Tool Care

Monday, March 19, 2018

Early morning here on the mountain above Peacham Pond. Another cold night but warmer now at 4.6° than the below zero it was when I was heading to bed. Actually it's still below zero with the wind chill but that seems to be slowing down even though morning is approaching.

Even the best of gardeners stops  in the middle of a project and walks away leaving a favorite tool where he last used it. I'm no different. One time I looked around for my spade fork and found it laying on the ground after it had fallen over right next to where I had planted a perennial. Pot and fork were a reminder but I couldn't find the fork in the shed where it was supposed to be.

With deep snow here in Vermont and winter weather hanging on, it's a good time to clean up your hand tools for the coming spring. It doesn't require much to do a good job but it does take some time. Here is a link to one of the garden blogs I read regularly, Serenity in the Garden. The article is named Time to Renew Your Garden Tools and it offers simple, easy to follow advice on what to do and what not to do to get your tools ready for another season. I like it!

http://serenityinthegarden.blogspot.com/2018/03/time-to-renew-your-garden-tools.html


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where it's even too cold to think about starting seeds inside--but I do think about spring, warmer weather, daffodils!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

Allium Leafminer

The Allium Leafminer

Here's a recent article about another insect gardeners should be on the lookout for. Although the allium leafminer has become a serious problem with edible alliums, I am seriously concerned about alliums which have become so popular in our flower gardens. Purple Sensation, Globemaster, the blue allium,  A.caeruleum, the yellow allium, A. moly, and A. cristophii are examples. 

If you see examples of this troublesome insect in your gardens, otify your Department of Agriculture.

https://entomologytoday.org/2018/03/08/invasive-fly-threatens-north-american-onions-leeks-and-related-crops

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm

Marshfield, Vermont

An Extraordinary Daylily Site

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Daylilies are the second most popular flower in the world with hostas continuing to be number one in sales. Last I knew there were over 75,000 registered daylilies and as many as half a million in the trade. I once read that shades of red amount to somewhere around  80,000 of the total number. That's a lot of daylilies and a lot of color!

Daylily growers, hybridizers and commercial sellers are obvious throughout most of the United States and websites abound. One site I have always enjoyed is the creation of Charlotte Chamitoff who lives just over the Newport-Derby, Vermont border with Canada near internationally famous Lake Memphremagog. Charlotte does an outstanding job promoting daylilies on her website, Charlotte's Daylily Diary 2018. She offers readers a weekly piece named  International Garden of the Week in which she highlights a daylily garden. This week she covers the gardens of Don and Susan Church, in Blue Hill, Maine. Their business is aptly named Blue Hill Country Gardens where you can find cold hardy lilacs, dwarf conifers, heathers, magnolias, rhododendrons, azaleas,  interesting flowering trees....and....lots and lots of daylilies.

If you like daylilies and you're traveling the Maine coast, turn down Route 1 and stop and see Don and Susan. During my last visit I picked up a lilac, and two of Don's daylily registrations, Teaberry Tycoon and Dancing with Ellen. Don knows a great deal about bud count and Teaberry Tycoon sure does please in that respect. This past summer Dancing with Ellen exceeded three feet tall and made me smile! If you do stop, plan some time as there's plenty to see, the plantings are mature, and the design impeccable. Safe travel! 

Oh yes, and if you do head down that way and you enjoy hiking, try Harriman Point. It's part of the Maine Coastal Heritage Trust network of properties that allow public access to some absolutely pristine coast. Plan to go at low tide if you can and you'll see why I recommend that!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the sky is gray but the birds are happy about the warm weather.

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm

On Facebook as George Africa and also as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens where lots of pictures and good stories abound.

On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

And always here to help you grow your green thumb!

Another Blog

Blogs

Friday, February 23, 2018. This morning started out looking like another fine day but now, three hours later, it has clouded up and a weather alert just came in for Vermont. Between 1 and 10 PM we are to expect mixed precipitation including freezing rain, ice and snow. Not good.

Days such as this one give me an opportunity to catch up on some writing. I haven't worked on the links page for this blog in over a year so today's the day. No matter how the weather turns out, there won't be any slip slidin for me.

Here's a blog by Bobbie Schwartz  https://clevelandlandscapegarden.com that I will add as I update a few things. Always some great information for gardeners no matter where you live. Thanks Bobbie, for your great writing!

George Afric

The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm

Weigela

Friday, February 23, 2018

When sunrise became obvious this morning, the sky was clear and it was nothing but good news for the day...if...you didn't read the weather report. Here it is at 8 AM and it's already clouding over with a forecast that says late morning snow showers followed by warming and mixed precipitation by 3 PM. It's been like this all winter.

A couple years ago I wanted to try weigela at the flower farm as I had tried a couple at the house and they did quite well. I picked a nice red flowered variety with deep red foliage. They sold but not that well and last summer friend Dan took home the last 4. 

This year Proven Winners, one of my suppliers, came out with Spilled Wine, another red that grows to 3 feet wide  and 2-3 feet tall. PW recommends you space them at 3-4 feet apart so they can grow into each other as they picture them in their promotional card above. I'm holding off on them for another year as I get the long strip along the Winooski River ready for more planting in between the lilacs and hydrangeas I have started there. In the meantime I am sure they are available in Vermont from other sources so if you have trouble finding Spilled Wine, let me know and I'll try to find them for you.

Gardening questions? Drop me a line at vermontflowerfarm@outlook.com and I'll try to help.

Writing from the cloudy moutai above Peacham Pond.

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm

On Facebook with lots of pictures. Try my personal George Africa page or our Like page, Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens

On Twitter at vtflowerfarm

Regularly writing on various gardening related media.

Always here to help you grow your green thumb!