we played ball. The mother persisted and Delmar protested and finally his younger brother and I sat on the steps waiting for him to get started.

Back in those days people often had vacuum cleaners like Electrolux that came with a variety of attachments. One common attachment was a paint sprayer which I absolutely never saw anyone use. Just the same, that attachment required you to put the vac in reverse and blow air, hence paint.

Now Delmar was taller than his mother and surely no dummy. He took the vac and reversed the air flow as if he was using the paint sprayer, which he wasn't. In short order he went around the living room blowing air on all the shelves. When the vacuum quieted down there was some terrible noise of the two fighting and then Delmar said "There, now you can reach the dust ." His idea of cleaning was to blow the dust down to a height his mother could reach. Words flew like the dust and as the door slammed, we crossed to road to the field and began playing ball.

Everyone has dirt in their house sometime and gardeners, especially busy gardeners, have different amounts. When people come to our place we want them to see the flowers, not the dirt on the floor. Unlike Delmar, we don't blow it down and pile it up. Wherever Delmar is now, I'll bet he has a leaf blower in the garage.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where it is cool, quiet and nice, kinda like hitting a long ball that is neither caught nor lost in the grass.

Garden greetings,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

P.S. The daylilies are exceptional this year. If you haven't stopped by yet, try to make it over!

Sunday Sunshine

Sunday, August 12, 2007

The sun is rising above the pond and the thick fog is already beginning to burn off enough to be able to see the bright colors of the daylilies in the lower nursery. I enjoy this view from my office window and this year's display has been special. It's 61 degrees now and although there is an abundance of red in the morning light, the day promises to be bright and warm.

I was up early this morning as I had to return the tractor to the new property after completing some work here. Finally having a real tractor and a real rototiller and a real mower allows me to work on the back pasture and woods roads and get things back in shape. Yesterday's project was mowing and tilling a spot for some food plots for deer. The rototilling was a tough job as it's very rocky out there but it's finished and ready for lime, fertilizer and seeding which will take place later this week.

I was heading down the road before 5 this morning with the flashers flashing and the tractor chugging by houses with unlit windows. It is summer and people don't always rise as early as they do during other times of the year. As the sun provided more light, I was able to spot a lone loon crossing overhead to Peacham Pond from the reservoir, Mrs. Deer and two fawns, one errant ping pong paddle (?) and a Tupperware container full of potato salad which had obviously not made it home from a picnic the day before. The trip takes a little more than 45 minutes at a top speed of 6 mph and that's slow enough for me to spot the changes to the roadway since my last trip. I'm in hopes of buying a trailer to eliminate these morning cruises but trailers are in the $2500-$3300 range so I'm not ready to buy one yet.

Daylily Days continues at Vermont Flower Farm and if you haven't stopped by yet, do give it a try soon. The spring rains and cooler July temperatures encouraged some of the best daylily growth we have seen in recent years. The plants in the gardens are exceptional and those which we have potted up for sale are full, heavily rooted and in various stages of flower display.

The display gardens are full of color this year and visitors have paid fine compliments on a daily basis. Probably the only problem is that they contain plants which we either don't grow any more or have already sold out of and this brings disappointment to gardeners who have finally found that "perfect" or "long lost" plant and find out that again it's slipped their grasp.


Time is moving too quickly this morning and I have to get going. I try to deadhead the daylilies in the morning before I start any other chores. I worked on this last night until 8:30 when my hands were stained the blue-black-purples of Strutter's Ball, Night Beacon, Bella Lugosi, Houdini, Starling, and others. A couple ounces of generic lemon juice returns your hands to normal if you have experienced the "stained look" and panicked.

Have to go. Enjoy the day and stop for a visit if you are out and about.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where hummingbirds are already fighting over ownership of the tall red and purple bee balm.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

Combinations

August 3, 2007

Almost 9:30 PM and just when I got through today's mail, Gail inquired how the combination pictures turned out. Tonight we had a hasty supper when I returned from working on the new property, headed back with some tarps to cover up the cement and tools, and then we stopped for ice cream at the general store. Returned home with the thought of deadheading and picking things up for tomorrow's bare root sale but the next thing I knew, Gail was laying out combinations of daylilies that she felt went well together. I was already running on one burner so I only got as far as the first combination but you might want to consider it. Gail is very good at this and when the plants she recommends mature in a couple years, the combinations are always stunning.

Tonight Gail joined South Seas, Cherry Cheeks and Carolyn Criswell. It's not just the colors that are a great contrast but the flower size and scape height. Here they are pictured individually.

As you can see from the grouping above, these three work very well together. The coral of South Seas doesn't present itself here as the beauty it really is but it's a daylily the folks have been buying in quantity for several years. From, year to year we never know if we'll have to break into our display gardens to make it through the year. This year things may be close with greater demand because there are several big plantings here including a good grouping in the lower display area. A dozen or so mature plants give a great opportunity to think through what your garden will look like in a couple years and such a vision encourages multiple sales.

Gail has lots of good ideas of daylilies to combine. Right now the only thing I want to combine is sleep-sleep-sleep. If you get a chance this weekend, stop by to see the flowers and perhaps buy some bare root daylilies.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where today's heat apparently slowed more than just me as the animal life has come to a standstill and even Mr. Barred Owl is quiet!

Gardening wishes!

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Montbretia, My Crocosmia

Friday, August 3, 2007

Just in from turning on the hoses as the hot, hot weather is drying out the potted plants faster than we can water. Gail and Winnie watered until dark last night until hunger for supper became more important that drooping plants. This morning it's 76 degrees out and an immediate reminder of yesterday's heat. The Fairbanks Museum reported that yesterday in 1975 New England heat records of 100 in Cornwall,Vermont and 107 in Boston, Massachusetts were set. We won't get close to that today but there is a stuffiness in the air that guarantees an afternoon thunderstorm. Lots of rain in a short amount of time calms the dust on the road but does almost nothing for the gardens.

Wednesday night Gail invited Jerome Bolkum, his friend Barb and our mutual friend Julie to come see the flowers and have a little dinner. If you live around here you know Jerome as Jerome the Florist from Barre. He is one of the finest florists in the business and his arrangements, regardless of the intended event, have a speciality to them that always elicit fine comments. It's always fun to walk the gardens with people who like flowers because you can learn a different perspective about colors and combinations and those little pieces of info that have a place in later work.

The crocosmia was in bloom in the display gardens and Jerome commented on how beautiful it looks. He knows it as Montbretia as that's the way the flower industry refers to it. This is a member of the iris family although the leaf and corm would make you think you are dealing with some type of gladiola. The plant is actually from the grasslands of South Africa although I somehow have it in my head that it grows in South America. I have a habit of missing things by thousands of miles so this error is not uncommon with me.


Montbretia is listed as zone 5 but the brilliant red named 'Lucifer' is certainly very hardy here in zone 4 and perhaps into zone 3 if properly sited. There are white, pink and yellow montbretias on the market but these do not make it here and must be considered an annual. Some have told me that they haven't been successful with 'Lucifer' but after a little discussion we usually arrive at poor siting in wet areas. South African grasslands and under the eaves of a house in Vermont are just not the same.

Gail wanted everyone to come see the daylilies and any time after 6 PM as the sun begins to fade, the daylilies have a special beauty that is never better. Around and around we walked, down through the lower hosta garden, out into the field past the peony nursery and then back up around the house to the main gardens. There was plenty to see and the smiles supported the variety available.

Here are four daylilies I snapped quick pictures of as we walked along. Real Wind, Orange Vols, Chicago Peach and Sea Gold are not expensive daylilies but they are popular with gardeners who visit here. Sea Gold is sold out and I am kicking myself for selling more than I should have. That's how it is with me and begging, badgering, "oh-just-one-please" gardeners.






Well, the sun is coming up fast and I have to get going. Mark is coming for the next three days to help me finish the deer fence at the new property. Gail has her bare root daylily sale going on this weekend so she is already busy getting things set up. Elizabeth will be here to help with sales as Michelle is off to Newport RI to a concert. I'll probably fill in between both places as we get closer and closer to beginning planting at our new property.

If you get a chance over the next three days, stop by and consider some exceptional bare root daylilies. If you can't make it, Gail might (?) be coerced to mail you some if you don't mind some extra shipping and handling and a half bushel of roots. I think she has about 9 varieties prepared for sale and you can't beat the root size for $3 each. Give it some thought.

On a final note I'd like to thank everyone who has made donations to Gail's raffle. She is sponsoring the raffle to support a fall conference on transitioning young adults on the autism spectrum to adulthood and the world of work. Interest has been exceptional and Gail is really pleased to be able to promote information about autism and help with something very dear to both of us. If you want to particiapte but can't make it here, send a donation and Gail will get your raffle tickets into the drawing.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where folks from the pond are speeding up the hill faster than they should so they can get to work and talk about how hot it is.

Best gardening wishes,

Come visit!

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

Daylilies Everywhere!

Saturday, July 28, 2007

I woke up at a little after 4 this morning to the clunk-clunk-clunk of a boat and trailer heading down the road to Peacham Pond. Brown trout grow big and smart there and fishermen get going
early as they dream of a new record. As for me, I arose feeling much like this gloriosa daisy. I was still a little cramped up but once I get going I expect a beautiful day.

