Assorted Astilbes That Amaze

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

A quiet morning here on the hill where even the birds appear waterlogged after days of rain. Nothing seems to be moving save for the raucous ravens in the distance who seem to disturb mornings as if it is written in their job description. I can smell the fresh coffee which means that Gail will be in here in a minute with a replacement for the remainder of last evening's leftover. Gail cannot start the day without fresh coffee so I usually play cleanup.

The regular rains have really changed how the plants are looking this year and it's worth a ride to our new Route 2 location just to see how things are improving. The astilbes were originally housed under a very nice 80 foot shade house which took flight a week and a half ago when a giant storm passed through. The house was completely destroyed in a storm that made me think I was entering Oz. But between the rain and the average temperature, the astilbes have flourished and they are excellent. The pictures here are not fresh as they are now just setting buds now but I expect many will begin to open today. The pictures will give an idea of the colors and maybe encourage you to think about them more. If you check our website
you'll get to read a little piece I wrote about astilbes and see some of what we offer. The grossly outdated astilbe section is lacking another dozen-fifteen varieties Gail added in the past couple years but just the same you'll get the idea here. I'm starting with Amethyst above.

The whites and cream variations are very nice and I am surprised I don't see more of them used in wedding and anniversary floral work. They are easy to pick and ship and with sturdy stems they hold well in displays and arrangements. Deutchland and Weisse Gloria are a couple more not pictured here in company with Bridal Veil which I like.

Europa (above) and Sister Theresa (not pictured) make the move away from white and have value for contrast. There is the airy, open look and then the tighter flowers which work very well as fillers and background stems in arrangements. Within the garden they add a texture and a height variation which makes a rolling display much more complete.

Glow is sometimes sold as Glut and I guess that just represents another of the challenges in the flower world where the same plant is registered with different names. This situation is far different than the phony mail order places that say they are wholesalers who buy in masses of plants and put their own made-up names on to confuse the public and make it difficult for people like me to explain to gardeners that "No, we do not have Pink Weeping Raindrops, but we do sell Strassenfeder, an ostrich plume type astilbe I really like."

Astilbes can be planted individually or in mass plantings. This pink Hyacinth astilbe is a favorite of many as it puts out lots of scapes in time and flows nicely in the wind. The only problem I have is the name as I always have to think and insure I don't confuse my "hyacinths" and my "hyacinthias"
Kreimhelde (above) and Lolypop (below) have interesting coloration in the stems which adds to the garden and arrangements. The foliage variation in astilbes is one of their strengths and adds to garden opportunities.

Years back a great astilbe was released named Visions. We could never get enough of it. Then Vision in Red and Vision in Pink (above) were released. The tight bud count and long lasting flower period offer just what the gardener ordered.

It's 6:30 am now and one of our new astilbes is named 'Rise and Shine'. I've been up for a couple hours already but for some, it will take a blast of an alarm clock to actuate the day. Good garden wishes for a pleasant gardening day!


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where Karl the wonder dog just finished a morning walk with Gail and our gardening day has begun. If you don't have astilbes included in your garden yet, check out Vermont Flower Farm and place an order soon. At our new nursery, Gail has planted great swaths of the various astilbes we sell in a garden which parallels Route 2. She began planting the taller varieties near the road and worked them out over 75 feet towards the daylily display beds. In a couple weeks the ribbon of color will be special. Come see!


George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm:A website with useful info
Vermont Gardens

Busy In Marshfield

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Day stretchers would be a popular product but they just aren't available. Working full time and helping Gail move our nursery to a new location leaves little time at the end of the day. Most days now I only get as far as what thoughts to share on The Vermont Gardener and Vermont Gardens

Please accept my apology and scoot over to The Vermont Gardener for today's post on growing extra crops for the hungry. This reminder is more important this year than ever before. You can play a great part in only minutes so don't put it off as you can make a difference.

In the world of flowers at Vermont Flower Farm, the peonies are glorious, the astilbes are just beginning, and 6 different daylilies are already in bloom. The perennial bachelors buttons are as blue as can be, the poppies are exiting the garden after last night's rain, and the trollius continue to bloom in places I don't remember planting them.

As you survey your gardens, look carefully for wild parsnip and giant hogweed, two very bad and noxious weeds which have the affect of poison ivy on many. A lady told me the other day how much she enjoyed watching kids pick Queen Anne's Lace to give to friends and parents. I recommend great caution with kids because sometimes white and lacy is not safe. Give it some thought and start the summer with family and friends not dealing with a terrible, uncomfortable rash and infection.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where Gail just said "Let's go there!" Kinda like a farmer with a team of work horses, eager to start the day. Do I get breakfast first?

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Growing great flowers for sale in person or on the web at vermontflowerfarm.com

Colorful Mornings, Noisy Ravens

June 18, 2008

52 degrees here on the hill. The sun has come up quickly above Peacham Pond and the ravens are apparently hosting a breakfast convention as they are noisy this morning as if protecting their young from an intruder. Perhaps they have just found a lazy owl and are practicing harrassment techniques. I yelled at them twice but decided to save my breath as they are intent on what they are saying.

Mid-June in Vermont has flowers coming and flowers going. I wish I had taken more pictures of the Japanese primroses this year as they were special. They are easy to grow and they naturalize well in short order. Raking the gardens in the fall moves errant seeds to new locations and the color spreads over time.

The trollius are about 85% passed now and the hellebores have of course formed fat seed pods with all the rain. Gardeners up this way don't seem to be too familiar with this flower and should use it more as coupled with some early pulmonarias it gives the hummingbirds food when they arrive here about May 8-9-10.

The tall bearded iris are coming along nicely and some of the Siberian iris are starting. Gail loves Double Delight and also Caesars Brother, which looks striking when paired with lemon lilies--the old, nocturnal, fragrant, slowest-of-all-to grow daylilies. There is a beautiful planting of this combination on Route 2 at the entrance to Goddard College in Plainfield. It just went by this week but is something to keep in mind for next year.

Poppies are in abundance and we enjoy them until they finish blooming at which time they become a problem. Dozens of people ask for poppies every year and 95% of those folks do not know what a mature poppy after a rain storm or after bloom time looks like. I should get out and take some close ups of some as they are very neat flowers (remember Georgia O'Keefs painting of the orange ones? If you cut a bud when the outer casing has just cracked and color is showing and you hold a match to the cut stem to sear it, they make a beautiful cut flower. Just make yourself toss them out when they begin to droop or you'll have a table full of black pollen.

Besides the lemon lilies, Lemon Lollypop, Eeenie Weenie and Bitsy or out for daylilies. There are probably others but I haven't really looked yet. The five foot tall thalictrums with fluffy lavender blooms are quite showy and worth the price for what they lend in color and texture to gardens this time of year.

Here on the hill the James MacFarland and Miss Kim lilacs are butterfly magnets and Miss Kim can be the location for a night time training session in entomology. The flowers have a fine fragrance which lures anything with wings, especially at night.

The list goes on but there's nothing like a garden walk in mid June when you know the snows won't return for some time and while you wish the deer flies, black flies and no-see-ums would go away and never come back. Speaking of going, I have to get to the nursery and get going.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where be have closed our nursery and continue the move to Route 2, on the western edge of Marshfield village. Come visit, and give us some encouragement to keep gardening, even in tough times. If you can't make it, try our website and order something you cannot find elsewhere. The site is old but the products are excellent.


good garden wishes.......

George Africa
The appropriately biased "Vermont Gardener"

Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

Heat and Hostas

Monday, June 9, 2008

Almost 7:30 PM and still 80 degrees out. The girls on the evening news were commenting on this being the third day of high temps in Vermont but since today missed 90 degrees by one degree and since you need three days to make a heat wave, we have to settle for "damn hot" (92, 91, 89) instead of "heat wave". Winter is a long time for me, so "damn hot" or "heat wave" are just fine. Gail just fired up the grill and is making supper outside tonight even though I said I'd settle for a nice salad and an iced tea. Gail always tried to do a great job whether it's family, friends or customers. (Hope she can find a little leftover potato salad as it was special!)

After work today I painted the last of the trim boards for the new building at our nursery in anticipation that this will be the final week and we can really settle in. Kim and Lennie will be there tomorrow after their regular work day and if it's raining, the electric and insulation will be finished. If it's just hot, the last of the siding and the trim will go on. We're really pleased with how it looks and feel especially good when folks ask us who designed it. They don't seem to believe that the firm of Gail and George have been designing together for some time and work well together.

As I walked around waiting for the primer to dry, I noticed a pot of Golden Tiara hosta which was sporting. All plants do this but it's more noticeable with hostas because you're always looking at the leaves. Rearrangement of genetic material results in new plants which when separated from the mom need to be grown on for a while. If they are stable, you're in business with a new plant. In the case of Golden Tiara (leaves on left of above photo), the new, all yellow, very luminescent leaves have been registered as Golden Scepter. It looks like this later on.

If the sporting goes forward and a white outline develops around each Golden Scepter leaf edge, then you have another registration, Platinum Tiara. I sold three of those Sunday so I guess they continue to be popular even though they have been around for some time. Here's Platinum Tiara taken today in one of our gardens. Looks kind of neat with the Japanese Primroses and "less" neat with the wild impatiens.

I've got a ton of paperwork to get through tonight so writing will be short. If you get a chance, stop by our new place on Route 2 in Marshfield. Same name, same people, same plant varieties, new look, new ideas. If you cannot make it in person, relive what we grow and sell at our website.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where the ravens are speaking in nasty terms I cannot decipher and a male hummingbird just perched on a light blue bearded iris outside my office window. The day is coming to an end.

Gardening wishes;

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

Fire Up The Tractor

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Sun begins to break through the fog as my mind races with the list of today's things to do. It has been busy at Vermont Flower Farm as we make the final changes and close out everything at the Peacham Pond location. If you haven't stopped by our new location on Route 2, Marshfield, just a half mile outside the village coming from the west, today couldn't be a better day. If you can't make the journey, our Vermont Flower Farm website is a tad behind but still has a good representation of about 75% of what we have to offer gardeners.

In the gardens, the trollius are in full bloom. We have six varieties for sale this year and they are all special. A lady called them double buttercups yesterday and she was close to correct as they are members of the same family. The poppies are about to pop and today's heat should be sufficient encouragement. Poppies are something people always want until they see what they look like after they complete the flowering process. That's a story of itself but if you know poppies, you know what I mean. The early astilbes are quite early this year and are forming thick buds already. This is encouraging as they are a foundation to many of our gardens and we have one of the largest offerings in New England. Gail and I began planting 30 foot swaths of them in a new garden we are building so people can see them as they travel along Route 2. Next year they will be incredible, this year they will be more than special.

Tall bearded iris are in bloom and for some reason there seems to be more interest in iris than ever before. We don't sell the tall bearded types any more, only the Siberians but we might be coaxed back into them in the future. The colors are incredible and they really aren't all that expensive. Just don't try to plant them in wet or well amended soil as they will disappoint you.

Some daylilies are setting flowers and the peonies are going to be incredible with all this rain. I picked a bouquet of fern leaf peonies the other night for Gail and got a very nice reaction for my time. We have four varieties potted and for sale on Route 2 including a nice double pink I really like named Mrs. Margaret Truman.

Guess I better get going here. The tractor is parked by the compost pile as I need another trailer full to plant hostas with today. I'm doing a little "watch-me-work" talk on hostas today so if you are around, stop and see us on Route 2. The gardens are fun to watch grow!

Good gardening thoughts;

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

From the mountain where red breasted grosbeaks remain at a friend's bird feeder prompting him to leave it up versus a black bear walking another friend's porch, this time looking for a bird feeder and prompting her to take theirs down. Oh yes, saw an Indigo Bunting yesterday too! A blue that cannot be described. Come visit.

Lily Leaf Beetle Pictures

Memorial Day 2008

I had mentioned an article I wrote about using dormant oil sprays. Here's the link again and some pictures of the beetle I took yesterday. Lily Bugs! Included in the Friends of the University of Vermont Hort Farm Newsletter

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the temperature is an even 59 degrees at 6:30 PM and the rain is gentle and constant.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm A place to purchase great flowers at good prices
Vermont Gardens A blog about growing a nursery business in Vermont

Seeing Red: The Lily Leaf Beetle

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Gail and I have been growing lilies for years and now we have had the misfortune of coming to meet the lily leaf beetle. We are not alone as it has now swept all lily growing lands east of the Rockies and on into Canada including Nova Scotia. I wrote about using dormant oil as a control last year and the article was recently reproduced on the University of Vermont's Hort Farm Newsletter. Here's what I wrote: Lily Bugs!

We've been really busy moving our nursery to a new location but here are some pictures so you know what you are looking for. I took the pictures this afternoon and the maturity of the beetles suggests that they are well established. They have an ability to fly in so it's impossible to say whether the size of the problem is local or the bugs have simply found your lilies. Feel free to reproduce the pictures as you wish and alert other gardeners to the problem.

Note: Satellite problems so will send other pictures soon.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

Lily Leaf Beetle: BEWARE!

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Have to scoot out of here in a minute as we are moving our nursery this weekend. Thousands and thousands of pots heading down Peacham Pond Road to our new location just west of Marshfield Village on Route 2. Half mile out of town on the left if you are heading towards Plainfield. Should have an "Open" sign up by noon but it will be a week before the bulk of the material makes its way there. Help is welcome, people with trucks and spare time will be rewarded with plants and gas money.

An important warning to lily growers. I don't have time to get some pictures out but the lily leaf beetle is everywhere. I wrote an article which was published on the net and recently by the Friends of the Hort Farm. The response has been dismal. Beetles are everywhere and lilies are being eaten. If you are a lilium grower, get out there right away and do an inspection. I'll try to get some pictures out tomorrow. I have been successful with dormant oil spray to control the new larvae.

Right now the bright red beetles, 1/4" to 3/8" long, black legs and antennae, are probably burrowing into the top of your lily stems where the leaves have not yet unfurled. Pry open the leaves and look for the beetle. Many have told me they are too obvious on the plants to be anything but depressing. I have not heard of a gardener who has not found a problem upon inspection. Hate to start the day on a bad note but if you enjoy lilies, you have to take action now.

Best wishes for a good Memorial Day weekend. Please stop for a minute and give thankful thoughts for the country we live in and those who have helped protect our freedoms over the years. The sacrifices have been great to allow us the opportunities to do things everyday which we now too often take for granted.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens Another blog I write

Quick Morning Walk

Monday, May 19, 2008

Karl and I took a quick morning walk and with one hand and a few expletives I took a few spring shots. Walking a dog in spring and taking a picture are not compatible and I know better than to try. Time is short and I keep trying to satisfy a number of responsibilities. Here are some picture thoughts to accompany your morning coffee. Check out Vermont Gardens
and you will see why I am busy.

Hellebores are a fascinating flower. They begin to bloom when cold April snows melt enough to get some sun to left-over foliage. They jump start our need to see color and always interest visitors.

Hellebores come in a variety of colors. As they begin to go to seed, all the petals, regardless of what color they start at, turn to green.

Wild leeks are prominent now. As you walk along many Vermont streams and rivers, the smell of onions will become prominent and you might not understand the source. The Winooski River was named after these onions, hence The Onion River.

There is a great variety of cherries and crabs on the market which add good height up to 12-15 feet and even are available as 6 foot dwarf specimens. This one is especially colorful with double flowers. It is susceptible to a virus my nursery friends have never figured out and I tolerate it's spring color but cannot recommend it to others.

Epimediums are a great flower which is just now receiving appropriate claim. I mention it often on my blogs. This nice ruby red with yellow center is rubrum although I notice I mislabeled the picture 'roseum' which is more lavender. Great clusters of flowers hang on a long time as long as moisture is sufficient.

Epimedium grandiflorum alba is an eye catcher. It is a favorite. Write me a good description of the flower. I have trouble saying spider-like as that's just not quite right.

The sun is rising quickly and the phone engineer just called. He's on route with my telephone cable so we can get phone and data service to our new nursery building. The conduit has been underground for weeks and the pull cord is in place and ready to bring in needed service. Guess I better get going. Hope your gardens are cleaned up and beginning to please you. We have a long way to go but a trip here to Peacham Pond Road is worth it just to see what we have and look at the hostas unfurl.

Good gardening wishes from one gardener to another!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm Place an order yet?
Vermont Gardens where we offer news about our new nursery!!

Catch Up Events

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Time is limited today. Please go to Vermont Gardens at http://vermontgardens.blogspot.com

for a quick update on why we haven't had a chance to practice our writing skills. If you visit us at Peacham Pond Road this weekend, you'll find that the place in on auto pilot as we are planting with great vigor in preparation for our move to our new nursery.

In the gardens you'll see the spring colors of hundreds of hostas unfurling, the beauty of hellebores in full bloom, primroses opening forth, bleeding hearts in various stages of opening, trilliums looking great and daffodils and tulips here and there.

If you do stop by, feel free to interrupt with questions and directions of what is located where. Be sure not to overlook the epimediums in the lower garden around the standing stones. Exceptional!

Can't make it today? Try our commercial site Vermont Flower Farm We'll miss meeting you but at least you'll see what you're missing in person.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the sun has us up to 63 degrees and a flock of turkeys has moved into the lower daylily beds. Enjoy today!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

Spring Fury

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Mother's Day

I bright morning here at Vermont Flower Farm. Last night's 29 degrees left heavy frost on the grass and the promise of another fine day. That's great because there's lots to do. A reader from Townsend in southern Vermont stopped by yesterday to find out what was going on. She didn't think I was writing enough and I agreed with her but pointed out that moving a nursery business is kind of like moving a family even if it's just across town. I begged forgiveness and promised that our new location would be up and running by Memorial Day. I encouraged her to walk the rows of potted plants which Gail and her crews have been cranking out relentlessly. Apparently it all worked, as she bought 11 potted daylilies and said she would see us at our new place.

During the past couple weeks, Kim and Lenny have been busy on our new building. They both work full time in the granite industry so this is a part time endeavor for them. Yesterday the rafters went up and this morning the plywood roof, Grace roof covering/waterproof sheeting and drip edge will go on. Tuesday the shingling starts, then the windows and doors slide in and then the siding goes on. I am the gopher on this project. Kim and I designed the layout based on what Gail wanted and then I finalized the materials lists and bid out the various items. We are really pleased how this is turning out. Gardeners eager to read about spring garden flowers will have to show patience too as they don't make day stretchers and my days are already quite thin. If you're in the neighborhood, do stop by. We are open for business on Peacham Pond Road as we work along on US Route 2.

Yesterday morning I noticed a red Subaru slowing out front at 5:30. I knew it must be our friend, Eric, who lives and works in Massachusetts but has a camp in Groton. Eric loves Vermont and if truth be known he'd rather be living here. I was packing the truck with tools for the job site so he accompanied me down to see how things were advancing. I got things set up for Kim and Lenny, and then Eric and I came back for breakfast with Gail. We hadn't seen each other since last fall so there was lots to catch up on.

Eric is a gardener but he's also an experienced bird watcher and he knows ornithology like no one I know. As always, I had a bird question for him. Gail and I had seen a new bird recently and it was totally unfamiliar to us. We described it as grosbeak size with the breast color of a male robin, black with white wing bars and a most odd habit of scratching the ground under the maples and the spireas with both feet. Good or bad the description was more than enough for Eric and he immediately said "Towhee" and then described the call as "drink-your-tea-ee-ee-ee-ee' Rufous-sided Towhee.

We told Eric of the annual visit last week of a mature male osprey and then fell into catching up on winter and spring events. The conversation had to end too soon as we had to get to work and Eric had some things to do at camp.

Today is Mothers Day and we want to wish all mothers a good day. We have some special things in the greenhouse for Gail, and Alex has crafted his typical card which I haven't seen yet. The day will be busy but our celebration at the end of the day will be a sincere thanks for all Gail does for Alex and me. Sometime this afternoon we'll also slide in some time with my mother-in-law, Miriam, now 91 years young. No matter how busy you are today, try to let your Mom know you care.


Writing form the mountain above Peacham Pond where 1500 plants, mostly hostas, await my presence at the potting bench. Spring sales have been exceptional with incredible astilbe sales because of a brief mention of our business name and website in the spring Better Homes and Gardens Magazine perennial issue. We'll be here at 256 Peacham Pond Road until Memorial Day and then will be at our new location. Stop by if you have a chance.


George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

Afternoon Walk

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

It's been a long and tiring day today so being able to sit down for a couple minutes is a welcome opportunity. It was snowing on Camel's Hump when I headed up I-89 for Burlington at 10 this morning and here at 5 PM it's snowing outside. Not big flakes, not lots of flakes, just enough white stuff to chase away the warm thoughts of the two previous weeks of out of the ordinary 65-80 degree weather. Gail said that she and Diana got chilled outside after they unloaded a delivery truck so they came in by the wood stove and chatted and wrote plant labels for the balance of the afternoon. The wind is up now and I can understand why the warm stove and a cup of coffee needed no coaxing.

Between driving and sitting all day I needed a walk. Karl the wonder dog is sick again and he was not interested in the cold weather so I journeyed by myself down the road towards the pond. Spring is unfolding a little at a time and as you glance around you see signs of green and color here and there. It is relaxing after a day's work.

Trilliums have always been a favorite and the second to bloom here, the white Trillium grandiflorum, give great display as they rise close to granite stones and walls. They are preceded by the Trillium erectum, the Purple Trillium, Wake Robin, the Stinking Benjamins of my youth that kids made funny faces about. Trillium undulatum is the last of the three Vermont native trilliums, but they will be a while yet.

Cabs wrote the other day from Terra Nova Design and mentioned the New England Wild Flower Society and Nasami Farm Native Plant Nursery and Sanctuary. If you enjoy wild flowers such as trillium, this is the place to visit. Their site has a calendar so get yours out and compare some dates.

Trilliums are easy enough to grow as long as you have patience as it's not uncommon that they require 5 years before they flower. Once they start, they only grow bigger all the time. The age-to-maturity requirement keeps production low and the sell price high but if you are interested, stop by this fall and I'll have some ready. In the meantime, enjoy getting out for a walk.



From the mountain above Peacham Pond where it's cold and blustery right now.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm Place an order yet?

Welcomed by Bergenia

April 28, 2008

The two plus weeks of unusually fine spring weather turned cold yesterday afternoon and t-shirt weather turned to sweaters and sweat shirts. It started raining when I left here this morning at 5:15 and by my return home tonight the buckets along the path had well over an inch of rain. Currently it's 44 degrees and the wind comes and goes in gusts . Despite all those days of 65 and above, I can still see snow covering the lower astilbes. It is truly an interesting spring.

Gail and crew has all the potted perennials uncovered. This is a laborious task because in fall we cover the masses of pots with insulating fabric, construction grade poly and then old tires to hold everything down. The good news, however, is that there is almost no loss from freeze-thaw cycles and the plants are ready to take off as soon as they are uncovered. This was apparent yesterday when the wraps came off the section that included Bergenia 'Eden's Dark Margin' (above) which quickly spring upward and began to open flower buds.

Bergenia is an interesting plant which we only got started on a couple years back when a neighbor called us in the middle of spring garden clean up. She was tired of bergenia by her home and also some February Daphne by the driveway. We were the lucky recipient along with a bunch of iris. Gardeners are generous like that and it's not uncommon to come home with boxes of new plants. By the way, the common name of bergenia is pig squeak, a name which captivates Alex in his admiration for pigs. I don't believe I ever saw a young person so interested by reading Animal Farm and so pleased with a mounted Russian black boar I found hanging in a Williston antique center. The book is on the shelf and the boar now hangs above the couch in Alex's TV room, proudly displaying a WWII bonnet that belonged to my dad when he served in the North Atlantic on the USS Kearny. Gardeners make interesting journeys sometimes and this one took a pig detour, returning to thoughts of pig squeak which you really might want to try sometime.

Spring plants abound and everyday something else becomes obvious in grand numbers. The Forsythia 'Vermont Sun' is especially beautiful. It almost sings when you pass by as chickadees and juncos make it their temporary year round home. The Trillium erectum are well budded and the Trillium grandiflorum are following nicely in large numbers this year. The insideous colts foot weed is a yellow I dislike seeing as it means more bending and digging in an almost futile attempt to free its foothold on the gardens. The poorer the soil, the more the colts foot matures and succeeds.

Even though it's raining, I think it's time for a quick walk with Karl, the wonder dog. It's been a long day today and some silent conversations with hellebores in the lower garden is in order.


Writing to you from the mountain above Peacham Pond where wild turkeys are everywhere.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

Wild Flowers Among Snow Banks

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

A bright morning at Vermont Flower Farm. 23 degrees out which will make the maple sugar producers happy as it brings on a forceful sap flow today. Karl the wonder dog enjoyed his morning walk to the point of irritating me with his unidirectional move towards Peacham Pond when I wanted an about face and another cup of coffee. While I was coaxing and he was tugging he encountered an early morning coyote track and that scared him into redirection and home.

The snowbanks along the road are still three feet high but the snow in the fields in approaching a foot. In the woods the snow depth is another story, but Spring is on the way. Yesterday I saw some more killdeer eating bugs in the grass at our new nursery and flocks of geese headed north by following the Winooski River. Last night I heard the barred owls calling for a mate at about 4:30. That is typical for them now. They were a good half mile off but I am relieved to hear their voices again as I know they had a difficult winter.

April has been good to us this year. The snow plow sits half buried in mud now but it hasn't moved at all this month and that is nice. Last year this time we were fighting 50 mph winds, power losses, downed trees and 3 feet of new snow. There was a dose of depression mixed in there too. This year is different and although the snow is deep, today's 68 degrees will warm us mentally and physically.

It will be some time before our wild flowers are even visible but along the Champlain Valley growth is visible and flowers will be out in another week where the sun has warmed the ground.

This is the time when one of Gail's favorites begins to rise from the leaves. Hepaticas. Her real favorite! They push slowly upward and seem to take some time to form buds. They show impatience that urges daily visits to check their progress and then they burst open about the time hard rains fall and their beauty is dampened by rain drops and maybe a few brown spots from fungus. For that all too brief period of time, they are brilliant!

Hepaticas are easy to grow and they reproduce easily. They also form seed pods without trouble but as with many wild flowers it takes a while from seed. If you do some searches you

will find some variety available. I cannot recommend suppliers but I'm confident you can. The New England Wild Flower Society is an excellent resource and they have an annual sale that will knock your socks off.

Spring is a time when the days are longer but not long enough for us. I'm heading to Newport in a few minutes and that is on Vermont's NE Canadian border. It's 75 miles away. I wish I was heading into the gardens.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where greedy blue jays toss sunflowers to the ground, looking for perfect seeds and a good breakfast.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

Welcome Feathered Friends

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

On its way to 5 PM here on the mountain. Although the sun is not as warm as it was a couple hours ago, the thermometer reads 53.6 and that's fine by me. Alex and I just returned from a walk with Karl the wonder dog and I have about 20 minutes to let fly with some thoughts before stuffing a roasting chicken and getting a few vegetables ready for tonight. Gail is away this afternoon and I promised to have dinner ready between 6:30 and 7. So far we're all on target. We have welcomed the warmth of spring and I am particularly pleased that the snow plow hasn't moved in a couple weeks. Last year this time we were deep in snow and we needed a boost. Now things are looking better.

Last week I saw a couple more turkey vultures. These are the highway vacuum cleaners, the road kill clean up crew that does an excellent job picking things up and apart. They are also one of Alex's favorite birds but don't ask why. Robins that were infrequent are everywhere and this morning I almost inherited a woodcock window decoration when I headed down the last hill towards Route 2. I like woodcock and think of them as little vertical take off planes. Just like mourning doves, they refuse to move until you are right upon them. Then this afternoon on the way up the hill from work, a male bluebird flew across the road and into a tree. That color blue is difficult to describe and matches my enjoyment of the less frequent Indigo Bunting.

Color is clearly an "eye of the beholder" thing. Gail and Alex are blessed with this talent for color which is good for me because I always have a resource to consult. Last summer I also noticed that Michelle, who helps us in the summer, has a similar eye as she arranged some excellent displays down front that sold flowers for us. It's one of those "you have it or you don't" things and I guess I didn't make the grade. I can pick good flowers and plants though and lilies have been on my mind lately because a number of people at work have asked for advice about buying and planting them. This is really just another chapter in that old book Can I Plant My Easter Lily? but I feel part of my obligation as a plantsman is to share knowledge with others. Here are some thoughts and some pictures.


Way up top is a grouping of Scheherazade, a super Orienpet which has a petal border when it first opens that is almost gold even though it's really green. It's an easy plant to grow but more complicated for some to pronounce and most to spell. I am forever leaving out a letter here or there.

Next is Sorbonne, a nice pink with a special fragrance. If you can get it in sync with some Pacific Giant Delphiniums you have a nice combination that will bring lots of fine comments.

Oriana is another Oriental hybrid with lots of talent. The slight shine to the petals contrasts with the heavy pollen and the upward facing flower is nice. The pure white Siberia, below, is smaller than the ever popular Casa Blanca but nonetheless it fills the need for a workable white Oriental lily with fine fragrance and petals with plenty of substance.


Finally there is Shiraz, a slightly muted pink which heavy pollen accentuating the pink petals which flow nicely in heavy clusters. No fragrance with this one but mixed with just one Oriental stem and the bouquet or the garden takes on new interest.

Lilies are great plants and the colors guarantee a nice display on the sideboard or in the dining room. Tonight I wish I had a nice bouquet for Gail but the best we have is the red azalea, left from Easter but blooming as strong as every. Now for the chicken and fixin's

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond were three mourning doves just became five at the feeder. The magic of nature!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

Cimicifugas Became Acteas

Sunday, March 30, 2008

A quarter of the moon is high over the tamaracks already on it's way to Montpelier, Camel's Hump and New York before it retires from sight until tonight. Following behind is the sun which hopefully will warm a 6 degree night into a nice day without wind for a change. Yesterday I took Alex to one of his programs in Jericho and at the base of the mountains in Underhill, the day had the personality of early January instead of "almost April". Not too nice!

We've had a series of family situations here at Vermont Flower Farm which have kept me away from many responsibilities. Gail's mother, Miriam, two weeks shy of 91 years old, has been very sick and has required Gail to be with her almost constantly. That need kind of rearranges life for other family members. Karl, the wonder dog, has been back to the "not too healthy" routine for a couple days so we have worries with him too. Fortunately Gail, Alex and I have been quite good, but tired through this. At times like these, I remind folks that lives, just like gardens, need a good plan. When you pass 50 years old, it's a very good time to sit back for a minute and figure out who's on first base and what's the plan to make it home.

I'm a contingency person, in the garden and in life. Everyone is not. It really is a good idea to think through what you will do with your parents as they need care. It's equally as important to consider each other and what happens if one of you falls ill and cannot continue on with the original plan. Many people chose to live by themselves and that poses even a different layer of challenges. I find that having a plan makes it easier to deal with unannounced challenges because you have had the opportunity to run things through your mind.

Gardeners and their gardens age together. Each year, gardeners write to listservs and ask for advice. They have spent years creating and collecting beautiful gardens and suddenly find that they can no longer continue on. It can be something as simple as the trip back and forth to the ground to plant or tend or weed that is just too painful a journey. What happens to the beauty of people or gardens may not be the same.

There isn't any book of answers here, just like Gail cannot turn to page 26 of Dealing With Mom With Compassion, to find a recommendation on handling her mother. There is no book by that title but if there was, people would turn to it I'm sure. The decisions are difficult. Sadly, sometimes gardens fall into the same category as old folks and there is a limited interest in being involved with them. Here at Vermont Flower Farm we have contingencies and just want you to think about yours too. It's good advice.

As if there's always time to get everything done, Gail returned home last night at 9:30 and almost before she finished with a snack, asked me how many cimicifugas we have for sale. This is the sign of too dedicated a gardener. I was struggling away at the new website and I do mean struggling. I had just finished writing the description for Hesperus, a great daylily from 1940 and I found it difficult to mentally switch gears to cimicifugas. But I did. Cimicifugas are high on my list just like Hesperus because they lend a strength to the garden people always look for.


When the conversation finished, we agreed that we had around 100 atropurpurea. These are the cultivar that eventually reach +9 feet tall even though most garden labels say "3 feet" We have about 20 Brunette, about the same number of James Compton and we have half a dozen Hillside Black Beauty that I really don't want to part with. Someplace here we have 40-50 Pink Spike which is another favorite.


Cimicifugas were reclassified a few years back and are now known as Actea. This is the same family as baneberry which some of you like. I've mentioned this before but continue to have difficulty making the name transition. Regardless of the name, these are great plants. Although they have a fairly shallow root system (above photo) it's a giant mass that holds tight to the ground. They do well in wet areas but seem to prosper on garden perimeters where half shade, thick organic matter and consistent moisture prevail. If you have visited Vermont Flower Farm before, you've had the opportunity to ask "What is that thing?" as we have a giant A. atropurpurea planted in full sun right next to the umbrella table we use as a check out. It will certainly exceed 10 feet this year!

To give you an example how A. atropurpurea fits into the garden, here are two shots I took at Maine Coastal Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine last summer. Look to the right of the pine tree in the first photo and you'll see the white, bottle brush like bloom scapes. In the next photo you'll actually be looking through the scapes back towards the reception center there. This perimeter placement is an excellent use for these plants. If you are big on garden architecture, include these in your resource list.




The sun is rising and Gail just headed out to her mother's for the day. Alex is sleeping and Karl is stretched out in the sun on the floor next to the window. Looks like I am on my own for a while. Hope you have a nice day. All gardeners that read this don't have to wait for 3 feet to snow to melt before they can get excited. We still do!



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where two red squirrels sit on the snow drift outside my window, front paws grasped together, waiting with great patience for me to get out there with more sunflower for the bird feeder. Praying squirrels??? Have to go........


George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
who is still reworking the VFF website, juggling family matters and trying to write at
Vermont Gardens once in while too. Today is a good day to think about placing an order!

Spring has a Weak Spring

Saturday, March 22, 2008

A cold morning here on the mountain. 8 degrees and sunny. Karl the wonder dog decided it was too cold for him and he ran back to the house and dug his way under the bed quilt to go back to sleep. It has been quite a week here and the past three days have brought high winds and snow. Thursday there was wet snow and ice and I decided to plow when I returned home from work. An hour and a half later I felt like I had been riding in a tank. Yesterday morning I rose at 4:30 to plow again. The news said we received 6 inches of new snow but one couldn't tell because the wind made deep drifts everywhere that had any hollow to it. When I finished that work I couldn't get the plow off the truck and according to Alex "too many expletives" were obvious. I call it "self-talk". The slush from the night before had welded the plow to the frame and separating the two was not fun.

Today the temperature is supposed to rise into the thirties but that's still a far cry from real spring weather. If the earth has some internal spring mechanism, then it must have weakened a bit over the years because it's going to be a while before things warm up and the snow melts. Down the road less than a mile the road is reduced to one lane with large drifts so high across the field that even the grader had trouble winging back the snow. If my friend Eric from Massachusetts is reading, I guess I better share the disappointing fact with him and others that spring will not be coming to this part of Vermont all that soon. Eric has a camp at a great spot in Groton but right now I'll bet there is 7-8 feet of snow in front of the drive and another 4 feet through the sag and into the field.

Lots of folks are tending some assortment of seedlings planted sometime around the end of February, first of March. Town Meeting Day in Vermont, the first Tuesday in March, is the typical "plant the tomato seeds" date. Others plant eggplant, peppers and annual seeds. My friend Bob in Iowa plants hosta seeds before the year changes so that by now he is culling tens of thousands of tiny plants, as he looks for the hosta with the most promise. I always get as far as collecting the hosta seeds but that's about where it ends.

We tend to be magazine and book readers more than seed starters. Two magazines I enjoy are
People, Places and Plants and Vermont Magazine. PPP comes from Maine but it is a compilation of stories about gardens and nurseries in New England and upstate New York. Many people think New York is part of New England but that's just not true. VM is a magazine from down Middlebury way as I recall. Kate Carter does annual garden articles for them and she does a fine job. Kate has also written two books I use a lot, Wildflowers of Vermont and Shrubs and Vines of Vermont. These are little pocket sized volumes which make you want to insure you have them before you head out into the field.





In the current issues of each, PPP has some nice information about the hottest new annuals and shrubs and Vermont Magazine talks about shade plants and perennials and mentions our friends at Cross View Gardens in Morrisville, VT.

I belong to the Garden Writers Association and they just released a report finished this February on what people say they will grow this summer. You wouldn't have to be too together to figure that people would be thinking about planting vegetables, what with the economy and all. I was surprised how many people said they would work on their lawns and develop some more with perennials and shrubs. Obviously there have been a number of economic changes in the past month but despite the woes we face, people seem to find time to garden. I suspect that if there is less travel this year, people will have a chance to reflect upon their landscapes for a change and might well want to spend a couple bucks fixing up what they sped by in haste the past few years. With several acres of new nursery down the road 5 miles, Gail and I sure hope that's true.

Right now I have to get back to a report on autism I'm working on. I might finally get into the basement today to build a few birdhouses too. The house at the top (scroll up folks) was a gift about 6-7 years ago. The wood is splitting but nonetheless I saw a chickadee go in there yesterday. It has had multiple hatches since the first year it went up and all were chickadees. I want to concentrate on bluebird houses for the new property because of the surrounding fields. If all else fails we'll have tree swallows which are also good insect eaters. Time will tell.

Gotta' go. Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a small flock of geese just honked by. They're looking for open water but I think they should head back south for a bit.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
also writes at Vermont Gardens
and tries to sell flowers and lure customers to Vermont Flower Farm

Hot Peppers, Cold Night

Monday, March 10, 2008

5:45 PM and I haven't begun to adjust to daylight savings time yet. It's so nice to have sunlight, especially in late afternoon for trips down ice laden walks and down the road with Karl the wonder dog pulling after hyperactive red squirrels and slow-to-fly mourning doves confused by evening. I'm tired today from fighting off a virus and too many consecutive hours on the computer at work. I'd rather have physical tiredness from a garden hoe than eye strain and a mind that can't shift past first gear.

Since the snow did not leave this weekend despite inches of pounding rain, temperatures in the forties and strong winds, we are left with only a mental journey into spring. To me there's nothing like fresh garden vegetables and although it's a long time until garden produce will be ready from Vermont soil, we can dream.

As I was just looking for some zinnia pictures I had stored who knows where on distant external drive "k", I came upon some pictures I took years back of a pepper project Alex had going. I can't remember now what the exact story was but he had a few of this and a few of that and it was the summer of drought and high temps in August and the peppers did well. They did very well! We had bowls of peppers in the kitchen all winter and strings hanging here and there that lasted until one dropped to the floor and then Karl grabbed a mouthful of Thai hots and some other fairly mild pepper that still made him talk nasty dog talk for a while. In the interest of good dog health, the strings of pepper were relocated to Never Land and we made it to the next planting season.

Thoughts of vegetables made me think about community supported agriculture farms and how great they have been for many. We have one in each direction and although we don't belong to either, I can recommend both with the highest of recommendations. Just looking at their websites make me feel good and the social and educational relationships they cultivate are equally as rewarding as the baskets of fruit and vegetables you take home every week.

Down the road from here is Wellspring Farm CSA We have had the opportunity to watch this farm grow from the very first year when Mimi and Parker stopped by here to introduce themselves. They have done a great job marketing their CSA, and their website is fun to look at. At the end of each year they have a members party and they record the festivities on their site. This past year they added a video that's fun too. One thing I like is an agriculture poster they found somewhere which mentions homeland security. There is no doubt that locally produced food is our real security and there's nothing better. Neat thought and a good reminder to why CSAs are the way to go.

On the other side of us, as in beyond Peacham Pond two or three mountains and a couple valleys is Old Shaw Farm and their Down on the Farm website. I've been reading this one almost since it started and this CSA is growing just like the two kids. Peter and Maryellen chronicle the events in a very nice blog with good pictures of their kids and farm and some good sounding recipes.

Finally there is Walt Jeffries well known blog, Sugar Mountain Farm. I have been reading this since we began home schooling Alex. I was going to add the link here for a long time and just never got that far. Walt wrote the other day inquiring about agricultural greenhouse structures for raising animals and that encouraged me to get with the program. Since pigs have always been one of Alex's favorite animals, he enjoys the blog too. Today we learned how to estimate the weight of a grown pig. The instructions are easy to follow but I sure would like to be standing there with a video camera watching someone wrap a string or measuring tape around a sow's belly to get the girth measurement. Click on "estimate" and see what you think!

There's still a bunch of winter left but it's not too early to think about spring and insure that you have a good garden plan and either have your seeds lined up or a source for plants. I have one order left to place myself with Johnny's Selected Seeds, Albion and Winslow, Maine. This company has been around since 1973 and it's one of the best.

One last thing. If you find a good source for Russian Banana fingerling seed potatoes, drop me a line. This is a seriously delightful potato and I haven't planted any for a couple years. Try some and you'll know why I'm looking.

A second "last" thing:

"Don't waste time trying to teach a pig to sing. It wastes time and it annoys the pig."



From the mountain about Peacham Pond where Gail just left with a neighbor for a basketball game in Danville and I'm left with dinner duty and a sink full of dishes left from....where?

Good gardening thoughts.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
and don't forget Vermont Gardens
or Vermont Flower Farm