Cool Hostas, Warm Climates

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Almost 10 am here on the mountain and everyone seems to making progress on the day but me. It was a cold start at 7 degrees and Karl and I had a tough time wanting to head out for a walk and then down to the village for a newspaper. Mike, a neighbor down the road a bit, was feeding a friend's beef cattle so we stopped to talk. He was pounding away at the watering trough helping the aerator/heater open up so the cows could drink. Mike is one of those local guys who will help anyone, anytime. Vermont still has a number of those people and it's sure nice to know there's someone close by when you need three hands but only have two.

I got home and filled the bird feeders early as there's a big storm coming and all wildlife know it. In anticipation, they are eating as if they'll be too busy tomorrow dodging sleet and freezing rain. This morning I was again reminded of the pecking order at the feeders. The blue jays are top dog until a flock of grosbeaks come and then they are intimidated. A large red squirrel will scare the grosbeaks but not the blue jays and a shrike, just a nasty robin-sized bird that reminds me of a mini harrier jet will scare all birds and small critters away.

Last Saturday I wrote about "Hosta Vision" and described the planning process for what will be a large shade garden at out new nursery. Susan Tomlinson, author of the blog, The Bicycle Garden commented that hostas do not grow in Texas where she lives. The comment made me think about a web order we received for hostas last year from San Diego, California. As soon as I saw the order come through I wrote the person and said that I like orders but I also like people to be happy with what we send. Basically I was doubting the purchase but I guess I said I'd do whatever the customer wanted. In short order I learned that this gardener had been studying hostas that can accept a warmer climate and he had several long term successes. He referred me to an article I'll share with you in hopes that maybe "Cool Hostas, Warm Climates" will work for you too.

Tony Avent owns and operates Plant Delights Nursery, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. He has a super nursery and a fine offering that will keep you going back again and again. He's also a great author and published one of my favorite reference books, So You Want To Start A Nursery, published by Timber Press. A couple years back Tony wrote an article entitled Hostas For Warm Climates which is available on his site at

http://plantdelights.com/Tony/warmhosta.php

If you question whether you can grow hostas where you live, read Tony's article and go from there. In the meantime, think about how nice a hosta garden can look and let us know if you have any questions.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where I was just reminded there are things that have to be done today.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Turkey Irony

Saturday, November 29, 2008

For some reason, sleep left me an hour ago and I am wide awake and ready for a new day even though the balance of the house is deep in slumber. Aging has a way of changing clocks and mine feels like its still flickering after a brief power outage. Maybe one more cup of coffee will reset things and prepare me for the day's events.

It's still clean up time here on the mountain. Austin is home from the University of Vermont for the weekend and he came up yesterday to help with some clean up. Gail is immensely relieved because he has committed to working for us again this summer which means she has her same crew back again. For Gail, that's monumental relief. It is for me too as people who can show up for work on time, handle customers and wear a smile are invaluable. They give me the opportunity to move along with my projects and come closer to the goals I have set for the new nursery.

Michelle will be back with us too. In the other work world, she is a super teacher and directs some education programs for some very special people in this county. She is one of those people you can trust with everything you own and not have to give a thought about the outcome. It's always timely and correct. I'm foggy this morning but I think this is year five that she will be working with us.

Besides these two, we have dependable part time, fill-in, come-when-we-call, spring planters--that kind of mix of interested gardeners who have been with us for years. Managing a business with a good crew makes tiring days shorter and smiles frequent! Austin will be back this morning and we'll try to get a few more things ticked off the list before the sun sets.

Thanksgiving is now two days past and the turkey in the fridge has almost been reduced to bones and pieces for soup. Yesterday morning as I was sitting here, Gail advised me to look out the window under the bird feeder. I was engrossed in Dreamweaver and a new website I am working on but under the feeder were five wild turkeys pecking corn the ungrateful blue jays had scattered about. There was an old hen and four kids from this spring. It certainly was ironic that they had absented themselves from the fields for a week and now that Thanksgiving is over, they're back.

The big hen reminded me of a show on public radio on Wednesday. Every year they have a call-in show where people with less than a clue about certain culinary processes call and ask things like "Why can't I get the stuffing in?" "What's that package I found in the bird?" "Why is my mother's gravy good and mine would be better to hang wall paper with?" "How can I cook everything in an oven that's too small?"