I spent much of yesterday standing in the Winooski River as a volunteer on a stream flow management program. Work in Plainfield behind the recreation field, by the Martin Covered Bridge, Paradise Falls and the Durant Cemetary kind of whithered me down. It was hot yesterday but this is a good project tied to water quality samplings and a plan for the future. At some point I'll write about it all at Vermont Gardens

This morning it appears I'm on my own, kind of like this assassin bug strolling into Hemerocallis 'Big Bird' as it looks for breakfast. I couldn't pry Karl the wonderdog out of bed with Gail so I went for my morning walk by myself. Today is Gail's birthday and Karl is apparently sticking close by as if there will be treats to share. He is probably right but we don't start festivities at 5 in the morning here.

Today looks like another rainy day but it is obviously Daylily Days at Vermont Flower Farm. If you are out and about, do stop by soon as the colors are special and Gail's forty or so new daylilies, although scattered within the rows of hundreds of other daylilies, stand strong and beckon you to reach for a pot and a few bucks.

With well over 60,000 registered daylilies, there is plenty to pick from. Gail likes the older varieties and she always proves there are planting combinations to be made which are show stoppers. Leebea Orange Crush is another orange to some gardeners but it's potential is unyielding. A garden of orange daylilies sounds blah but until you have mixed Tuscawilla Tigress and My Reggae Tiger with Leebea, perhaps a few Kwanso and some bright yellows, reds and golds, you don't have the whole picture.

Last night as I toured the gardens on the last sweep of the night before arthritis set in, I noticed someone was trying this combination with 'Jeune Tom' and 'Over There' which had been left with a group of Leebeas. About 6 Orange Crush were missing from the rows so I assume the plan received favorable reviews from whomever the gardener was. It sure made sense to me.






If you stop by, Gail can help with some combinations of color and bloom time to fit your need. Yesterday she did a nice presentation for a lady from New Jersey who comes to her summer place for only this two week period every year. Her request was to have a colorful display that shouts "Relax" when she opens the car door and steps onto Vermont soil. Gail did a great job and we know the customer will be very pleased when she arrives at her summer home next year. If you can't make it to get some in-the-garden attention from Gail, send her an e-mail and prepare a web order. Gail can make it really easy and since we take credit cards now too, making the payment and getting on with the planting is much easier.

Karl just pranced in with a strong suggestion that we go for a walk so I'm out of here. If you do stop by for a visit, stroll through the lower hosta garden and out back to the little daylily nursery we have going over the bank. The daylilies are great but the back drop of giant clumps of 6 year old astilbes will catch your breath and make you want to explore this flower too. Don't forget!

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where it's pin-drop quiet right now with the only noise coming from two cedar waxwings eating a breakfast of choke cherries. If you do stop by, wish Gail a Happy Birthday. It will make her smile!

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

Bright Days, Daylily Days!

Friday, July 20, 2007

This mornings' walk with Karl, the wonder dog, was brief as the rains continued to pound down on us. Now two hours later, there is a slow drizzle as the sun creeps up from Peacham Pond to chase away the clouds and bring drying to the saturated earth. This is such a contrast to what is going on in other parts of America where the forest fire index has reached new highs.

Today begins Daylily Days here at Vermont Flower Farm. This is time we designate for folks to join us in seeing new-to-us varieties and thousands of pots amounting to hundreds of different plants. As I have mentioned before, Gail loves older varieties so "new" to her might mean something that was registered or released to the market 7-8-9 years ago. Her choices, however, are impeccable and the pricing is most always in the $10-$15 range, with a few plants on either side of that. Daylilies are indestructible and their color and bloom period are worthy of your investment.

I cannot stop talking about hostas because the weather has cooperated for a plant that too few in Vermont know about. Our display gardens contain hundreds of varieties and despite selling thousands so far this year (no exaggeration!!) we still have 150-180 varieties available for sale. If you don't get a chance to stop by, then you really don't know how great our selection and display gardens are. I have not been able to keep up with the web site over the past couple years so a visit is almost a must. If you happen to be looking for something you don't see on the site, e-mail me. Just like our daylilies, we don't maintain the newest varieties until their pricing is reasonable to what we feel people will pay.

If you look closely at these pictures you'll notice some are current versions of gardens on our
Vermont Flower Farm site. Go to the page entitled Stone Steps: A Garden Journey and you'll be able to see how the walkway to the lower garden has changed over the past 4 years. I'm really proud of the transpiration despite the fact that Green Mountain Power saw fit to cut down some maples that provided shade and one that they "trimmed" has since died too.

The standing stones in the lower garden are becoming the attention grabber I knew they would be when Gail and I had Kevin Hudson help us Kubota-ize them into the ground with his tractor in the year 2000. The epimedium circles around the base of each stone are maturing nicely. The backdrop of Lilium superbum, Hosta 'Tall Boy', Hosta 'Lakeside Cha Cha', Lilium henryi and various aruncus and rodgersias are now maturing too so that an 8 foot tall color display with plants of lesser heights should begin to show color any day now.


If you can possibly stop by and see this garden, I know you'll be pleased you did. Yes, the slugs and snails and weevils have made hostas such as Celebration look like Swiss cheese but the glory of the masses from afar brings awe and encourages even the neophyte gardener what can be accomplished as a low budget, dynamic affair. Hostas rule, and good gardeners with new ideas make it happen.

As I look out the office window I can see daylilies opening to the morning sun. Eeenie Weenie, Golden Chimes, Wayside Greenlamp, Hyperion, Lemon Lollypop, Mauna Loa, Watson Park, Chicago Rainbow....dozens more. I'll get some pictures coming soon but a personal visit to Vermont Flower Farm would be the greatest. Stop by if you can!


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where a gentle wind has begun to dry things as I prepare to head for Burlington. If you do stop by during the summer, consider buying a ticket for a raffle Gail is sponsoring to help support a fall conference on transition for young adult Vermonters with autism. If you know me and Gail, you know autism is a subject very dear to us. With 1 in every 150 newborns diagnosed on the autism spectrum, and with autism currently being "forever", there is no better time to help. If you win the raffle, you win a gift certificate of $100 in hardy plants from Gail. If you don't win the raffle you still win by helping a great cause and feeling good that you care about others.

Great gardening wishes,

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

Next Year's Peonies

Thursday, July 19, 2007

9:15 PM and it has been a long day and a long time since I have appeared as The Vermont Gardener. In the past days I have met hundreds of new gardeners I never knew before and I have shared lots of information about growing hostas and peonies. As the faces of happy gardeners whiz through my mind, the rain is pounding off the standing seam metal roof like it has been since early July. It doesn't seem to stop.


I never did find my rain gauge this spring but I know it's in the cellar some place. It doesn't matter as the past three weeks have only offered a couple nice days and a lot of wet ones. Noah didn't need a rain gauge to be reminded to start hammering on the ark and I guess I don't need one either.


This weekend we kind of ended our Hosta Days but not because the hostas don't look great. The weather has been perfect for them all season and although the slugs and snails are out in force now, keeping good company with black weevils, the hostas look super and are growing as fast as the jewel weed. I expect that with the prediction of warmer weather by tomorrow afternoon and through the weekend, the hostas, super saturated with water, will be unable to maintain their vascular system and will droop and cry for a few days. This is not uncommon when there is lots of rain but the behavior causes a flurry of questions from concerned hosta growers.

If you have not visited our hosta gardens or traveled the walk through the +180 varieties we still have for sale, get in the car and head out this weekend. It's worth the trip. And by the way, if you have questions about growing great hostas, fire off a few questions. Often the answers you receive help others with the same question. Good gardeners are like barred owls--they are always listening!

The peonies have about faded into seed production and I have to get some kid busy pruning off the seed pods so the strength goes to the roots, not seeds. I do not aspire to be a great peony hybridizer like Alan Rogers or Don Hollingsworth although I have studied a bit of their work. Those very talented, dedicated folks can deal with creating new peonies for us.



We had a great year with the peonies and although people seem reluctant to part with the cost of a good potted root, some come back each year to add to their collection while some just come to see the bloom. Ours were exceptions and will only get better.


I always leave folks with a couple tidbits of info and I'll repeat myself here for newcomers to The Vermont Gardener. Peonies must be planted not more and 1.5 to 2 inches below the surface. Planting the roots deeper will bring on some good foliage but limited or no bloom. They are hungry plants so plant them well to begin with and feed them again in the spring. And finally, in mid-August in the years when New England is not involved internationally in The Great Monsoon Contest, water your peonies well. Peonies set buds on the rootstock for the following year at this time and water encourages good bud development. The way things have been going here in Marshfield, we'll likely have a bumper crop of scapes next year. Watch your weather, water in mid-August in New England, earlier in other peony areas, and you'll note the difference.


With this last picture of the night, Topeka Garnet, I'll say good evening to all. Despite the rain we have a beautiful weekend projected. Today started Daylily Days at the farm and with that comes more of Gail's baked treats, and an incredible display of hundreds of daylilies, potted or for sale from the gardens. The weather has been kind to the daylilies and the plants are robust and waiting for a new home.

If you do stop by, consider helping Gail with a raffle she is sponsoring to benefit a fall conference on transition for young adult Vermonters with autism. This is a topic that is dear to Gail and me
and your help would be most appreciated. The winner will be announced on Labor Day for a $100 gift certificate for shopping here at VFF. If you can't stop by but want to help, send in your name, phone number and $$ and Gail will take care of the rest. One in every 150 newborns is diagnosed on the autism spectrum so we all really need to get involved.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where hard rain pounds the roof and the critters outside hold up, patiently awaiting a chance for dinner.

Best gardening wishes,

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