Monday, January 27, 2020

Late Summer Plantings



The next few posts will be articles I wrote for the North Star Monthly, a Danville, Vermont journal first published starting in 1807 and reestablished in 1989. I love the paper and you will too. info@northstarmonthly.com.


LATE SUMMER PLANTINGS


2019 has been an unusual year, start to finish. In April when we usually begin to plant, there was still 4 feet of snow along the Winooski River at the farm. When the snow stopped falling, the rains began and people asked me if we had taken to producing water fowl as ponds formed at the end of the field thanks to the Agency of Transportation’s lack of concern for culvert maintenance. Canada geese and ducks were prominent and greeted me each morning as I opened the gates to begin work.
Now it is three months later and we’re into the second phase of summer. The rains that fell made an incredible difference on all our plants and the daylilies and hostas in the fields, gardens, and pots have never looked so good. Daylily scape and bloom counts are extraordinary and the resulting color has stopped traffic along Route 2. Gardeners and would-be gardeners arrive daily and many ask for assurance that planting now is acceptable. Yes, it is! We offer encouragement and always have suggestions.
August and September are great months to plant new perennials and move existing plants around or divide them up. By this time many of the perennials you depend on have finished blooming and it is obvious what plants need attention and where there are places that could use additional plants. It’s also an easier time to evaluate your garden design and decide where you need more height and where you need more fall color. Trees, shrubs, and berry bushes transplant well now and have an opportunity to get well established before soil temperatures dip below 55 degrees. This soil temperature is generally when root growth begins to table off and is a good benchmark for when to have thought through your planting chores. At very least take a few pictures of what you have now so when catalogs and web announcements arrive this winter you’ll have a reference to what you already have planted.
I always talk about plants for shady areas because Vermont is one of the shadiest states in the Continental US.  Almost everyone has a shady part to their property and the horticultural industry has done a good job developing plants for you to choose from. We have always offered plants that are good companions to hostas which we love but many of these suggestions go well with or without hostas. If you haven’t tried hostas before, stop and ask for a tour of our hosta display garden where +600 varieties grow. We’ll explain what plants work in the shady areas and on the perimeters and also in places where plenty of light shines through.

Pulmonarias have always been around and we have always grown some. Pulmonaria E.B. Anderson was probably our first purchase that went into the sunken shade garden at the house with an unnamed pink flowering pulmonaria that Amanda Legare from Amanda’s Greenhouse in Cabot gave us. Since then our love for this plant has increased and we have sold hundreds. Gail rotates what we offer each year and this year we have Twinkle Toes, Gail’s favorite with its blue and pink flowers, Pretty in Pink, Raspberry Splash, Silver Bouquet, a purple flowered one named Little Star and a white flowered variety named Sissinghurst White. Pulmonarias are a hummingbird magnet and advise you annually around May 5-6-7 when male hummingbirds have made it back to Vermont. They are also a plant that deer just plain don’t have on their menu.
Another wonderful perennial that adds plenty of color is Brunnera. It’s one of those plants that comes with plenty of pronunciations but it’s clearly one that you should consider. The leaves tell their story and the tall flower scapes with their forget-me-not blue provide a garden accent that can’t be beat. Deer stay clear of them too. This year we have offered Sea Heart, Silver Heart and Alexander’s Great but there are many more on the market.
Finally, consider adding some vertical here and there. Cimicifuga, now named Actaea is a great addition. There are darker varieties such as Hillside Black Beauty and Pink Spike that are less than five feet tall and work well with virtually any color. Actaea atropurpurea grows 8 feet tall over time and isn’t for every garden but in places the curving, bottlebrush flowers add color and movement to your garden that calms the tired gardener. They are also magnets for butterflies and moths and that entertainment is ever changing and obviously free for the enjoyment.

Enjoy your gardens and spend some time outside in the next couple months. In a world that confuses and saddens at time, gardens can bring a peace that is worth every minute. Need garden design help or just want to see some different flowers? Visit us at Vermont Flower Farm, 2263 US 2, Marshfield Vermont 05658. 802-426-3506. We give good gardening advice, sell plants and offer free laughs!

Pollinator Friends






The next few posts will be articles I wrote for the North Star Monthly, a Danville, Vermont journal first published starting in 1807 and reestablished in 1989. I love the paper and you will too. info@northstarmonthly.com.

POLLINATOR  FRIENDS

A beautiful July morning here on the mountain above Peacham Pond. The sky is cloudless, the wind is calm and the crows have found something to harass just inside the tree line and they won’t give up. It’s likely an owl or a hawk. Besides the birds flying around I noticed how early bumblebees get to work in the morning. Like me, they are up early and limited sunlight doesn’t seem to slow them down. The bumblebees serve as an instant reminder of the importance of pollinators.

I have been trying to mention pollinators to visitors at the flower farm where we have put together a nice collection of plants that hummingbirds, butterflies, moths and other insects are attracted to and feed on. We have been growing flowers for 13 years at our 2263 US Route 2 farm in Marshfield and as a result we see new pollinators every year. It is really exciting to see new butterflies and moths every year as well as a growing collection of hummingbirds. Some years we see a new addition for only that season but over time most seem to return. Two years ago as we sat for lunch, a Giant Swallowtail flew by and circled us for 20 minutes before heading down the Winooski River. This is the largest butterfly in North America. They had been spotted for several years as far north as Rutland, Middlebury, and Charlotte but I had never seen one before. A day to remember.

Moths prevail in numbers nine times greater than butterflies. Since many of them feed at night, we don’t often have a sense of their numbers as we do with butterflies. Three weeks ago I spotted an unusual caterpillar over by the river. It was feeding on a native milkweed but I could see signs that it had eaten part of some lilac leaves too. With the help of some Facebook friends, I found that it was an Arctia caja, the Garden Hawk Moth. At age 71, I marvel at any butterfly or moth that I have never seen before. This 2.5” caterpillar had a cape of grey hairs that it ruffled when I tried to get close. As I read about it, I became more fascinated by my find. The caterpillar eats a variety of plants and my guess is that it had found the Japanese Fantail Willows I grow as willows are a known food source. The fact that it likes milkweeds too confirmed its reputation as eating toxic plants and carrying the smell and taste as a reminder to other animals not to eat it. Same thinking as with Monarch butterflies. The fascinating thing about the Garden Hawk Moth is that when it hears bats sounding off, it lets out a noise of its own to remind bats not to eat it. Now there’s a friendship if ever I heard of one.

A week ago Gail was rearranging the extra large hostas and she was startled by a moth she did not know. I was excited to see that a Cecropia moth, the largest North American moth, had just eclosed and was stretching its wings back and forth. This is a colorful moth with big “eye spots” on its wings and a hairy striped body. I had not seen one in several years and to see one at the flower farm confirmed that we are trying to take care of the environment there. Cecropias prefer maples and cherry trees and the river streambed has both.

One of the plants we grow is chelone or turtlehead. It is a native in Vermont but we grow a hybrid known as Hot Lips. Although native plants are preferred by native insects, they will find the hybrids and this plant is no exception for an interesting butterfly known as the Baltimore Checkerspot. This small, spotted, colorful butterfly will become noticeable in the next few weeks. When they eclose they are very noticeable in big numbers on the walkways and parking lot using the warmth of the sunshine to spread their wings and prepare to fly away. That’s the best time to check them out and about the only easy time to get a photo as they are hyperactive little butterflies and they move when they see you coming.

If you are interested in pollinator plants, those plants which insects are drawn to and feed on, stop by the flower farm and we’ll point out some great plants. We have a list of plants we raise that will bring more butterflies, moths and hummingbirds to your gardens. Ask for a copy or email me at vermontflowerfarm@outlook.com and we’ll send one out. It’s easy to get started with pollinator plants and it is a rewarding experience to see unusual garden friends living on plants you grow. Plant on!


Vermont Flower Farm is located at 2263 US Route 2 Marshfield and is open 7 days weekly, 9-5 daily until late October. Come visit!

Summer Gardens




The next few posts will be articles I wrote for the North Star Monthly, a Danville, Vermont journal first published starting in 1807 and reestablished in 1989. I love the paper and you will too. info@northstarmonthly.com.



Summer Gardens

It’s a beautiful morning at the flower farm. The sun is already bright, the sky is cloudless and the birds are everywhere. The Winooski River parallels the south side of the flower farm fields and it serves as a direct flyway from Lake Champlain and everything in between. Each day we are gifted with birds of all types and sizes and our visitors are able to see birds they have never seen before. Guaranteed! The retail areas around our office building are decorated with hanging baskets and now that other summer flowers are in bloom, hummingbirds and all sorts of butterflies, moths and other pollinators are plentiful and fun to see.
The period of time from when spring ephemerals fade and early summer blooms arrive is a colorful transition that gardeners love. The colors of daylilies, ironweeds, garden phlox, the asclepias and the various helianthus and heleniums are just a few perennials that welcome us each year. This timeframe has lots to see and it is always a perfect time to evaluate your gardens and decide if there are colors, heights, or leaf textures you are missing. A trip to a nursery or botanical garden is a way to see what others are growing and what might work well in your gardens.
At our flower farm we grow about 600 different hostas and 700 daylilies. June and early July are when hostas are in their glory and daylilies are beginning to bring smiles to all gardeners. We specialize in these perennials and are always happy to share our experience. Our hosta display garden has mature specimens of almost every hosta we sell and this offers you an opportunity to verify how much space you need to leave so your garden will look balanced as surrounding plants mature too. We point out the hosta display garden to all visitors but remember to feel comfortable asking us for a tour if you wish. We always explain how to plant hostas so they will grow well and we explain that although water is the best fertilizer for hostas (not a problem this year!!) we use Epsom salts/magnesium sulfate (2 cups to 4.5 gallons of water) liberally on all our perennials, hostas included!  This salt encourages root growth and for perennials such as hosta, more roots means more leaves in less time. Give it a try.
This morning as I write, primulas are like garden lights that have turned on here and there in the gardens. Some early varieties are going by but Japanese primroses are growing taller each day with 4 or 5 circular tiers of color that look so nice among the hosta leaves, the yellows of Ninebark ‘Nugget” and popping up in the middle of the 6” dwarf  Korean Solomon Seal, Polygonatum humile. The Siberian iris, in various stages from buds to “almost bloom” are short on bloom time but long on color and they surprise many gardeners in their adaptability to damp or dry conditions and little care. Baptisia is a plant that hybridizers have been very successful with in recent years and each year we offer 4 or 5 varieties we have not offered before. Unlike the older varieties that grew and grew and grew, the modern hybrids exhibit more self-control and their height seems to hold at 34”-36” and they do not spread “for miles” like the first blues we might remember. Although their spreading habits have come under control, the depth their roots grow to strongly suggests that as gardeners we should decide where we want to plant them so we are not forced into extreme labor to move them later on. Moving any baptisia is like moving a nine year old peony or a 5 year old Hosta Empress Wu. Stretching exercises and sometimes the recruitment of strong friends is a prerequisite!
Gardens are a welcome therapy to a world that offers daily challenges. There is a peace to viewing what we have accomplished and a sense of quiet that is nice too! If you have not tried flower gardening yet, stop by and ask for some advice, get some questions answered and see what perennials grow well in Vermont. Our flower farm is located at 2263 US 2, just half a mile west of Marshfield village. We are open 9-5 every day until mid-October. Bring a friend!



Thursday, November 14, 2019

A Cold, White November








I was in Burlington today, late morning into early afternoon. The wind was biting hard at times and the parking was terrible because the snow hasn't been cleaned up yet. There was no shortage of traffic any place I went. Naturally, Lake Champlain is not even thinking about freezing so the humidity and occasional blasts of snow flurries were all lake induced....and it was really cold!!


I just read the latest USDA plant zone chart. One of those easy, plug-in your zip code charts. Obviously, I have to read up on these new charts as some of this makes no sense. I live in Marshfield Vermont and that finds us in a zone 4B in the 20-25 below zero range. This week we have already been below zero here (the season is still Fall!) and this past winter we were in the 30 below for days in a row and for several other days in the 26-29 below range. I remember one time when it was so cold the tractor finally started with the glow plug in advance but the hydraulic fluid wouldn't move enough to do anything. I covered the whole tractor with a tarp and let it run an hour and it still wouldn't budge. Not good as there were a couple feet of fresh snow on the ground and "no tractor" meant not going anywhere. 

Plug in your zip code and see what this means for plant hardiness. Do the plants you like to grow make sense for what zone you live in?



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where it will still be a while before ice covers the pond.

Be well!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Writing on Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa.

Friday, August 09, 2019

New Video Tour



VERMONT FLOWER FARM
VIDEO TOUR

Here is a really special video tour of Vermont Flower Farm that was prepared by Trevor Audet from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets. Vermont has a diversity of agricultural endeavors and the Agency is doing a special job producing media coverage so Vermonters and others know what we do here.

We are proud of our work and enjoy sharing this latest look for your review. Share it with friends and come visit with friends, neighbors, garden club members and an out of state visitors who might want to learn more about the most beautiful state in New England. And remember: "We're always here to help you grow your green thumb!"


Click on the link and then enlarge for best viewing!

Have questions? Call us at 802-426-3506 or write at vermontflowerfarm@outlook.com

Monday, August 05, 2019

Come Visit!



COME VISIT!





Monday, August 5, 2019

This is the time to stop by Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and walk the fields and gardens with us. The daylilies are at peak right now but because of the spring rains, scape production was so bountiful that daylilies that might be halfway finished blooming have two or more weeks left. There are about one-quarter of all the daylilies we grow that have not started to bloom yet. That translates to a continuing show that will knock your socks off! The late bloomers that Gail has been working on is another story all by itself.



The hosta display garden still brings lots of compliments for the outstanding garden that it is but I am embarrassed I have not been able to care for it as I should. 2.5 worker bees (Gail, Alex and me) caring for +4 acres of gardens means some things lose priority as other--such as the daylilies--take over.  Come visit and make your own decision. If you take any pictures, share them on Facebook and other social media formats so others can see too. Many thanks!

George Africa
Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
2263 US Route 2
Marshfield, Vermont 05658