Wednesday I was impressed with the lady who called to report a neighbor had given her family a 42 pound turkey he had raised. It was so big she didn't have a pan or an oven to cook it in and her husband was on the verge of breaking out the chain saw to cut it down to size. The turkey pro said she was on the right path and since turkey parts---legs, breast, stuffing-- all cook at different times, it would be best to break the bird down into pieces and go from there. One suggestion I am quite uncertain about was his recommendation to try cooking it outside on the BBQ. I guess there are those people in the world that like to give and accept challenges and perhaps someone will give that a shot although my BBQ wouldn't hold that big a bird either. Our turkey was 17 pounds and just the right size.

I just heard Karl the Wonder Dog hit the hardwood floor. That means that in a minute he'll be bringing in a wagging tail and a plea for a morning walk. It's 28 degrees this morning and overcast as we have a big storm coming in for tomorrow. I always enjoy morning walks with Karl but have to say I miss the enjoyment of July wildflowers such as the Lilium canadense (top) or seeing ducks and geese raising new families on nearby Marshfield Pond. Those things are on hold until spring but the memories always stay here. Try to get out for a walk today and enjoy the balance of the fall season.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where I do hope your amaryllis bulbs are doing better than mine. For me, no more of those prepotted or kit affairs. I'm going back to the wholesalers who sell big bulbs that only cost a couple bucks more and bloom strong and big!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Hosta Vision

Saturday, November 22, 2008

A dark, blustery morning here on the mountain. A sliver of moon struggles through the snow squalls to let us know it's up there. The ground is white from last night's snow and Karl the Wonder Dog makes it clear that this is not a morning to be sniffing around. I concur even though all I do is hold the leash.

The confines of the house with a cup of coffee and a screen full of summer pictures provides reminder to what kind of summer it was. I have been reviewing pictures of our hosta gardens here at the house in preparation for mapping out the new shade garden I pictured Tuesday as I wrote "Floating Snow Flakes". It's difficult for some folks to construct something this big in their mind or even on paper but for me it's a matter of how I want people to flow through the garden .........and from there everything falls into place.

When I planted the foundation garden here on Peacham Pond Road, I was learning about hostas. I had patience, and frankly in 2001, there were few big hosta gardens in Vermont and almost no place that was publicized to go see 200-300-400 different hostas at one location. The interest has grown rapidly since but back then it required quite a bit of salesmanship to convince people there were more than the 6-8 hostas they had grown accustomed to seeing at nurseries and garden centers.

As I started planting, I had yet to develop a sense of the mature size of the hostas I was planting. This small-medium-large thing was confusing at best and I had not learned that some hostas are slower than death to grow while others delight the gardener with good growth. The old barn foundation I was planting literally had tons of rocks to plant around but lacking the vision of true size, I over-planted most areas so that after a couple years the rocks were completely covered over by June.

Granite is in abundance in this part of Vermont and within a garden it becomes soft as its uneven edges break the complexity of masses of hosta leaves. Stone requires some mechanical assistance to move in quantity but once in place, it changes the landscape so quickly that you're immediately gratified regardless of the price.

Here's a comparative example. Last September we laid out the stones for what is to become our daylily display garden. We will follow this same lesson plan on the hosta/shade garden. Our friend Brien Ducharme took the cherry picker on his logging truck and placed stones to form the skeleton of a fine garden. All last winter people drove by asking themselves who would bring in stones in a part of Vermont already covered with more than its share. The land looked just as you see it in this picture of a year ago because the building hadn't been started. We knew it would become a great garden but some doubted our sanity--actually at that point, few knew whose sanity they were questioning because they didn't know we were moving.


We prepared the land with an herbicide, rototilled several times and then began planting. Slowly we incorporated trees and shurbs and a couple hundred daylilies. Today the garden is only half planted, maybe a little less, but it represents the same plan we'll follow on the new shade garden.



The ground is frozen hard now and nothing but planning can take place over the winter. That's fine as we need time for mental work and some relaxation from the heavy stuff. If you have a new garden in mind, follow suit and you'll be pleased with the eventual outcome. Keep an eye on our gardens and share your questions and comments. Good gardeners grow with each others ideas and cares!


Writing fromthe mountain above Peacham Pond where the morning temperature is down to nine degrees and the young blue jays are noticeably less fluffed up with protective feathers than their parents, aunts and uncles.

Good Gardening Wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Floating Snow Flakes

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

A quiet morning here on the mountain. Last night's bright moon turned into this morning's cloud cover, as 19 degrees in temperature and floating snow flakes greeted us. The cold is supposed to continue for several days so anything involving the soil will soon end here.

Gail and I have worked very hard for the past couple years making the move to our new nursery. It is not easy for a couple people to quickly recreate what they spent 20 years building but we are making good progress. Being able to look back at where we were and where we are going is rewarding for sure.

These first three pictures (top down) start with the getting the land surveyed and then mapping out what will become a new shade garden and pond. We cleared the land and then began scraping off the top growth and rototilling it. From a mess of weeds and vines and alders we have the basis of a good shade garden.

You don't count hours when you make gardens like this. They are too big and take a long time. You strive for the vision you have and work until you come close to that. As we end our first full season, here are some pictures of what will become our new shade garden.

The soil is stone free, alluvial soil in need of organic matter but fundamentally good for hostas and the companions we will plant here with them. The vision includes clumps of every hosta we sell so once again visitors can get an accurate measure of the mature size of the hosta they think they are interested in. A series of paths will meander through the plain and swaths of 25's, 50's and 100's of certain hosta will create a depth. Our hope it that in time this garden will be visible from Route 2; and from the top of the main sales area it will lure folks down a set of wide stone steps to a place of tranquility. It's all workable, bearing time for the gardener, and for the plants to mature. Part of our vision is the entrance to our shade garden here on the mountain. There's nothing like the structure of hostas such as Elegans, On Stage, Ryan's Big One, Sunpower, Yellow River, August Moon, Jimmy Crack Corn, Tall Boy, Super Nova, Sea Fire, Revolution, and Birchwood Parky's Gold to motion a gardener down for a look-see. We bet it will work!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where today's chores include repairing the bear damaged platform feeder outside my window and getting it set up again. Bird feeding time here does not start until Thanksgiving Day, a day when we expect the bears have begun hibernation. "Expect" sometimes results in unexpected problems. We hope not!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm An old but good website from which to obtain good gardening ideas and information on purchasing a gift certificate for a gardener you know. Support agriculture this year and help us keep things green!

Looking Back

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

3:30 AM and Karl has gone back to bed but the rest of us are in various states of diminished slumber and are a bit grouchy. The moon is bright outside, the temperature 27 degrees and the wildlife is apparently in abundance, having a late dinner/early breakfast that is stirring adrenaline in Karl the Wonder Dog. In today's world it's nice to have a watch dog that really "watches" but it's also nice to be able to sleep. I've toured both sides of the house looking for large animals, deer, moose, coyotes or bear but all I see is the brightness of the moon.

November is well upon us and with it is the rain and snow we expect in Vermont. After a very cold start which put ice on every pond, the temperature rose for a week and good gardeners reveled in the opportunity to push the fall clean up a little further, plant a few more bulbs, transplant a few more perennials. For us that was a chance to continue on at the nursery, preparing more areas for next season.

Six new daylily beds have been prepared and two were planted in October. The remaining three have been well rototilled and spread with calcium sulphate to break down the clay. The new shade garden has been prepared as far as I can work it for this fall and now we're bringing in rocks to make another daylily display garden parallel to the parking area. We're also laying out the bones of a sedum garden close to the check out area where we can keep an eye on plants we're just learning about.

At the nursery all the pots have been lined up and are ready to be covered for the winter. If the weather holds today and Gail gets some help as expected, the day will end with the final project finished for the season.

Once the pots are lined up in rows ten feet wide and "however" long, we randomly lay out 2" PVC pipe cut to 2 foot lengths and filled with a cup of D-con mouse and vole control. We use the granular variety not the blocks so that the pieces don't get carried around and dropped where dogs or kids might find them come spring. Rodent control is a big importance in a nursery because one winter's damage can be devastating and very costly. Rodents always go after the most expensive, most difficult to propagate or obtain perennials. For some reason the red vole population is excessive this year and I may have to revisit the pipes mid-winter to better deal with a rodent that does not hibernate.

With the pipes in place, we roll out white insulated fabric as the first measure to protecting our potted plants. You have to remember that water and the freeze-thaw process we experience in January in Vermont are the two threats to potted plants. If you can keep the pots frozen and dry, they will defrost come spring and grow on in good health.

Years back before the insulating blankets were available, we placed all the pots on their sides and covered them with leaves, then construction grade 6 mil plastic. This worked well and is still an option if you cannot find the insulating blankets where you live or don't want to purchase a 100 foot roll. That's generally the minimum commercial size. This is a spun fiber blanket 3/8" thick and 12 feet wide. It has a life of five years but if you keep it modestly clean at the end of the season and roll it up, store it out of the sun, and cover it from the weather, it will probably last twice that long. It's artificial and probably some petroleum by-product, one step away from polar fleece. Once that's rolled out, we cover it with 6 mil plastic weighted down by old tires. As long as you tuck in the sides and corners so wind can't get in, you'll be successful in "wintering over" your plants.

Keep this freeze-thaw-water conversation in mind if you attempt to over winter any potted plants outside. If you have any large containers, especially decorative ones, be sure to cover them well so they don't freeze and split. Your loss could be bigger than the plants if you don't remember this. Gail has a couple large antique urns in her collection and we empty them completely each year as we have no trust at all for Mother Nature when dealing with something which cannot be replaced.

By now you're probably wondering why the picture at the top of hostas in a foggy garden setting when in fact the ground is covered with snow outside and I've already said the temperature is "cold". The picture is our hosta garden here at the house. It was taken in June when the hostas looked great just after a rain storm. I simply want to mention that this winter I want to explain a little more about hostas and give some examples of what I have done with them in our gardens at the house. Our other blog, Vermont Gardens, will parallel this writing with a presentation on the new shade garden we are creating. Lots going on, mentally and physically at Vermont Flower Farm!

As we look back on this summer, we can only admire the work we accomplished and the new friends we made. Right this minute, I'm looking back on slumber.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where it's quiet...that's nice!

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Winter and Winterberry

Sunday, November 2, 2008

A crisp morning here on the mountain. The crows are noisy and their message is confusing. I think perhaps they are calling friends to a breakfast at the compost pile. It is amazing how far into the woods I find food scraps that they drop. This morning's offering is a few egg shells and a bowl of apple parings from last night's Apple Crisp. That's a fall delight for sure and anything goes well with the "crisp" bite of the fall air.

There has been "sleeping trouble" here at Vermont Flower Farm of late and last night made three nights in a row that Karl the Wonder Dog sounded his animal security barks at a time when I really wanted to be dreaming. It wasn't the three bears this time. I woke at about 12:30 to the sound of deer hooves walking up or down the path from the drive to the house. At that time of night (morning), it sounded like the Budweiser Clydesdales on a paved road.

Eighteen years ago I built a wooden walkway of pressure treated decking boards and although it has lasted well, I'd never do it again. I had seen several configurations in garden magazines at the time and they looked very nice, landscaped right to the edge. A chop saw made cutting angles easy and articles suggested ways to add a serpentine look without too much carpentry skill. I thought there was some merit in the ease of construction and future care. The downside, I find, is that over time the walks develop a slippery coating of algae and moss that creates a challenge that aging ankles and legs don't need in the winter. Last year I took three headers, each time landing in either the lilac bush or the Alberta Spruce. Strange safety nets that worked!

The noise of the deer woke Karl from the front room and in nanoseconds he was at our bed shouting barks of "Go-Away, Go-Away" that took a while to register with the deer. By then we were wide awake again, hoping that slumber would return. There is a price for any good security system!

As fall weather brings it's first snow, I always make a ride to the same place where I have cultivated a nice stand of winterberry. If my timing is right and I haven't allowed too many 15 degree nights to get ahead of me, I pick a nice bucket full of winterberry for the house. This is the native variety found along Vermont streams, ponds or in bogs. It grows to 9 feet tall and in good years offers a profusion of berries. The key is to getting to them early. Successive cold nights eventually wear down the anti freeze in the berries and when you bring branches inside, the temperature change turns them mushy in a week. If you plan it right, you have a nice display through Thanksgiving. There are several hybrids on the market now and other than needing a companion variety to set berries, they are a nice addition. Color through the fall and another seed crop for birds and small creatures.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a large flock of Canada Geese is moving overhead. The sky is clear, the air pressure high and the geese are at several thousand feet but there are so many, their voices are clear even here inside the house.


With kind fall wishes,

George Africa
The (sleepy) Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

First Snow

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Returned home late yesterday, but fully aware that a big storm was coming. It was billed as a possible nor'easter and I knew that this time of year that could mean about anything. One forecaster had the Adirondacks of New York lined up with 12-14 inches of snow and high winds so I decided I'd try one last time to grab a few pictures and enjoy the fall scene.

The list of things to clean up in the gardens before serious snow arrives is quite long and this apparently is not the year to challenge Mother Nature. That reminder was confirmed when Vermont Public Radio mentioned a major storm of over a foot of snow on the same day in 1952. Although quite young, I remember that year well because that was when we were fairly new to Vermont and depended on a vegetable garden for food. Let me leave it that there was just not a lot to go around. Unlike the melting snow, those memories have never left me.

I changed quickly and got Karl the Wonder Dog and the camera and away we went with Karl's nose pointed out the truck window, sniffing and snorting fall smells of interest. We arrived down at Ethan Allen Corners and the view I wanted was perfect, although the rain didn't help the photographer much. The tamaracks are a beautiful yellow right now and they contrast against the rusty browns and yellows of the swamp grass. This valley opens with wildlife this time of year as large game cross back and forth and waterfowl follow the small stream southwest to where it meets the Winooski River. This is an area that makes you want to stop and stare and enjoy.

We turned around and headed back home as I wanted to walk the shade garden again. That garden has been a part of me since I began to build it years ago. It presents a tranquility, a peacefulness that I thrive on. I miss it when I can't find the time to enjoy it.

We made it to the garden bench and I spread out my jacket and sat down. Karl chased a chipmunk that was missing an inch of his tail. Rain fell, but the smell of the leaves on the air was refreshing just the same. In front of me were dozens of hostas, topless and well trimmed. Deer on fall maneuvers had diligently eaten each leaf, flower scape and seed pod, leaving only spiky looking affairs that could have served as models to Dale Chihuly's beautiful glass art. Oh those deer...what an unusual relationship I have with them!

I couldn't sit as long as I wanted. Karl was impatient and I wanted to walk a little more. The power of the granite foundation blocks looked stronger than ever, their color enhanced by the rain. The Christmas Ferns were beautiful and the adjacent groupings of European Ginger contrasted so well with the fallen maple leaves.


As Karl and I walked up out of the sunken garden, the Japanese primroses and the various hellebores were obvious. The wet summer days had set the year's seed crop well and gave last year's new plants a good jump start. Next spring Gail will have a good selection to dig and pot for sales.

We reached the yard and I noticed a crab apple tree shaking with a flock of robins devouring the seeded fruits.For some reason a line from an old Johnny Cash song came back to me, not the song's name, not the whole line, just a piece, hopefully correct, kind of appropriate to the view.

"Did you ever see a robin weep, when leaves begin to die?"

We grabbed the mail out of the box, waved to a passing neighbor and headed for the house. Our brief mission was complete.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where geese are resting for the night, hopeful for clear skies tomorrow.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Drying Hydrangeas

Sunday, October 26, 2008

5:30 PM and the sun already slid over the mountain and the high 50's temperatures that made today so nice are down to 42 already. Two beautiful Sundays in a row have given us an opportunity to scratch off a couple more things from the fall clean up list. My problem was the "us" fell apart after lunch and left me to work on alone. Gail and Alex headed to Studio Place Arts
in Barre to hear a lecture. Stephen Bissette, an instructor and consultant for The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Jct, Vt, was offering Ghosts, Graphic Novels, Manga and Comics: An Introduction to the Medium.

For those who don't know, Alex is our favorite home schooler and one of his pursuits is drawing. His comics always involve our current and past two dogs, Barney, Baker and Karl, and always are drawn in black and white. Humans are absent from Alex's cartoons as the dogs carry out human type conversations with a perspective of dog sense. Anyho-o-o-o-o, in their absense, I finished the afternoon off at the nursery repairing some fence and tightening a couple pieces that had moose stretches.

It's too late here in Vermont for this suggestion but the hydrangea up top here was supposed to be a reminder a couple months back that if you enjoy your hydrangeas in the garden, you can easily enjoy them in the house once they are dried. And the drying part is easy. Pick your hydrangeas early on when they are fresh and perky. Place them in a vase with a couple inches of water. When they have taken in all the water and the vase is dry, the hydrangeas will be dry themselves and they will keep as long as you want. This makes them attractive in dried arrangements or in an arrangement just by themselves. With all the different hydrangeas on the market how, you have a good selection. Currently I am studying them as I want to carry some at our nursery next year, regardless of what the economy is doing. Right now I am gathering info on hardiness so if any of you can recommend zone 4a and 3 hardy hydrangeas, let me know.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the robins are in flocks going nowhere but to the crab apples. Sargent crab apple, Malus 'sargentii', gets my vote. White flowers in spring, dark foliage in summer and small dark red fruit in fall allowing seed-loving birds a place to dine. Right now the robins are using a menu with only one item but they are certainly chowing down!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Making New Beds

Aster 'Alma potschke' still blooming

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Getting late already and I haven't come close to the list of things which have to be accomplished before my head hits the pillow. One of the girls next door just left. 16 years old today and she had printer problems finishing up a school paper. The interruption was brief and it was fine as she's a good kid--but it was an interruption.

