Composted Thoughts

Sunday, January 29, 2012

23° here on the mountain this morning. There's a 4-6 mph wind that comes and goes, and as it moves a little, temperature corrected to wind speed drops to 16°. The sun is rising over Peacham Pond and the sky has rows of black clouds that look as if someone took a paint brush and dabbed gray-black paint across a light blue backdrop. The recent weather has offered up a variety of sky colors lately and this one will change too before night approaches.

The high point of the morning is that it's birdiferous out there and I do not know why. Karl the Wonder Dog and I just headed out for a second walk and just off the back steps where the overgrown Miss Kim lilac shivers, we were surrounded by a Hitchcockian flock of chickadees like I have never seen before. These are family oriented birds I hear but this was one big family, chasing each other in circles and surrounding us to the point that Karl was smacking his teeth as they went by. They are usually such docile birds and they tame quickly to hand feeding with little patience. But today they were little whirlwinds, covertly signaling a bird convention of sorts here at the house and feeders.

The eruption of evening grosbeaks from two days ago is still here feeding heavily on the Thundercloud crabs but my real amazement came when I heard the windy wings from a flock of 38 cedar waxwings landing in the sugar maple as they waited for blue jays to leave the Dolgo crab apples. I was so happy to see these birds as they landed and flew, landed and flew away but in between time crushed open frozen apples and consumed the seeds they cherish. I remember the waxwings as my mother's favorite winter bird.

The early rising juncos are everywhere on the ground under the feeders in company with about 20 mourning doves so we have quite a collection this morning. Perhaps these are not the kind of birds that birders marvel over but to me they are my day's entertainment and like old friends who show up unannounced, the waxwings produced a morning smile on my face as Karl gave a shiver and headed for the steps.

But it was the crows fighting in the compost pile that produced a thought for today and that thought really is about compost. I don't want to brag about Vermont but factually there is deep concern for what goes into landfills and what doesn't need to. The composting industry is very well established and it has reached the level from single composters to community composters to "let's make a bunch of bucks" composters. A while back I saw a lady enter the local store and leave off two spanky clean 5 gallon buckets in exchange for the two that had been filled at the back deli. Entrepreneurship at its best! Last year at Town Meeting there was a vote to change solid waste districts and part of the concern was who would pick up the food waste at the local school. Within 20 miles of here there are three or four commercial operations that take major food and waste scraps and turn them into black gold that is sold by the truckload or bagged. IN the case of the school, the worry was worked out with a new provider.

So yes, it is cold outside today but that doesn't mean it's the wrong time to think about compost. Time flies and before you know it you'll be walking your gardens and thinking about amending soil and getting better looking crops than last year. Just remembering last year's floods in May and the hurricane in August will remind you how much nutrient rich soil is in Lake Champlain now and how much you need to replace. So-o-o-o as you think gardening, think compost and begin to research what's available, how much you need and what the price will be. The Composting Association of Vermont might be the place to start although I'm not sure all the composters who have product to sell are members. For example Grow Compost Of Vermont in Moretown is one of the newer commercial endeavors. They are located on Route 100 between Middlesex and Waterbury and they have a very good product too.

Up top is an image of fall leaves. When spring arrives and you have to rake what you forgot last fall, get the leaves into the compost pile you always thought about building but didn't. It takes a while before leaves turn to gold but when they do, you might remember my hint.

And from the mountain above Peacham Pond where late waking ice fishermen are heading down to set up tip ups for fat brown trout, happy composting thoughts and if all else fails, fill the bird feeders.

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
We're always here to help you grow your green thumb!

Vermont Farm Show

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Yesterday was the first day of the 2012 Vermont Farm Show as well as the first day at its new location at the Robert Miller Exposition Center at the fairgrounds in Essex. Big changes always require a shakedown cruise of sorts but I have to say this is a wonderful show that will knock your socks off even if you aren't a farmer. It's also admission free.

At the entrance some equipment is on display that stopped the farmer in me with a "what's that???" question. This gigantic Kuhn Merge Maxx 900 is a hay conditioner for the kind of Vermont farms that mostly only exist along the western side of the state. They are commonly used out west where turning big equipment around is not a problem. This piece is 28 feet wide. Here's a YouTube video of it in operation so you get a hint of the size.

Here's a quick series of other big equipment. If you have younger kids who have an interest in machines, this is a place they can see some things they won't forget. Hold them tightly and listen for excited voices.






More farm show thoughts and images to follow.

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
Helping you grow your green thumb!

Our Nursery

Monday, January 13, 2012

View Larger Map

Already almost 7 AM here on the mountain. The sunrise over Peacham Pond is very nice but the morning light deceives one about the temperature and occasional wind. It's -15.9° right now but the puffs of wind push it to -18°, -19°, -21°. This is supposed to begin to change today and we'll experience slightly warmer conditions by tomorrow.

I haven't looked at Google Earth in a bit and wanted to offer an image of our nursery for those who have not seen it yet. US Route 2 is delineated in the middle of the image and the nursery is on the bottom half of the page directly opposite the "2". The dark, meandering line is the Winooski River.

Our "almost 5 acres" begins at the hook in the river on the right and extends to the diagonal fence line on the left at the end of the rows of flowers. The triangle of land to the left of ours that extends to the next "2" road marker is not ours. That land was planted in fir balsams perhaps 25 -30 years ago as a Christmas tree project so that's now a big planting of over grown trees in that dark green clump.

Directly across Route 2 lives the former owner of our land, our friend Gerry, who still owns about 70 acres there. At the top of the mountain above his house is a large field that is not at all noticeable from Route 2. I have never been up there to see it so looking at Goggle Earth gives me an idea of what is there.

If you look at the hook in the Winooski River on the right you'll know where the river began a new course this summer during the floods in May and the August flood that came with Hurricane Irene. That dark clump of trees along the river is where the hosta and shade gardens are planted and its from that area that the river swept countless plants downstream. When I feature hostas and other shade plants, this is where they are planted. Perhaps 50 years ago this same area was a staging place for the state to stockpile sand and gravel for winter application to Route 2. This was prior to the days when salt was used by the ton or modern day liquid brine is applied to everyone's dissatisfaction.

I keep thinking of buying a good GPS and doing a better job of mapping the nursery and our land on Peacham Pond Road. For some reason there is always something else that gains more importance. Right now the wood stove says "Feed me" and Karl the Wonder Dog asks for a trip outside--a quick trip!

Have an enjoyable day today but bundle in layers and be concerned about your animals, children, and older folks. It's cold out there and it doesn't take much to do serious damage.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the birds are absent but will soon be looking for their breakfast buffet. I have to get going. If you have any winter gardening thoughts, drop us a line.

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
We're always here to help you grow your green thumb!

Vermont's Maple Products

Monday, January 9, 2012

6° here on the mountain this morning and the light breeze was just enough to make me grab my coat collar and pull it tighter as I walked quickly outside with Karl the Wonder Dog. His feet ran fast this morning and although he stopped for seconds to catch a sniff and check out a coyote track, he wanted the warmth of the wood stove more than he wanted the outdoors. In an hour or so his courage will build again and there will be a scratch-scratch-scratch by the door but for now there's comfort in the rug by the stove.

I spent part of the weekend returning some of the front room to normalcy after friend Michelle put two coats of fresh new paint on. Putting the cover plates back on the electric outlets is no great feat except I decided it's not the job to do at the end of the day when older eyes have trouble finding the notch in the plate screw and getting back up from the floor is a long, groaning affair. The room looks great and in a couple days, Michelle will be in the middle of the living room doing the same prep work, taping, painting. She's excellent!

Seed catalogs continue to arrive even though I haven't requested any new ones. I am trying to get paperless on as many things as possible but it seems that each day when Gail returns from the mailbox, there is another new catalog. The latest is a seed and potato company from the state of Washington. It carries all the fingerling potatoes we love so much but frankly the shipping coast to coast is a bit much.

We recently reported about the open house Friday at the Vermont Food Venture Center in Hardwick. One of the companies displaying their specialty foods was The Mapled Nut from Morrisville. Back in the late 90's I had an opportunity to sit in the home of the originators of this food product line and learn about what they had going on. Looking back at the evolution of a food product is a rewarding experience and I knew back then that the nuts were a winner. As Gail and I looked at the new offerings at the opening I was so happy to see where a couple of very hard workers took a start up before they sold it many years later. These nuts are more

than special and things like the new Nuts About Coffee line which takes Almonds or Pecans and coats them with 100% maple syrup and coffee or coffee and spices are ever so-o-o good.

Gail and I try to promote other Vermont businesses as we ask people to consider our own Vermont Flower Farm. Vermont is a perfect state for small business and The Mapled Nut deserves your look-see.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where buying a small bag of so called wild bird mix was a good idea. I put out some of the mix late yesterday and evening grosbeaks are telegraphing the new food story. Twenty something on the ground or on the feeder right now!!

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
Helping you grow your green thumb!

Kale Is Good

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Just 6 PM and the temperature is dropping here on the mountain. Gail just returned from her walk with Karl the Wonder Dog and they both pushed hard to get in the door at the same time. My digital weather station reports 15.8° right now with a 3 mph wind but not even half an hour ago it was 19° so it is going down. We're supposed to have three days in a row of +30 degree weather and no snow so I guess tonight is the lull before the warmer days.

Friday we went to the grand opening of the Vermont Venture Food Center in Hardwick. I expected to see some representation of kale as there has been so much publicity in Vermont what with the challenge of out of state Chick-fils-a to Vermont's Eat More Kale. What we found was another kale company growing its way out of Johnson, Vermont. The product and company is named Vermont Kale Chips and it is led by Janice Blair.

The wooden bowl of vegetables, maple syrup, honey and herbs caught our attention and Janice invited us to try some of her chips. This is Vermont grown kale--I forget the names of the varieties she grows--that are cleaned and then drenched in dressings and dehydrated. The resulting chips are so tasty that eating one bite just doesn't make it and I am glad Janice was handing out small bags. Here's a picture--not too clear but you get the idea--of the product. As I sit here writing away and watching the Broncos football game, the bag is history but the flavor and memory are strong. If you see Janice's Vermont Kale Chips in stores soon, give them a try.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where neighbors are returning home to kindle fires and warm houses for the evening. Hope you're snug too!

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
Helping You Grow Your Green Thumb!

Stone Thoughts

Sunday, January 8, 2012

26.2° this morning and a very light wind. One inch of granular, washcloth-wiped-clean snow on the ground from sometime after midnight. As Karl the Wonder Dog pulled me along on his morning walk, I pulled back on the lead once in a while to bring him to a stop so I could listen for owl greetings but there weren't any today.

Stone is an important part of garden design to me. I am criticized for my backwards approach to gardening but the stone I use for garden accent, I often place after I do the plantings and things have set in for a while. That was not the case in 2000 when I started the garden pictured above with these seven stones.

I need to do a better job pulling together the resources I have found in person and on the Internet for other gardeners to use. This morning I came upon an interesting blog named Stone Art Blog. Give it a look-see. I am also enjoying Vermont dry wall stacker Dan Snow's blog, In The Company of Stone. Try the Dry Wall Stacking Across Canada site too. Here's their gallery which offers some nice ideas. Stone is hard but the softness it lends to gardens is a contrast to contemplate. Today is a fine day for thinking!! If you don't like thinking, then ruminate!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where breakfast crepes beckon and bird seed needs to be readied for morning chores.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter at vtflowerfarm
Yes, we will help you grow your green thumb!

Vermont Specialty Food Production

Saturday, January 7, 2012

A slow-to-get-started morning here on the mountain. 23°, on and off 2-3 mph winds, and gray clouds mixed with very little brightness as if a storm is lurking somewhere this morning. I have missed the weather report for two days now so am just winging it when I predict snow showers and slightly warmer weather today. If Karl the Wonder Dog were the weatherman, the morning would read something like fair to mostly sleepy. I took him out at 5:30 and he didn't not want to come back to the house but now he is asleep on the rug in front of the wood stove, sleeping and dog dreaming with occasional dog dream outbursts that are meaningless to me.

Yesterday was the grand opening at the Vermont Food Venture Center in Hardwick. Gail and I had the event on our schedule for some time and despite pre-planning we were too late getting there to get inside the warehouse to hear any of the festivities. The crowd was enormous and the enthusiasm spilled into the production area of the building. Senator Patrick Leahy was in hand for the ribbon cutting and his experience and pride in Vermont shined as bright as his forever smile.

The specialty food industry is critical to Vermont. It fits so well in the puzzle of Vermont's current economic needs because the dairy industry has declined since its peak just after World War II. Specialty foods can still borrow from our agricultural foundation while providing jobs and income for employers, employees and government program needs.

Gail and I really wanted to experience the guided tour but as the clock headed for 3 PM the tours were not quite organized and we decided we'd return on a different day when there were fewer people. We did have an opportunity to chat with some producers and sample some of the products that were on display. I'll try to put pictures up on my George Africa and also Vermont Flower Farms and Gardens Facebook pages in the next few days.

The cheese display up top here was provided by The Cellars at Jasper Hill, a Greensboro Vermont business. The cheese on the right is an example of the Cabot Cloth Bound Cheese that is aged at the Cellars. Some of the other cheeses are from other producers who use the aging caves and the expertise this fine business lends to our state's cheese industry. If you enjoy cheese, you would have enjoyed the samples from this beautiful display.

As much as I get around and keep an eye out for Vermont products, I only found an empty bag of the Castleton Crackers shown just below here. The Rutland Rye flavor was obviously as popular as the cheeses. When I got home I looked up the site and made a note of stores

that carry the crackers. We are cracker lovers in our family and this company sounds too good to miss.


The open house was a great success. I'll continue to share observations and describe other producers in coming days. The Vermont Kale Company has a excellent snack product and sampling switzel brought me back to days in my youth when I drank switzel in the hayfields on super hot days. Switzel is made from sugar, water, vinegar and ground ginger and it quenches ones thirst on a hot day like you wouldn't believe. More later.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where birds flock to the feeders this morning suggesting that the day's weather really is changing.

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
Always here to help you grow your green thumb!

Town Tours

Friday, January 6, 2012

A 3 mph wind this morning, 16° with total grey cloud cover. I have been out twice with Karl the Wonder Dog who is now driving me mad with his Christmas gift of a little squeaky toy the size of a weasel, supposed to be a fox I guess but only comes with two legs and a long tail. Somehow Karl folds this now wet rag-like affair in half and tosses it into the air which is quite fine until it lands on something his poor eyesight cannot locate. I enjoy the dog's happiness but don't like to keep getting up to retrieve his missing amusement.

Gardeners and their gardening have only been left alone for a month now so they don't miss their spring and summer get-your-hands-dirty pursuit yet as much as they will by the end of February. There are plenty of left over, non-gardening chores to complete, a few social obligations, and in any house there is some other member's "help me with this" list.

Yesterday Gail joined a couple friends in going to St Johnsbury where one of them had some incredible hand made silk scarves displayed at a craft store. It seemed like a good time for friends to ride along and visit a Northeast Kingdom town with many secrets hidden away. These three women are all avid gardeners but they also understand small businesses very well and they support Vermont business at every turn.

St Johnsbury is not unlike many rural Vermont towns. The stores run along a main street and up and down the side streets and parking is along the street and at some places off to the sides.
The storekeepers pride themselves in clean, organized stores with good selections, friendly smiles and good information.

Over the next few hours the trio visited The Artful Eye, The Northeast Kingdom Artisans Guild, Wool Away, Frameway Custom Frame Shop and Moose River Lake and Lodge. I think there were a couple other stores but you get the picture. Three good friends going to places that sell products that take hands to make and that the craftsman and the customer really enjoy. I told Gail that we should go again soon and take the camera and see if the owners will allow pictures. I'll bet they will.

As winter continues and those indoor plants don't quite do it for you, get out and see a town in Vermont you haven't been to. I'll bet you'll find a treasure that will make you sparkle too!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the town truck just went by. The clanking of the tire chains scared away the birds on the feeders but they'll be back soon. Their breakfast buffet was recently refilled and morning bird talk without politics will begin again soon.

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
Always helping you grow your green thumb!!

Out With The Old

January 1, 2012

31.8° here on the mountain, windless and the only noise comes from deer, walking through the lower field and crunch, crunch, crunching through the wet snow. The sound of cars three miles below on Route 2 is absent today as people rest in preparation for the first day of 2012. There is a lazy fog hanging above the snow and no sense of urgency to jump into anything this morning.

Alex just turned off his lights and went to bed. He is 19 now but still and forever will be a member of the autism spectrum of life. He has had this thing for many New Years where he stays up well into the new day checking New Years events around the world and continuing his study of world and military history on his computer. I checked him at 1:30 and he smiled as only Alex can smile and he reminded how well 2012 was going. He also studies the actual history of alcohol as well as mixology and last night he ended 2011 with an Irish Whiskey Sour made with Bushmills, an Irish whiskey dating from 1608. I asked if he has chosen a drink to celebrate today with and he only replied "Contemplating".

I cannot recall the origin of "Out with the old" but it is an appropriate saying for the first day of a new year. As I finish writing this morning I will return the last of my garden books to the shelves of my newly painted, reorganized, freed-of-bushels-of-paper office. I never throw away a book but do recycle some here and there to where I know they will be appreciated. I also never throw away a plant even if I don't like it and that's what Gail and I have spent three years now doing with some of our daylilies at the nursery.

Daylilies are a fine perennial and appropriate for modern day gardeners who want color with almost no care needs. Gail has been taking rows of daylilies that no longer sell well and selling them each fall as bare root divisions to free up more garden space and get more people growing daylilies. I don't know the current count of registrations held with the American Hemerocallis Society but it is somewhere around 64-65,000 different registrations. Daylilies are the second most popular perennial, following hostas which have always held first place despite a contrasting registration count of under 7000 last I knew.

The very first daylily was registered in 1893. It was a cross between the species Flava and Middendorfii. It was named Apricot and here are some pictures. There are obvious characteristics that make this easier to identify but admittedly it took me years to get ours, an unnamed gift from friends, properly identified. That is understandable with so many to choose from.


So New Years has long been known as "Out with the old, in with the gold" but in the case of daylilies at Vermont Flower Farm, the "out" part only means that we reduce the number of each less popular daylily to a spot in a display garden where the name with remain as "gold" as the day it was first registered.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where my second walk of the morning with Karl the Wonder Dog spotted three sets of coyote tracks that weren't in the field two hours ago. Karl looks funny pushing his nose into the snow to get a good smell. When he identifies "coyote" his head raises quickly and he freezes momentarily before he scoots for home. Some dog!

Happy New Year!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Writing on Facebook at Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also at George Africa
On Twitter at vtflowerfarm
Helping you grow your green thumb into 2012!

Blue Jay Morning

Saturday, December 31, 2011

It's a Blue Jay Morning here on the mountain. The temperature has been holding at 31.1° since 4:15 this morning, and the barometer is at 29.44 and moving in the direction of wetter weather with a little jolt provided by a 3 mph wind. The blue jays are out in force and are displaying their pushy behavior as they have moved the small flock of evening grosbeaks off the feeders on either side of the house. I like blue jays but they have all read that famous bird book, Pecking Order To The Top, and they follow its lessons well. They also eat a lot, and waste more, but where else can you find that shade of blue?

Lots to do today as I am trying to return my office to some degree of orderliness. Friend Michelle washed and painted it for me but just unloading everything in preparation for the new paint suggested maybe I should call the camera crew to come in and film a new spot for The Hoarders. Through the process I have pushed back all the books that belong to Gail or Alex and ended up on "my" shelves. I have also arrived at a bushel basket of catalogs, emails and scribbled notes that meant a great deal the day I decided to save them. At some point I have to funnel through all of them so don't be surprised if you receive an answer to a lost-but-not-forgotten year-old question.

This is catalog time and catalogs I am unfamiliar with seem to be arriving in greater frequency than before. I have spent years getting off mailing lists and asking people not to send me catalogs but I guess it's like the other day when a company told me that if they didn't send me a catalog, I probably wouldn't write about them.

Just after New Years I always think about seed orders. By this time Gail has already ordered new shrubs and trees that I have begged for and she has all the new perennial orders confirmed. But with seeds, I usually wait until New Years to insure I have a chance to review new seed varieties. We grow very little from seed compared to many places but some things are important to us.

Friends Harold and Leila Cross, daylily growers extraordinaire from Morrisville, came for dinner Christmas Day and right on target, Harold brought some winter squash. We are squash eaters and by Monday noon Gail had the squash cooked and the seeds outside on the bird feeders and the leftover parings on the compost pile. Just seeing the plump seeds made me think about High Mowing Organic Seeds from Wolcott, Vermont. This is a fine seed company that grows more and better seeds every year. Take a look at their website, newsletter and blog.

Squash are great to eat but the plants are kinda neat too. Here are some pictures of zucchini and summer squash flowers to brighten your day. They are easy to grow and provide numerous kitchen opportunities. A package of seed costs slightly more than a pound of squash at the market. The production is likely to be more than you need so your friends and neighbors might benefit from your gardening endeavors too.





I can tell from a look outside that bad weather will begin quite soon. If you have travel and/or celebratory plans, use care and think of others too. Best wishes for a pleasant evening and Happy New Year to everyone!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the town truck just passed by offering more sand than perhaps necessary. Two doves just landed on the feeder, one cooing "Peace for 2012" I like that. Bet you do too!

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
Here to help you grow your green thumb in 2012!

Merry Christmas

Christmas Day
Sunday, December 25, 2011

Zero degrees and calm but with an occaisional breath of outside frosted air that labors to turn the anemometer past 2 MPH. The house is cold at 62° but not as cold as many feel right now with lack of heat or resources to provide it. The wood stove is crackling again and soon my friend Karl the Wonder Dog will replace the warm bed blankets with a spot in front of the wood stove. It's Christmas! In a few hours it will be less quiet and merrier here. It will be at least 9 AM before Alex awakes. It's always been that way. We are not a family that has to rush Christmas morning. We savor our family, friends and gifts and cherish our health and what we can share with others.

Warm Season's Greetings to all our blog, website, Facebook and Twitter friends from around the world. 2011 brought us many, many challenges but strong freindships melted away difficult times and brought smiles as we prepare to sit around the tree and later the table to gather with family and friends.

The red squirrel in the picture brings holiday greetings too. Hatless, he covers his head with his tail to fend off winter cold and snow flakes. He has already had breakfast at the bird feeders and he doesn't have to worry about where his Christmas meal is coming from. Many in our world don't have the luxury Mr. Squirrel does so as you're out and about today, give a thought to others who don't share your opportunities and if you can, lend some support. Everything makes a difference, one day at a time!!


Best holiday wishes!

George, Gail and Alex Africa
Vermont Flower Farm
Marshfield, Vermont

Winter Whiteness

Friday, December 23, 2011

30.6° here on the mountain. Quiet. Windless. Snow angels, puffy little collections to 2-3-4-5 snowflakes, parachute slowly to earth and land softly as part of a new blanket of white that has erased leftovers from Fall. December has been unusual here in the east and the new whiteness covers patches of ice and great slipperiness left from two days of rain. But with the Winter Solstice, Mother Earth, in this part of Vermont at least, has changed attitude and what we expect of winter in Vermont is apparently en route. Sleighs full of gifts pull better on snow anyway.

I woke early this morning, not for any reason that I know of, and got the coffee going. Karl the Wonder Dog stood in the kitchen looking up at me and I saw his lips quiver a "Ready yet?" and out we went. The Christmas lights at the top of the snow fence lining the walkway sparkled brightly against the falling snow and the morning was without sound...... perfect, fresh, untouched as Karl and I walked slowly, fearing to find yesterday's patches of slick ice. In places his four feet slipped sideways as much as my two but somehow we made it out to the road and down to the lower road and back without incident or accident....and on the return I asked why I was remembering Paul Simon and You Can Call Me Al at 4:30 in the morning.

Holidays are a time of giving and annually I try to remember to share gift ideas with other gardeners. I am still working on the writers cottage and as such other chores including writing have been back burnered as I have tried to beat bad weather. This morning's snow is obviously going to change today a bit but while I regroup my thoughts, here's a small list of ideas just the same.

Books and magazines are easy purchases and even if you're late with an order, you can make a hand made card from a gardening photo in your collection. Three days ago I ordered two books from Amazon and they were on the steps when I got home yesterday. I picked up a book at a local bookstore yesterday and have another waiting at a New Hampshire store. It works! Stephanie Cohen is a garden writer who comes to mind. Her 5-6 year old The Perennial Gardeners Design Primer is still very popular and The Non Stop Gardener will please too. For magazines I balked at Gail's purchase of The English Garden Magazine but I look for it in the mailbox and try to snag it before Gail. It's great!

For crazy-about-gardening enthusiasts there are memberships to plant societies. They are in the $25-$35 per year range but there is a society for every plant going. I used to do lilies but now continue with daylilies, hostas, primroses, rock gardens, conifers--maybe a dozen or so societies.

There are flower shows all around America and the world and a nice card with some tickets is a fun gift. Many gardeners overlook flower shows but once they get reinvigorated they want to go again and again so maybe this year's gift will make figuring it out easier next year.

Too late for this year but a bulb digger attachment to go on an electric drill is a great tool for those who love planting spring bulbs. Under $20 and worth it, especially if you buy bulbs by the bushel as we have been known to do.

All gardeners have to kneel down at some point and there are knee pads, kneeling pads and kneeling/folding benches. I have all three but really like the folding bench that you can sit on one way or kneel with and use the reverse handles to push yourself up. Once you use it you'll be buying them for friends. $35 but worth it.

And of course there are gift certificates. Find a place that sells red perennials and incorporate a picture with your card. Red holiday reminders--red daylilies, phlox, bee balms, columbines...dependable perennials that are sure to please. At our place we also offer one-on-one garden tours packed with good advice in a hands-on setting for $50. Always popular because it makes a person get to a nursery they may not have seen before and places them in a situation where they can freely see how other people grow things and---the important "and"--they can ask questions.

So-o-o-o, time is getting short but gifts for gardeners is easy. Questions? Let us know. We always try to help grow better green thumbs!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the snow continues to fall as Karl snores in front of the wood stove. Best holiday wishes!!

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

7 Sisters

Thursday, December 22, 2011

33.1° here on the mountain with a 4 mph wind that has small bursts to 7-8-9 mph. The rains have stopped, leaving walkways and dirt roads polished up enough that I could hear the town truck's tire chains slapping long before it slid past our driveway trying to make the corner and head for Peacham Pond. As I walked Karl the Wonder Dog earlier I could hear ice tinkling on the banks of the trout pond. That means that for the third time this fall the pond has frozen and thawed, frozen and thawed, frozen and thawed. The trout may be confused but I have been elated to get so much outside work done during times when snow usually prevails. In a few minutes I'll check the weather forecast and try to reprioritize today's chores to take advantage of yet another warmer than usual day.

Winter solstice is often announced with commercial pictures of sunlight breaking through the giant stones at Stonehenge. I figured the way things have been going I'd never get there for a personal visit so in 2000 I hired a guy to help me plant what became known as the 7 Sisters and the start of a beautiful shade garden. Much has passed in those 11 years. The garden has traveled from infancy to superiority and maturity. At it's height it was a magnet, luring customers and visitors from some distance to stop and tour. The garden fell from glory when we decided to move the nursery and since then the beautiful collection of shade plants has been overrun by jewel weed that sparkles much less than its name might imply.

Just the same there is something strong about standing granite and at times like this I find myself caught up in redesign sketches and personal promises that this will be the year to reinvigorate the gardens around the stones. Last year Michael and Alex got as far as raking all the leaves and picking out the fallen maple branches but we just never got back to the real work. But the strength of the granite is reminding me that in times that have been difficult for many, I need to rebuild what people came annually to see. I have hand drawn maps of how it was and perhaps between now and spring I can rework where the swaths of Japanese primroses need to meet the hellebores and how the small hostas need to be moved away from the giants. I think it can happen this time.

Sitting and writing on the granite mountain above Peacham Pond. The sun is still a half hour out and until it breaks loose, the quiet I hear will continue. Peace and good will.

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
Still sending out nice gift certificates and helping every gardener grow their green thumb!

Back from Shopping

Word thoughts after a day's shopping! Happy seasons greetings from Vermont Flower Farm!

Standing Stones

Friday, December 16, 2011, 9:00 PM

The day flew by quickly today as I knew it would. It's not that the holiday season is about us and there is lots to do, it was the fact that today was the last guaranteed warm day before December becomes what December in this part of Vermont is supposed to be. Cold and snowy. But today was in the high 30's here and I knew this might be my last opportunity to clean up some outside chores, one of which required laying on the ground.

I started the day at the Community Center where the Food Shelf delivery was supposed to arrive between 8:30 and 9. It arrived at 7:45 and I received thank yous for coming to help and suggestions that I return next time. I was assured my help was needed and that the "new" driver was ahead of schedule today. I'll return in a couple weeks even though the food that was delivered today will be gone by tomorrow night.

Next stop was at the flower farm where I removed the batteries from the zero turn mower and "Gail's golf cart." Two years ago Gail told me that if I insisted on planting row upon row of daylilies at either end of our five acre plot, the choices were for me to dig them all for customers myself or buy her some form of travel. I got a deal on a used golf cart and it has paid me dividends. I do not know if Gail knows it has a battery that should be removed and properly stored for winter but it matters not.

After a quick stop at the hardware store I headed home to move the wood chipper, disconnect and store the brush hog from the John Deere and change the oil in the New Holland tractor. Then it was a quick sandwich and out to the writer's cottage to do some insulating. I don't think the wind ever stopped blowing today and for sure it was cold at times but not as cold as it will be when morning arrives and the projected temperature is in the low twenties.

As I had a chance to read my mail tonight, mention was made of a YouTube video on stonework. The video was of a dry wall stacker from Kentucky. It immediately made me think of Vermont's own Dan Snow, a certified dry stacker and author of In The Company of Stone and more recently Listening To Stone. Dan has a great blog named after his first book and if you're into stonework like I am, this is yet another resource to subscribe to. Either book would make a great Christmas present, whether the recipient wants to learn the trade or hire out some stone work.

I have had a chance to do some stone work myself. You become a quick study in the art of mechanical advantage and although it's unlikely you'll ever get to Pyramids 101, you can quickly become confident in some of the simple work. I hired a guy in 2000 to drag out and plant what became "The Seven Sisters", the start of a beautiful shade garden, and a couple-three years later I traded a truck load of potted perennials for a truckload of flat stone for steps and walls around the Sisters.


You might not think of giving stones for Christmas but it could be a welcomed present. I like John Cleary's place on Governor Peck Road in Richmond or Mitchell's Quarry in Plainfield. There are other stone dealers around Vermont and if all else fails, ask your local town clerk for advice as they know everything.

My gardening friend, Julie from Red Wagon Plants in Hinesburg, offers stone workshops and the first one of the new year is in January. Again, this might be a nice surprise for your gardening friend or partner. Check out Julie's site at http://redwagonplants.com/blog

So folks, books to read, a delivery of stones or a workshop to attend--all good choices if someone you know likes stone and you have to come up with a holiday gift that will please. I don't like to use the word "hate" but I hate people who re gift presents..... but..... re gifting a truckload of stone might be interesting. Good gardening wishes to all!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the temperature is now falling and the wind has stopped. But nothing stops the noisy coyote conversations tonight at the edge of the woods.

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
Always available to help you or a friend grow your green thumb!

Life Is A Labyrinth

Friday, December 16, 2011

Dark and cold this morning with a constant 10 mph wind that is just enough to cause dead tree limbs to provide unwelcomed forest music as they crash to earth. It's 36.1° and the temperature is falling slowly as a new weather front arrives. The town plow just went by, not plowing snow but salting and sanding as last night's rain buffed the roads to skating rink smooth and slowed Peacham Pond traffic to nothingness. This unsettled morning caused Karl the Wonder Dog to shorten his morning walk and return to the warmth of the wood stove where his music comes from his snoring.

Christmas is coming and people are beginning to exhibit strange behaviors. Disorganization, misplaced shopping lists, coffee cups, pocket books, packages left on car roof tops and lost, missed stop signs, beeping horns, people lines in stores, traffic lines on the roads. Christmas is coming. As complex, as complicated as we make it but even without our personal intervention, life really is a labyrinth of sorts and pre-Christmas life is a challenge.

Over the years I have come to enjoy labyrinths and I have learned to cope with the confusions that prevail as Christmas nears. When Alex was about 5 he displayed in very articulate style. He thought about Christmas after watching my frustration as he accompanied me as I shopped. At that age, Gail and I were still trying to figure out the puzzle of his autism and only knew that something was different. There was no name for his behavior back then, no diagnosis from a physicians desk reference but Alex was sharp. At then end of a shopping trip he said one sentence to me "Never go Christmas shopping the day before Christmas." He was right!

So Christmas shopping and life in general are like a labyrinth we need to traverse. If we think through our responsibilities and plan what we need to do in advance, the labyrinth is fun and easy. The labyrinth pictured just below here is from the Sensory Garden at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine. The close up at the intro up top shows the detail.

People are encouraged to take off their shoes and walk the labyrinth with closed eyes. If we better challenged our senses than we often do now days, we might/might not make better decisions.

At the gardens there is a different labyrinth in the Children's Garden just as there are different challenges in life. Little kids love it, some sit down half way through and play and roll on the grass, forgetting the responsibility that doesn't prevail until later years. Just the same it's a nice labyrinth.

As days grower short and the holidays approach, reflect on personal labyrinths and try to figure out how to best negotiate them. They aren't as bad as they seem.......the day after Christmas.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where I hear noise in the kitchen as my good friend Michelle G. and wife Gail fix coffee and share morning thoughts. I listen for their laughter but the wind outside is louder. Nature is like that. Have a nice day!

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

The free gift offer with a purchase continues on our website until the end of the month. We always want to help you grow your green thumb!!

Nature's Circles

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

It's a quiet night here on the mountain. The outside temperature has been holding at 30.9° for a couple hours but now the wind is beginning to come up, first at 2 mph and now at 4-6 mph. There is a light mist flying around, enough so that Karl the Wonder Dog decided to return to the house quickly in hopes of securing some warm sort of mealtime leftover to compensate for his wet hair. A nanosecond after entering the back door he began shaking to rid himself of excess water and he continued despite my protestations which included several unfavorable words. Tonight's weather report for early morning hours includes other unfavorable words such as "freezing rain", "black ice" and "slick conditions after 4:30 AM". I guess winter is heading this way in the next week.

I got going early yesterday morning with a full slate of projects and high enthusiasm. I was doing fine until I headed down Route 15 into Hardwick and as I touched the brake, all sorts of alarms went off in my Chevy truck, blinking lights and repetitive sounds that would have been annoying if they had not told me to take immediate action. One of the brake lines had burst at a point where it came in contact with the engine block as over time road salt and water had cut into the elbow. As I pumped the brake coming down the hill, I had emptied the brake fluid reservoir and things were not looking good for my landing at the bottom of the hill. No dragging my feet to stop this truck!

Someone was on my side and I slo-o-o-owly enter Hays Mobil and came to a stop. The smell of brake fluid was as obvious as the fact that I needed a mechanic in a town where I was friendless. I entered the garage and half begged for assistance as the manager said he'd look at the schedule and see if they could help me. I secretly glanced at my watch, not wanting the man to see me looking. The time was exactly 9:55. He labored over the schedule book like a tired flight controller at O'Hare and then replied with great seriousness, "Yes we can fit you in at 10." (5 minutes away!!) Well it wasn't ten, it was 10:35 but I didn't care as just seeing the truck enter the service bay was sufficient to make me smile. "Want to come in where it's warm?" he asked. "No, I'll just walk up town and look around." I replied. "Need a ride?" he asked. I declined the offer as the walk was barely a city block from one end to the other and I knew I would have at least a couple hours worth of time to kill.

I've been to Hardwick a lot but it's mostly been "through Hardwick". Yes, I have eaten at Claire's Restaurant and bought various things at the Buffalo Mountain Coop and held deer rifles I couldn't afford at Riteway Sports. Recently I even attended the second annual readings by some super fine local ag writers but really, I didn't know much of Hardwick.

Walking at street level is different than riding in a pick up and for the first time ever I noticed the suspension walking bridge that goes from Main Street across the river to The Flower Basket. The bridge caught my eye and despite a slippery, packed snow covering, I decided to walk across. Halfway across I stopped short as if I had seen my first ever crop circle. There in the river below me was a perfectly cut piece of ice probably measuring 10, maybe 12 feet in diameter floating in the river and spinning in a circle. I couldn't believe it. I wanted to run back to Main Street and direct people on down to see it but I didn't know if this was a rarity or something everyone but me had seen before.

Circles in nature are interesting and this siting made me think a book must exist that documents what I saw. As I watched the piece of ice spin, I gave up on the "find the book" idea and thought for a minute about other circles I had seen in nature--concretions.

The year we began work on the new nursery was the year I learned what concretions were. It all began at the end of a work day when Mark, a part time fence builder spotted what he thought we nickels on the freshly bulldozed ground where the office was planned. Within a couple days my pockets were full of concretions and baggies of them had piled up on my home dresser. Although some big ones measuring over 3 feet in diameter have been found, nothing I found was bigger than a few inches.


If you have ever been to Button Bay State Park down Panton/Ferrisburg way on Lake Champlain, you might have seen buttons at the lake's edge. They have been well picked over the years but like the round, spinning ice, they are always attention getters. Some concretions are odd shaped and I always felt they should be copied in silver or gold by a good Vermont jeweler as earrings or pendants ...or ...buttons.






There are many circles in nature and they are all interesting. If you have a minute make a list and share it. A circle closes a straight line but in nature, circles stimulate our attention. How did that piece of ice form in the river in Hardwick?


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where my back up dog walker reports that the air is thick, humidity maxed, as bad weather approaches. Use care out there tonight. Stay safe!!


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

Winter approaches but we will still help you grow your green thumb!!

Snow Plow Mailboxes

Monday, December 5, 2011

I always liked this picture of our daylilies and other display gardens when the flower farm was located at our home on Peacham Pond Road in Marshfield. The house in the photo is owned by a friend now who used to work for us.

If you look closely you will see a green mailbox standing in front of a crab apple tree towards the house. I always save old mailboxes when the road crew misses with the wing plow and leaves me sputtering and the box laying in a snow bank. Over time I have too many for my patience but they serve follow up duty in the gardens and never get nailed there!

I use the boxes for paper and pencils for customers with memories as bad as mine. Also include a knife, shears, small shovels, all the tools I don't carry around with me. The key is getting them back to the mailbox when you're done. It works for me--might be worth a try for you too.

Best gardening wishes from Vermont Flower Farm!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

Writers Cottage Continued

Monday, December 5, 2011

33.4°, windless, with a rose colored sky above Peacham Pond that serves as a backdrop to the tops of the aged fir balsams. A blue jay just tried unsuccessfully to crowd 4 mourning doves off the platform feeder as a couple chickadees, small and polite, crowded in without incident. I filled the feeders yesterday but the changing weather brought in lots of birds yesterday and I have to get back with more food soon.

Work continues on the new writers cottage and I have to say that I am pleased with how a guy who cannot cut a straight line has assembled a workable building that I don't think will fall down. There is a lot of work left to be done but with the main building up and the wood stove functional, so I can get back to the inside work any day I please.

Yesterday was "in the woods" day and I worked hard on cutting out a trail from the cottage to the back Peacham land border. Our 70 acres includes land in Marshfield and Peacham and I am working my way across a mountainside crossing both townships as I make the trail. I'm making it big enough for easy cross country skiing, snowshoeing or just hiking and will use the wood for the cottage stove. I have plans to plant the more open areas with wild flowers that I have been propagating in various locations on the property. Lots of ambition, but less time than I need.

Close to the cottage is a very nice spring that percolates big bubbles of crystal clear, very cold water from a bed of sparkling white, always shinning granite dust. In spring I'll put in a hand pump to make it easier to draw water and somehow I'll pipe that to my idea for a solar shower. Anyone with ideas on the solar shower can let me know what works, what doesn't.

Today is recycling day and I have to get the truck loaded and get to East Montpelier. It looks like the weather will hold til noon and that's good as it will take a bit to get the truck loaded and a few other chores finished. I hope your day goes well too. As you think about holiday gifts, think about replacement tools. There are some handy items on the market that make gardening easier.

Best gardening wishes from the mountain above Peacham Pond where this morning's noisy coyote concert faded quickly, replaced by calming bird songs.

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

Building A Writers Cottage

Sunday, December 4, 2011

24.6°, quiet, a 2 mph breeze. The humidity is high and the air has a little bite this morning. The stars are shutting off for the night and there is a faint lightness beyond Peacham Pond as the sun thinks of getting out of bed on the eastern coast. Light will arrive here in another half hour. I just poured another coffee and went to the cellar to fill the buckets with various bird seed. As light comes, I'll fill the feeders with sunflower seed, cracked corn, millet and thistle. Birds are entertaining and once the bears have gone to rest for the winter, I can be assured that the feeders will be well visited, not disturbed. I have 4 pounds of suet thawing on the kitchen counter. Today will be the first time I'll hang old onion sacks here and there to bring in the woodpeckers and warm all the other birds too.

Karl the Wonder Dog only wanted an abbreviated walk this morning until he looked up and saw two deer standing by the tractor. If there was a little more snow on the ground it would have made a nice picture for a tractor commercial for Christmas. Karl snorted, the deer snorted and I said "Let's go!."

It's nice to know that readers of The Vermont Gardener have remained faithful during this busy fall season when writing has been minimal as this writer has been cyclone-like and busy. It wasn't just fall clean up and equipment repair, but a major project that started October 25th as I began construction of a writers cottage in the woods. I have an office here at the house but there is a peace that comes from the woods that made me want to build a little place to go and write in total quiet. Thoreau did this at Walden Pond and I sure am no Thoreau but I do recognize how nature and quiet provide a different environment for writing.

I had lots of 8X8 hemlock timbers milled almost two years ago and the plan was to build wide steps from the hosta shade house down the steep bank to the lower gardens. My goal was to provide an easier way for people with mobility problems to get up and down and not miss some beautiful displays when they visited Vermont Flower Farm. The floods of May and then again when Hurricane Irene washed half of Vermont to the ocean changed my thinking on steps. Had I built them, they would be washed up on the shore in Burlington or Winooski now as the area they were scheduled for became a new river and under "feet" of water.



Getting 8 and 10 foot timbers to the site meant building a road for my tractor. The site itself had to be cleared and although I began in late September, I didn't start digging holes and pouring cement until the end of October. Since then I have had help from Alex and my friend Michelle has acted like a roof monkey, climbing around, rearranging plywood and screwing down the roofing. The wood stove is in and now I am ready to spend some time inside insulating top to bottom with the luxury of heat. It will be another couple weeks to get the insulating done but after that I am finished until next spring. Alex and I began wrapping the outside with Tyvek yesterday and that will finish today. I'll get a couple more pictures today so everyone can see what I have been up to.

The writers cottage, shed, camp, whatever you wish to call it, was built with another thought in mind too. We have a little over 70 acres here on the mountain and I have toiled with clearing roads and trails for years now. In 1992, some of the land was cut for pulpwood but that was the only time any forest management was undertaken. I have contemplated hiring a logger with horses to clean up the woods. Last fall I built a machine shed that can serve as a temporary horse barn and this little cabin can serve as a base to work out of, even stay at for whomever I get to log for us. I still need an outhouse and a solar shower, hand pump and a sink but these are winter projects too. By next year this time, the place should be finished up, ship lap siding on the outside and typical amenities added. Any building is a surprise in terms of time to build and cost for materials but this was an investment I really wanted to make. Check back tomorrow and see more recent pictures. Right now I have to head out for the Sunday paper.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pnd where sunrise has encouraged more wind. A feral cat I have not seen before is sitting in the lower field waiting for a mouse. Breakfast time for others than just me.

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

Gail has holiday gift cards ready. Each has a picture of one of our gardens, individual flowers, etc Interested? Give her a call to order. She'll gladly add your special message. 802-426-3505