HOSTA  CONFUSION?

We have been collecting, buying, growing and selling hostas since the early 80s and we love them. Last I looked there were around +8000 registered hostas and many, many more that were never registered. Each summer without fail, gardeners arrive at the flower farm with baskets or bags full of hostas leaves (or daylily blooms) and ask for help identifying them. Here is an example: Hosta Dream Weaver and Hosta Thunderbolt. A casual glance will challenge you to ask which hosta is which.

Dream Weaver

Thunderbolt

Dream Weaver is a sport of Great Expectations and Thunderbolt is a sport of Elegans. Notice similarities---or not---next.

Great Expectations

Hosta Elegans

I would say that 8 of 10 people who visit our hosta display garden and see Dream Weaver, Great Expectations, Elegans or Thunderbolt prefer Thunderbolt.  I guess this is a perfect example of eye of the beholder. My problem has always been that I have one very nice specimen of Thunderbolt and I have never been willing to divide it for propagation. I finally found a source online from a reputable grower and I may spring for a couple-three plants and get some going. In the meantime, make your own choice. Any of these are very nice!

Writing this morning from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the sky is dark, the temperature is 20.1° and the on and off wind is currently at 9.8 mph. We only received 3" of snow compared to our hosta friends in New Jersey. Be well!

Gardens With A Personal Touch

I prefer to share articles I have written for limited publication sometime after they are released. Gardens With A Personal Touch appeared this winter in The North Star Monthly, a Danville, Vermont publication I admire. Covid-19 has changed many things but it will never change how important gardens are to us. In a time when we need calm from the storm, our gardens can help.Read on and think how to make your gardens more personal.

GARDENS WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH

A snowy morning here on the mountain above Peacham Pond. I’ve finally shaken off several weeks of a cold virus. The woodstove is going, the birds have been fed and it’s time to turn to garden thoughts. I read an article yesterday about a gardener who bought the house of her dreams and always wanted a row of Hyperion daylilies along the road out front. Hyperion is a wonderful daylily introduced in 1924. It’s +40” tall, a nice shade of yellow and it’s fragrant. Sixty feet of garden is a great deal of work so the woman started 10 feet at a time each year, turning the soil, removing the stones and roots and debris and then amending the soil to accommodate healthy plants, 30 inches on the center. The article included a picture of the finished garden and it was really impressive!

The message here comes with a suggestion that this time of winter is perfect for planning new gardens and improving upon those you already have growing. Garden catalogs have arrived in the mail and online catalogs have been updated. So grab a pad of paper and pen and map out what you have and what you want to create. Think in terms of adding a personal touch that is specifically yours. Think of adding items that will remind you and your visitors that this garden is really “you”. This can included new plants, shrubs or trees, anything vertical, bird houses or bird baths, stone features, a piece of pottery, a piece of garden art, a single garden bench or a set of garden furniture, an arbor or a trellis….or just a good cleaning out, soil amending and a few complimentary plants.

When folks visit the flower farm and say they would like some help picking out an assortment of plants for a new garden, the first question we ask is whether the garden space is already prepared.  If the whole thing is still a vision we explain we don’t want to sell plants if the garden isn’t prepared yet. Garden shortcuts never work and only create more work down the road. We also verify soil condition, whether the soil has ever been tested, sunlight, soil moisture/proximity to streams, ponds, seasonal water runoff, and visiting wildlife. When we hear plants or shrubs that other nursery and garden center staff have said “it should grow for you” we validate the temptation with reality and our experience. We encourage our “plan it, validate that it will be a success here and plant it once.” We have never been believers in “There’s never time to do it right but there’s always time to do it over.”

Think about pockets of spring bulbs that you always wanted but never got around to planting. Spring is the wrong time to plant spring bulbs but the right time to figure out where you want to plant them come fall, and then mark your calendar with a note to order or purchase bulbs in September. Consider primulas, the primroses you see almost year round now in grocery stores and garden centers, Vermont hardy perennials that begin in late spring and grow into summer. They often self-seed well and come in many colors and leaf types. The Japanese primroses work well at the perimeter of shade gardens and can be planted in moisture-retentive soils. They stand tall enough to offer a showy presence, especially after a couple years when they have started to make colorful colonies. Consider the penstemons, the salvias, the veronicas for a variety of heights, bloom and leaf colors as well as bloom times well into summer. Spend a little extra on brunneras and pulmonarias for leaves that offer excellence as attention getters even after the flowers have passed. Give hellebores a try for early spring color and forget about the notion that they are difficult to grow or won’t survive here. And consider saving a package of dill to sprinkle around your gardens in mid-spring. Dill plants are home to hoverflies which love to eat aphids. They also are a magnet to a variety of butterflies such as the tiger swallowtails. Add a package of Verbena bonariensis to your dill seed and the result will be 3.5-foot tall flower scapes with a wonderful blue color that all pollinators adore. And finally, if through the process you have questions, send us an email at vermontflowerfarm@outlook.com or call us at 802-426-3505 with questions. We’re always here to help you grow your green thumb!

Gardening With Deer

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.

GARDENING WITH DEER

It’s a dark and quiet morning here on the mountain above Peacham Pond. It has been cold for a couple days and the way the birds are feeding serves as confirmation of the weather report of incoming rain in inches, possible freezing rain and then snow.  There are so many blue jays coming out of the woods to feed this morning that they have displaced a flock of 26 evening grosbeaks to eating sand and white birch seeds in the road.

During the past couple weeks I have received ever so many requests for suggestions on dealing with deer and rabbits. Fact is we live in Vermont in or close to a rural environment and as a result the critters of the forests have become our daily companions. We have a friend who moved back to Vermont from Long Island and she lives in Northfield across Route 12 from Norwich University. In the past couple years she has had deer, coyotes, fisher and a bobcat by her back door and a sow bear and cubs repeatedly walking down the road in front of her home. No longer is this uncommon.

Deer bother gardeners most followed by rabbits and woodchucks. The trouble with deer is they eat a lot and once they find a place with good things to eat, they revisit until the food is gone. Often this involves your favorite shrubs, trees and flowers. The deer population continues to grow as interest in deer herd management through hunting seems to decrease each year. My suggestions are twofold. 1.) Don’t ever intentionally feed the deer because if they like what you offer, they will return forever. Even if the temperatures are below zero and the snow is deep, don’t feel sorry and buy bagged deer food. It’s very bad for the deer and the deer are bad for your gardens. 2.) Research plants that are less favored by deer and stick with them in your gardens.  Don’t allow yourself to think “I know what they say but maybe the deer won’t touch this.” They will.

Here are some examples from our experience. The notion that plants are “deer proof” is a poor one. If deer are hungry they will seek out any plant that doesn’t smell noxious to them.

Achillea/Yarrow. Lots of colors

Aconitum/Monkshood. Poisonous, late blooming.

Allium. Onion family. Lots of colors & heights.

Anemone. Late bloomer. Good cut flower.

Aruncus and Astilbes. 9”-5 feet tall.

Brunnera. Many varieties, beautiful leaves. Love shade.

Catmint/Nepeta. 8-30”. Silver foliage.

Chelone/Turtlehead. We sell ‘Hot Lips.’ Late.

Cimicifuga. Now named Actaea. 3-9 feet.

Delphinium. 3-8 feet. Blue, white, lavender, rose.

Digitalis. Biennials & Perennials. Camelot is best!

Epimediums. Can use as groundcover or specimen.

Ferns. Hardy. Try Lady in Red.

Hardy Geraniums. Many colors. Some are invasive.

Helleborus: Blooms when there may still be spring snow.

Hibiscus: Very hardy perennial in right place.

Pulmonarias. Accept shade. Wonderful foliage.

Siberian Iris. Plant throughout your gardens.

Stacys Humello. Remember Lambs Ears?

Check with fellow gardeners, local Master Gardeners, garden club members, the Extension Service, nurseries or garden centers for more ideas. Notice I didn’t mention Fish and Wildlife? That was intentional.  As much as you might like rhododendrons and arborvitaes, the deer like them too and once they have been browsed heavily, then will not grow back.

Still have questions? Drop us an email at vermontflowerfarm@outlook.com. We reopen for 2020 on Mothers Day but until then we’re happy to work with you on garden designs and finding the right colors. Need a boost of color during the white days of winter? We post lots of pictures and gardening advice on Instagram, and our Facebook pages including Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and my personal George Africa FB page. Read on!

Be Your Own Garden Champion

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.

BE YOUR OWN GARDEN CHAMPION

I’m sitting here in my office this morning watching the birds at the feeders, the wild turkeys marching single file out of the woods line and the thermometer which is a surprising 45.7°. A week ago it was -6° here for two days and the 20 mph wind pierced my inner warmth. The contrast should not be so surprising as I have “been there” before. Age has a way of chilling my body and my thoughts. It’s not quite winter yet but in Vermont the weather never checks the calendar from day to day.

A gave a gardening friend several past issues of The North Star Monthly last week and she called and reminded me that I keep mentioning “the back of the field” and “planting the woods line” and yet I never really talk about it.  She’s correct so here goes.

Rural Vermont homes, new or old, are often situated facing the sun and mountain views and are surrounded on three sides by fields or some amount of open “freedom”. Then the woods, outbuildings or neighboring property meet. And it’s those border edges that benefit from mixed colors of flowering beauty that offer views of color from spring bulbs and flowers to late fall heights, textures and color mixes. If you have a situation like this that you’d like to have become a new focal point to your property, be sure to credit the work it will require to get there as well as the final beauty you really can create. The final outcome will make you a real gardening champion!

As with any new garden, soil preparation is a must and that’s why people often delay new gardens. There’s no sense in starting a garden until you have the time and physical strength as well as the resources to complete the job. Fortunately there are a number of very good gardeners out there now who are available to help. One way or another, my recommendation is never to plant until the soil is prepared to the point of being free of roots, rocks and weeds and it has been tested to insure that it’s ready to accept the plants you want to enjoy for years to come.

I’m big on swaths of color created by planting 5-6-7 of each plant together. I am averse to anything planted in rows and with age I have grown impatient and can no longer wait three years for a gallon container to reach “it’s a garden standout” size and show for me. Just the same, if you have a property perimeter where you would like some color that changes through the season, you don’t have to begin with a 50 foot garden that’s 10 feet deep. Start with a smaller garden and expand it in either direction in subsequent years as energy and resources permit.

Last summer I had a customer ask me about the bottom shingle on our sign by the side of Route 2. It reads “Garden Design”. She asked me if I could help with a design and asked what software I use in my computer design.  When I said I don’t use a computer for designs, I got the impression she was going to leave. She stuck with me and watched how I work a pencil and then pull carts of plants out to the edge of the field and lay them out as they will be planted. Yes, this is how Gail and I do it and the presentation gives color, texture and a good feel for height variations and in the end we can add or subtract pots based on preference and budget. It really works. If you are interested in some help, bring us pictures of flowers or shrubs you like, a hand sketch of your buildings, N-S-E-W, major shade producing elements such as big trees or tall buildings, where the wind blows—that kind of information—and we’ll go from there. If you have a friend for whom you wish to offer a holiday gift because you know she would like some help with a border garden, we can do that too with a gift certificate. Give Gail a call at 802-426-3505 or email at vermontflowerfarm@outlook.com and the process can begin. As always, we’re here to help you grow your green thumb!

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season. Thanks for following us on the North Star during 2019, and for visiting us at Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens. Becoming a gardening champion provides enjoyment for you and helps maintain Vermont’s environment for our neighbors, birds, pollinators, critters of the fields and forests. It’s all part of why we live here!

George, Gail and Alex Africa

As Winter Approaches

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.

AS WINTER APPROACHES

This time of year I am reluctant to begin putting out bird food because black bears are a ways away from even considering hibernation. Bear scat under the apple trees in the fields out back is prevalent for the first time this past week and the piles of fallen apples are now history. As such I put out just enough bird food at the platform feeders to last for the day. I was up early today and as the sun began to rise, a blue jay who visited me regularly last winter, arrived at the feeder outside my office window and did what he always has done when the feeder is empty. He looks in the window and yells at me to get with the program. Corvids are smart birds! I followed the command and put black oil sunflower seed and cracked corn out and within minutes had a number of blue jays having breakfast in competition with five mourning doves and a lone white breasted nuthatch. I have already seen more doves in the woods while cutting wood than in any previous year. That’s great!

I mention birds because they are a wonderful hobby to replace your garden activities for the days of winter and the birds need help from us. Researchers have reported that since 1970, we have lost over 3 billion birds in the US and Canada. There are a list of causes for this including deforestation, climate change, agricultural and homeowner chemical use, light pollution, declining plant and tree species specific to certain birds, water level changes, and many other factors. As gardeners, we do an important part in helping bird populations.

Fall cleanup is not the most popular sport and some gardeners even leave the job until spring time. Until the snow provides ground cover and refuses to leave, you can find me out most days doing some amount of cleanup. When the deer and bears have finished with most of the apples, I rake what’s left and get them to the compost pile. This helps cut down on insects and diseases that will lower next year’s fruit production. If you raise pears, plums and any other fruit, (trees or shrubs) it’s a good idea to clean up leftovers too.

Pruning is about as popular as washing windows but it has to be done. Lilacs and both paniculata and aborescens hydrangeas do best when spent blooms are removed in case you forgot the task when they finished blooming.  With both shrubs it’s best to be vigilant about stem pruning to ensure good flower production the following year. We only sell these two varieties of hydrangea because they bloom on new growth and pruning will encourage plenty of bloom. Lilacs are growing in popularity but for some reason folks are reluctant to prune them. This past summer I gave many, many gardeners instruction on pruning lilacs. When you find you need a saw instead of hand pruners to clean up a lilac, you know you have waited too long.   

Some gardeners are obsessively fastidious about garden clean up and want to cut all their perennials to the ground come fall. There’s nothing wrong with that approach but if you grow any rudbeckias, helianthus, hellenium,  echinacea, yarrow, or verbascum/mullein—any plants that produce an abundant amount of seed, then it’s good to leave these plants in tact until spring. The “little birds of winter” as I call them love to feed on such seeds and when the ground is covered with snow, and when winds and temperatures are frighteningly cold,  the birds will appreciate what you have left for them.

When reports sound bad about declining bird species, there are also good reports about man’s successes. Osprey, peregrine falcons and bald eagles have made impressive comebacks. Our home is located on the border for Groton State Forest. The peregrine reintroduction program began at Marshfield Pond on the Lanesboro Road in the late 70s and we moved here in 1989. We have been fortunate to see the successes of that program since then. Hardly a day goes by when we don’t see a peregrine someplace between here and the flower farm. Ospreys are really impressive and it took me years before I ever saw a mature female. The occasion was similarly unimpressive as it came out of the trout pond with what would have been a “too big for the frypan” fish. During the summer we have seen bald eagles flying up and down the Winooski River as well as circling from high overhead. I have yet to find the nest but I hear it’s a mile up river from here. And finally, this summer on three occasions I was fortunate to see a Golden Eagle, also flying along the Winooski. People tried to tell me I was actually seeing an immature bald eagle but sorry folks, a golden it was—a prize to see and confirmation that we are doing some things correctly with our environment.

So as snows fall and winds blow, remember the importance of the gardens you grow and the visitors you share them with. If you have gardening questions, even when you aren’t able to garden, drop us a line at vermontflowerfarm@outlook.com. We’re always here to help you grow your green thumb!

Fall Garden Thoughts

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.

Fall Garden Thoughts

2019 gardening is drawing to a close. Gail, Alex and I are all tired but know we’ll miss driving to the farm every morning, opening the gate, meeting new people and seeing new things maturing. It’s been a strange but wonderful year to say the least. It started out in April with snow that kept falling followed by water that flooded the fields and kept the Winooski River too high for me to safely install the water lines and pump. Mother Nature put some things on hold but then the sun came out and energized everything.

Since those April days, many things have happened. We had the best season in over thirty years and that meant customer and visitor counts and gross sales increased. There were many, many new customers and more tourists from around the world walking the gardens. Sadly, there were regular customers who we know moved out of Vermont, could no longer garden physically, downsized their homes and lost their gardens, or even passed on to another world. We are sorry for the losses no matter what the reason because gardening friendships are tight bonds you never forget.

So now it’s fall and the leaves have fallen except for a few birches and poplars and the needles of the tamaracks, the conifer that loses its needles each fall after they turn bright yellow. Fall clean up has become somewhat of a controversy and my philosophy falls somewhere in the middle of current trends. Like it or not, leaf raking became a tradition in the days when people had to have a lawn with green grass and no weeds. Raking the lawn including cutting down the gardens and raking all sorts of vegetation including the leaves and putting everything on a compost pile or bagging it for a trash pick up. The trend has changed somewhat. If you have a lawn and have tree leaves, you cannot allow the leaves on the lawn for long or they will kill the grass. I have a lawn vacuum that shreds up all the leaves and pushes them into a bag. It works great for me because I use the shredded leaves between the rows of plants in our propagation fields or on display gardens between the plants. That has positives and negatives too. Moving leaves into the garden, shredded or not, puts weed seeds, insects and fungal issues there too. My most despised insect is the stinkbug, especially the Brown Mamorated Stink Bug which is a slightly larger version of the green one that has always been with us. When they are touched let alone moved through a shredder-vac, they let you know they are there with a very noxious odor. I think the benefit of the shredded leaves outweighs the negatives. I prefer maple leaves because they come from a native tree with deep, deep roots that stores many inert minerals in the leaves—minerals from deeper in the earth and beneficial things we probably don’t think much about. Leaves that should be avoided are leaves from trees with tannin such as oaks, butternuts and walnuts. Those leaves contain a chemical that deters seed germination and indirectly might impact any flower or vegetable seeds you plant directly into the soil.

As for our flower gardens, I leave them to themselves until spring. Our gardens are planted with a mix of plants that have birds and other pollinators in mind. By leaving the last of the flowers, the birds have plenty of food for the first part of late fall into winter before the snow gets deep. In their own way, spent flower stems with snow as a backdrop provides a picture of where we have been during the previous season.

Fall and early winter is a time to prune trees and shrubs. Pruning is a strange affair.  It is ever so easy to do and pruning is the way to go but surprisingly many people are afraid to prune because they think they will kill their favorite tree or shrub. That’s far from true. There are many great books and YouTube videos out there on pruning but if you just can’t make yourself prune, you can hire people like my friends Nancy or Kate who have created businesses out of pruning. If you think you want to give it a try, ask me and I’ll offer the confidence you might need to get started.

Before you leave your gardens for the winter, take a few photos to serve as a reminder to what you have and what plants you might want to add, delete or better care for come spring. And remember our tag line here at the flower farm:  “We’re always here to help you grow your green thumb!” 802-426-3505 or 3506 in season. vermontflowerfarm@outlook.com. http://vermontflowerfarm.com