After work today Karl the Wonder Dog and I headed to the nursery to pull the water pump for the winter. Next year when I finally get an insulated pump house built, this whole procedure won't be necessary but for this year there is no choice. It's a half horse shallow well pump that sits atop a pressure tank and neither of those would fare well at 25 degrees below zero. The advent of winter strongly suggests precautionary measures when it comes to water pumps and faucets, water lines and irrigation.

We got to the nursery just after 4 and I took Karl for his regular perimeter walk. I really didn't want to spend so much time but he had been cooped up today as Gail and Alex had headed for Burlington before noon. As we returned to the truck, he refused to get back inside and he ran around in circles at top speed challenging with nips and barking sounds of "This is fun, this is fun." Dogs which misbehave bug me and I wasn't in the mood for another walk. Then I remembered he had been by himself until I came home, he does enjoy the smells of autumn and we are really friends.

It took an hour to disconnect the electric, and unplumb and drain everything but that was easy compared to carrying the pump up the clay-slick river bank to the truck. I secured it with some spaghetti straps and then sat in the truck with Karl, having a bottle of water and catching my breath. As I looked across the field, it was instant gratification of what we accomplished this year.

Just last week the new daylily plots had turned yellow and I began tilling them. Since these plots were closer to the river than the 24 I made last year, the tilling was easier as the soil is more loan, less clay. Just the same it took dozens of repetitions to begin to get things in shape. The 30 horse tractor is not a big rig but it plugs along and does a nice job. Although the weather prediction is for 1"-3" of white stuff tonight, I still have time to spread calcium sulphate over all this new work and then re-till one more time before serious snow arrives and accumulates.

Calcium sulphate is the miracle worker for breaking down the clay soil. It is an acid and that means that when the job is done I'll have to balance back to where I want to be, ph-wise. No matter to me as it's good stuff and it works better than anything I have ever seen. I spread by hand so I'll be talking to myself a bunch before that's over, perhaps accompanied by some I pod tunes and thoughts of next year. For right now, good thoughts are sufficient!



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Karl and I passed a sow bear and two cubs on the way home tonight. I'm thinking this was the same family that was here last night which translates to a walking tour of 3-5 miles for them since last night. I don't talk to bears unless I have to and I am pleased to say that none have ever spoken to me.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm A website about our business and how we build thoughts and gardens

As a PS: Give Bernd Heinrich a read if you want to know what bears and other creatures do this time of year. His book, Winter World, The Ingenuity of Animal Survival is great!

Blog Action Day: Poverty 2008

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

If you have been following The Vermont Gardener, you might have noticed a banner on the right side of my page. It sponsors Blog Action Day which this year honors the topic of poverty. Blog Action Day affords interested bloggers the opportunity to share their thoughts on a special day and a special topic. Poverty is an issue we hope did not exist, in America or in the world. Trouble is, this is a tremendous issue that requires our help.

Here in Marshfield, Vermont our small community of 1500 members tries to work together to exist in this difficult world. We have a community center which serves as our library and the office of our village and town government. The center is a meeting place for a number of ongoing activities and it also provides space for our Food Shelf.

Eighty year old Winnie Mundinger is in charge of the Food Shelf which she manages with a smile and an enthusiasm big enough to take on any challenge. Food deliveries arrive on scheduled Saturday mornings and Winnie's volunteer crew arrives to unload the truck and prepare food goods for a waiting line of needy community members.

As if this isn't a big enough challenge, Winnie helps manage and cook for the Senior Meals Program three days a week, she helps schedule a foot clinic for seniors, and offers special activities to keep them mentally fit too! Although the Marshfield Food Shelf is part of our community, members from surrounding communities can obtain services too. With Winnie at the helm, no one is ever overlooked.

Volunteering to help your local food shelf is something you and your family members can do no matter where you live. There are other activities related to social services which you can provide too. I'll always remember a winter day years ago when I found Gail and Alex putting together a food basket. I inquired who it was for and Gail replied "Sam". "Sam?????" I didn't know any Sam. Gail explained that Sam was the little old man who lived down the road in the fallen down home with the rusty car and the little fluffy dog. I usually saw him at the spring by the side of the road filling plastic water jugs as he didn't have running water.

Gail didn't know his name but she thought the winter had been long enough already and with holidays approaching, he needed something, unexpected and unasked for. Gail said she wanted Alex to be a part of the process so he could begin to understand our responsibility to others we don't even know. They finalized the gift with some little doggie treats wrapped in a bow and away they went to meet a person neither knew.

The visit was a great success and Gail said the smile on Sam's face was committed to memory with her and Alex forever. Not too much later, Sam had to move to a nursing facility and then he passed on. But for a brief time, the ray of light brightened the loneliness of poverty and an old man smiled and shared conversation that made for a better day. Each of us can recreate this same scene time and again if we just take the first step. Reread this little story and make a plan. Your reward won't be measured in dollars or cents but it will be immeasurable!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where each member of our community has a gift that needs to be shared.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm


Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty was a huge success! Try http://blogactionday.org
for follow up.

Poppies Friends

Monday, October 6, 2008

It's 34 degrees right now and the temperature is beginning to fall, but not quite as fast as the market did around 11 this morning. The temperature has actually been more predictable for me of late than the stock market.

We pulled the last of the zinnias last night knowing that "the real frost" would be here soon. This was a troublesome project and I had real problems pulling up perfectly beautiful flowers. I relented for a few brief moments and walked to the top of the hill for a 5 gallon bucket for one last bouquet.

Our building looked great surrounded by autumn colors but Gail and I knew that it's not uncommon to see snowflakes now so we busied ourselves with all the garden chores. Two hours later the truck was filled to the roof with spent Benary zinnias and the lone bucket of absolutely beautiful flowers sat in the middle of the garden, a new-found place of respite for every bumble bee in town.
But why the picture of the poppy serving as an intro above? Because we like Oriental Poppies and have finally figured out a thoughtful means of dealing with their spent foliage in July.

Oriental poppies come in many colors now so the orange that I grew up with is now accompanied by ruby and scarlet, pink, salmon, white and red. They all like full sun in Vermont but will take partial sun/shade if the "sun" part prevails more than shade. They are about 30" tall, eye catchers-in-bloom, are resistant to deer and they leave a giant gaping hole in your garden when their bloom time ends and they have to catch their breath for next year.

At last, I propose a possible solution!! Try planting anemones and Oriental lilies such as Uchida two feet or so from each poppy. These two are late bloomers so they will not detract from the poppies but will grow upward above the spent foliage and fill in the holes. If you have ever grown poppies before, you understand this problem without further description.





Anenomes are hardy perennials that grow in full sun to partial shade. Gail has grown Queen Charlotte and Robustissima for us for years now and added A. Pamina this year. The first two have proven themselves hardy in our changing climate. The good part is they are late bloomers with first flowers in mid September and lasting through at least the first three weeks of October.

When you have a need to try to get around the poppy-hole-problem or just want some nice fall colors, give the anenomes a try. They are an interesting flower and help us sell the fact that flowers in Vermont should be blooming in your garden at least through Columbus Day!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Karl the Wonder Dog snores loudly despite the wood stove's heat which is pushing 76 degrees with two doors open. Yes, the challenges of adjusting to seasonal change!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Autumn Colors

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

The rain is pounding the roof again tonight as I think back about yesterday afternoon's trip with Alex and Karl the Wonder Dog, looking at foliage from some of our favorite vantage points. Foliage this year has been about a week earlier than usual but as spectacular as I can ever remember. The colors have been so vivid that you don't want to leave one point of view for the next.

Alex and I had dedicated a couple hours to be with Karl and travel around but I was late getting back from work and we had to modify our schedule a little. We headed down to Osmore Pond in hopes of spotting a moose along the way but the trip was mooseless. The pond was as beautiful as ever but quiet this time with no loons to be seen or heard.

We back tracked to the village for some gas and a soda and headed up past the waterfalls and onto the Lanesboro Road. This is a favorite with us--the old Montpelier to Wells River, Vermont Railroad, thrown up in the early 50's and now an excellent place to drive, enjoy the scenery and the wildlife which abounds. We stopped at Marshfield Pond which I photograph several times a

year. This is a small kettle pond surrounded by some great wildflowers in spring and lots of life the rest of the year. The granite head wall on the back is still on my list of things to hike to but I still haven't made it.

We exited the road at the corner of Lanesboro and Ethan Allen Corner and then drove part way up Owl's Head and then home. The foliage was something we didn't want to leave but evening chores beckoned.

The predominant tree in these photos is the maple. There are red maples, sugar maples and some Norway maples but all are colorful. As the leaves of these trees fall around our house, I use the leaf vac to pick them up and shred them for next year's gardens. Maples have a very long root system and they store important minerals in the leaves. In the spring I'll spread an inch or so on all the new gardens at our nursery and begin the process of improving our garden beds, a little at a time.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where day time visitors from around the world will stop and click photos of fall foliage so they can talk about it forever. Vermont is a great state and it always looks better on the return trip. Come visit!

Best autumn wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

German Apple Cake

Sunday, September 28, 2008

A dark morning here on the hill. Last night's limited rain turned to a drip-drip-drip at about 4:30 this morning as the small drops slid down the standing seam roof and landed on the steps. Based on last night's forecast of a tropical depression heading up the coast, I half expected pouring rain by now. It's 61 degrees which this time of year and under these conditions can signal heavy rain. Not yet!

Yesterday was another "clean-up-the-gardens" day. Gail and I pulled weeds in the daylily beds at the nursery in preparation for dividing and lining out plants. I had pretty good control of the weeds most of the summer because I had a routine that was working well. Each afternoon when I came home from my regular job, I would relieve Gail at the nursery. During the last hour of the evening I'd pull weeds in one of the 21-12X50 foot beds. Long about mid August things fell apart as I had to finish the electrical and do some fence repairs. Weeds prosper in neglect and Gail and I are paying the price. Yesterday reminded me how many weeds I do not know by name. I also was reminded how insidious wild daisies and dandelions are.

There's a lot to do this morning so I want to end quickly with a recipe for German Apple Cake that was my great grandmother's. There's nothing novel about this and I would guess it was common to the time and only became known as my great grandmother's as one of those family things. Just the same it's a great cake with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk and it fares well at night with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Give it a try.

German Apple Cake
Recipe from my great grandmother Engelke but who really knows from where

4 medium apples, quartered and sliced
1/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. shortening
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. milk
1 whole egg

Cream the shortening and add sugar, egg and mix. Add dry ingredients, alternating with milk. Spread batter in buttered 9" baking pan. Press sliced apples on top in rows. Spread a mix of 1/2 c. white sugar, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon evenly on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, then 5 minutes longer with pan covered with aluminum foil or a cover. Remove from oven and let cool.

Apples pressed into batter

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the blackbirds are in the tops of the white birches having breakfast and a flock of robins is in a nearby cherry.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Touring St Gaudens

Atrium and Pool w/Turtle Fountains at New Gallery

Friday, September 26, 2008

Sometimes the Vermont Gardener needs to get out and about a little more and this past week presented a series of beautiful days and just enough time to scoot away in between business. On the agenda was the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, NH. Alex and I had been there before but Gail, our family artist, hadn't made it.

This site incorporates the home, gardens and studios of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, a sculptor of the American Renaissance. There's more than enough history in the area to spend days writing about since Cornish became an artists colony for many years. There remains a profound sense of a different time when you walk inside Aspet, St Gauden's Federal style home. Your respect grows for this artist as you walk the grounds and pass through the studios. Here are some photos.

Bust of Lincoln, one of many sculptures of Lincoln including the famous "Standing Lincoln". This is part of the atrium, the new gallery and the picture gallery.

Birch alley paralleling the Shaw and the Adams Memorials

Shaw Memorial: the monument to service by the 54th Regiment of African American Volunteers in Boston.

Side gardens at Aspet

Flower Gardens

Looking towards Mt Ascutney, Vermont


From Aspet towards memorials

Path to memorials


Little Studio


Little Studio open porch which uses grapes for cool shade



View towards Mt Ascutney from in front of Farragut Memorial which includes the statue of David Glasgow Farragut, the Civil War Admiral

We stopped for a bit to speak with the resident sculptor and learn how these beautiful bronze pieces are made from the clay sculpture. It's fascinating to learn and compliments so well the gardens that obviously provided so much peace to the intensity of this man's work.

As we left the national park, we retraced our route, and went across the covered bridge to Windsor, Vermont. This is the longest wooden covered bridge in the nation. We stopped at Harpoon Brewery and picked up a case of root beer and a case of cream soda for Alex, meandered to West Lebanon NH for sustenance and returned to Marshfield in time to rototill more daylilies and take some evening photos of Gail standing in the zinnias. St Gaudens is a worthwhile trip for gardener and non gardener alike.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where I just heard Gail coming back from a church supper with a couple friends. Fall suppers in New England are traditional and something you just "have to do". Try one!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens