Garden Development

Saturday, February 5, 2011

2° above zero here on the mountain this morning. We must have been tired last night as the wood stove was on its last spark this morning when I rose at 5 and fired it up again. It's a Hearthstone brand and I can't recommend it enough as it starts quickly which is nice when you're still half asleep,

Karl the Wonder Dog wasn't interested in much of a walk this morning and he's already back in bed. The crows were upset about something over in the red pines and are still talking loudly enough that I can hear them from inside the house. They should be here in about an hour for their morning review of new contributions to the compost pile.

I continue working on new additions to the hosta garden at the nursery. It is progressing nicely although people who visit us often seem to expect that I will work faster than I do. I have a couple orders in progress for more plants. Visitors interested in hostas and shade plants get out of the car, give a welcome and then head down to see what has changed. I wish it was closer to completion too but everything takes time.

I'm pleased with the trees and shrubs we have planted and only one maple worries me as to whether it will make it or not. I planted maples that can handle more water but the one in question had a poor root system and I should have returned it instead of planting it two years ago. The other trees are doing well.

I have always seen lindens planted along road ways and I have admired the nice leaves, good trunk and the annual growth. Since I was looking for more shade to replace the fading box elders, lindens seemed like a good choice. I obviously overlooked the part about them being a Japanese beetle magnet but like them just the same.

Last summer I added some dwarf yellow and also green nine barks and they are doing well. They offer a different height and width to contrast with the taller maples and mid range lindens. This spring I will add some ginkos and witch hazels so I have additional yellow leaves to work against the sinescing hostas come fall.

I ran short of the stay mat for the pathways--crushed granite that packs well and provides a smooth walk for older, shuffling feet. I have the hemlock timbers to make an 8 foot wide pathway down the mountain to the garden and those steps will be back filled with stay mat too so that part of the project will come together soon after spring planting.

Since we moved many, many mature hostas to this site, the plants are well set and should provide a good display this year. They still need to be relabeled and the entire area needs a coating of aged wood chips. Until the snow got deep two weeks ago I was stockpiling chips for that purpose. Lots of work to do but by mid July I hope that those making the walk will see a big difference from last year. It's nice to be able to see what a mature hosta looks like compared to a potted plant, a label and half a guess. Come visit!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a ball of red sun pushes through the tamaracks and pines and suggests morning is here.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!©
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Winter Repairs

Friday, February 4, 2011

Although the sun is bright and there isn't any wind this morning, the temperature has worked to get to zero degrees here at just past 9 AM. It was below zero again last night and every aspect of this winter has been a real contrast to last year's record setting warmth.

Winter is a time when gardeners need to catch up on their reading and then begin to prepare for the following spring. Repairing equipment is always on the list even if it is something as simple as sanding and oiling tool handles or sharpening shovels and hoes. As gardens grow larger and and gardeners resort to more and more power equipment, the repair process becomes more important. Some things I can do and some things I need help with.

In 1983, Gail and I began gardening together and our first investment was a Troy Built Rototiller. This was in the days of a South Burlington, Vermont store named Garden Way located on Williston Road where the current Alpine Shop operates. It was a great store that carried all means of putting-food-by equipment as it espoused the WWII theories of the Have-More Plan. There were seeds and tools and books and canning equipment. It was one of those stores that always took time to just visit, let alone make a purchase at because everything was good quality and interesting. Even though we didn't have much money, we opted for a Horse Model 8 hp 319 CC with a Briggs & Stratton Industrial Commercial Engine complete with hiller/furrower attachment for potatoes and similar crops. I'm not sure but I think the cost was somewhere around $1400.

A great deal has transpired in the 28 years since and our gardens have grown into a business that now involves 5 acres at our nursery and a couple acres here at our house. Over those years the Troy Built received regular oil changes, a few spark plugs, a couple belts, starter springs and pull cords and one, maybe two Magnetron ignitions......and it kept starting on a couple pulls and kept chugging along.

This summer, the 28 years caught up with the engine. Although it had developed an added mosquito fogger control feature we didn't count on, fact was it needed an engine job.

Equipment doesn't come with a technician and although routine maintenance was not difficult, I knew I needed help on an engine rebuild. My friend Mike just down the road from our house can fix about everything going and he spends his winters rebuilding equipment. His project list goes from remote control toys to a 1940 something Case tractor he completely dismantled, moved into his cellar and has been restoring for a couple years now. That project will roll back out this spring and it may well join Gail's John Deere 320 Utility tractor on display at the nursery.

Anyway Mike stops by the nursery on weekends during the summer and one day I guess he saw blue smoke rising. He suggested that he bring me his tiller, same make and size but different vintage, and take away our tiller until he could take it apart. As I sit offering this history, the pieces you see here have about come back together.

The engine block needed to be bored and the piston and rings are now appropriately resized too. Valves and seals everywhere are new as are a couple springs and a new gas shut off valve.


As Mike worked through the dismantling and rebuilding, he said the quality of this engine was superior. He and a friend chuckled over a comment that the tiller would now last a lot longer than the owner. If it lasts another 28 years, I'll be 90 and it will need new tires too. I'm really grateful to have a friend who can laugh with me about my shortcomings and work through what I need to keep my equipment operating. Mike's a great guy and if you knew him, you'd wish he lived down the road from you too!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the only thing on today's list is raking the last quarter of the house roof. It will be nice to have that done before the next storm comes through. Oh yes, never forget preventive maintenance.


George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!©
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Gettin' Better

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Almost 10:30 AM here on the mountain. 16° with a 3 mph wind. The sun is still trying to break through the clouds but to no avail. Kinda like me trying to get back to The Vermont Gardener after two weeks of fighting a virus. I always get a flu shot but this year, even after the shot, something did an end run. All I can say is that if I had encountered the "real" thing, I'm not sure how well I would have done. I'm still weak but I'm making myself do a few things every day. Yesterday's storm left little choice and minutes ago I came in from plowing the last of yesterday's gift. Alex will get the paths shoveled for the final time and Gail will feed the birds.

Tons of fresh white snow make gardeners yearn for color. I return to this simple picture of a garden at our house when I want to show how easy and inexpensive it is to put together a season-long mass of color that involves Vermont hardy plants. When we ran Vermont Flower Farm out of our house, the gardens around the property served to represent mature examples of what we sold in pots. We lined the paths with thousands of pots, all in alphabetical order and all properly signed. The pots are gone now and the displays are unkept but the notion of inexpensive gardens remains.

Take a look at the picture and you'll notice some tall reds. Those are Crocosmia 'Lucifer', a bulb that will remind you of a gladiola. This plant is from the plains of southern Africa and only 'Lucifier' is hardy here in Vermont. It needs to be planted in a light moist-to-dry situation. You'll know if you have it placed right by year two when it will be profoundly absent or have happily reproduced into more and more flower scapes.

3 foot tall lavender flower scapes from various hostas border the fence. Their numbers wave in obvious clumps and last a number of weeks. Rudbeckias from yellows and oranges to mahogany browns begin in July and bloom into late September. Over time the flowers dry somewhat but the color binds everything together.

Daylilies line the borders and provide continuous color. Simple daylilies such as Lemon Lollipop or Mini Pearl bloom from July into almost Columbus Day and rejuvenate themselves daily as there is fresh color. The cream shades of Joan Senior and Miss Amelia and So Lovely provide varying heights and nice color even after frosts have begun.

Across the fence a collection of actaeas, formerly known as cimicifugas, range in height from 3 to 8 feet and put up bottle brush flower plumes that draw daytime butterfly visitors and any-time moths and insects. And then towards the backdrop, hollyhocks mingle with hydrangeas and garden pholx in purples, whites, lavenders, fuchsias, "almost" blues, reds and pinks. None of these are difficult to grow and all can be used as cut flowers.

So as you look out at new snow cover, think positive thoughts about the colorful gardens you have or can have without great expense or work. If you have questions or comments, drop us a line.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where three crows just found a new addition to the compost pile.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!©
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

"Green" Chickens

Saturday evening, January 22, 2011

The barometer is holding tight at 29.44 and the temperature continues at 5.5 degrees despite two different weather stations reminding us to dress warmly, bring in pets and watch out for seniors as below zero temps are on the way tonight. This is part of typical winter in Vermont and should not be a surprise. As I get older, I like it less, but I am never surprised.

I stopped by my friend Mike's today to snap some overdue pictures of his "green" chickens. Mike is my friend but he's also my egg man when the chickens are laying instead of "chivering" (port manteau word for chicken shivering). He fixes my broken machinery and provides an extra set of hands unannounced like when the potting mix truck arrives with 100 bales. He is a great mechanic and he can be a carpenter when times require.

Mike was worried about his chickens and the upcoming cold temps so he gathered up some recyclables and built a nice sun room for his chickens. Now they can come out, exercise, eat and be warm. There aren't any fancy chairs or other typical sun room furnishings but for the chickens, this is just right.

Mike added a new door to the former opening and then took an old window to serve as one wall of the new addition. Today when it was 17° and windy outside, it was 30° in the little addition. Even chickens can go green.

This isn't a fancy addition, it's a functional addition and the chickens love it. They can still come and go as they please but they are warmer as they walk around and enjoy the sun. I think they can see themselves in the window glass but I haven't asked.


Mike has a nice mix of chickens, each has a name perfectly matched to its personality, and most all lay tasty eggs which we enjoy. The big red rooster is a nasty bully but he thinks well of himself and that's what big roosters do. On the other end of the continuum are Becky (way up top in Mike's arms) and Bucky, down in front here, smallest of all with a nice red comb, black tail feathers and one heck of a voice. They are bantams and so far Becky hasn't parted with an egg. She loves the new greenhouse but she always lets Bucky go out and test the weather first.

All the shavings, leaves and vegetable scrapes from the coop and the yard go into Mike's vegetable gardens and berry patches. Chickens are fun to raise and they are great benefit to one's land and family. If you have some room on your property, consider raising some yourself!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the barometer is dropping but the temperature is not moving. Bet it will by morning. Be warm!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works©
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Book Sales

Saturday, January 22, 2011

The last week of January is typically the coldest week in Vermont with some sub zero temperatures and wind that makes chickadees turn into horizontal dots trying to land on our bird feeders and get some breakfast. Today is not part of the last week but it is not only cold at -6 degrees, but it is getting colder over the next three days. I truly feel badly for folks with economic difficulties because to me there is nothing like cold. Cold is what I experienced as a kid and living with wood stoves and seeing your breath at night as you jumped into bed were things I said I would never do again. Today a have a nice Hearthstone stove by choice and I love the stove and the associated wood cutting and splitting but no longer do I see my breath when I'm inside my house. Unfortunately, lots of people still do.

Small town Vermont is a great place to live and in our town like many in New England, the town library has become the community center. We have a small library but it offers super service, lots of smiles and excellent programs on a weekly basis. I think it costs more than many in town can afford but that's something that we get to vote on every year on Town Meeting Day.

This time of year the library holds a book sale and it's quite an event. Books that need to be moved along from limited library shelves are joined by books that townspeople bring in and the event raises a wee bit of money for the library and moves a bunch of reading material around. The books that are left go to a recycler and although I don't know where they go, I do know they go to readers someplace else in the world.

Gail has been helping with the sale for several years. It may be a dusty chore but it is full of laughter and good stories and she wouldn't miss it. The helpers also get the opportunity to scan the books first and Gail always comes home with something of interest for me. Yesterday it was The Owls of North America and Beginners Guide to Wild Flowers.

Wild flowers is a topic that I have been fond of since as a little kid I was responsible for entertaining myself and I spent a lot of time in the woods. Today people would be sending rescue squads out to find me but back then at age 6 I walked into the woods and always got back hours later. I don't ever remember crying to myself but I do remember getting lost. Today Gail always asks how we can never get lost no matter where we go in the woods but always get lost in a city. I simply tell her that there aren't as many trees in a city.

Books have always been my companion and gardening books mean a lot to me. As I opened Beginners Guide To Wild Flowers, 6th Impression, 1948, by G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, written by Ethel Hinckley Hausman, I randomly found Dutchman's Pipe at the top left page.

Dutchman's Pipe is a plant I have never grown and never will. I can't say that I never liked it because its vining habit and big leaves cover arbors and give a nice effect which has impressed me. The price has always been too expensive to buy in quantity and until recent years few gardeners requested it. I think people have seen it enough now that they are interested in it but I still won't carry it for sale.

This is an interesting plant, known as birthwort from the days when it was used in herbal medicine. All parts of the plant are poisonous so one would wonder about the merits of using a poison to deliver a newborn but stranger things have happened in this world. Insects are attracted to the less than fragrant smell from the flowers and some say that so insects actually become poisonous themselves from their consumption of pollen and nectar.

Apparently Ms. Hausman thought enough of the plant to include it in her book but modern day writers mention its invasive character and suggest using other plants. If you like large leaved plants like I do you still might give it a try but for me, a picture from an old book is just fine.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where my neighbor just went by with her dog, Jelly, perhaps walking quickly because -6 degrees really is frosty!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!©
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

False Hellebore

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Already 8:30 AM and things seem to be moving slowly in contrast to how long today's list is. Very cold weather is approaching and there are certain things I want to get out of the way. It's up to 9.1° now and windless, as light snowflakes float through a slow-to-rise sun. The feeders are packed with about 50 American Goldfinches sporting dull winter feathers but flying in wavy, up-down patterns and cleaning out the thistle and other fine seeds from the feeders. Later on in winter the males begin to change to bright yellow, hence the name by some of "Wild Canary".

I have been working on our website again and am spending a lot of time on images. For several years I prepared annual picture tours I called Virtual Tours and people loved them. When I began the move to the new nursery location, a number of things took a back burner. Here it is 2011 and the last Virtual Tour is from 2008. I have been reminded that the "new nursery" isn't "new" anymore and the virtual tour is outdated. I don't receive these comments as criticism but as "encouragement" to please our readers.

Along the way this morning I opened a folder I had labeled as "skunk". As I clicked on it I thought maybe I had filed pictures of the skunks that plagued me last June until they were flattened on Route 2. For some reason a Mr and and Mrs Skunk dug into the bank along Route 2 and had a family of four. They seemed enamored with Japanese beetle grubs in the lower field and spent time digging and eating with no respect for when customers arrived. It's really difficult to sell flowers when you remind people to "walk the gardens, enjoy the flowers and watch for the skunks".

The folder did not contain any animal skunks but instead pictures of what I grew up calling "skunk cabbage" which it wasn't. Various adults taught me the name when in fact I was looking at False Hellebore. It was only in recent years that I learned that Skunk Cabbage, Symplocarpus
foetidus, is not that easy to find in Vermont and grows in observable numbers right behind our old apartment in Shelburne along Lewis Creek not 300 yards from Lake Champlain. One of the stories I had learned about the real skunk cabbage was that it was the first "green" that bears ate in the spring when coming out of hibernation and needing to purge their systems. Part of that annual chronology is misleading as bears exit hibernation before lots of things are turning green. The important point is that if bears ate False Hellebore instead, they would probably be real sick or dead because it's seriously poisonous. Here is a Wiki link to explain.

Aside from right plant, wrong plant, dead skunk or live bear, false hellebore is a neat plant to photograph and observe. It grows quickly and by August has whithered and is gone until the following spring. I planted a bunch around a little bog garden I made at the house and for the period of time it was prime, people always wanted to purchase some. For me it has become another plant I would place with care, especially if there are kids around. In the meantime, maybe you have learned another lesson.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where poets would enjoy writing about what they see from my window.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!
On Facebook at Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

18 Daylilies

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

25° outside and already beginning to drop from this morning's high of 27.9°. By this weekend the temperatures will be in the -15° to -20° range with high winds and serious wind chills. That means all the outside chores I want to get done need to get started today. Working outside when the daytime high is zero is just not for me. This winter is quite a contrast to last year when from January on through September, warm weather records dating from the 1880's were broken.

I am a fan of Fine Gardening Magazine and have been reading it since its inception. There were a couple years when I temporarily gave up a subscription but Gail and I have been regular readers to the magazine and other Taunton Press specialty issues.

The February 2011 issue has an article entitled That's a Daylily? by Brandi Spade. It includes 18 daylily favorites complete with pictures and cites 7 growers who have a good representation of the 18 that are featured. Vermont Flower Farm is mentioned as a plant source and we are happy to say that we offer 5 of the daylilies. We offer Charles Johnston, Chorus Line, Condilla, Sir Blackstem and Sunday Gloves. For those who do not read Fine Gardening, here are pictures of all but Sir Blackstem.

Charles Johnston

Chorus Line

Condilla

Sunday Gloves

I picked up Sir Blackstem two years ago to add to some plants that I want available when I start hybridizing. It's a hybrid from 1988, and one of its parents is the older Gold Thimble, registered in 1966. With one Gold Thimble parent being Thumbelina, another older daylily I like, you can see that there is some heritage involved. Sir Blackstem reflects itself well with a very dark stem of mahogany red to black. Although its name as registered is a single word, it's not uncommon to see two words used. I know I have some pictures here somewhere from this summer but for now you will have to conjure up an image of a noctural, yellow-orange flower, 2.5" in diameter on a 24" black stem. Those who enjoy Bitsy, Golden Chimes and similar older, smaller flowered daylilies will like Sir Blackstem--no matter how they write the name.


As for writing, I'm writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the sunshine has brought a nice spirit to the day and four Pine Grosbeaks to the bird feeder. I've been interrupted five times and this piece reads like a man with a broken day wrote it. Be well!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!
Try Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens on Facebook
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Lung Lichen

Monday, January 17, 2011

Almost 3 PM, with bright sunshine but today's high of 6.1° had not been very rewarding. Alex and I had planned to go ice fishing but the leader in me said "no" to what at that time was still -8°. Instead we headed for Bradford to a store I know as Farm Way. If you haven't been there, it's worth a stop. Their Internet moniker is Vermont Gear and they do in fact have quite a selection. The store sits by the railroad tracks, is an old mill, and has a sign out front reminding people that 43% of its electrical needs are met by a ground mounted solar display out back. The store is proof that the owners are thinkers.

Returned home to happily find a response to a question I posted on my January 2, 2011 blog,
Early Winter Hike. As we were finishing a New Years Day hike through the Stranahan Memorial Town Forest, a leafy green plant growing out of the side of an ash tree caught my eye. In all my years of being in the woods, I never saw such a thing. I floated the picture on the Internet and asked questions but until today did not have a definitive response.

Brett Engstrom, a local naturalist and very nice fellow, answered my inquiry. He wrote:

"Funny you should send the photo of this lichen from Stranahan. I took a photo of probably the exact same patch of lichen a couple weeks ago. It is lung lichen, Lobaria pulmonaria.Very striking. Not real common with us, but I do find it occasionally on basswood, ash (white and black), and sometimes on sugar maple in moist forests or swamps."

Mystery solved. Try this link to Lichens of North America for some more very interesting information. Understand that on October 7th I blogged about Lichens and Rock Ferns. Guess it's about time to purchase some good guides and take a course or two. Lichens seem everywhere!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond while Gail reads bad news about King County (Seattle) Washington where my son Adam lives. Floods are some contrast to our current +4.2° and the freezing rain that is supposed to arrive late tonight. Best of luck everyone!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!
Find us on Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens or as George Africa
On twitter as vtflowerfarm

Winter Markets

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Almost 5:30 PM. The sun is down and a couple stars dot the sky. The last of the ice fishermen are making their way up from Peacham Pond. Soon the local folks will be back to their homes for the night and the road will become quiet. As the temperature continues to drop, the maples will shudder and creak and startle Karl the Wonder Dog as we make a quick evening call. If I'm tired or cold on that last walk of the night, I might startle too. Probably will.

I have many irons in the fire right now but a Facebook notice this morning from Artesano in Groton, Vermont, took an hour and a half out of my day. Artesano is a meadery that makes some special meads from local honey, fruit and maple syrup. The notice said they would be at the Groton Farmers Market selling limited quantities of three of their hand made ice creams. So on the coldest morning yet to be faced in this part of Vermont, I headed to Groton, over Route 232, a snow packed road that is growing frost heaves on a daily basis. I wanted some ice cream and not just any ice cream.

The third Saturday of each month the Groton community center becomes a farmers market. During the summer it is a weekly affair but through winter months they move to one day a month and shorten the hours to 10 to 1. I've been past a bazillion times but the lure of a taste of this coveted ice cream made me do it today.

Surprisingly--or maybe not-- there was no place to park when I arrived. The lot serves the fire station and also the town clerk's office which is part of the building well known in October for one of Vermont's most well attended chicken pie suppers. I sat in the truck for a couple minutes and then a couple came out, one using a walker, the other carrying a dozen eggs, a bag of dinner rolls and 1 buttercup squash. This is Vermont at its finest and the picture of this couple could have come from Peter Miller's Vermont People.


I walked up the back ramp and entered the door, stopping on the mat for my eyes to adjust. My ears could hear all sorts of activity and there were some good smells too but I couldn't see anything as my eyes adjusted from the bright snow to a room where electric lighting must have been on some sort of economic hold. In a shorter time than it seemed, I could see and I began walking about.

I found the blue cooler and the Artesano sign and the friendly face and smile I had grown accustomed to this past summer. The choices were a super rich dark chocolate, vanilla or Munson's Maple. I could have picked any one as I have no preference but I went with the maple as it is Alex's favorite. The hand packed cartons are quarts and that's not nearly enough once three people break out the spoons but like the economic hold on the lighting at the community center, I put a hold on treats. But this is worth it!

The Groton Farmers Market will continue through the winter on the same 3d Saturday of each month schedule until farmers have to break into their spring routine. Artesano is a different story and you should follow their Facebook page. The ice creams are melt-in-your-mouth delights while the meads including blueberry, raspberry, chili-cinnamon and spiced have a taste to be savored. Try some!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond as a gardener who has horticultural responsibilities that sometimes take a back burner to the scenes and stories, products and people of Vermont. If you can't live here, at least come visit!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Organic Weed Management

Friday, January 14, 2011

Already 7 AM here on the mountain and I'm bouncing around from one thing to another trying to clear up "paperwork" before Alex and I head to Burlington for the day. I'm "old school" so I say "paperwork', not knowing what that word has been replaced with in a society going paperless. I haven't touched a piece of paper this morning but I have placed two plant orders, confirmed a web order we received for daylilies and hosta, and reviewed our business account balances. Every day there are more and more TV commercials about applications for the various Smart phones and I wonder how soon it will be that I must get into that thinking. Here in Marshfield, cell and broadband services are worse than terrible and as much as we want cell phones, they just don't work and what sort of works at the nursery doesn't work at the house.

Gail and I have always tried to steer clear of chemicals. There have been times when there has been no other choice save for pulling up specific crops and getting them out of the garden. This could have involved insects or various fungal situations but there are times when gardeners and greenhouse growers just shake their heads and toss money into the landfill. Compost piles surely are not considered when infection is serious.

We read articles in all our trade journals about controlling problems and we do a good job sharing ideas with each other. Customers bombard us with questions and there remains a fairly obvious profile of those who think in terms of safety and those who dump on chemicals and expect immediate results. The chemical users don't mince words and don't seem to think there is a different way but Gail and I are possesed to eventually be able to show a brighter future.

For Christmas, Gail gave me a little book named Organic Weed Management by Steve Gilman. Gail has a renewed interest in the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) and this book is one of their "Hands-On Organics" books. I'm sure she probably noticed a forward by Lynn Byczynski too as we both like Lynn's book The Flower Farmer: An Organic Grower's Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers. (Organic Weed Management was first published in 2000 by a very good Vermont publisher, Chelsea Green Publishing.) So as snow in Vermont deepens and my time working in the woods slows proportionate to how deep my boots sink, I turn more focus on weed and insect management and try to learn better ways.

I few weeks back a trade journal mentioned an organic weed control made from citrus. Spray it on and half the weeds are history at the end of about a week. Progress continues over the next month. The agent does not discriminate so care must be exercised to keep the flower crops alive. Best of all, the product is approved for organic production and for food. The name: GreenMatch, billed as a Burndown Herbicide. A replacement for RoundUp I hoped!

As I read product information I was interested enough to send off an email to the regional sales staff for more info. A return call came in two days later and I received an excellent presentation about the product. I had questions about how the product could be applied and the sales person did the research and got right back to me. It is available from a Vermont wholesaler, North Country Organics in Bradford and goes for about $45 per gallon.

It's too early to tell how oil from lemon grass will work to kill Vermont weeds but if what people tell me is true, then I have found yet another product that will help keep Vermont the way it used to be. I have been in sessions where new gardeners spoke of pulling weeds as if keeping five acres of garden weed free is an easy task. I have even heard a local presentation on protecting local riparian rights of way by hand pulling noxious weeds like Japanese knotweed and poison ivy. I'm trying to say that I have heard from those who haven't gardened beyond their backyard and "bigger" puts a different meaning to what must be done to control weeds and be successful with one's crops. That does not preclude respect for our environment. I hope this organic product will help me maintain control of the gardens we have already planted and help develop more gardens that are weed free. I'll keep you all posted.


Got to head to Burlington now. Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where 7.4° has been a regular morning feature here. Possible freezing rain by Tuesday. Bird feeders need more food before I go. Enjoy today!

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!
Try us on Facebook at Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens or at George Africa
On Twitter at vtflowerfarm

Fringed Bleeding Hearts

Saturday, January 8, 2011

18° on the mountain with a light wind but lacking the snowflakes that were predicted. That's fine with me. I just started checking inventories and plant orders for next spring and ended the exercise wondering if I had messed up on the Dicentra eximia, the woodland or fringed bleeding hearts that people have come to enjoy so much.

For years I thought the traditional bleeding hearts were the limit. Everyone talked about them and they prevailed at every farm lady's garden I ever visited. But then as I began to expand my tour of gardens and begin woodland and shade gardens, I learned of these fringed leaf perennials which grow so well here in Vermont. The strong point is probably the fact that they bloom throughout the summer and into fall and there is some color variation to choose from. I especially like the deep cut leaves and the blue-grey foliage color that reaches about 16" in height.

Some of our records are on the computer, some written on inventory sheets, some just a matter of memory, Gail's or mine....and sometimes we are memory-less. I fear that is the case with eximia.

Although many descriptions suggest avoiding wet planting areas and caution about allowing them to totally dry out, we have grown them in a garden alongside the road where bright sun shines and the soil dries quickly. Perhaps they do well there because all the plants are thick and water evaporates slowly. But sometimes the soil is baked hard from July heat and yet these flowers keep blooming.

If you have an out of the way place with some sun but not too much water, give them a try. They work well with about any shade plant and accent our hostas and astilbes well. If you haven't tried them before, let me know what you think.

As I think about the inventory, I think we have enough for this season but it will mean dividing some plants this spring. That will work!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where it's quiet and I can get some reading done.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Walking Along Waterfalls

Friday, January 7, 2011

4 PM is already here with a dullness that suggests tonight's coming snowstorm. It's not predicted to be very big, perhaps 4", but the weather folks say light snow will continue this weekend. Locations closer to the New England coast may well receive more snow but that's all for us. It has been a strange winter so far, quite cold and windy with really very little snow here to speak of. I have put on the plow only one time and that really was at the pleasure of Christmas guests.

Vermont is a beautiful state and I really wish I had more time in the summer to get out and enjoy it. Operating a nursery and trying to keep employees to a minimum puts a damper on free time to get out and about. Up top here is a picture of local Marshfield Falls, purported to be one of Vermont's longer waterfalls. The falls is easy to find, is located in Marshfield village and just 2/10's mile off US Route 2. Although the main falls pictured here is about 100 feet long, the entire falls from where it tips downhill at the top of the mountain to where it joins the Winooski River at the bottom is over 600 feet. If you're passing through town, it's worth stopping for a few minutes. It's visible from the road all year long.Turn of Route 2 at Rainbow Sweets and go straight. Bear right where the road forks if you want to park and visit for a bit.

This summer a customer's plant question led me to a web search which led to mention of Cheever Falls, 15 miles away in Walden, Vermont. Just reading about Cheever falls got me interested and along the way I heard about New England Waterfalls by Greg Parsons and Kate Watson.They had published a similar book years previous that described the location for 200 waterfalls but this revised edition discusses 400 waterfalls. Cheever and Marshfield Falls are both mentioned.

As a gardener I enjoy getting out and walking along rivers as there are many botanical surprises to be found. This holds true of river banks with adjacent waterfalls. The humidity of the land adjacent to the falls always provides a perfect place for certain plants to prosper. I have found buttercups, moneywort , jewelweed, Jack in the pulpits, cattail, Japanese knotweed, baneberry, Jerusalem artichoke, yellow flag, trout lilies, orchids, Indian cucumber root, clintonia, marsh marigold, black eyed Susans, forget-me-not, meadow rue, baneberry, turtlehead, Dutchman's britches, wild sarsaparilla, Canada lilies, trillium, cardinal flower, loosestrife and Lilium superbum. There are many more as well as ferns, mosses and lichens in quantity to keep any would-be botanist busy.

Today it's too cold for me to be climbing around waterfalls but for next spring through fall, test your scouting skills and find a few waterfalls. There's probably at least one nice one close to your home.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the wind has died and the light is almost gone. Time to bring in some wood for tonight.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!
On Facebook at Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Early Winter HIke

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Approaching 5 PM, darkness has closed in and the temperature continues to drop from today's high of 40.2 degrees. Two days in a row of springlike weather meant we were able to get outside and get a lot of things done that might have been saved for much later into winter.

Yesterday afternoon some friends invited us to join them for a walk at the Virginia Stranahan Memorial Forest off Hollister Hill in Marshfield. Although we had some sense of the background of the forest, we had never visited. The Stranahan family offered all 622 acres to the Vermont Land Trust that ultimately gifted it to the Town of Marshfield. An industrious crew has mapped the land, laid out trails and done a lot of clearing. The parking area is open, a sign and guide map station has been erected, road fill added, a security gate installed and trails have been marked and cleared.

Seven of us left the parking area about 1:30 and walked the first leg of the Forest down Thompson Road, part of which is also the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers trail. Gail provided some entertainment along the way as she had snow proofed her boots before the trip and apparently went a little heavy with the silicon spray which she learned should not be allowed on the bottom of the boots. Pirouettes may be classic ballet (?) as Gail demonstrated from the back of the pack but they really have no place in an early winter mountain hike.

We took the first left which is the Sugar House Loop, a third of a mile long and climbing steadily uphill through some beautiful woods. Half way up the loop the old sugar house skeleton including evaporator pan lay on a rise, offering little to see but conjuring images of wood smoke and evaporating sap from bygone years. I stopped for a minute and my memory brought back the sweet smell of the boiling sap and the reminiscence of eating my first hard boiled egg directly from a wood fired arch.

Here and there large maples show leftovers from a pipeline system apparently used and in some places never recovered. One maple looked as if someone had cinched a belt tightly around it 4 feet off the ground as it grew around an old pipeline wire. The maples looked wonderful and Sara commented how straight they were and how far up they grew before any branches started.

The topography of the Sugar House Loop is interesting because as you rise in elevation you can look down and see plateaus rising from the bottom as if someone laid giant steps up the mountain. Sugar maples prevail in this area accompanied by some very nice green ash, occasional white birch, more frequent yellow birch and towards the end of the loop, fir balsams and hemlock trees. Snowshoe hare tracks wind in and out red spruce and a minor number of striped maples. Coyote tracks passed through several places. Deer tracks were fairly common although we saw neither deer along the way nor any moose tracks anywhere. We flushed one partridge before the sugar house site and I saw only two red squirrels the entire afternoon. I was pleased not to see or hear any pileated woodpeckers. These are spectacular birds but they signal problems with sugar woods as they hammer away, eating insects from dying trees. I am all too familiar with their presence here on the Peacham Pond Road where our maples are in trouble.

From the Sugar Woods Loop we jumped onto the Upper Sugar Woods Trail and from various vantage points could see Moon Field Trail and back in the direction of Eaton Cemetery and Route 2. The trees are thick enough that these are somewhat obstructed views but with the map you can get a good sense of how big 662 acres really is.

As the Upper Sugar Woods Trail heads downhill a bit you move onto the High Ridge Trail. There you meet Guernsey Brook, 5 feet wide and quiet this time of year as it eventually seeks to join Kings Brook before the two merge and head for the Winooski.

The end of High Ridge Trail is the commencement of Old Grist Mill Road. We stopped to observe what was apparently a grist mill at a small falls and then slid down the trail, parallel to the brook. Beavers had been here several years ago but were absent now. I stopped and looked back up to the waterfalls, now hidden in snow and ice. I snapped a few pictures and noticed how far behind Diana and I were from our quicker companions.




Deer had been feeding on ferns along the swamp and their tracks were more prevalent in the lowlands. Coyote tracks passed in and out of the swamp as we headed down an easy trail, rejoined Thompson Road and returned to the parking lot.

Towards the end of Old Grist Mill Road I spotted something I had never seen in all my days in the woods. I hope someone out there with more experience than I have can identify this plant growing in the bark of a green ash tree. It appears they have a relationship going but it's not anything I can explain. Can anyone help? Replies appreciated. Click to enlarge.

As Gail and I drove away, we had a better sense of what 662 acres involves but we also knew what a treasure had been given to our town. Although we don't know the names of many of those involved in the project, we are grateful for their time and energy. This is a magnificent place! For more detail, go to the Marshfield, Vermont town website and click on Stranahan Town Forest

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the outside temperature has dropped to 29 degrees as the wood stove inside warmed enough to draw Karl the Wonder Dog to "snoring mode" in front of it.

Happy New Year!

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!
On Facebook as George Africa and also as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm