Summer Revisits

Saturday, August 23, 2008

54 degrees here on the hill this morning. It was so very still as I walked Karl the Wonder Dog who tried with great resistance to walk me instead. The animals and birds are lazy from the first consecutive days of heat in Vermont for some time. A doe and fawn walked carefully in the lower field, the doe looking straight at me with eyes that questioned our intrusion into "their" space.
It will be a busy day for many. Some get to start with breakfast.

Late August is a nice time in the gardening world and Gail and I try to explain to people, to coax people, to welcome people to the wonderful world of flowers that can prevail in late August and on into September. There is something very wrong with American advertising and it's all oriented to greed. This is my philosophy on why gardeners are now forced to believe that gardens stop with the last day of July. The other day Alex and I stopped at a store in New Hampshire and barely inside was a mountain of candy. I looked at Alex and queried, "Did I miss a month?" There were literally tons of bags of candy topped with Halloween displays of idiot phantoms dressed in computer generated colors. Before the candy pile dwindles, the Christmas displays will prevail.

Two days ago, two announcers on a television station advised folks to get out and enjoy the day because summer was over and kids had to go back to school. I did enjoy the day but I worked along in the gardens enjoying the various false sunflowers, the ten varieties of sunflowers we grow as cuts, the garden phlox, the helianthus and the soon-to-arrive late summer anemones. There is plenty to see and there's no reason not to have good color in your gardens.

Garden phlox are very popular and now that many have been bred to be more resistant to mildew and other fungus, gardeners are looking for them. Gail and I are disappointed in what has become our last attempt to grow them well in pots. Next year we will offer about 25 varieties, all grown in the ground and ready to dig and sell.


The other great shrub plant to grow is hydrangea. We have three varieties that do very well here and next year we intend to offer a variety of these for sale. They are beautiful in the garden but they also make great cut flowers, and cut and hung upside down for a few weeks, they turn into real assets for the dried flower arranger.


I hear noise in the kitchen as Gail is getting my lunch ready. She has some errands to run today so I will be at the nursery by myself for a while. Mike, a neighbor down the road, will probably stop by with Rusty, his Jack Russell Terrier, for a little rodent control exercise and I expect Eric from Massachusetts will stop by after his morning drive in search of Vermont wildlife. His moose reports have been slim this year and I know we both would like to see a few more and maybe a bear or two. Anyway, have a nice day and spend some time in the garden.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where the loons are calling. If you have some time today, drive into Groton State Forest and climb Owls Head. The wild blueberries, diving peregrine falcons, and the view at the top are the reward for a short climb.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Moving Hollyhocks

Thursday, August 14, 2008

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


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


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


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


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

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

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

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm

Vermont Gardens

Evening Walk

Monday, August 11, 2008

I closed up shop this afternoon at 5 as it was feeling more and more like rain again. Gail and Alex had left some time earlier to go to Montpelier for the evening and I knew it would be me and Karl taking home the trash and getting things settled at the house for the night. Despite the weather which just will not turn good for more than a few hours, the nursery looks great and daylilies continue to bloom.

Each morning, Gail picks 30-40 blossoms and puts them on a table in small, water-filled jelly jars with the name, height and price. This serves as a nice display and makes it easier for folks to make a choice and send one of us to the garden to dig a nice clump. At close of business they still look too nice to dump but evening chores includes dumping the flowers and water and washing down the table for the next day. Clean and tidy sells in any business!

I got home and was just getting squared away and Liz came a knocking with a belated birthday present for Gail as well as a gift for taking care of their beagle while they were away for the weekend. Liz is a good neighbor, not because she brings gifts but because she cares about people and is always willing to help. She helps take care of Gail's mother and is always available to help. We talked for a few minutes and then she headed home to make supper and I headed out to the compost pile with Karl to dump a load of weeds and spent daylily heads. I picked Karl three handfuls of wild blueberries. This has become a ritual for him but it will soon end as the wild turkeys are eating the berries all day long and the crop is growing thin.

When we returned home, I grabbed the camera for a few quick shots while Karl waited in the truck, sitting straight and tall and acting like a guard dog instead of a house dog. The lilies have been quite nice this year even though some have become faded from the pollen running down the petals. A wasp was holding tight to a nice Orienpet lily as if to protect himself from the rain drops. The bee that checks all bees incoming to the nest at the end of the day will be missing one tonight.

I walked up along the path and was surprised how nice everything looked even though the gardens are unkept and full of weeds. Gail and I have been at the nursery every day since the snow began to melt so the gardens around our home have taken on a new appearance best viewed from a distance. As I walked along, I came upon a clump of 'Chicago Apache' daylilies which is about two weeks ahead of itself this year. I don't know if it has been the excess rain or lower or higher temperatures but bloom time is clearly different this year.

The Crocosmia 'Lucifer' are striking this year and are like a magnet to hummingbirds. 'South Seas', a favorite coral daylily, has passed on but 'So Lovely' has begun to bloom. It's tall and dusted and very nice. 'Lusty Leland', another red we sell a lot of, peers down from the back display area and the last few 'Missouri Beauty' keep it company. Along the edge, 'Grape Velvet', one of the finest purples out there, sports 8 blooms and dozens of buds while a row of 'Mini Pearl'

with shiny foliage seem to bloom forever. Two favorites, 'Wayside Green Lamp' and 'Witch Hazel' are in the garden with the tall 'Chicago Rosy', 'Alice in Wonderland', and 'Siloam Amazing Grace'. These all need to be moved to the nursery but it will be some time yet as Austin moved three truckloads last week that have to get planted first.

There's lots going on at Vermont Flower Farm. As depressing as the constant rain has been, people arrive each day and share stories and offer words of encouragement. Our friends have had the opportunity to drive down Route 2 and watch our progress and they know well how much work we have done to get to where we are. People tell us they come back because the quality of our product is exceptional, our knowledge of the plant world is special and we always demonstrate that we care about the person we're speaking with. Gail and I have always been that way....and always will.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where nightfall comes too early even if you're tired like me.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

Stones and Superbums

August 7, 2008

It's a wet night here on the hill as it is everywhere in Vermont. The rains just keep coming and coming as more and more roads and fields and riverbanks get washed away. Tonight's local news was just a repeat of last night's and it represented the same scene around the state today as dump trucks of all colors carried thousands of tons of stone to repair missing roads. I do not know the total rainfall but was told we received 3.7" in the past two days in this area.

Gail continues to sell flowers at the nursery despite the rain. There is no doubt that we would be doing much better if we could give away some free sunshine with every new plant but apparently that's something we'll have to do next year. The forecast for the next several days is for more of the same.

Maintaining a happy face is difficult when every pair of boots I own is wet and muddy in and out. I returned from my regular job tonight in time for the news and then went down to view the Lilium superbums in the lower garden. Two years ago they were the harbinger of bad tidings when I returned from Portland, Oregon to find the lily leaf beetle for the first time. This year they look splendid with only minor holes here and there. The constant rain is shortening their opportunity to please me but their numbers are so great this year that I don't care. Single plants are obvious here and there, the work of chipmunks lacking good planting guides.

Lilium superbum are tall lilies after a few years and these were eight feet in places before they headed back to earth due to heavy rains and gravity. They are a wall of fire, a standout growing tall behind the granite standing stones I first "planted" in the summer of 2000.

Many folks enjoy Lilium canadense but frankly the superbums grow faster and easier and seem more catchy to me. Not everyone has a place to plant tall plants but as one who enjoys the extremes of garden architecture, plant them I must! Right now Karl the wonder dog is pleading to go chase a cat and I need a little walk myself.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where Gail just returned from a walk with a blossom from the double flowered daylily, flore-pleno, reminding me that I have promised two customers to bring some down to the nursery to sell.

Wet garden wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

August Colors

Sunday, August 3, 2008

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

Good garden wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Monday, July 28, 2008

75 degrees and a quiet evening here on the mountain. The ruby throats are working overtime on the red monarda (bee balm) and now at about 7:30, the hummingbird moths are coming out of hiding to provide some company. Karl the wonder dog and I just returned from the compost pile out back and in a few minutes we'll have to find some supper. Gail and Alex are in Montpelier for the evening so we are on our own.

While out back, Karl and I feasted on wild blueberries. There is a great crop this year which means the bumble bees, the chief pollinators of this fruit, were able to avoid rain showers and do their work in late spring.

My first dog was an Irish Setter. Her name was Rusty which showed the lack of creative genius that prevailed when I was five. She was a great dog save for a propensity to try to eat porcupines and she loved berries. She would tickle the branches with her long tongue and stand for great periods of time eating berries. Bear, my Walker Hound, and Barney, my Beagle-Walker, also loved blueberries and raspberries but they used the side approach with shorter tongues and shorter legs. Baker, our Pug, was too short and round to approach the branches so he sniffed for fallen fruit and begged for hand picked quantities which he loved.

I am a berry picker with great skill. Part of that came from the need to survive at an early age. Our family were hunters and gatherers and I can't tell all the stories until I check with the fish and game statute of limitations. I can pick anything and can fill more buckets than most. Wild blueberries is the most taxing however, as the branches are at best 25" above the ground and most are only 10".

Every year on select weekends at the nursery, Gail prepares blueberry coffee cake for weekend guests. This is a super cake and many demand the recipe. Some are even bothersome about asking for the recipe and hint that an occasional, fully prepared cake would be much better than the recipe itself. Since I have been neglectful in my recent promises to write it again, here it is as my closing thought for tonight. I'm very tired and just wish I had a couple pieces and a glass of milk right now

Blueberry Coffee Cake

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

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

Combine the dry ingredients, cut in the butter. Make a well in the center and add milk, eggs, vanilla. Stir until moist. Fold in blueberries. Pour in 13 X 9 pan. Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

As I have written about this recipe in the past, there is a problem with it. A 13 X 9 pan is insufficient to satisfy many people because it is so tasty that nobody can stop after a piece or two. I even know of a man who has regularly driven from a camp in the hills above Groton Village to secure a piece or two on a Saturday morning. That's a distance of about 15 miles each way. Guess that explains how great it is. Share the recipe freely and make friends happy!

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where Blogger refuses to accept pictures tonight and where Karl is barking at something I better inspect.

Good gardening wishes!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

PS: Gail's bare root daylily sale continues. She'll probably even mail you some if you call her. She is making me a bit grouchy as she is selling off tons of Susan Elizabeth and today I found Atlanta Lucky Piece in the pile. When did you find Atlanta Lucky Piece in your daylily collection last?

Heavy Rains, Bright Thoughts

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

This is the July for us to remember. The first July at our new location, the first in many which presented so many challenges, so many expenses and so many new and hidden responsibilities. One by one we have solved the mysteries and moved on to the next. Sometimes you have helpers and sometimes you do not.

This morning the rain started an instant replay of two days ago when over 4 inches fell. I just checked the weather and there's a chance that today and tonight will exceed that amount. It begins to get a little scary when the rains fall out of the sky so hard that the daylilies seem to float on the beds. This is one problem no one can fix. We have become good at predicting the weather but not good at changing it.

I was in Burlington today when the rain crossed Lake Champlain and nailed the city hard. It was not the day to have forgotten an umbrella and a raincoat. I headed back to Waterbury and then went to Morrisville where the rain was equally as strong but the area was cloudier due to elevation and temperature. As I passed farmers fields, I felt badly for them too, as getting off this year's hay crops has been difficult. In many places, large round bales sit in water, fields are furrowed with the deep water tracks of tractors and farm implements, and some machines are buried in mud waiting for a drier day. I stopped along the way and picked up three lemon squares for Gail to sweeten up her day.

As I approached our nursery, the daylilies cheered me up as did one car leaving and one entering. Gardeners are used to heavy rain and some purposefully go out in it on sojourns destined to accumulate more plants to add to their gardens.

Gail was a muddy mess as only she can become. Her boots were caked clay almost to the top and her knees were painted in brown clay and grass. Her light blue-green raincoat was a bit of a disaster and it was obvious where she had wiped her hands. She smiled as I approached, happy to tell of a surprising number of customers. I presented the lemon squares and put on some boots to check things out for myself.

If you cannot get over to our new nursery for a visit, try to enjoy the pictures that accompany this blog and Vermont Gardens. With almost nonexistent exception, the pictures I share are of plants that are available for sale. If you see a flower you like and cannot find it on our Vermont Flower Farm site, drop us an email and we'll confirm availability, price and shipping.

Despite the rains and the squo-woosh, squo-woosh as you walk, the blooms look beautiful and provide a nice show for vehicles passing by on Route 2. There are thousands of blooms and lots of good looking plants. Here are some pictures I took last night before the rain.


This first one is Joylene Nicole, a plant that Leila Cross brought to Gail as a gift way back when. Gail likes it a bunch as it has a special meaning beyond being a gift from Leila. It also has meaning relative to a gardening friend and customer who passed away a couple years back. The scapes are close to the base but the ruffles compensate for anything else you can find that you don't care for.



Jeune Tom is a daylily Gail found last year at one of her suppliers. I like the flower size and the tall scape. It can be mixed, odd-even in a row with daylilies of similar stature such as Miss Amelia. It's strong and the straight up scape makes it a good choice for a one-day flower arrangement.


Corky is a favorite of mine. I like the brownish purple scape color and the profusion of small flowers which remind me of the origin of many daylilies. Those who are interested in older daylilies have to have this one in their collection.


Chorus Line is a very nice 3.25" flower. The green throat accents the coral pink and makes it more desirous. In a large mass, it is very special. We have only sold 2-3 but I think over time it will catch on.

Bella Lugosi (below) is a daylily which Alex picked out years ago when he was preparing a stockpile of good plants of hybridize with. He was 8-9-10--somewhere in there--when he began to show interest in hybridizing. That lasted one season and was destroyed when someone pulled off all the protective foil he had placed on his crosses. Just the same, Bella and the other 20 odd he bought have all been excellent sellers for us.


Rooten Tooten Red is an Oakes daylily if I recall. It does better in less sun than we have it planted in. The flowers are nicely rounded and the throats draw your attention. A large group follows in a few years and makes all the difference.


Little Pumpkin Face (below) is one of those daylilies with tall scapes and lots of flowers. This one is sharing the stage now with Little Dandy, Little Women and my favorite, Little Skipper.



It's too difficult to think of over 60,000 registered daylilies on the market. It's great fun though to see as many different daylilies as you can, and begin to incorporate them in your gardens. If you get a chance, drive out to Vermont Flower Farm (or drive up, drive down, drive over...) We'd love to meet you and express how we feel about all the flowers we grow.

Good gardening from the mountain above Peacham Pond.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens

Some Don't Like Orange

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Here it is, already past 9 PM and I'm still trying to finish up something I started last night. Gail and Alex were away for the entire day and early evening and I worked at the nursery until almost eight. When I returned home, Karl the wonder dog made it very clear that he had been neglected so I let him ride shotgun as we drove out to the compost pile to unload a truckload of weeds and spent daylily flowers.

When we returned to the house, I opened and closed the refrigerator and freezer doors several times trying to figure out what would comprise dinner for me and Karl. In the end I gave Karl a scoop of dog food and I opened a box of Hoods New England Sherbet. The photo above shows what was inside the box. The flash against the box reflected but the orange sherbet in the middle served as testimony to the fact that some around here don't like orange. I do. I ate the balance of the sherbet but during the process I was reminded about customers comments about yellows and oranges. Gardeners either cannot get enough of them or there are already too many in the world and I have to listen to this being relived.

There are lots of nice oranges and you have to see them close-up to enjoy their beauty. There are probably more yellow and orange daylilies than any other color--just a guess. We have a large number so I'll share a few and you can make up your mind. The first is My Reggae Tiger, a good bloomer here with a nice bud count. Sometimes I think they go by too quickly.

Next is Rocket City, with strong ribs that define the petals. The color in this photo isn't that great because of it being a late shot.


Mauna Loa has an edge with a slight contrast as it ages through the day and a ruffle I like.

Kwanso (below) is common in ditches that abound in New England. I have enjoyed them for some time and have taken to collecting them. They seem to sell faster than I can collect them but that seems fair. Here I have them planted with some purple echinacea.

Bertie Ferris is a little orange which blooms very well and grows fast. I have been surprised this year with how many we have sold. The smaller size makes it a great border plant.

The next one is really more gold than orange. It is a nice mix but remains unnamed. It was part of a collection from Gilbert Wild many moons ago and I'd buy a hundred tomorrow if I could because it's four feet tall and has great substance. Here on the mountain I have it planted adjacent to an old bird house that's now completely covered with one of Alex's grape vines, an exercise in vineyard management that never got past vine number two.


Leebea Orange Crush is another that sells well for us. It seems slow this year but that's probably because the plant size is less than other available daylilies. I like the edge and the eyezone.



Orange Vols (that's right, Tennessee!) has been offered here for some time and has a great bud count and grows to 36". I have always liked it although some customers look at the name and stumble around for a while. All gardeners are not sports enthusiasts!


There really are tons of oranges out there and they deserve respect. They mix very well with a variety of companion plants and hold well in strong sunlight--something we haven't had much of lately.

If you come for a nursery visit, take a walk and compare these and other orange flowered daylilies. I'll bet you'll want to try some!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a neighbor has seen a strange cat, tawny yellow, three feet long with a long tail. I remember when we were building the house here in 1989, a contractor mentioned that his brother had once seen a pair of cougars in early winter as they crossed frozen Lake Groton. Maybe, just maybe, there is a story here!

Come visit!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm: our commercial website
Vermont Gardens: a blog about growing a relocated business

Candles of the Fields: Lilium canadense

Thursday, July 10, 2008

A beautiful morning here on the hill. The night time temp of 52 is already up to 71 but the air is fresh and clear after several days of high humidity. Now we have a day's respite before things revert to the high 80s. Karl the wonder dog is barking at a neighbor's cat but that's the only disruption to a beautiful day.

I'm heading out to Barton and St Johnsbury in a few minutes and Gail will head to the nursery and prepare for another day. If you get a chance, stop by and say hello. Each day more and more new customers appear and established customers find us and return. Yesterday three ladies from the Lyndonville-St Johnsbury area made their twice annual summertime visit. They have a list of stops at small nurseries and ours is always on the tour. They have lunch at some point at Rainbow Sweets in the village and always arrive with stories of where they have been and what has transpired. They are excellent gardeners and the combinations of their purchases support how fine their work must look. Too bad we couldn't take pictures of all Vermont's fine gardens and publish a book for those who can't travel to see such fine displays.

Before I shove off here I want to suggest you cast your eyes to the fields adjacent to Vermont's open fields that border streams, rivers and swamps. The native Lilium canadense are in bloom now and they are a special lily. I have taken thousands of pictures over the years and admire the variation. There was a time when I grew a few from seed I collected in late summer. The canadense are easy to grow but patience is a must. I may give some a try again this fall as they need to freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw to germinate well. The first leaves that emerge make you wonder if you'll ever seee a flower but by the fourth year you're well under way to a beautiful flower. Absolutely no picking or digging from the wild please!

If you live in this section of Vermont along the Winooski River, you'll find the canadense among the various ferns that grow in the moist soils. Always use care when walking along the rivers as the accumulation of debris from various floods lays unseen traps that can find the flower hunter belly up, looking skyward and checking for broken body parts. I know, as I have been there!



On a final note, keep your eyes open to the variations of the canadense. Here's a picture of a red that I hunted for years for. The spotting is also with great variation and makes for an interesting assignment. Don't confuse the spots on the lily flower with the spots of the Checkerspot Butterfly, a small butterfly that is a perfect example of camouflage as it frequents the canadense.

Guess I better get going here. I'm already dragging and the day has barely started. Operating a nursery and working a real job takes its toll.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where a pileated woodpecker pounds bugs out of the yield sign by the mailboxes and Karl is already snoring his way to slumberland.

Warm garden wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://vermontgardens.blogspot.com

Tuesday Daylilies

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Daylily friends began to visit today. They started arriving in our gardens last week and are in abundance now, encouraged to open in the +90 degree heat that has the inside of the house still 77 degrees with doors and windows shut all day. Vermont's summer is all too short and we should not complain.

Creepy Crawler(above) has a toothed edge which is interesting but Citrina always brings my attention with its clear, pale yellow and catching fragrance. It is well over three feet tall this year and will probably reach four before end of season.

Chicago Knockout as with most all the Chicago series is strong and welcome in the garden. Visitors don't always know the series but today as they saw Chicago Sunrise I made enough trips with the shovel back to the field to dig more. The field grown plants are large and much welcomed by gardeners and gift seekers but that two hundred foot walk from the end of the row back up the hill in humid weather is a bit much.

Beth Barth (below) is one of five Barth daylilies we have. Right now I can only remember Pemaquid Light and Alna's Pride but there are two more here. They are thick and strong and hold tight even in the high winds and hard rains of the past three days.
Beloved Country is popular and with reason. It's an older daylily by today's standards but we like it. I sold three today so it really is still in favor.

Barbara Mitchell, Anne Warner and Along the Way kept company with dozens of other daylilies in our gardens along the Winooski River. I walked around looking at them before I closed the place down for the night. It was a relaxing walk after a very hot day.



Michelle and Austin finished the last of the ditch for the electric line from our building to the river where the new shallow well pump will bring a 1" line of water to the crest of the hill. The closer they came to the building, the thicker and stickier the clay became. It's one of those "you have to see it" things as the clay sticks to you shoes and clothes and tools like nature's verison of Gorilla Glue. Tomorrow I'll put a wooden pallet down close to the river, tack on a sheet of plywood and then build an enclosure for the pump. When that's finished, I can call the electrician and get the final wiring done. What a relief that will be to have water without having to fill a tank with gas and wrestle the 20 feet of hose in and out of the river.

If you are out and about, stop by the "new" Vermont Flower Farm. Daylily season is in full swing and Gail is planning some kind of event this weekend. Minor but eventful. I suspect she will be cooking her blueberry coffee cake for those who missed it last year.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where one very tired gardener wishes all his gardening friends good summer greetings. Stop by and share a story, tell a tale, describe a strange bug, show off a new plant. We'll be waiting!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

Persistent Peonies

Sunday, June 29, 2008

A breezy morning here on the hill. It has rained on and off all night and this morning's 59 degrees is supposed to climb until the next front arrives with thunderstorms and bad times. The gardens look lush but the sales have been down due to weather and gas prices. Just the same we have met a lot of new customers and our loyal following continues to appear, carrying rain gear and umbrellas and wearing warm greetings and encouragement for a successful new nursery. We'll take all the good thoughts we can get!

The peonies have been great this year. Part of it is that I watered them well last August when they were setting buds for this year. That's a mid-August thing here and something I really recommend because the pay off is so great. Gail has been picking peonies to sell in bunches of 6 or 7 for $9.50 and they have been moving well. Some days there are some left and the last customer gets quite a deal but mostly it has been consistent sales with the preponderance made as people scoot home after work.

Our supply of potted peonies is now down to under a dozen and the selection is slim. Mrs Margaret Truman, a nice double pink prevails, but there are a couple Festiva Maxima and a couple Adolphe Rousseau. They have been potted since last year and well cared for so they are a buy at $25. Most are six or more stems so folks should be happy with what they receive.

As is typical in peony season, we receive many inquiries about why the foliage is nice but the flowers never bloom in home gardens. The answer is in the planting as these are a plant which must be planted shallow and not more than 2" deep. Over time the lawnmower or falling leaves sometimes packs around the stems and the flowers just don't develop. Bend down there and clean out around the stem and water well for this year and you'll be back on target for next year. Oh yes, ...sun. They need sun and that too will make a difference.

Well I have to get going here. I have a couple loads of Hosta 'June' to take down as that has been selling very well. Amber Tiara and Golden Scepter, small, luminescent springtime beauties are about gone so I have to do some repotting so they will be set in well in a week. I hear Gail clinking the coffee pot so that means the day is under way and we'll be back into the flower business by 9 AM on Route 2. If you have some time, please stop by.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where I hear the ravens in the distant red pines as a lone hen turkey struts slowly through the lower daylily garden, looking for food in the fresh dugs holes left from our daylily relocation program.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm Our website, old but packed with good buys!
Vermont Gardens Our other site about our new nursery and other thoughts of gardening