Ocean Gardens

The Maine coast is a favorite of mine, especially in the early morning hours when beach travelers are minimal and the tide is taking it's last breath at being "low". Today was especially good because the beach was inactive and save for a black spotted-on-white Great Dane which the owner said was less than friendly, I was in my own company when I headed out onto the peninsula.

The ocean floor at low tide is like a flower garden to me. It's decorated with a variety of plants and although the ocean colors are more subdued here in the north, there is a variety of plants to see, touch and smell. I've never spent much time learning ocean plant names as I have no one to share the knowledge with. One rock weed probably smells the same to me as to the next gardener and they each have a protective coating which feels similar.

In my brief lifetime, the ocean has changed a great deal. The changes are obvious and they continue in less than favorable contrast to what I enjoyed in my youth. My trips to Calves Island in Long Island Sound, trips to dig clams or trap crabs, or fishing adventures with my grandfather for flounders--these are all memories of a different time and a "different" ocean. Many places where I was taught to dig clams are no longer open to the public because of contamination. Some of the best waters for crabs are now closed areas belonging to wildlife sanctuaries. That is good.

In early June of this year, I stopped at some beaches 25 miles north of Wells, Maine. I was struck by the amount of trash which had been left from the previous year. I soon emptied a collection of razor clam shells back onto the sand so I could have the plastic bag in which to pack trash. Before going too far I reorganized my collection format and only picked up broken glass and sharp bottle caps. When young I had been taught to scour the sands before leaving at the end of the day but that training has absented itself from beach travelers over the recent years.

Today I reflected on previous trips to Maine just after Labor Day. One visit about ten years ago we arrived to find thousands upon thousands of sand dollars at low tide. The following day was extremely hot and the beach was crowded but still, sand dollars remained everywhere. This June, the bluefish were so thick that surf casters made great harvests and those fishing from the breakwater at Camp Ellis pulled in some beauties. Yet another memory.

As I walked carefully out onto the peninsula, I passed a beat up lobster trap. It was yellow coated wire, flat and rectangular shaped, lodged securely between two rocks and pecked clean of bait by marauding gulls. It was new, not made by hand with a wooden frame and it lacked a handwoven bait bag. Mussles were so noticeably absent it bothered me enough to make me walk to a rock edge and pull back some rock weed in hopes of finding some telltale blue shells. There were none. A single shell here or there, isolated by weed and rocks, gave notice that things have changed.

Snails. Snails. Snails are everywhere. They coat rocks and the open areas between mounds of rock weeed. They don't seem to move but just wait patiently for the tide to return with fresh water to recirculate for their next meal. Things have changed.

I walked off the peninsula and scuffled through the thick piles of seaweed. There is a name for this collection of debris but it escapes me. I looked for starfish but there were none. I made a methodical search through three square feet of weed and found nothing of great interest. As I headed back down the beach, I found one, two, three, then a fourth small sea urchin. Three were still alive so I hid them under the weed debris away from the gulls. The forth, long since expired and totally missing from the shell caused no grief when I decided to bring it back with me. Finding four alone might be a good sign or might be a poor sign. If draggers are trying to bring them up from the bottom to sell at restaurants, more serious damage to the ecosystem might be taking place.

After walking a bit I walked into the ocean. It was warmer than I had ever remembered. I had listened to a radio program along the way which suggested that temperatures have changed 4 degrees this year. I thought about it and hoped the numbers were wrong. A recent NASA studied documented that winter sea ice to the northern cap is melting quicker than ever before. That change influences the growth of sea plankton which is at the start of the food chain for all ocean life. Yes, the oceans are changing and not all for the better.

I returned to where I had left my knapsack and then I headed back to the truck. My walk along the ocean was like a walk through my gardens in Vermont. Beauty abounds and there is more to learn each step of the way. My walk left me with many questions, but I left in the company of peace.


From the Maine coast, where dropping a piece of cracker encourages airborne visitors to arrive and offer a bad scolding.

Your gardening friend from Vermont,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Separate Waters

Last week I was trying to pull together a number of projects to get ready to escape to Maine for a few days. We always do this right after Labor Day weekend. That weekend marks the end of our busy season although we remain open here at Vermont Flower Farm through Columbus Day. Telling folks you're open "by chance or appointment" is like saying you're still open. We almost always have someone cover for us and if all else fails we leave a note and a place for honest folks to leave money. They always do.

By Wednesday things were really hectic, so much so that one night before supper I needed a break. I headed down the lower woods road and then bushwhacked over to the red pine plantation. Along the way I encounter these rocks. Once they were a single piece of granite but over the years the forces of a glacier probably moved them apart. Since then they have aged with mosses and ferns but their separation from one another is obvious. I sat by them for a while and reflected on the summer.

In June, I went west to see my new grandson. I had a meeting to attend outside fo Portland, Oregon so I made it a point to head west to the ocean to wet my feet in the Pacific. I went past great logging companies, historical Astoria, old sardine factories and new lavender farms. On the way back and south I stopped at various places to hike marsh trails and watch bald eagles cruise the wind currents.

But now it was September and my thoughts were to the Atlantic and the Maine coast. There is something nice about the opportunity to touch both of these oceans a couple months apart. More than their names make them distinctly different. The two rocks reminded me of the two oceans, strong, powerful, distinctly different.

Along the way east to Maine, I'll share some thoughts but in the meantime I'll think about the two rocks and the smells of the woods as summer begins to fade.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond, where the red squirrels are cutting fir cones from the balsam trees and piling them neatly for winter food.

Gardening wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Remember September 16th, 8-10 AM. Bee Balm. $10/shovel full. A great price for a great hummingbird, moth and butterfly magnet.

Aperature Settings

Another long day is drawing to a close. The rain is noisy on the metal roof but it's nice to think it's still warm outside. It will be tricky taking the dog out for the last call, as I know the frogs and toads will be jumping everywhere.

I was happy to get home this afternoon. My list of gardening chores gets longer this time of year as the daylight shortens and the wood pile talks to me. It continually reminds me that it's not big enough, not long enough, not high enough yet. I never was sure about all that stuff about wooly bear caterpillers and the duration and type of winter but they are in great numbers this year so I better get on with the wood splitting.

I went down Springfield-way today. It's about 100 miles each way but it seems much longer because I've made the trip so many times. Less and less to see so more time to think about Vermont Flower Farm and how to grow it bigger. When I arrived home and pulled into the drive, a Jeep and trailer were trying to back around the "Y" in the road. People often have a problem making a decision at this particular "Y" and often elect for the left when in fact they should be heading right, nine times out of ten.

There's a big maple tree in the middle of the road just past our mailbox. I use that tree to tie up lost bear hounds and rabbit dogs. There's a granite marker in front of the tree with arrows pointing left and right with numbers of camps on Peacham Pond. I've lived here 17 years and still haven't figured out the numbers. Neither have camp visitors, the UPS, FedEx or DHL delivery guys, 3 different rescue squads, the oil and propane delivery drivers, or the trucks from the lumber yards in East Montpelier and Barre. Lots of people like to do things over around here.

The guy in the Jeep was looking for a couple hostas for his wife. He lives in Groton and his wife decided she'd like to have some like the house across the road from where they live. I pointed out the lower hosta garden but this man was on a mission for two hostas. He picked out Christmas Tree and Blue Umbrellas and after a pleasant conversation he headed home with a gift for his wife. Nice gesture, nice hosta!

I changed, grabbed the chain saw, my safety chaps and my camera and headed out to cut wood. Like the man and the hostas, I had a mission too: clean up the downed wood from yesterday and scout out some rattlesnake plaintain.

Several years ago I found some rattlesnake plantain growing under some fir balsams and a lone hemlock. I really liked them. They belong to the orchid family and have neat foliage and single scapes of multiple white flowers. Over time the pods ripen and there are numerous tiny seeds in each one to sprinkle on the forest floor in hope of a larger colony.

For several years I only found one or two scapes so distributing the seed was easy. Then I began to study where the bigger ones grew and it became apparent that slightly greater sunlight meant larger and more plentiful scapes. My "aperature setting theory" was born. I decided to try to clear out a minor number of overhanging branches here and there and reach an improved amount of sunlight. This has taken about three years. Over time I slowly opened the sky as one opens a camera's aperature, and the result was more plants. This was rewarding for sure, and a lesson I'll remember.

The dog is whimpering and that means it's time for the last "run" of the evening. I'll carry a flashlight and hope my eyes quickly open wide to spot the leaping frogs and toads before the dog pulls me and my lead arm parallel to the ground. Even little dogs can do that!

From the mountain above Peacham Pond, where animal life continues in darkness despite my thoughts on aperature setting.

Gardening wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Changing Names, Changing Seasons

It's quiet here at Vermont Flower Farm tonight. Gail is away for a while this evening. She is helping a distant, senior relative find a new place to live. She is a saint and everyone knows it! Alex is buried in a book on the history of rum. It is part of his self imposed desire to learn the history and makings of all forms of alcoholic beverages (???) and today he started with kill-devil, an early rum. He'll have a way to go before he reaches the part in history about our friend, Harold Cross, and his daylily wine concoction. Harold and Leila are coming for dinner Friday night and I'll have to poke Alex a little to get Harold going on his brew story.

It started out wet and foggy this morning but by late afternoon it was a typical fall day, except that it's not fall yet. Right now the setting sun has left a band of pink above the treeline and the leaves of the tall poplar trees flutter softly in the pink whispers of light. It will be gone before I can load the camera again but it is a nice memory.

Tonight was a fine time to take pictures. The air was dropping below 50 degrees and there was about 25 minutes when the light was perfect. That's the trouble with this time of year. The evenings go quickly from setting sun to darkness. At these times I want to keep heading back out the door to work the gardens but it's dark and I can't. I can't, but some do. Harold and Leila have headlamps they use to keep up with their fine collection of daylilies. I guess if I ever exceed a couple thousand varieties like they do, I'll consider a headlamp. Considerations are the same as "just thinking abouts" to me.

This time of year I really enjoy a couple plants. I like the cimicifugas and the ligularias. As far as I am concerned these two plants have succumbed to identity theft as the plant i.d. police have elected to change their names just when I can spell "l-i-g-u-l-a-r-i-a" and pronounce "cimicifuga". It's good for the botany nomenclature crew that they can correct the identification and change the name but for my being as a plantsman, it just complicates things. I can't even figure out if I should tell visitors and customers. Maybe it's better not to start trouble and wait to be corrected by that "one-out-of-ten-thousand" visitor who knows plants better than I ever will. I like that idea better.

The cimicifugas have been popular with gardeners this year. Gail offered six different varieties for sale and the supply is noticeably limited. Since they are just coming into bloom with their creamy white or pink bottle brush flowers, it's likely they will all sell out this year. I especially like the darker leaved varieties such as Hillside Black Beauty or Brunette or Pink Spike but I have to say that the 10 foot tall clump of atropurpurea is a sight that makes you gasp for air when you first see it.

Some of the ligularias have already flowered and gone to seed but Desdemona, Othello and Hessei are heavy with flower. I don't know what happened to Siberica this year but it's not looking all that healthy. My guess is the January thaw lasted too long and it suffered too much freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw as many plants did. The ligularia with the beautiful lemon spots finally passed on but that was a beauty while it lived. Maybe that was one that was renamed--can't remember, but since it was zoned at number 7, I don't feel badly that it only lasted three years here without any special handling.

If you don't have any cimicufugas or ligularias in your gardens yet, read up on them and see if they will fit into your gardens. Both lend a significant architectural quality and a strength that other gardeners will comment on. We like them both--no matter what their new names are.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where the quick darkness has even quieted the loons.

Gardening wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Reading the Woods

It was a long day today on the road and one would have thought that I'd sit a minute and rest once I got home. Some folks think things slow down at Vermont Flower Farm when we head into September but that's far from true. The list of things to do kept dancing around my mind today and when I headed out of Windsor, Vermont after lunch, I kind of decided to cut a tankful of firewood and then look for some Trillium undulatum seed pods for Eric.

People measure things in various ways and I sometimes measure firewood by tanks of chainsaw gas. To me it's a safety feature. Today I felt up to working safely but I knew I had been active all day so one tankful of gas would have meant I sawed about enough wood and didn't get overtired. I never do more than two tanks at a time anymore.

If you know what you're doing you can saw a lot of wood in that amount of time but then someone has to clean up the mess. I like to end each cutting with a clean slate so I pile the brush and at very least throw the wood in a pile. Some of the trees I have been cutting of late are old bruisers that have dead spots and lots of left overs so I don't always finish as I usually plan. Tonight I finished a maple I didn't get through yesterday and then I downed a dead cherry which was quite well dried. Between the two trees, I had more than enough work for the limited time before dinner.

The woods I was cutting in face north and are on somewhat of a slope. Trillium undulatum are scattered here and there and this time of year some have beautiful bright red seed pods. I knew yesterday I'd really be pressing my luck if I didn't get out and find some soon. I had promised Eric some and actually intended to take him into the woods with me if he showed up Saturday. He showed up but Gail left for the day so I was faced with customers and Eric left with a bag of Clintonia borealis seeds. This is the blue-bead lily I mentioned before. Eric already has some but now he has some more.

I found a few trillium seed pods but most had already fallen to the ground and were swept away by any number of creatures, big and small. I have seen deer eat them, chipmunks carry them and ants help plant them. No telling who was involved in the latest dispersal operation but I only came home with 9 pods. If you train your eyes to look 10"-14" above ground level they are easy to spot if they exist at all. I think Eric will be pleased to have some when he appears over Labor Day weekend.

Just being in the woods is a tranquil time for me. The woods are like a giant set of encyclopedias, and from A to Z there is infinite life to explore. I sat on a dry ironwood log for a minute and scanned the flat for seed pods. Recognizing the amount of decaying trees reminded me of a piece I wrote for our website a couple-three years ago. I called it Our Forests, Our Responsibilities
(Can be found at http://vermontflowerfarm.com/ourforests.html)
In the piece I discussed problems with trees and insects and I mentioned a book entitled The Dying of the Trees: The Pandemic in America's Forests by Charles Little.

As I sat looking from tree to tree I tried to recall how I learned to read the woods. Surprisingly, much of what I know was self taught as a matter of spending time in the woods, reading, and drawing pictures of the surroundings. That life was a fantacy of sorts which permitted escape from tough times which seemed too prevalent for our family. I can remember finding my first basswood tree and my first yellow spotted salamander( Ambystoma maculatum). I can remember eating my first beech nuts and banging my fingers while trying to open my first butternut. These were all parts of the woods and I learned to read them well.

Now I know how little I really understand about our forests. They offer a calm place to rest and energize. They offer questions and they offer challenges. Today they offered some seed pods of Trillium undulatum. Eric will be happy to have them although it will be years before the seeds grow to plants big enough to have nice red seed pods. Until then, he'll have to read the forests and remember where he sowed the seeds........I hope!



Gardening wishes from the mountain above Peacham Pond, where the crickets are singing, and a small spider is sitting inside the corner of my office window. The web is separated by the window screen which makes the prospects of a nice supper rather slim.

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Don't forget Saturday, September 16th, only from 8-10 AM. Bee Balm Day. A good shovelful for $10. Bring your own container, box, bag, bucket.

Celebrate the Gardens

Almost 5 AM and my mind is already buzzing with a list of things which have to be accomplished today. Finish the deer fence, rototill the lower daylily nursery again, cut back Hemerocallis Susan Elizabeth, Beth Barth and Tetrina's Daughter and get them ready to divide and line out. The list is endless and any day's plan ends when the next gardening day begins. It's 53 degrees out and windy. The air has the feel of rain which has been predicted for three days. It will come today.

There's something about some days when the first few steps seem to lead in the wrong direction. I got half way through my mail this morning and the dog woke up and wanted to go out. We made it to the first shade house where the small hostas grow and a big doe with lone fawn snorted her presence. Karl, the wonder dog, headed back to the house in long leaps, almost jerking my arm out of the shoulder socket. He has a big bark but he fears strange noises and smells. He has great hearing but poor sight and he gets scared when he can't identify what he hears.

Back inside the house I decided today was the day for home fries and eggs. I like mine cooked in butter with a taste of sweet onion and some basil, oregano and thyme. Then I cover them with grated Cabot cheddar and slide them into the microwave for a few seconds. This morning the butter dish was empty and the next pound of butter was in the freezer so things got off to a slow start. Then Karl decided he'd bark at the newspaper delivery lady and wake everyone else up. I no more than turned the potatoes over once and he was at the back door scratching to go out again. Yes, a very slow start to this days events.

The gardens have been beautiful. When people complain about the rain this summer, Gail tells them it's been just beautiful and the flowers in all their glory are living proof. I can see in the eyes of some that they are responding with a "Yeah, right, lady.....", but when they look around they can't refute the color.

Long about the end of August, probably coinciding with all the Vermont fairs, people, garden shows, HGTV all mention "celebrate the gardens". Vermont maintains a firm agricultural presence and I always thought that this "celebrate the garden" thing meant the harvest of crops for man and beast to eat. More recently, I've thought that people should get out and about and celebrate the beautiful late summer flowers including wildflowers which are so abundant now.

The purples of the bull thistle are being replaced by cream, blue and purple wild asters. The dark yellow goldenrod, the tall cultivated hollyhocks and the pale yellow mullein have already passed along but the assortment of rudbeckias, Jerusalem artichokes and the other varieties of helianthus, the tansies, monardas and phlox provide waves of color in various heights and shades. Rain or shine, a walk in the country serves as a reminder to how much color surrounds us now and how much is yet to come.

Yesterday was a slow day with few customers but lots of tourists. It was Alex's 14th birthday so Gail took him and some friends to climb Owl's Head and then swim at Boulder Beach before retuning here for cake and presents. In their quiet absence I lined out more daylilies. I got through Beloved Country, Cedar Waxwing, Green Flutter and Irish Elf before the interuptions got too great.

Our friend, Eric stopped by and I gave him a small bag of clintonia berries. This is the nice little spring wildflower which has drooping yellowy-green bell shaped flowers. It often naturalizes itself in large areas regardless of elevation and it forms round, dark blue berries
by August which look kind fo neat as the leaves begin senescence. If the deer and woodchuck neighbors continue to eat Eric's daylilies and hostas, he'll need more wildflowers to provide the color he enjoys at his camp.



If you have some time today, celebrate all gardens and take a look at what's blooming!

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where a light rain has begun and the crispy home fries are ready,

Gardening wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Daylily Highlights

A cool morning here on the mountain, with a noticeable dampness in the house left by the open windows and the drop in temperature last night. There's a heavy dew on the ground and from the office window I can see some of the daylilies drooping with the weight of the water.

Outside my office window are the mullein I pictured back in April four months ago. The rosette of leaves were frosty grey then, unlike their current hardened look. From each leaf grouping stands an 8 foot flower stalk, now darkened and spilling minute seeds to the earth. I should have cut the stalks away a long time ago but there was something interesting about looking out the window and watching the light yellow petals drop one by one from the top of the stalk like wax dripping from a giant candle.

The birds don't care about the absent flowers as the seeds provide a treat for the various wrens and goldfinches. Tiny birds like mullein seeds and these stalks serve as a native birdfeeder. The mass of Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm', a perennial of growing mass, almost seems to serve protection to the mullein stalk from my loping shears. They are a handsome reminder of approaching fall even though I will probably scold myself next spring as mullein, like this year's bull thistles, will be everywhere.

The sun is pushing through a thick layer of black clouds right now and it's difficult to predict today's weather. Our Daylily Days are over as most folks expect to see great masses of flowers if you advertise as an event. Considering the hundreds of daylilies we grow, I suspect you could say we're on the downhill side with only about 45 varieties still in bloom. They have been spectacular and those that remain are very special to us.

We have a special row of daylilies in the lower garden which I purchased this time of year back in 2003 from Olallie's in South Newfane. If you haven't been to this third generation nursery yetthere's still a little time. You can also visit them on-line http://www.daylilygarden.com

Our friend Dennis from Calais reported visiting there a week ago and he said the display of late bloomers was equal to the tremendous show he and his wife had seen a month or more earlier. I haven't learned the names of the purchases I made back then but in another day or so I'll try to post some names so gardeners up this way can be reminded that late summer-early fall color can continue undaunted into mid-September with just a bit of planning....and a few daylilies.

The blue jays that have been so rowdy this morning have left and the silence is a reminder that it's time to get to work.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond, where phlox and asters serve as late summer fireworks,

Gardening wishes

George Africa
http:vermontflowerfarm.com

Milky Spore

A hard rain has been falling since 4 this morning although it's been raining constantly since midnight. Gail won't have to worry about watering for a couple days. The rain in the wagons we have for customers to lug plants in is more than an inch deep. That's good!

It's been a wonderful year for the hosta because the spring warmed early and the rains were constant. Rain now is especially good for hostas because the next few weeks is when they expand their root systems. Larger roots converts to larger leaves and plants next year. If you live in an area which is not receiving good rain right now, water your hostas and you'll notice the difference next spring.

Peonies are another favorite of mine and I have over a hundred varieties growing in a nursery adjacent to the lower shade garden. It will be another September before I begin to dig and split them up but right now I'm pleaased with their growth. Peonies set buds for the following year in August in these parts. As with the hostas, provide supplemental water if you aren't receiving the rains we are. Although peony roots are fairly shallow in comparison to many other plants, give them a good soaking for the next few weeks. You'll be surprised next June and your neighbors will be asking for your secret.

This is the year for the Japanese Beetle here at Vermont Flower Farm. Actually it's true most everywhere. I'm embarrassed with the collection we have and it's all my fault to allow us to get back to this point. Years ago, probably 10-12 years ago now, I began using milky spore. It was expensive then and it is expensive now but it is worth the cost not to see scores of beetles as in the picture above. Milky spore is a bacterium specific to these beetles and it will eliminate all of them over time.

Admittedly you wonder how badly you've been beaten when you open a can for the first time, not knowing what to expect. It could be talcum powder or cornstarch and you wouldn't know any better as all you see is a fine white powder. Any time the soil temperature is above 50 degrees you spread the powder on your property. I tell folks to think of their land as a big piece of graph paper and drop an ever-so-small portion every four or five feet until the land is squared off. Before or after a rain would be great because the spores would start working right away.

As beetles contact the bacterium, they are doomed. Within a couple weeks they die and the bacterium has a chance to multiply from the corpses and expand to a larger region. Over time your property is covered and the beetles have been eliminated even though you can't see any of what is going on.

Modern day strains are supposed to be good for 20 years according to product info. I don't know that to be true as it seems that over time the "food" supply would be eliminated and the bacterium itself would die too. I am not a bacteriologist so I can't speak to that but I can say the stuff works fine once established. My problem is I forgot to reapply a couple years back and the beetle supply came back quickly.

Someone suggested to me that if I eliminated the plants that beetles feed on, I wouldn't have a problem. Another suggested I should buy beetle traps like she did and save money. All gardeners are free with their advice, at least I've never been charged for any and I have received a bunch. Japanese beetles feed on a variety of weeds I don't even want around here. I don't know many weed names but I do know that beetles do like some of them as much as they like roses (rugosa pictured above), grape vine and hollyhocks.

Beetle traps are one of the best American marketing schemes I have ever seen. They are inexpensive to manufacture--probably all made in China--and they fill with beetles within days. The lure in the trap is a potent sex attractor which will bring in the beetles from 3-4 miles away so naturally the bags will fill quickly. Since there are all kinds of beetles within a 4 mile radius of your home, a trap full of beetles might suggest a successful eradication program leading to more and more purchases and more and more bags full of Japanese beetles. Makes you think how many milllion beetles live in a four mile radius doesn't it? The moral of this story is save the money on the traps and buy milky spore. A 10 ounce can will treat 2500 square feet and costs about $28. It's probably cheaper on the Internet but you have to factor in postage. There are plenty of informative sites out there so if you have a problem with Japanese Beetles, give milky spore a try. Read up on the product first. I do not know if it will work if your lawns have been ruined with commercial insecticides in the past. Probably Master Gardeners or the Extension Service could answer that question.

Sunday gardening wishes, from the mountain above Peacham Pond, where a variety of daylilies still bloom in colorful glory. Come visit!

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Garden Visitors

It's 5:40 AM and ever so quiet this morning. The windows have been open all night despite the rain so the house is cooler than the outside temperature. The sky is very dark and there is a sense of more rain to come.

When Gail and I planned a small addition to our house two years ago, we added an office space for me to hold up in. The plan was a small space for a couple computers, speakers, printers, scanner, fax and reference books. It will be two full years this December that the project was completed. I've decided that a bigger space would have been nice but the list of intrusions would have been greater too.

The dog's bed lays under the window, a filing cabinet was added to "contain" the myriad of garden bills and records, and a paper shredder that always needs to be emptied rests against one wall. Gail found a beehive super minus the frames at a yard sale which someone had refinished to sit on end and use as a file of sorts. It works well for all our gardening catalogs and letterhead. And then there's the church lecturn she found at an antique shop someplace. I thought it was an odd purchase when it first came through the door but it has worked nicely as a catch all, although it looks much better without the clutter.

I never did finish decorating as controling mail alone by itself has taken an incredible amount of time, let alone the web site and family business. Still, a 1929 print of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, a print of Abe Lincoln and family, and a shadow box of one of my arrowhead collections are a good enough start to give me some peace. I have one of Sandy Raynor's garden ladies mounted to the right of the window and she always looks at me as I glance out towards the gardens. I should probably move her to the wall behind me so she can look out at all the color. Sandy operates Goosepeck Studio from Peacham but the garden lady is just a fine piece of pottery so she doesn't do much but entertain me. Just thinking about her reminds me that I should probably head for the St Johnsbury Farmers Market and see if Sandy is there selling her creations. Sometimes she sets up there.

So as I sit here this morning, still waiting for more morning light and enjoying my space, I've been thinking about garden visitors. There have been lots this spring and summer. Thousands. And I've enjoyed everyone but the person who dug a chunk of Pacific Blue Edger from the lower hosta garden. At some point in their life, that person will pay dearly for the misdeed. It's unfortunate. If that person was without means I would have given away a piece. Different people have different priorities in life and the respect that was so common when I was a kid is not always prevalent now. One bad apple out of thousands is really not bad.

Visitors come in various sizes and shapes, in and on a variety of motor craft, and at all times of day regardless of whether we are open or closed. Some visitors fly in on the wind and visit and leave almost without notice. The other afternoon I was thinking more about dinner than visitors and a couple from Ontario stopped by. They were camping up the road and saw our sign and decided to visit. They grow for a farmers market and at one time operated 9 greenhouses in a tomato growing business. Now they are down to 3 houses but that takes lots of time and works well with the man's retirement and his wife's work as a nurse. She'll retire too in a couple more years.

Visitors are often willing to share about themselves and their gardens. Sometimes I almost feel bad when I can't talk and have to keep customeres hustling along. Gail says I talk too much and probably would sell more if I would talk less. She may be right but I know that people who feel comfortable here come back and buy again and that's part of being a success. My discussion with the Ontario folks included hydroponics, buying seeds for greenhouse growing, energy, taxes, the Canadian medical system, and farmer's markets. It was an interesting disucssion.

Earlier this week a couple stopped from Pomfret Center, Connecticut. Gail was waiting on them and I was heading to the lower garden when I noticed their business advertisement on their truck door. "Litha Hill, Herbs and Flora" It caught my eye. Herbs, oh herbs. Gail and I grew over 50 different herbs back in the 80s and we sold at the Burlignton Farmers Market. Bethany Bowen told us about her business, her theme gardens and her thoughts of writing which I encouraged. We discussed publishing companies and the benefits of getting your name out in a variety of ways. They were camping at Kettle Pond or Stillwater....can't remember... and I was supposed to be planting hostas anyway so we parted after a plesant conversation. I need to spend some time at their website but you might get a chance before I do. Go to http://www.lithahillherbsandflora.com

Garden visitors include insects like the one pictured above. With our changing climate, we see more insects each week than ever before. I rarely know the insects like I used to but this is winter's research work. I have a collection of beetles in the freezer and will sort them out when I have a minute. With people visitors I have memories of good conversations. Gardening is a friendly pursuit and good friends are nice to have.

From the moutain above Peacham Pond where the ruby throated hummingbirds are competing with bumble bees at the bull thistle blooms.

Gardening wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Blackberries, Black Bears

As you begin to enter the middle of August in this part of Vermont, it becomes apparent that Nature is issuing reminders that summer is fun and it will continue, but it's time to give a thought to cold days ahead. Yesterday it was fogged in here for the first time. Not the Downeast Maine kind of "fogged in" but a fog dense enough to make turning out onto the main highway a challenge. I sat there by Route 2 yesterday morning looking up, then down, then up, then down, hoping to see someone's lights before turning onto a typically busy road.

Yesterday was the first foggy day and in a sense it was nice to see and feel. As I got about 400 feet lower down the mountain than our 1500 feet here at the house, the sky cleared and in the distance the Green Mountains stood strong and clear.

Today in contrast, it was colder but also more clear. The morning sun made the dew shine on spider webs and it seemed to calm insect life to a standstill on the waving goldenrod blooms. Seemed like I woke every hour on the hour last night with pains from yesterday's chores but nonetheless I wanted to get a start on a new day and work the stiffness away with a good walk. I grabbed a coffee and headed down to the field. I intended to try to locate a couple Trillium undulatum for Eric as he had expressed an interest in a couple for his place in Groton. I've been gathering and planting trillium seeds here for a few years and I have had some success. The T. undulatums are later to bloom and I hoped I'd find a good crop.

As I rounded the corner by the tall scotch pine, a movement caught my eye. I pulled back behind a small maple and watched as a doe and twin yearlings fed on the grass. Seconds later I saw a small fawn, spotted, but in good shape, eating the white clover. My mind raced backwards through deer history and for some reason I found myself thinking about The Yearling. How old was I when I first read that I wondered? When I was first allowed to hunt as a kid, I remembered young deer being called "skippers" by the older men. "Saw a doe and a skipper", "only saw a couple skippers", "don't be shooting any skippers"....phrases which reminded me of past times when hunting was more important; for our family, deer meat meant something to go with the potatoes and beans.

I watched for a while but when the big doe looked right at me, I knew it was time to move along. The deer were one step ahead and raced away. I headed towards the white spring but changed my mind and headed down the road that circled back to the pond road. The old log landing had the makings of a great blackberry crop last week but this morning it was well trampled. The bears had spent some time here and the easy picking I expected was not to be. I collected a berry here, a berry there and went about my way. Black bears change their eating habits and they eat the prevailing food which right now must be berries--blackberries. The blueberries have ripened and are dropping to the ground or drying off on their stems.

I made the circle through the red pines and back down to the north side of the ridge. I stopped and looked through fallen balsams and found my first Trillium undulatum. Its shiny red seed pod caught my eye and close by were two others. They seemed well protected from deer and that made me happy as the pods weren't quite ripe yet. Deer love trilliums and often eat the pods before the ants get a chance to disperse the seed. Often they both beat me.

As I headed out towards the road, a red squirrel scurried by with a spruce cone in his mouth. The ground was littered with green cones which means the squirrels had been busy in the trees cutting crops for winter storage. They have a habit of starting early. I wish I could say the same about the woodpile I need to get working on.

When I made it to the road, a single partridge flushed. In the distance I heard what I thought was a car pulling into our drive. I moved right along, checking the washed road sand for tracks. As I made the final bend, the drive was empty. Must have been the paper delivery person. "Good", I thought. There was time to sit outside, scan the Sunday papers and have another cup of coffee. A saucer full of blackberries and cream would have been nice too but the black bears enjoyed them instead.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond, where the porch light makes obvious the number of moths which like Oriental lilies.

Gardening wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Blue, blue, blueberries

The day started early for me but as with every day now, "early" is really a little later as the sun noticeablely rolls over in bed one more time before alerting us that it's time to get going. May and early June are better months for a gardener as you needn't wait for the sun to jump start the day.

I wanted to get the daylilies deadheaded and then pack the truck with recycling. My plan was to get to Montpelier early and then get back here before Gail and Alex left for the day. I needed to sort the recycling, pack the trash and get to the barber by 7.

I still go to a barber although most all my friends go to those salon places that ask you what you want and charge you extra for asking. My barber asks me how my family is while he cuts my hair the same way every time. He always ends by holding up a mirror so I can approve how he cut the back. I always wonder what he'd say if I said it was terrible but I never do because it's always the same. Back in the days when I went to the barber with my dad, he called it "getting your ears lowered". He also had a very boring line at the end of all his haircuts about how he had to pay his barber to find hair to cut. My dad was quite bald but he always wanted his hair short on the sides and back.

I got back on time and got a good start on the day. I was set up in time to take the dog for a final walk out back before the first customers showed. He's the only dog I have ever owned who doesn't like wild blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. Maybe Chihuahuas aren't real dogs. In contrast, I really enjoy berries of all types and when I walk in the fields in August, I keep a detailed eye out for the shape of berries.

This morning was no different except that I was surprised to spot a little grey fox so intent on eating blueberries that he didn't notice us. These are neat foxes rarely seen around here. They have special traits such as the ability to climb trees but they eat about the same as their cousins. Our dog lacks good eyesight and didn't make the same connection I did. I remained motionless by an apple tree as the fox used its tongue to roll berries off the bush. I assume it didn't drop many as it never lowered its head. When I pick berries I'm forever dropping some and then I bend over to try to find what I have dropped and in so doing tip over my bucket and make a real mess. Grey foxes obviously have more talent and don't feel compelled to pick up what they miss.

I could have stayed longer but I knew people would be arriving. Karl and I headed back to the house with all too many interruptions for him to smell this and that and water things down as only male dogs can. Two ladies were waiting for us and Karl greeted them harshly enough that I walked him backwards through some lilies so he couldn't approach them. The day had begun and it would continue until about 4. Somewhere during that time I reminded myself that I never posted Gail's recipe for her famous blueberry coffee cake. It's best with wild blueberries but cultivated berries will do. You'll feel a lot better when you eat some if you picked the berries yourself.

BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE

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

Topping:

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

Combine dry ingredients and cut in butter. Make well in center, add milk, eggs, vanilla. Stir until moist. Fold in blueberries. Spread in 13" X 9" pan. Top with topping which has been mixed together. Bake 375 degreees for about 25 minutes.

Don't tell anyone what you're doing when you make this the first time. Once people find out about it, they mess up the pan in short order and about all that's left is crumbs and little walnut pieces.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where the quiet night is darker than a pocket,

Gardening wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

More Than Yellows and Oranges

As the sun rose above Peacham Pond this morning, you could almost confuse the morning for a September day, save for the fact that the leaves are not showing any sign of change. It was 50 degrees when I first checked the thermometer and oddly I grabbed a sweatshirt before heading out with my coffee. The air seemed cooler than it really was and the grass was wet with a heavy dew.

I checked for the still absent Sunday paper and then began my ritual of deadheading the daylilies. This is a daily task apparently relegated to the garden gopher that I am as I can't remember when Gail went through the garden on this mission. Often Michelle helps or does it all herself but this morning I knew I had to get things going before customers started to arrive.

As I walked up and down each row it became apparent that the cooler night didn't move the spent blooms on as quickly as warmer nights. I had to use other signs to decide which buds were wasted and which were going to open for the day. Age has a way of modifying ones eyesight and making certain tasks trickier than they should be.

It was almost nine before I finished and I had six, five-gallon buckets filled with aging buds and a few clumps of sourgrass. Time for another cofee and another look for the errant newspaper delivery person I thought.

Michelle arrived about 15 minutes early about the same time Gail exited the house with a pan of blueberry coffee cake and chocolate chip bars. Customer treats...sugar to keep me going...a form of bribery to get through another busy day.

We greeted each other and agreed that yesterday was a productive day and today had the makings of a repeat performance. I had a feeling that all would be well. I reflected for a minute and recalled with a mental smile the three year old boy who made his way to the sand box yesterday and invited me to play. "Do you want to play with me?" he asked. "I'd like to play with you", I replied, "but Gail has a long list of things for me to do and I have to get busy with them--work you know?" Spontaneously the little guy turned to his mother and asked "Do you think he could ask his mother if he could play with me?" You know, I really like Tonka Toys and I would have liked to crawl in the sand building roads and castles with the boy but summers are short in Vermont and gardeners have to work hard and save play time for later. Maybe next time.

Meeting lots of people each day means lots of stories. We exchanged some stories with each other and then a red Subaru pulled in the drive. It was our friend Eric from Massachusetts and he was just in time for some cake. Eric has a summer camp down in Groton that has been in his family for a number of years. Gail and Alex and I had a chance to visit him there a couple weeks back and just visiting once made it clear why Eric likes to leave Massachusetts most every Friday night after work and make his way north. His camp has a beautiful view down the valley and there is a peacefulness to the site which is worth a lot.

"Have a piece of cake, Eric", invited Gail with a smile. "Already had one, thank you." came the reply. Gail's baked treats are just that and folks who have tried them before seem to locate them on subsequent visits with good speed. Two more cars pulled in, I took a brief walk through the gardens with Eric and then the morning became of busy blur.

Shoppers often talk to themselves. It doesn't matter if it is shopping for clothes or groceries or flowers at Vermont Flower Farm. As I walked down a row to help a couple ladies, I heard one express that she just didn't need any more yellow or orange daylilies. That was a clue to suggest some other colors even though I didn't agree with what was said.

With +60,000 registered daylilies on the market, there are a lot of oranges and yellows. Good gardeners look beyond that fact and look to the personality of the daylilies. I used to be an anti-orange gardener myself until I was introduced to some of the Chicago series, to Tuscawilla Tigress, Reggae Tiger, Thumbellina, Rocket City and a fairly large cast of oranges. Some have ribs, others have nice throats, some have heavy textures. Oranges and yellows have great talent to me and pairing them with other colors strengthens each flowers beauty. Yes, there are more colors than yellow and oranges, but mixing the ones we know with the other flowers and colors we like brings us closer to the palette of garden color we enjoy so much.

Gail yelled out an apologetic question of sorts. "Excuse me, but can we spare one more Tetrina's Daughter?" Before I could reply, one of the ladies asked "What color is that one? I like the name." "Yellow", I said, "Pale yellow, on a tall plant with thick scapes laden with a high bud count." "Can I see them?", asked the lady. I grabbed a shovel and motioned her to follow me. There are more than yellows and oranges in the world of daylilies, but Tetrina's Daughter is a yellow you'll remember. I dug a fresh one for Gail's customer and one for mine. Yellows are nice, Tetrinas Daughter is special. Maybe the lady will rethink yellows and oranges.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where some kind of big black beetle is persistently striking my office window.

Gardening wishes, health and happiness for the coming week.

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Tall superbums, granite companions

The sun is peeking through the top third of the tall white pines while the gentle morning breeze rustles the poplar tree leaves. Two ravens just coasted into the compost pile for breakfast. One already left with a piece of rock-hard French bread that was passed over by busy gardeners more intent upon a good presentation at "Daylily Days" than a tidy kitchen. It looks like a beautiful day in the making and after the late afternoon thunderstorm yesterday, the plants are sparkling clean.

I hadn't had a chance to get down into the lower shade garden for a couple days and was happy to see the Lilium superbum in bloom last night. These are a tall native lily which have well established colonies in southern New England. They can be found here and there in Vermont along the Connecticut River and some of its tributaries. It's a tall beauty reaching over 8 feet when mature. Probably the best garden collection I have seen is at the little cemetary at Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe. I haven't been there for a couple years but it used to have hundreds on display.

"My" superbums were intended to be part of a masterful garden art project which I started in 2000. Granite abounds in this part of Vermont which is good and bad depending on what your plan is. As glacial erratics, there are pieces of glacial tossed granite everywhere. If you are a farmer, this presents a problem, If you are digging a well or home foundation site, this presents a problem. If you are a gardener, you have a fine collection of excellent stone material to work with.

In the old days over 200 years ago, farmers located huge pieces of granite left by the glaciers and then sliced off pieces for foundations. They hand drilled the granite and then plugged the holes with water-saturated soft wood and waited for spring. The wood froze and expanded and in spring the pieces were broken free. Some were symmetrical and others which broke unevenly were tossed aside. I am told that in later years the wood plugs format was replaced by brass striking pins and granite shaping could take place year round.

My original plan was to drag a number of these pieces out of the woods and erect them with a tractor and chains. Plant some granite, I thought. That happened in the year 2000 when I pulled out 7 pieces and got Gail to direct the "planting" operation. The tallest was 11 feet in length before we sunk it in 3 feet. The shortest worked out to be a bit less than 5 feet tall. My plan was to grow 5 foot circles of moss around the base of each stone and then begin circles of various epimediums. My thought was that the moss would make the granite stand out and the epimediums would eventually fill in and make a colorful bed in spring and then again after Labor Day. As a backdrop to this I planted rows of Hosta 'Tall Boy', Lilium henryi and Lilium superbum. Since these all bloom in late July and on into August, the backdrop would be colorful I thought and a piece of natural garden art would be born.

Good ideas often get interrupted and this one did too. I couldn't keep up with the weeds and although the lilies and hosta grew well in the back, the deer came through and leveled them a couple years in a row. Weeds infiltrated the front part and the moss grew well but when we weeded, the weed roots picked up clumps of moss and made the plan a mess. Last summer I gave up on the idea and in haste began planting new hosta acquistions amongst the granite spires. This kind of art takes a while to mature anyway so I do have some time to develop the first plan. Maybe, maybe not. Time is precious.

This year I have worked hard to keep the deer away from the area. Although they have eaten many of my nice hosta right to the ground, regular sprayings with Tree Guard have kept them away from the Lilium superbums. My fencing project has been interupted by Daylily Days but I'll get through that in another week and the lilies should be safe. In the meantime they are spectacular. There is something about that granite that makes the lilies look stronger and more colorful. If you get a chance, stop by and take a look at the tall superbums and their granite companions.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond, where a bittern just landed by the trout pond, looking for a crayfish breakfast,

Gardening wishes, good summer days,

George Africa
http:vermontflowerfarm.com

Wild Bunchberries, Wild Blueberries

I was up by 4 this morning to try to get better organized for Daylily Days here at Vermont Flower Farm. It didn't cool off much last night and sleeping with the windows open did little to cool the house down. There's a fair sized black bear in the neighborhood and although I haven't seen him in a month, the thought of him checking out the house in the middle of the night is an uncomfortable thought. He has a reputation for walking on neighbors porches and peering in through kitchen doors. He was here one night and stood outside the bedroom window talking to himself. I'm not good at bear talk yet but I made a few comments of my own after he woke the dog and us up.

There's lots to do every morning just to prepare for the days business. Just picking up pots which have ben knocked over in the night can be a chore. Moose travel through often and although they don't eat anything, they don't seem to care where they walk. The bear and the deer make obvious where they have walked as pots are tipped over in wandering paths. Little harm is ever done to the plants but they have to be righted again and that takes time.

I got outside as the sun pondered rising today. I already miss the month of June when 4:15 in the morning makes you feel like you're getting the best possible gardening time. I took a walk out back to stretch a bit and inspect my new deer fence. If you've read the section of our website named Deer Control http://vermontflowerfarm.com/deer.html
you have read about the evolution of patience in dealing with deer. I have reached the pinnacle of tolerance and save for breaking out the deer rifle, fencing seemed the logical but expensive next step.

Searching for a good price on the Internet proves that you're not the only one with deer problems. Prices for rolls of this 7.5 foot by 330 foot extruded plastic fence vary by over a hundred dollars a roll. When you tack on the freight, the order is best placed while sitting down. The fence is only part of the solution as you need something to hold the fence up such as posts and you need wire similar to electric fence wire top and bottom to keep the fence tight. These items sound easy but you need some mounting hardware too. When you're finished, it's best not to share the total price with loved ones.

As I walked the perimeter of the unfinished fence I was pleased to see that it had at least slowed the nightly forays into the lower daylily garden. With a little luck I'll have two rolls up and a third roll layed out by tomorrow. Farming, even flower farming, is tough work.

I walked out along the red pines. A couple turkeys scurried for cover, one much slower than the other. They had been scuffling through a leaf pile looking for insects and worms and seemed a bit bothered by the distruption. I couldn't tell where the other family members were as they are usually in a small flock morning and late afternoon.

My eye caught the red of the wild bunchberries. They bloomed during the heavy spring rains this year and I feared that lacking any oppotunity for bee pollination, the berries would be non existent. Not so. They were growing nicely and stood out from a distance.

The wild blueberries was a different affair. Bumble bees are the chief pollinator and they obvioulsy found spring work difficult as the berries are sparse this year. Cultivated berries are a different matter so we'll have plenty for blueberry coffee cake, just none of the tiny wild ones with the great flavor and more firmness. I bent over and picked a couple handfulls, moving slowly from bush to bush. "Low Bush" they are and my back began reminding me that this was not the way to start the day. I enjoyed my morning walk but it was time to get to work. Maybe there's still time this morning to convince Gail that a blueberry coffee cake would be a good start to a busy day. Maybe.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond were the temperature is already 77 , the air is thick and the daylilies are glorious.

Gardening wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Miss Tinkerbell pictured above.

Daylily Days

The sun and the deer flies gave up chasing me around the garden about 40 minutes ago and it actually feels good to be able to sit down for a few minutes and not move. Gardening is good fun but tomorrow begins our "Daylily Days". Lots of nurseries in Vermont have little events during the time daylilies are blooming. Here at Vermont Flower Farm we grow over 400 daylilies and have something like half that many for sale now. Gail always has some "buy-this-much-and-get that" program and this year she has several daylilies you can pick from if you make a $15 purchase. One purchase of $15 or greater and you get a daylily of Gail's choice. These are always great daylilies with fine roots. Some will bloom this year, some have already bloomed, all will bloom next year.

I have to be honest about these daylilies. Some are the result of me ordering too many or too few, or getting a mislabeled plant or finding out that the plant tag fairy stole the tags on a whole pile. Gardeners are funny about plants and plant tags. Most gardeners could give a care about a tag and they'll tell you that. If they are looking for a particular plant and you sell it to them, that's the end of the line and they're happy, tagged or taggless.

Some gardeners just have to have the tag. They keep records like a baby book and the tags are like the birth certificate which starts the whole record. At least these folks have a purpose to what they are doing. Then there's the final group like the person who came the other day and spent two hours figuring out that she had bought the hosta 'June" from Home Depot. She bought one of ours for a friend and then actually asked if I would mind if she took another label out of a pot so she could mark her Home Depot purchase correctly.

I will remember this person for quite a while and I will include her in my 'Beloved Country' list. If you don't know me, you don't know that I love America a great deal even on days when some show less respect for themselves and others than I think they should. Hemerocallis 'Beloved Country' is the daylily pictured above. We sold too many and don't have any for sale this year and that will be a problem. It's a strong daylily and a really nice one. It doesn't have any modern day hybridizers special traits but it is one I look for every year. Seeing 'Beloved Country' come into bloom just makes me feel good....and I like the name too!

Another thing that makes me happy is that Gail is making her famous blueberry coffee cake for the first customers who show. Arrive late, no coffee cake because Gail can only make so many of these delights. Now they aren't really famous but when someone you don't remember gets out of their car and asks if you have blueberry cake, it must be close to famous.

Famous can get you in trouble and famous as in Gail's blueberry cake was costly to a gentleman last year. He returned last week asking when the cake would be ready so I guess last years expense has been forgotten. Here's the story. He arrived with his wife on a daylily mission but as soon as Gail pointed out the coffee cake, he sat under the umbrella eating cake as his wife picked daylilies. After a while she was ready to go and she called him to come across with the checkbook. Long and short of it was that she filled the back of the car with her daylilies, emptied his checkbook and reminded him that if he could have been a little easier on the cake and more helpful to her, it would have cost less. I recall a couple minor mumbles and then they waved and smiled as they drove away. I expect they'll be here about 9.

Daylily Days are good days, rain or shine, and we'd like you to join us. If that doesn't work, you can check out what we have to say about our daylilies at http://vermontflowerfarm.com
or you can visit another nursery which grows daylilies. Vermont has many fine dayliliy growers and they'll all be happy to teach you what you need to know. I cannot say that they will offer blueberry coffee cake.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where I'm happy to report seeing 5 monarch butterflies in the mildweed patch today. Some people are bothered by milkweed but to me it's our part of trying to keep a terrific butterfly coming back year after year. When I was in first grade I saw my first one break out of a blackened chrysallis and to this day they remain a treasure--another important element.....like 'Beloved Country'.

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Botanist I'm Not

Sunrise often brings evidence of things gone by or things which the eye has missed. Developing an eye for detail is something which has always intrigued me and I have been fortunate to be able to spot things which others have missed. My daughter Amy used to say that I turned this into micromanagement which she detests. My son Adam, clearly different than Amy or me, pays compliment to our abilities. Alex is the youngest and at almost 14, he thrives on detail with a photographic memory which puts each of us to shame.

Sitting here this morning I can see that the screen on the office window needs some attention if I intend to see the floral beauty in the field below. Gardeners have great intentions but little time in the summer. Gail and I are no different than the rest of you. Three years ago we planted the bank in front of a new addition to our home. I went to Cobble Creek Nursery down towards Hinesburg-Monkton and bought a great selection of 35 spireas in different flower and leaf colors. Gail interplanted them with some daylilies and rudbeckias and we underplanted with three bushels of daffodils.

In the time that has passed, weeds have grown in abundance and looking out the window is like looking at Kate Carter's Wildflowers of Vermont. The problem with the window screen is that it has served as a collection agency for pollens and leaf petals, insects and insect parts. My desk lamp at night lures all kinds of flying things to the screen, peppering the window with various residue. Although the window is dirty, it's still fun to figure out what it has trapped. Leftovers. Details.

Last night as I returned from a walk out back, I spotted an interesting flower. I had seen it before and remembered asking a botanist friend for the name. He replied "pipsissewa something-or-other, I think" and I left it at that. I took some pictures and returned home. This morning I tried to work through the "something-or-other" part of the identification but it's difficult for me, as a botanist I am not.

One book led to another and I ended up with a book Gail gave me for Christmas in 1981. It is Summer & Fall Wildflowers of New England by Marilyn J. Dwelley. It was printed by Down East Enterprises, an arm of my favorite Down East, The Magazine of Maine. The plant I was looking at was one of the Pyrolas from the wintergeen family. The pipsissewas belong too so my friend was correct and my memory wasn't as bad as I first thought. These were all about 8 inches tall and each waxy looking flower has a long pistil which curves noticeably outward. It was that detail that caught my eye. The plant is said to like acid soil and there is no other here at Vermont Flower Farm.

Field and woodland tours this time of year can locate botanical treasures. An eye for detail helps. There are many wonderful flowers to see and various resources to help sort out the names. An eye for detail isn't needed to remind me that work beckons.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where the morning sun is turning last nights dew to steam that is rising couriously across my dirty window screen.

Gardening wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
Daylily Days start this Saturday. Come early!

Finding Beauty

It wasn't quite 5 AM and the ravens were carrying on a conversation that must have contained a forbidden subject for which most were being actively scolded by one of the adults. It was a noisy affair and it reminded me of the first time I had dinner with some soon-to-be in-laws. That was back in 1969. I was reminded of an assortment of topics which were forbidden dinner table topics. They included politics, religion, death and disease.

My mother-in-law, long since passed on to a better place, made the rules very clear just like the raven adults. She also was the first to break them as she pleased while being ever so quick to remind me of my mistakes. I liked to spice things up once in a while because otherwise the food was great but the discussions boring.

Gail was up early today as she had to get the hoses ready to get things watered. Hot days will dry out one gallon potted plants quickly. Our daylily events start this weekend and we want things looking nice so thorough watering is critical. I reminded Gail that the heat and humidity were oppressive at 79 degrees and lacking the least breeze. She thought for just a minute and said the heat was actually expressive. Oppressive? Expressive?

Gail explained that many things are happening on our planet which remind us of serious times. This week's heat was a reminder of a similar historical heat event which sent problems through the food producing regions of the country. In1995, there was a major heat event here in Vermont and many, many Vermonters found themselves without water. Well drillers worked round the clock and when winter arrived, many remained waterless. I guess Gail is correct when she says the heat expresses a recurring weather type which we well remember because it is so negative. Here at Vermont Flower Farm we have one of the finest water supplies available but when it doesn't rain, we have to man the hoses, oppressive heat or not.

Despite the heat which encourages complaints and keeps good gardeners from visiting us, the month of July is a time when a couple of my favorite native flowers bloom. These are both beauties. One is the Lilium canadense pictured above. These are candelabra types which have small, creamy orange to red turks-cap type flowers hanging downward. The second is Lilium superbum which are larger and taller, with large spotted, orange-yellow combinations going to smokey red towards the petal ends. Both these lilies enjoy marsh perimeters or the edge of woodlands. I have had success finding them in the sandy soils along the Winooski River and also along the Connecticut. A friend reminded me the other night of their frequency along railroad beds, probably because of the abundance of organic material and often times more moist soil conditions.

Some years ago when L. canadense seed was plentiful, I collected a baggie full and spread it along a tiny brook in our woods. The brook travels down a hill from a beautiful spring which comes bubbling out of rocks and granite dust. Last year the first sign of success was obvious in a 5 foot stem with 6 buds. It was surrounded by wild raspberry bushes and I thought it might be saved from the deer. Wrong. One night when they stopped to get their Vitamin C fix, they ate the raspberry leaves and topped off the lily too. No seed last year.

Apparently the deer did me a favor as the bulb grew larger instead of spending energy on seed production. This year's stem contains 27 flowers and is a beauty at over 8 feet tall. I took this picture standing in the bed of the pick up truck. Despite the high temperatures, hard rain storms and the threat of hail, we can still find beauty around Vermont in native flowers which give us a special showing.

If you have some time tonight or in the morning before the sun gets too high, journey around your neighborhood and search for the beauty of our wildflowers......Expressive?


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where the male ruby throated hummingbirds have begun their evening ritual of daredevil flights above the bee balm patch. They are masters of repeating a giant "U" dive, rise, dive with a buzzing noise that is sure to catch your attention.

Gardening wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Sculpting Space

Some days seem longer than others and today's heat and humidity made my busy day much longer. I was running on my last cyclinder when I pulled into the driveway but the sight of all the flowers gave immediate relief and rejuvenation . There's something about this burst of color that awakens me and makes me want to get back to a project, take a stroll journey along the walkways, or smell a flower fragrance.

After a left-over sandwich from the garden crew and a glass of iced tea, I was ready to get back to the new shade house project. I was making progress but it had already left my hands a mess with cuts and blisters. ...and my back was sending strange messages to my legs. I never liked standing on ladders much and this project has had many necessary ups and downs.

Before I could grab my tool bag and get going, a car drove in. The Delaware license plate suggested a tourist but recently we've met lots of new customers who have bought second homes in the area so my guess could be off I thought. The couple exited their car and stood in awe of the color..... speechless, calm, smelling the fragrances of the Oriental lilies while taking in the rows of flowers in various stages of display.

"This is heaven for sure!", the woman pronounced strongly. "What inspires you to design such beauty?" she asked quickly. My mind raced for an answer but only could arrive at a personal judgment question of "Why at 5 PM do I still have to answer questions?" I didn't verbalize the thought but it struck me that I was justified.

Almost without knowing it, I moved into an answer, part philosophy, part horticulture, as the couple drew closer, genuinely interested in the answer about how our gardens came to be. I told them that I always enjoyed sculpture and that I thought our gardens are a manner of sculpturing our land and air space. I expressed that we enjoyed not only the colors of our flowers but the complementary heights and textures of the foliage. I said that we liked to make places to daydream and places with magic where hummingbirds can fly and feed. I meant what I said but that seemed not to satisfy my visitors. I invited them to walk the gardens as if they were theirs and see if a walk heightened their understanding of how I felt. I explained the layout and invited them to meet me at the shade house if they had questions. We parted.

The land tapers where we began installing a new shade house for sun protection for the end of the hosta row. It's a 20 foot wide by 30 foot long metal pole structure which should have a 50% shade cloth cover by Saturday morning. The slope of the land means it's 7.5 feet tall at one end but almost 9 feet at the opposite end where overflow cars park on busy weekends. I climbed the ladder and began finalizing the support arms. I had picked the largest manufacturer in New England for this product and it seemed that along with an absurd purchase price came some painful blood blisters from trying to force pieces to fit before they were sanded smooth and greased.

The view from the ladder put me five feet above normal and I noticed things I might have walked by. The Cimicifugas, renamed Acteas, looked special today. Gail had planted a 'Brunette' and a 'Pink Spires' next to an antique planter she found in St Johnsbury last year. Three different astilbes and a couple daylilies at the base of the planter solidified the small but colorful vignette. Beyond the fence a single pink Martagon lily stood five feet tall, rising from the middle of a cloud of pink astilbe plumes from 'Strassenfederer', my favorite. The view was spectacular in all directions.

I worked along until I had completed the initial installation of 22 supports. By then I was too tired to make the final adjustments but I had a sense that I had come a step closer to completing a big project. When you're tired your senses don't always register when they should and I was unaware my visitors from Deleware were standing by the ladder watching me catch my breath.

Gretchen and Tom introduced themselves and said they had made an offer on a farm house in Danville and they were certain their bid would be accepted. They'd know by morning if not sooner. Tom, who had barely spoken, said that they were exceedingly impressed by the tranquility of the lower shade garden and struck by the colors they saw everywhere. As I thanked him for his kind words, he continued that we would be seeing them in the future when they were ready to begin their gardens. They seemed to want to be certain I understood the importance of their decision.

I thanked them for their confidence in us after such a brief introduction. We shook hands and they headed for the car. "Bear left until you come to an old piece of blacktop and a heck of a mess someone made clear cutting", I said. "Go right, up to the top of the hill where you'll meet Route 2. Go right there and on into Danville." They smiled. "If you get lost, we'll have supper in an hour. Leftovers". They both laughed.

All gardens are good gardens, each with a special purpose. We want our gardens to represent the way we care for our friends and our surroundings...and we think they do just that. If you're out and about tomorrow like Gretchen and Tom, stop by and see if our gardens give you a sense of discovery. Our guess is they will.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond, where a big moth is trying to melt through the screen and get to my desk lamp,

Gardening wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

We're All Different Gardeners

Yesterday turned out to be a hot day but the absence of rain for a change brought out a number of gardeners who wanted to see color and walk our gardens. A couple from Cabot arrived in late morning. They were perhaps beyond serious gardening years but nonetheless enjoyed what our gardens offer. They had been farmers all their lives on a farm that was in the woman's family for five generations. The couple was as devoted to each other as their family had been to farming and life in Vermont. They made me feel good and sad at the same time.

Gail invited them to walk down and view the shade garden we have growing within the confiines of an old barn foundation. As soon as she spoke, she noticed that the man's walk was unstready and she cautioned him to consider looking down from "the overlook" instead of negotiating the uneven ground. He agreed as his wife came down to visit. Farming is tough work and it takes its toll on every farmer.

The woman could easily have written a book about life in Vermont and five generations at one place sure generated a lot of stories. I am always fascinated by this type history and listened carefully. The most recent history was the saddest as her brother had been the last to operate the farm. When he passed on early in life six years ago there was no one left interested in farming and taxes encouraged them to look at the Land Trust. The land went into trust and the buildings were sold at auction. Thankfully the land is protected in this format from development and can be enjoyed as long as it remains in trust. I enjoyed my conversation with the lady and could have talked on for some time. I wish she would write about her history.

In 1947, there were 11,200 active farms in Vermont. If you keep this in perspective, almost every one who founded our country was a farmer to begin with, as raising crops and animals was part of survival back then. By the mid-sixties the number of Vermont farms had dropped to under 5000 and today there are less than 1200. After this spring's rains and floods, I'm sure that number has dropped further.

Every farmer, just as every gardener is different. Some are more successful and have more to share than others. Since farming just like gardening is not required on the scale it used to be, more folks need more information about gardening. Here at Vermont Flower Farm we spend a lot of time explaining things to people. That's how we're built and that's what we believe we should do. We give out information every day and by the number of phone calls we receive, we must be doing a good job. Books and the Internet are very helpful but first hand experience has a different meaning.

I can hear some plates rattling and that means breakfast is about ready. We're late today but it's Sunday. In the old days, many farmers tried to take a rest on Sunday. They'd do the necessary milking but they'd try to catch some rest. After breakfast, we'll walk the gardens together and then get ready for our first customers. If you're out and about today, stop by and walk with us. We're different gardeners but we enjoy our gardens and their peace.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond, where the tree swallow kids got kicked out of the nesting boxes and into adolescence yesterday by impatient mothers,

Gardening wishes;

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Deer Patrol

Saturday morning and it's getting late already. It's almost 7 and my only accomplishment is my morning walk. During the work week, my morning walks are brief and serve as a jump start to the day. On weekends, rain or shine, I take my time and try to see how things are growing and what areas need attention. When two gardeners try to take care of a couple acres and 15,000 potted plants, there's no doubt the list is always formidable. Gail reminds me of this quite often!

It's foggy this morning and 64 degrees. The sun is burning through and the forecast for a 90 degree day looks accurate. A single raven has been sitting on the tall tamarack next to the lower daylily nursery. It has been talking to itself for almost an hour, apparently lonesome for companionship. Its call reminds me of a book by Bernd Heinrich, Ravens In Winter, which I really enjoyed several years ago. All his books are good with inherent messages, forest facts and an understanding of how nature works with man.

Morning walks are deer patrols too as this time of year the does are out and about with their fawns and gardens are a great place to teach youngsters the beauty of a garden snack. I'm not enamored with these critters when they're in the garden as they can do great damage in a single night. I have used Tree Guard for years as a deterrent and have had super luck with it. It is a latex, spray-on product with a very bitter agent named Bitrex and an accompanying reminder scent that tells animals they already have bitten into something they don't like. Tree Guard has been well tested and it sticks tight to foliage for over three months but........you have to spray it on to make it work.

I sprayed the lower hosta gardens two months ago when the plants were growing well but I never sprayed the retail area at all. The deer hadn't been around and then I headed west for Seattle. I noticed a little damage upon my return and then a few days later noticed with disappointment that they had trimmed the flower scapes off a whole section of my favorites. Tough doing any hybridizing without the flowers.

I have sprayed everything again and things look under control this morning save for a section of 'Sum and Substance' sports which I obviously missed and the center of a few big 'Tall Boy'. I don't know what flavor 'Tall Boy' is in deer flavors but it must be good as they always love it.

The astilbes will be in full glory in a week. If you haven't incorporated this fine plant in your landscape, drop by and see the colors and the height variations from 10" to 5 feet. If you travel down around north central/eastern Massachusetts, stop by Leo Blanchette's in Carlisle and you'll see the best collection going. Seawright Gardens is right there too so it's worth the stop. Today I notice another 10 varieties in bloom and Gail's display garden is probably at about 1/4 bloom and coloring up quickly. This is a special sight.

There's lots to see on a morning walk. It's often cooler and quieter here and the traffic from the pond is minimal before campers head to town for their morning papers. It's an enjoyable time to savor.

From the hill above Peacham Pond where the lawns are growing quicker than the mower,

Gardeninig wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Plant Architecture

73 degrees and a bright sunny start today. The temperature will rise to the eighties and by the time I return home I know it will be time to get the hoses ready for watering. The past couple days have enticed the daylilies to spring forth with abundent bloom. It's worth a trip here to see the daily changes. Our daylilies aren't the most recent releases but instead they represent dependable plants for this zone....plants which will be there every year and will provide good color and numerous scapes. This morning I have noticed the species daylilies catching the morning sun and I'm reminded how very far the world of daylilies has traveled.

I try to make a quick morning walk before leaving for work. I love this time of year because the sun is up enough by 4:30 that I can make a walk and still take a picture if I've missed something the night before. I noticed 'Tin Soldier' this morning and wanted a picture but in haste didn't notice a small slug eating breakfast until I put the picture on the computer screen. I'll try again tonight. This morning 'Tin Soldier' had company from 'Mini Pearl', 'Miss Amelia', 'Antietam', 'Strutters Ball', 'Chorus Line', Double Cutie', 'Carefree Peach', 'Lemon Lollypop', 'Siloam Little Girl', 'Siloam Space Age', 'First Show', 'Yellow Bouquet', 'Susan Elizabeth' and 'Spider Miracle'. There were probably others but these made my list before my coffee cup was empty.

All flowers have a personal architecture and sometimes it's fun to just stop for a minute and study a plant. My eyes settled on a pink cleome this morning. I must like them as I bought a flat of 48 to plant in the front bed this spring. They don't look as well as last year because of all the rain but with a few days of sun and a little fertilizer I think they'll come around. The flowers are amazing and I often think they'd make a great metal sculpture for a place like the art park in from of the Seattle Space Needle. Maybe there's even a place for such a piece here at Vermont Flower Farm....maybe.

Time to scoot. Heading for Newport on the Canadian border. An hour and twenty minutes if the valley fog has cleared and an errant moose doesn't want to chat.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where the ravens are fighting over some crusts of bread,

Gardening thoughts and greetings,

George Africa
http://vermonflowerfarm.com

Happy Independence Day!

To be able to live in America is something I respect very much and Independence Day reminds me of the various freedoms we can enjoy without worry. There is no greater place where there is more freedom and opportunity. This is not to say that times don't change and folks do some things we don't agree with but our freedom of choice remains strong.

When I was young we lived near Rye NY until my Dad decided things were getting too crowded and he moved us to Vermont. I remember going to Coney Island to see the fireworks and remember family trying to figure out how to be on the Cyclone rollercoaster when the displays were going off. I don't think there were any height requirement bars back then to gauge how tall a kid was and whether they could ride safely or not. I know I was really short and I know I was really happy when the ride ended.

Each night since Thursday night the fireworks have been firing at Peacham Pond. This morning at about 7 a display sounded off as it always does, marking the start of the day's festivities. Leftover fireworks will continue on for the rest of the week, almost to the point of suggesting "that's enough reminder of our independence for this year."

The flower world in this part of Vermont signals a show comparable to a good fireworks display beginning right about now. One flower that blooms is nature's firework, Allium christophii, pictured above. This is a globe of shiny lilac colored star-like flowers on a thick 24-28" stem. They don't hold their color as well in the hot weather we have been having but they are very interesting to see and they don't make noise. I have always been surprised that the seeds don't germinate here. Perhaps I should study this closer as the plants do form a seed pod at the end of every flower but for the thousands of seeds potentially produced, I just don't see quantities of new plants. This is a common allium and readily available on the market.

The daylilies are popping one after another and if we can get a couple days of good sun, they will green up and look more like daylilies. The astilbes are showing color and with this spring's heavy rains, their display will be the best ever. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by for a look. More than half of Gail's collection is on display in the lower hosta garden and there is a row out beyond our peony nurersy which includes one of every astilbe we have ever grown. We're weeding out that nursery right now but the colors should be very evident in a couple days, despite tall grass. Astilbe 'Washington' has been out for a week now, as has 'Peach Blossom' , 'Sister Theresa', 'Final', and 'Radius'. It's already 78 degrees here so I'm sure more will bloom by noon.

The phone is ringing and Karl is barking. That means today's first customer has arrived. Guess I best get moving.

Holiday wishes from the hill above Peacham Pond, where families and friends gather to enjoy each other and their independence!

Gardening wishes'

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Return to New England

Summer days skip by quickly and as July 4th approaches I am reminded how much busier it is here at Vermont Flower Farm than before I left for the west coast a couple weeks ago. Despite where you travel, there is something special about returning to Vermont. My trip to Portland and Seattle was a good one, always too short and always leaving me with a list of places to visit that will be copied onto my next trip schedule.

I like the Seattle airport if you can like an airport at all. It doesn't seem as noisy to me and there is plenty of space in the central core to find a place to sit. I am impressed by the way the display cases are managed as they exhibit local artisans and businesses. This visit's display was impressive and occuped me for some time.

Glass art sculpture has intersted me more each year. The technology has obviously changed and the productions are just incredible. Some of the artists I saw on exhibit are originally from the East coast but they are all worth a memory. I copied down the websites of three galleries and they deserve a visit. http://www.friesangallery.com; http://www.rileygalleries.com
and http://www.travergallery.com

Individual artisans that were impressive were Dan Dailey from New Hampshire, Karen Willenbrick-Johsen, and Preston Singletary. If you're not familiar with some of the recent glass work, this should start the journey. I have been told there is a glass museum in nearby Tacoma but that too is left for another trip.

So back here in Vermont there is still more of the heavy rain I saw on the trip back. From Washington to Philadelphia, it is a real mess. Vermont farmers that were in trouble before the spring rains have thought about closing down, vegetable gardeners have replanted two or three times, the strawberry crop has been very poor and August blueberries will be at premium because the bumble bees were too wet to pollinate their favorite fruit.

Our gardens here at Vermont Flower Farm look very good, save for some yellow leaves here and there where water settled for too long. The daylily 'Spider Miracle' flowered yesterday and it brought a new light to the garden in the middle of a thunderstorm. The early 'Lemon Lollypops', 'Stella d'Oro and 'Black Eyed Stella' are out in abundance. When I make my morning walk in a few minutes, I know there will be 12 or 15 new daylilies to look at and photograph.

The sun is bright this morning and the day has the makings of a hot one. It's already at 78.6 A big doe just when through the lower field so I better get going here. No doubt she's looking for some flowers in the lower garden and I'd prefer she went elsewhere. The native Lilium superbum have exceeded 8 feet tall and are setting bud. I have never figured out how deer do it but they eat the flower buds. Oh for a disciplined Border Collie!

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where the loons call at 3 AM

Garden wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com