Owl Houses and Sunny Days

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

A beautiful late afternoon here on the mountain with a temperature of 35, bright sun and no wind. The temperature is misleading because the sun is shinning on the thermometer but just the same we are telling ourselves that the real spring will be here soon.

My writing has diminished of late but I think I can finally turn that around. I have no choice as I received an email last night from Barbara somebody in North Carolina who asked why nothing was going on up here. I am embarrassed enough to get with the program.

Months back now Alex and I made another barred owl house. These aren't bird houses in the little bird sense as some owls are bigger. We actually made our first house years ago and it remains empty in the back woods in a softwood ravine. We placed that after having a nice "If I were a bird" discussion but the emptiness apparently supports the conclusion that neither Alex nor I have much Kitty Hawk DNA in our bodies.

So last fall we carted the second house into the woods vowing to come back soon with the ladder and tools but that never happened. We made this latest one thinking that we'd now have two to hang but today we couldn't find where we left last year's house. There's still lots of snow in the woods and maybe in a couple weeks it will appear. If anything moves into any of these, we'll keep you posted. Possible web cam sites anyone?

The better news involves part of Barbara somebody's question. Where is that website? I won't bore anyone with the things I have learned about web hosting this week but the new material is
completed and the web site is in a more colorful format than you've seen before. I'm still trying to figure out how to speed up the download time and that's made especially difficult because the site is heavy on the graphics. Take a look at http://vermontflowerfarm.com and give me some feedback on how it works for you.

There are numerous pictures which I have to get around to but the introductory narratives and plant descriptions have been updated. It's a far piece from being the way I had planned but it is functional and will serve as our catalog to you. Give some feedback when you can. I appreciate kind thoughts but will take about any constructive comment I can get. If you have never prepared a site before just bear that in mind. This one represents me and a couple books and one heck of a lot of hours.



Best gardening wishes!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where mourning doves are eating cracked corn under the feeders and a small flock of starlings are cleaning up the last piece of suet. When I see a couple redwing blackbirds at the feeder, I'll cross winter off my mind.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

A New Tree Guide

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Another beautiful day here on the mountain. The sun has the thermometer up to 66.9 and the water is running down the road in growing rivers. If I was still a skier I'd be on the slopes right now as spring skiing can't be better than it is today.

As the snowbanks melt, I get more and more anxious about what the gardens will look like, whether or not there has been any rodent damage and whether the frost has heaved out any of the late summer daylily plantings at the nursery. As I drove by the nursery today the snow was melting quickly and after tomorrow's rain, I should be able to park just off Route 2 and climb through the fence to see how things are looking. I haven't been to the nursery building since just after New Years when I had to rake three feet of snow off the back roof. Today it's clear and the Vermont Flower Farm sign is much more prominent than a week ago when it appeared in an area newspaper half covered by snow.

With bright sun, I keep thinking of the trees and shrubs and with that comes a need to mention the Arbor Day Foundation. I'm not a member but a recent press release included some interesting data on how they have grown as an organization over the years. Here are some Arbor Day Foundation accomplishments to think about as you contemplate spring planning and planting.

• Replanting trees In America's National Forests that have been damaged by fire, insects or disease. Nearly 13 million trees have been planted in the past 16 years.
• Reaching nearly 2 million fifth grade students in 76,000 classrooms annually through the Arbor Day National Poster Contest.
• Connecting young children with nature through the Nature Explorer program. This multifaceted, comprehensive group of educational resources helps families and educators make nature a part of daily learning for children ages 3-8.
• Honoring more than 3,400 communities populated by 120 million Americans through the Tree City USA program.
• Organizing a variety of Arbor Day celebrations and tree-planting events in communities across the country.
• Recognizing leaders in tree planting, conservation and environmental stewardship from around the world at the annual Arbor Day Awards celebration.

ADF is just now releasing an excellent tree identification book entitled What Tree Is That? If you have been a Vermont Gardens or The Vermont Gardener blog reader in the past, you might have read my comments about two pocket guides which I like. Wildflowers of Vermont and Shrubs and Vines of Vermont, both by Vermont freelance writer and photographer, Kate Carter, are excellent resources that easily fit into a shirt pocket or bag and make your identification chores easy and accurate. In contrast, What Tree Is That? has illustrations instead of photographs. The illustrations are detailed and accurate and once again, the book will slide into a pocket for inclusion on hikes. It will help identify over 250 species of trees that grow in North America. Detail is paid to leaf shape, leaf stems and twig structures, the fruits and flowers involved, and the details of the buds and bark. If you would like a little more detail, click on this link. The book is available in bookstores and on-line at Amazon beginning April 1st.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the sun is pulling me outside. Arbor Day should be entered into your calendar while you're thinking of it. Friday, April 24, 2009. And don't forget What Tree Is That? It may not "fit" for you, but it would be a great gift for a naturalist friend, a budding young forester, or your local library. Wherever a copy ends up, it will be well used.


Warm gardening greetings!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens

Great Seeds, Great Growers!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

A cold morning here on the mountain with a temperature of +1.2 degrees and an estimated anemometer-less wind speed of 5 mph. The "big" snowstorm avoided us and the three inches of new snow was just enough to cover the now "ice rink quality" paths and driveway. The slippery ice reminds me instantly of Paul Simon's Slip Slidin' Away and a broken ankle in 1992. Now there's a combination of memories!

Saturday afternoon we went to a winter gathering of growers sponsored by High Mowing Organic Seeds in Wolcott, Vermont. I have this habit of telling people High Mowing is located in Hardwick but I obviously miss by a few miles. Anyway, the event is sponsored by HM founder Tom Stearns and his crew and it's one of those things you absolutely have to put on your "things to do" list for next winter.

High Mowing started as a family business back in 1996 with a total of 28 varieties of seed. Tom's website gives a good history but being inside the company surrounded by seeds and machinery and technology gives a sense of being that is difficult to describe. As I relive what Tom and his staff presented, my mind starts buzzing again. I guarantee that the world of seeds is a bunch different than you probably think and until you have a tour, the responsibility of the world's seeds men does not reflect the importance they are due, the weight they carry as the world continues to be fed and entertained.

The schedule included a tour of the company, a potluck dinner and then an hour slide presentation. Every part of the three hours was interesting, informative, and fun. At the beginning, the group was split with half starting in the seed room and half in the packaging area. We made the seed room cut where Tom went from one piece of equipment and on to the next explaining how seed arrives from the field or from alternate suppliers and how it is cleaned. The type of machine and the process has the same goal but the size, weight and shape of the seed determine where the seed starts a journey that ends with a home or commercial gardener.

Just looking at the equipment and reminiscing about when and where the equipment was manufactured was interesting to me. We have certainly come a long way from the days of hand winnowing but the machines employ some of the same physical actions except with mechanics and electric motors. The Industrial Revolution was a good time and also a difficult time but the tour made me reflect on 200 years of change.

The packaging process begins with primitive hand counting which remains an absolute necessity to set the equipment and verify and reverify seed counts. There are various machines which count seed and send it to an appropriate package but they all rely on the size of the seed and the skill of the staff. But in between the seed cleaning and the seed packaging there is a critical time when seed must be checked for viability. Germination rates are established and seed is inspected to be sure the seed coats are healthy and disease free. The seed lots also have to be checked to insure they are free of weed seed. This is no small task when you look at the size of some seeds.

High Mowing raises a lot of seed and this part was very interesting to everyone. Although they sell about 400 varieties of seed now, they cannot grow all the plants and harvest all the seed here in Vermont. There is a long list of variables involved and it was fascinating to learn the climatic needs for seed production and see familiar plants actually grown for seed production. I have been growing plants all my life and I was hard pressed to correctly identify lettuce and cabbage and spinach.

Because of the specific requirements for optimum production, High Mowing sometimes produces start up seed to its quality/standards and then sends the seed to another grower for full scale production. An example is spinach seed which is regularly produced in the Skagit Valley in Washington State. I sat there pondering the pictures and not being able to figure out what I was seeing. The climate has to be perfect for the plant and seed growth period and then humidity and other factors must prevail during the seed harvesting time. This is very interesting. It became acutely obvious that we should be thankful for the knowledge of the world's plantsmen. Without them, we'd be very hungry in a very short time.

Harvesting is mechanical with specially designed machines made around the world but some seed is not conducive to mechanical harvest and it must be hand harvested. One example is zinnia seed. At Vermont Flower Farm we grow and sell a lot of zinnias but I never thought that the plants mature at different times which precludes mechanical harvest. Workers are given plastic trash cans and away they go, line after line through the fields, harvesting the seed heads that are ripe and then repeating the process again and again, day after day until the harvest is complete.

Quality control is critical and seeds are checked for germination with goals compatible with federal standards. As I listened to this part of the tour I thought about seeds regularly found in ancient pyramids that still germinate. At High Mowing, seed is retested every six months to insure that it is maintaining an 80% germination rate. That rate exceeds federal standards and provides a gardener like you and me with a good crop. HM adds 3-5% more seed to the guaranteed seed count/weight combination just to be sure.

If you have gardened for long you have certainly learned over time how much seed comes in a package and how much you are likely to need to plant for your needs. New gardeners find it difficult to relate those light weight little packages with rows or pounds of produce or bouquets of flowers and as a result neophytes sometimes have half packages of unplanted leftovers. For years Gail and I put the leftover seed in a plastic bag in the freezer but now we know that is the wrong thing to do. Freezing seed (stratification) may be needed to make some seeds germinate but for most seed this expands the inner workings of a seed and leads to poor germination. A dry, cool place is a better idea.

The potluck dinner was an opportunity to enjoy foods from cooks you've never seen before. It was one of the nicest displays I have ever seen and I have to admit I got back in the line again. The chicken dumplings I have been waiting for Gail to make for all our time together were on the table in a big casserole. It appeared I was not the only person waiting for them as the pot was clean when I returned to help myself again.

I didn't take pictures of the event because we were inside someone's company and companies have a degree of privacy that I always respect. Perhaps I could have asked to take pictures but I was more interested in how the company works. When the snow melts and the sun translates cold ground to green rows of various plants, I want to go back and see the fields and walk the test gardens. Seeing it all in person and through the slide show made us happy we made the trip. A big thank you to Tom, his family and his employees for inviting us. It was special!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the sunny morning is encouraging the air to warm. A large raven just swiped the last piece of suet from the platform feeder and although Gail says he was hammering on it all day yesterday, the piece he carried off must have weighed more than a pound. They are big birds and the other birds fly away when they swoop in. I have to fly away now and get some real work done.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm,
Vermont Gardens

Catalog Trees

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Snow falls lightly this morning on the mountain. It's 22.3 degrees now, up only a couple degrees from 4:50 when a put a couple logs on the fire. There's an occasional light wind that tosses snow flakes against my office window and makes me turn to look at what might be approaching. By evening we are supposed to experience the first of what will accumulate to 12"-18" of new snow by tomorrow morning.

I have almost been afraid to check the weather sites for an update. When you live in Vermont for a while you can almost feel the weather building and this one feels like it will come true. We don't own a barometer yet but my internal pressure reader says the storm is on the way. The flocks of grosbeaks and blue jays are fighting over feeder space like vendors in a big grocery store. When I head for town for my paper in a bit, I'll dump a fresh Sunday buffet on the platform feeder for them.

I experienced tax relief this week and it is with a great sigh that I say that. Our accountant can deal with the taxes now as our part is done. The front room by my office looks like a military test site as the piles of records are stacked on two different tables and in a couple boxes. Gail has vowed that this is it and that taxes will be computerized. I already installed a software package and we reviewed it together yesterday to get an idea what we have to do. As soon as I finish the last odds and ends on the web site, we'll set up all the folders together with the software and then match them by name with file folders for all the receipts.

I hope your taxes are finished and well on their way too and that you have been better organized. I have always said I would vote for anyone who got rid of income tax preparation but after what our country has gone through, I have to be careful what I say. I always recall Warren Buffet commenting that his administrative secretary probably paid more taxes than he did based on the current system. I don't know if that is true but that's one of the items that needs looking into.



I have been able to spend a few more minutes reading this week and the seed companies have provided more than ample material. We don't request catalogs as the few wholesalers we use have been sending to us for years. We always prepare on-line seed orders and in fact completed one last night for Johnny's Selected Seeds in Wilton, Maine.


I have to say there is a convenience to reading a catalog at night laying in bed listening to how many trillion bucks we spent today. There just isn't a convenient way to watch the laptop and and news and be comfortable too. This is especially true if Karl the Wonder Dog is breathing down your face trying to find the last chocolate cookie just when they report they found another missing bad guy. The other thing is that web sites are updated for obvious reasons but then you lose the items that you really want from a few years back. When memory loss makes you work harder, that brief memory of the catalog from 2006 doesn't do much.

Some catalogs are real teasers. They offer something you have read about and really want and then they are sold out or back ordered. I really hate the companies that charge three times what something should be and then tell you that you didn't order fast enough. Once I really wanted a Gunnera manicata from Brazil. These plants absolutely are not hardy here but if you want to fiddle around with them you can have one incredible show in the summer. They are giant leafed foliage plants over 6 feet high and they are great planted in a bog situation. The company that I have since put a curse on sent the plants in July and they looked like the perfect model for the word "dessication". With all the attention I could possibly provide, they got to only 2 feet tall by September when I brought them inside. A month later I tossed them.

As you receive garden catalogs, let your friends know what you have and try to exchange as many times as possible before heading them to the recycling center. There's no reason everyone needs a fresh copy of something they may not get through.



And if you do find a catalog that you don't think others may be familiar with, get it on your blog or email notice to friends. It saves trees and gets out valuable information about new varieties. And finally, before you make the final decisions on vegetable seeds for this year, don't forget to buy a few extra seeds for the vegetables you can donate to the local food shelf. It's always important to think that way but this year it's more important to do it.

Snowy garden wishes from the mountain above Peacham Pond where 14 blue jays sing short songs that never make it to DVD.


George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Peppery Valentine's Day

Saturday, February 14, 2009

A calm morning here on the mountain. 6.7 degrees on one side of the house, 7.4 on the other. Still cold enough not to forget gloves when heading out with Karl the Wonder Dog, Valentine's Day or not. Yesterday afternoon sometime before I returned home from work, two very large turkeys walked up the road and through the drive, first to the back door and then to the bird feeder. Even today the scent was strong enough to make Karl want to sniff and snort, forgetting that his feet were cold and the warmth of the wood stove was a better idea.

Some gardeners might think of hot and spicy things at Valentines Day like the peppers pictured above. There are some great choices on the market now and I prefer the companies that maintain the registered names and can tell how hot the peppers are on the Scoville scale. Alex is a hot pepper fan and he collects hot sauces and enjoys giving guidance to the right one when I am making stews, soups and chilies. When you are at a garden center or scanning catalogs, give a new one a try this year. Next Valentine's Day reflect on this blog and how well you and the peppers did.

I have been thinking about daylilies again and just placed another order with a company in Wisconsin that I try to use each year. They offer wholesale and retail and always have something that has a good display. Gail and I aren't as concerned about fancy daylilies, new to the market with big price tags. We're more interested in daylilies that are dependable and have a bloom that friends and neighbors comment on and can afford.

Here are a few orangy-red and red daylilies you might consider. They are all very hardy here and they clump up nicely. Just about all that we sell are dug from our gardens so the root systems are large and you'll be pleased in a couple years with the number of flower scapes. Red isn't the only Valentine's Day color but for this morning, it's the color I am thinking about.

Ruffled Valentine

Anzac

Baja

Charles Johnson

Chicago Apache

Chicago Fire

Eruption

James Marsh

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where some ice fishermen apparently stayed home this morning to cook breakfast and be nice. The road is quiet but inside here there's a little rumbling noise in front of the wood stove. Karl is back to sleep. If you have been resting for the past few days, slide back to the previous post and enjoy another side of Valentine's Day.

Be well!


George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Valentines Greetings

Thursday, February 12, 2009

38 degrees here on the mountain and the rain continues to fall. It's been raining off and on all night and the fog generated by the temperature change since yesterday's momentary 57 degree high floats across the snow as if looking for something Stephen King wrote. Just the same, Valentines Day is approaching and its a day for gardeners and others not to forget.

Bleeding Heart is a flowering plant that was prevalent in most every New England garden when I was a kid. I was fascinated by its pendant beauty and always remember the first time Eunice, the +90 year old matriarch of the next door farm picked off two hearts from her favorite plant, gently opened my hand and placed each heart side by side. "Friends, good friends" was all she said. The words and the smile come back to me every time I see a Bleeding Heart and sometimes a shed a tear with the memory.

These are easy to grow plants that will last a long time if you consider a good placement with well amended soil with good friability. They like moisture but during the year they cannot handle any standing water. Dicentra spectabilis as I have pictured here does better for us where sun prevails but planting not far inside a forest shade line will work too.

The long flower scapes actually make fine cut flowers "if" you sear the cut stems with a match first. You'll notice the sap has a bad smell that Gail is quick to comment on but if you want an early arrangement to jump start your spirits, give some a try with the match-sear routine included. All bleeding hearts are poisonous and some people have a reaction to the sap. I catch poison ivy just thinking about it but have never had a problem with bleeding hearts or any of the family including the wild Dutchman's Breeches, Dicentra cucullaria, which I love.

We planted a number of large roots along a fence line years ago. Today the fencing is sagging with age but the bleeding hearts are going strong. We clean out each plant come spring so the new growth can spring into action without impediment. It's amazing how quickly they grow. On the plant their period of enjoyment is relative to spring rains and wind and inside, their vase life is about 4 days. As the garden grown plants mature on into spring, hearts drop off but it's not uncommon to find some tucked away and holding tight when the first days of July approach here. That's not true most places but our climate makes the difference.

This year we have some good 3-4 eye plants ordered in and they will probably be planted in gallon and a half pots. If you cannot find any locally, they will be for sale at the nursery and via our website. Order early as this was one of the most requested plants last year that customers and visitors didn't find in the area. We will also have a selection of Dicentra eximia, aka wild bleeding heart, eastern bleeding heart, fringed bleeding heart or woodland bleeding heart. These are all very nice too.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Gail just returned from slip-sliding down the icy road with Karl the Wonder Dog. I like the dog but I didn't need the shake-shake-shake he just presented that rewarded me with a dripping left side and a moist keyboard. Oh well, dogs are like that!

Lovely Valentines Greetings to All!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Already almost 11 AM here on the mountain. Karl the Wonder Dog has been driving me crazy with his in-out, in-out begging. Someone must have caught a fat brown trout at Peacham Pond recently as this morning has been a line of trucks and fisherman. Most smart fisherman were already on the ice by 4:30 to insure being set up before dawn but two loads of late risers just passed the house and I'll be surprised with their success.

Karl doesn't consider success. He feels some inherent responsibility to be the social activity director out on the corner, barking greetings and insults depending on the occupants or the accompanying noise. A loose tail pipe will get him going as fast as a truck bed with bouncing beer cans. People who know him shout "Hi Karl!" while others just wave, never knowing if we reciprocate or not.

There's lots of snow here on the mountain and the temperature is already warmer than it's been for well over a week. I have the machine shed to shovel this afternoon as I don't know if snow or rain will materialize for tonight's storm. It shouldn't be much of a storm but the shed hasn't been shoveled yet and I swear I heard it groan the other day. It's an old pole shed Gail's father built and over time rough cut spruce and fir succumbs to the weather.

In some parts of the country, snow is not a problem and I suspect that somewhere, a favorite plant of mine is already up. Epimediums are so very special to me that you would think I could remember where I first saw them. I doubt it was a garden around here and maybe it was Gail just buying me a present she knew I would like. She has always had this thing about buying "me" plants that might teeter on success, might become money makers, or might not make it through a full year. If there is failure, then I did something wrong but if it became a good decision, then the glory is often split. Someplace around here are some corydalis that I really wanted to live. I take full credit for the problems with them. Like epimediums I like them and maybe I'll ask Gail to get me a few more...."to try".

I just reworte some of our website yesterday in between tax preparation and I finished part of the shade plant page that involves epimediums. If you haven't tried these plants before, read through what I have to say below and do a little research. Chances are good that you will really like these plants. You may not like the price, but you will like the plants. What we have left for this year will be three year old plants so they should have "ok" size.

I have noticed that there are a number of nurseries selling these now so once you find a place with plants of interest, check references and place an order. They tend to be in short supply by the end of May.

Here's what I wrote for our web page. Drop me a line if you have any questions.

EPIMEDIUMS

Barrenwort, Bishop's Cap, Fairywings

You may have heard "The garden is magic and you are the magician!" Try epimediums and you'll see the magic displayed right in front of you. These aren't new plants at all, they are special plants, and thus far they are seriously underused, and often unknown to gardeners. All that is changing as the nursery trade and some hard working plant hunters set out to offer gardeners new and interesting varieties.

Epimediums deserve consideration for rock gardens, woodlands, dry, shady areas, under trees and along rock lines and walls. Their delicate, spidery, star-shaped blooms and neat leathery foliage make writing a good description difficult. Once you see one, you're sure to ask yourself why you have missed them for so long. These are tough, long lived perennials which grow along by rhizomes with tenacity and beauty.

The world's authority on this fine plant is Darrell Probst. If you have a minute, take a look at The Epimedium Page. If your curiosity continues, check out Chapter 10, King of Epimediums, Garden Vision-Darrell Probst, The Plant Hunter's Garden by Bobby J. Ward.This is a nine page journey complete with enough photos to make you want to have your own collection. And if you need a final complement to these resources, go to W. George Schmid's The Encyclopedia of Shade Plants and turn to the section on epimediums.

Here at Vermont Flower Farm epimediums are about 6 years "new" to us. We have grown them without any winter protection, in full shade, partial shade, along a walkway, and under a huge James MacFarland lilac in full summer sun. They bloom beautifully in late spring and sometimes again in early September. They aren't the fastest growing ground cover in Vermont but they bring a texture and color palette that offers more opportunity and little after-planting care. Come see!

Good gardening wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Colorful Accent, Snowless Thoughts

Saturday, Jauary 31, 2009

A quiet morning here on the mountain. 9 degrees and calm save for Karl the Wonder Dog, laying in front of the stove and providing an unmelodious tune of snoring. For some reason he has taken to sleeping there and anytime he returns from outside he sits in with his back to the stove so he can warm up. Dog intelligence doesn't register on the Stanford Binet or the Wechsler but perhaps it should.

Today's list is too long to possibly get through but there are some things which have to happen. I just looked at the weather radar and even that is having trouble loading today. The storm that is scheduled for Tuesday, whether arriving as rain or snow, will encourage people to stay in bed. There's just too much moisture in the heavens not to cause problems. This means I absolutely have to take care of the roofs and fire up the tractor today. The roads and drives are too narrow now and out front here there is no place to put any snow. The truck only pushes so high and the tractor only reaches 11.5 feet. Much to do.

Bigger problem at the top of the list is the maple syrup mystery which has to be solved. One of the things about Alex and his experience with autism is there are certain foods he eats regularly. For ten years now he has eaten pancakes for breakfast. Sometimes he'll even deviate from his fish-for-supper routine and haddock turns back to pancakes. This translates to needing lots of maple syrup.

Vermont has the best syrup in the country. Trouble is that production is influenced by a ton of variables and environment and weather are two. This week we looked for syrup at stores and on the Internet and supply is getting short until the trees run again this spring. When you find a popular website that says "Down for reconstruction" that means they have run out. I usually buy our syrup locally and I try to make our purchases from Gadapees in Danville. A couple times I stopped and Diane wasn't home and I haven't been to St Johsnbury for a while so I don't even know if she has any left. At any rate I have to solve this maple mystery today. I know I'll have to close my eyes to the price if I end up at a tourist store someplace.

As clear and white as the landscape is today, Gail is working over the daylily inventory again. There are a few daylilies that we sold too many of. It's a careful line between saying no and keeping sufficient stock to grow on versus making one last sale. Gail will fuss a little but she'll come up with some replacements from someone if she feels the demand warrants spending the money.

So on a morning that is white with snow and a sun that is in its "red in the morning, sailors take warning" phase, best wishes for your day. Mine will be busy. The daylily named Mallard is up top and down below here are Luz de Sol, Janice Brown and Jungle Beauty. In real life, each of these is a little brighter than the pictures.

Writing from the mountain where the first flock of grosbeaks has arrived for breakfast. That sounds good to me too!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

A Day Without Thank Yous

Saturday, January 24, 2009

A bright and beautiful morning here on the mountain as long as you don't open the door. Karl the Wonder Dog's internal barometer was apparently working well this morning as the high pressure told him to stay in bed as long as possible and that's exactly what he did. He and Alex just woke up and it's almost nine. Gail is off to the Community Center for the book sale at the library and I'm getting ready to start the taxes.

Even though the snow is deep and the wind is bitter, Gail and I continue to work on plans for new gardens at the nursery. All our orders have been confirmed so we know where we stand with new items and we have a list of mature plants in the garden that will need to be dug and divided come spring. Last fall we asked Austin to pop out about 100 six year old daylilies. Those are still in the ground but loosened up to make it easier to get them out. The hostas on my list are a different issue as many of these have been growing for 5-6-7 years and you don't pop out something that weighs more than 200 pounds a clump. When we get to them we'll eat our Wheaties first and then cut around each clump, work them free with the six foot pry bar and then scoop them up with the tractor bucket.

Dividing daylilies and hostas is something I prefer to do in the spring. I don't need to contend with extra foliage then and it's easier to see what I'm doing, count fans or eyes and make the necessary cuts. I'm also less paranoid about spreading hosta virus even though I'm not aware that we have any here. Hosta virus is spread mechanically so dividing plants in spring probably reduces the opportunity should it exist.

Anyh-o-o-o, a long time ago Winnie, now 81 years old and our Chief of Hydrological Services
(aka best waterer in the world!) found a serrated knife at a yard sale. I think it may have been a bread knife but maybe not as it had a heavy, wide serration to it. Anyway it worked well and cut through tough roots as quick as the operator holding it. This year I had to buy 4 bread knives to accommodate what we had to do and they were less than stellar in comparison. A couple weeks ago as I was walking around Lowe's making a mental list of what I'd buy if only the Megabucks would come through for me, I found a good knife that's cheap. It's a drywall knife for cutting Sheetrock. The price range is $7-$15 and I couldn't see that one was substantially better than the other. Both had cushioned handles and about the same size, pointed blades and the steel in each was from China. If you have any dividing on your spring list, give one of these knives some thought. When I buy a replacement for myself, I'll send away a picture.



When you begin dividing plants from an established garden you'll be saddened by what transpires. Even if the opportunity will lend a new look, there's no way you won't miss that big old hosta or daylilies with dozens of flower scapes.


Any garden has an evolution and even if you are enamored with a small hosta like Golden Scepter just above here, you have to appreciate change and get excited about where you'll be in a couple more years. Patience is good! A garden plan works wonders.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where some Pine Grosbeaks have come from nowhere to eat cracked corn at the platform feeder. A dozen or so are on a crab apple finishing off the small fruits. Despite the fine buffet we have provided, this is apparently another day without bird thank yous. I guess the beauty of the birds will have to suffice!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

The Garden Doctor

Monday, January 12, 2009

Already close to zero degrees tonight. I just gave up on the evening news as the bad part is over and there is limited good stuff to listen too. Some power company lady is telling folks to save energy by not opening the fridge or freezer doors for very long. Maybe that's what got me to today's post. The power rep said when you open your fridge and need 5 items, take them out all at once. Maybe I did that too much and that's the reason I had a carpal tunnel release surgery done on my left hand last Friday.

Carpal tunnel is an interesting malady to me. Growing up I don't remember a single farmer ever complaining about his hands although they did more physical labor back then than is even contemplated now. Twisting and turning the wrists while moving hay and manure, picking up bales and buckets--all those repetitive tasks should have created a problem that no one talked about. My dad was a house painter and did wall paper too. Up and down, back and forth with the brush in those pre-spray paint days but never any carpal tunnel, never any complaints except that he was poor.

I had an initial eval last year and didn't like the explanation or the suggestion from the doctor that I could be booked for surgery in a couple days. Then a friend at work recommended a plastic surgeon at Mary Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire and the rest is history. The eight minute operation is interesting because as soon as the carpal ligament is cut, the pain is gone and feeling returns a little at a time to the affected parts. In my case I couldn't feel any fingers or down to mid-palm level in my left hand. On a 12 point scale with 12 registering "You waited too long George" I was a twelve so I was apprehensive about how things would turn out. Right now I am in the rehab stage and as long as I maintain this one handed typing and keep the hand elevated as much as possible, progress is fine and I am smiling. Feeling in everything but the very tip of one finger has already been restored.

I mention carpal tunnel release because many gardeners experience wrist and finger pain, especially when they are twisting their wrists while raking, shoveling, hoeing and lifting. Part of being successful with surgery is reorienting yourself to how you use your hands and whether you abuse them or not. There's plenty of info on the Internet about this procedure. Other than having to take your money in wheelbarrows to pay for the operation, it's something that gets rid of sleepless nights and brings on fine gardening smiles. If you need advice, have questions or want a reputable doctor's name, let me know. Just don't wait as long as I did!

When one hand goes out of commission for a while, it becomes apparent how much it was used for. Here on the mountain above Peacham Pond, snowflakes abound and that means shoveling paths, snow raking and shoveling roofs and plowing snow. One hand does not a merry shoveler make so Gail and Alex learned how many tons of white stuff I move in a year. They also learned how to put the plow on and off the truck but they never had to learn how to plow. That needs to happen sometime soon but they escaped the chore for now. As soon as I figure out the total rehab time, I will schedule my right hand. No telling what reality they will face then.

The next three nights will be as much as 25 degrees below zero here so I'll lay low and reorganize pictures for the new website. The site is 95% written and I have the first 120 hosta pictures ready to insert. I think you'll enjoy the site when it's released in February. In the meantime, enjoy your winter reading and garden design. If there's a topic you'd like an opinion on or a concept you'd like to share, please let me know. Good gardeners get better with new information from their gardening friends.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the moon's face is sparkling through the big maple and into my office.

Sparkling wishes from

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

Things Change

Sunday, January 4, 2009

The first weekend of the new year is well under way. The wind has finally stopped and a little sun warms the January landscape. It's 22 degrees on the east side of the house where 17 blue jays, the largest collection this year, feed with greed on the platform feeder. They appear to be playing a game of who can stuff the most pieces of cracked corn in their crop at a time.

On the west side of the house the thermometer is holding at 12 degrees. Chickadees and white and red breasted nuthatches fly back and forth from the hanging feeder, eating some sunflower seeds and hiding others for later when the feeder is empty and the birdwatcher absent.

Days, months and years change. Some things are noticeable and others lead a camouflaged existence. For two days now I have worked on hosta pictures for our new website. It makes no sense to me why I have a hundred pictures of some hostas and not a single good picture of others. I just made a list and in the end of this website madness I hope to come away with a list of hostas I absolutely have to photograph this year. Sure wish I could find someone more diligent than I am. Photographic compatibility and interest within a family is apparently not the same as the compatibility alleged to be found using the on-line love match, E-Harmony. Oh well.......

One hosta I like is Fortunei Albopicta. I'm not certain there are many who admire it as I do but it has a place in my garden because spring in Vermont is very important to me. This hosta was first collected in Japan around 1860 but wasn't registered with the American Hosta Society until 1987. That means a lot of gardeners have had a chance to look at it over a long time.

Albopicta starts slowly, reaches incredible coloration and then fades into total greeness for the balance of the year. The last part is the part many people like the least. The picture up top shows it on the right with Abiqua Moonbeam on the left. The picture represents the time of greatest color change for the season.


When Albopicta breaks through the ground in the spring, fends off early frosts and first passes 5 inches in height, it looks frail and pale. This is an example (just above). But then as if a fairy wand gives it a couple-three twinkles of spice, it turns from toad to prince and really is an attention getter. I have always said that a hosta that would hold this color all year would be a great seller. Here are some examples. Click to enlarge.




In all too short a period of beauty, the display is over and Albopicta fades to all green. This gives reason for you to think where you place it in your garden so you benefit from the energetic mid spring color but can accept it for its summer-long dullness. It's size can be attractive but give it some thought. Here is a picture of Albopicta wearing its summer suit.


As new years begin, those who have made resolutions are put to a test. There's more revolution in me than resolution but I do hope that this year all gardeners can share themselves and their gardens with others who have yet to experience the peace there's not enough of in our world.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where Gail is moving my Santa collection, one by one, into their annual retirement while a new pot of chili bubbles on the stove.

Safe wishes to all!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Future Fences

January 1, 2009

Just after 4 PM and the wind has finally begun to tire. The Christmas wreaths on the west side of the house have finally stopped pounding the clapboards and the damper on the Vermont Castings stove has calmed its clink-clink-clink. The damper is tickled by chimney downdrafts that started yesterday as high pressure advanced here. This morning's -12 degrees was really three times as cold with winds above 25 mph. This morning, Karl the Wonder Dog set a world record for the least time outside in 2009, and I came in second.

Almost a month ago now we received a letter in the mail. It was postmarked from New Jersey and was a letter of introduction from Bob. He and his wife had just purchased a piece of land adjacent to ours and he was writing to let us know who he was and what their plans were. It was a friendly letter and not something you would expect any more. It was the kind of letter that Gail and I might write.

For some reason, Bob's letter triggered my fondness for Robert Frost poetry and my mind caught on the line from Mending Wall that I like "Good fences make good neighbors." This whole fence thing has always bothered me because our world has always had so many fences, literal and figurative fences, maybe too many fences, maybe not enough fences.

I have always liked looking at fences, especially when they are constructed of stone. I'm not alone in my favor. In New England each town still has a "fence viewer" position that is voted on at town meeting. I guess I haven't made it known that I like fences as I've never been considered for the position here in Marshfield. Any ho-o-o-w........


I spent earlier years with an old farmer named Warner who liked straight fences. To me at age six, a fence that kept the cows and horses in the pasture was a good fence but to him a fence should be straight and the wires should be taut . Frost's review and mine were more pragmatic. He asked: "Before I built a wall I'd ask to know what I was walling in or walling out, and to whom I was like to give offense." As a kid, keeping in animals was the concern, not keeping out neighbors, who I assumed were just that....neighborly.



Times have changed and I almost think there are fewer "good fences" than there used to be. It need not be that way but it is. The actual fence is a structural relationship with the people who live on either side. The "good fence" part doesn't necessarily mean that it's structural like Warner the farmer intended, but more that people have an understanding of each other and a respect for what each is doing. When expectations are clear, the fence serves better.



As we begin a new year, I hope all good gardeners will make like New England fence viewers and inspect their fences. Begin with the structural fences if you have them and insure they meet their intended purpose. Sometimes a coat of paint, the color of the paint on the fence you do not "see", a new strand of wire, a new board, three new nails, make all the difference. Then inspect the personal part of "good fences". If you don't know your neighbor yet, go meet them. If you know them but haven't seen them in a while, say hello. If you don't know what you're walling in or walling out, have that discussion. You might be surprised! The fences we build and maintain today are often carried on for generations. It's those good fences that really make good neighbors!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Gail undecorated the tree and Alex and I just pulled it outside. 9 feet of new bird feeder for the balance of the winter.

Happy New Year To All!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm