Colorful Accent, Snowless Thoughts

Saturday, Jauary 31, 2009

A quiet morning here on the mountain. 9 degrees and calm save for Karl the Wonder Dog, laying in front of the stove and providing an unmelodious tune of snoring. For some reason he has taken to sleeping there and anytime he returns from outside he sits in with his back to the stove so he can warm up. Dog intelligence doesn't register on the Stanford Binet or the Wechsler but perhaps it should.

Today's list is too long to possibly get through but there are some things which have to happen. I just looked at the weather radar and even that is having trouble loading today. The storm that is scheduled for Tuesday, whether arriving as rain or snow, will encourage people to stay in bed. There's just too much moisture in the heavens not to cause problems. This means I absolutely have to take care of the roofs and fire up the tractor today. The roads and drives are too narrow now and out front here there is no place to put any snow. The truck only pushes so high and the tractor only reaches 11.5 feet. Much to do.

Bigger problem at the top of the list is the maple syrup mystery which has to be solved. One of the things about Alex and his experience with autism is there are certain foods he eats regularly. For ten years now he has eaten pancakes for breakfast. Sometimes he'll even deviate from his fish-for-supper routine and haddock turns back to pancakes. This translates to needing lots of maple syrup.

Vermont has the best syrup in the country. Trouble is that production is influenced by a ton of variables and environment and weather are two. This week we looked for syrup at stores and on the Internet and supply is getting short until the trees run again this spring. When you find a popular website that says "Down for reconstruction" that means they have run out. I usually buy our syrup locally and I try to make our purchases from Gadapees in Danville. A couple times I stopped and Diane wasn't home and I haven't been to St Johsnbury for a while so I don't even know if she has any left. At any rate I have to solve this maple mystery today. I know I'll have to close my eyes to the price if I end up at a tourist store someplace.

As clear and white as the landscape is today, Gail is working over the daylily inventory again. There are a few daylilies that we sold too many of. It's a careful line between saying no and keeping sufficient stock to grow on versus making one last sale. Gail will fuss a little but she'll come up with some replacements from someone if she feels the demand warrants spending the money.

So on a morning that is white with snow and a sun that is in its "red in the morning, sailors take warning" phase, best wishes for your day. Mine will be busy. The daylily named Mallard is up top and down below here are Luz de Sol, Janice Brown and Jungle Beauty. In real life, each of these is a little brighter than the pictures.

Writing from the mountain where the first flock of grosbeaks has arrived for breakfast. That sounds good to me too!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

A Day Without Thank Yous

Saturday, January 24, 2009

A bright and beautiful morning here on the mountain as long as you don't open the door. Karl the Wonder Dog's internal barometer was apparently working well this morning as the high pressure told him to stay in bed as long as possible and that's exactly what he did. He and Alex just woke up and it's almost nine. Gail is off to the Community Center for the book sale at the library and I'm getting ready to start the taxes.

Even though the snow is deep and the wind is bitter, Gail and I continue to work on plans for new gardens at the nursery. All our orders have been confirmed so we know where we stand with new items and we have a list of mature plants in the garden that will need to be dug and divided come spring. Last fall we asked Austin to pop out about 100 six year old daylilies. Those are still in the ground but loosened up to make it easier to get them out. The hostas on my list are a different issue as many of these have been growing for 5-6-7 years and you don't pop out something that weighs more than 200 pounds a clump. When we get to them we'll eat our Wheaties first and then cut around each clump, work them free with the six foot pry bar and then scoop them up with the tractor bucket.

Dividing daylilies and hostas is something I prefer to do in the spring. I don't need to contend with extra foliage then and it's easier to see what I'm doing, count fans or eyes and make the necessary cuts. I'm also less paranoid about spreading hosta virus even though I'm not aware that we have any here. Hosta virus is spread mechanically so dividing plants in spring probably reduces the opportunity should it exist.

Anyh-o-o-o, a long time ago Winnie, now 81 years old and our Chief of Hydrological Services
(aka best waterer in the world!) found a serrated knife at a yard sale. I think it may have been a bread knife but maybe not as it had a heavy, wide serration to it. Anyway it worked well and cut through tough roots as quick as the operator holding it. This year I had to buy 4 bread knives to accommodate what we had to do and they were less than stellar in comparison. A couple weeks ago as I was walking around Lowe's making a mental list of what I'd buy if only the Megabucks would come through for me, I found a good knife that's cheap. It's a drywall knife for cutting Sheetrock. The price range is $7-$15 and I couldn't see that one was substantially better than the other. Both had cushioned handles and about the same size, pointed blades and the steel in each was from China. If you have any dividing on your spring list, give one of these knives some thought. When I buy a replacement for myself, I'll send away a picture.



When you begin dividing plants from an established garden you'll be saddened by what transpires. Even if the opportunity will lend a new look, there's no way you won't miss that big old hosta or daylilies with dozens of flower scapes.


Any garden has an evolution and even if you are enamored with a small hosta like Golden Scepter just above here, you have to appreciate change and get excited about where you'll be in a couple more years. Patience is good! A garden plan works wonders.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where some Pine Grosbeaks have come from nowhere to eat cracked corn at the platform feeder. A dozen or so are on a crab apple finishing off the small fruits. Despite the fine buffet we have provided, this is apparently another day without bird thank yous. I guess the beauty of the birds will have to suffice!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

The Garden Doctor

Monday, January 12, 2009

Already close to zero degrees tonight. I just gave up on the evening news as the bad part is over and there is limited good stuff to listen too. Some power company lady is telling folks to save energy by not opening the fridge or freezer doors for very long. Maybe that's what got me to today's post. The power rep said when you open your fridge and need 5 items, take them out all at once. Maybe I did that too much and that's the reason I had a carpal tunnel release surgery done on my left hand last Friday.

Carpal tunnel is an interesting malady to me. Growing up I don't remember a single farmer ever complaining about his hands although they did more physical labor back then than is even contemplated now. Twisting and turning the wrists while moving hay and manure, picking up bales and buckets--all those repetitive tasks should have created a problem that no one talked about. My dad was a house painter and did wall paper too. Up and down, back and forth with the brush in those pre-spray paint days but never any carpal tunnel, never any complaints except that he was poor.

I had an initial eval last year and didn't like the explanation or the suggestion from the doctor that I could be booked for surgery in a couple days. Then a friend at work recommended a plastic surgeon at Mary Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire and the rest is history. The eight minute operation is interesting because as soon as the carpal ligament is cut, the pain is gone and feeling returns a little at a time to the affected parts. In my case I couldn't feel any fingers or down to mid-palm level in my left hand. On a 12 point scale with 12 registering "You waited too long George" I was a twelve so I was apprehensive about how things would turn out. Right now I am in the rehab stage and as long as I maintain this one handed typing and keep the hand elevated as much as possible, progress is fine and I am smiling. Feeling in everything but the very tip of one finger has already been restored.

I mention carpal tunnel release because many gardeners experience wrist and finger pain, especially when they are twisting their wrists while raking, shoveling, hoeing and lifting. Part of being successful with surgery is reorienting yourself to how you use your hands and whether you abuse them or not. There's plenty of info on the Internet about this procedure. Other than having to take your money in wheelbarrows to pay for the operation, it's something that gets rid of sleepless nights and brings on fine gardening smiles. If you need advice, have questions or want a reputable doctor's name, let me know. Just don't wait as long as I did!

When one hand goes out of commission for a while, it becomes apparent how much it was used for. Here on the mountain above Peacham Pond, snowflakes abound and that means shoveling paths, snow raking and shoveling roofs and plowing snow. One hand does not a merry shoveler make so Gail and Alex learned how many tons of white stuff I move in a year. They also learned how to put the plow on and off the truck but they never had to learn how to plow. That needs to happen sometime soon but they escaped the chore for now. As soon as I figure out the total rehab time, I will schedule my right hand. No telling what reality they will face then.

The next three nights will be as much as 25 degrees below zero here so I'll lay low and reorganize pictures for the new website. The site is 95% written and I have the first 120 hosta pictures ready to insert. I think you'll enjoy the site when it's released in February. In the meantime, enjoy your winter reading and garden design. If there's a topic you'd like an opinion on or a concept you'd like to share, please let me know. Good gardeners get better with new information from their gardening friends.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the moon's face is sparkling through the big maple and into my office.

Sparkling wishes from

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

Things Change

Sunday, January 4, 2009

The first weekend of the new year is well under way. The wind has finally stopped and a little sun warms the January landscape. It's 22 degrees on the east side of the house where 17 blue jays, the largest collection this year, feed with greed on the platform feeder. They appear to be playing a game of who can stuff the most pieces of cracked corn in their crop at a time.

On the west side of the house the thermometer is holding at 12 degrees. Chickadees and white and red breasted nuthatches fly back and forth from the hanging feeder, eating some sunflower seeds and hiding others for later when the feeder is empty and the birdwatcher absent.

Days, months and years change. Some things are noticeable and others lead a camouflaged existence. For two days now I have worked on hosta pictures for our new website. It makes no sense to me why I have a hundred pictures of some hostas and not a single good picture of others. I just made a list and in the end of this website madness I hope to come away with a list of hostas I absolutely have to photograph this year. Sure wish I could find someone more diligent than I am. Photographic compatibility and interest within a family is apparently not the same as the compatibility alleged to be found using the on-line love match, E-Harmony. Oh well.......

One hosta I like is Fortunei Albopicta. I'm not certain there are many who admire it as I do but it has a place in my garden because spring in Vermont is very important to me. This hosta was first collected in Japan around 1860 but wasn't registered with the American Hosta Society until 1987. That means a lot of gardeners have had a chance to look at it over a long time.

Albopicta starts slowly, reaches incredible coloration and then fades into total greeness for the balance of the year. The last part is the part many people like the least. The picture up top shows it on the right with Abiqua Moonbeam on the left. The picture represents the time of greatest color change for the season.


When Albopicta breaks through the ground in the spring, fends off early frosts and first passes 5 inches in height, it looks frail and pale. This is an example (just above). But then as if a fairy wand gives it a couple-three twinkles of spice, it turns from toad to prince and really is an attention getter. I have always said that a hosta that would hold this color all year would be a great seller. Here are some examples. Click to enlarge.




In all too short a period of beauty, the display is over and Albopicta fades to all green. This gives reason for you to think where you place it in your garden so you benefit from the energetic mid spring color but can accept it for its summer-long dullness. It's size can be attractive but give it some thought. Here is a picture of Albopicta wearing its summer suit.


As new years begin, those who have made resolutions are put to a test. There's more revolution in me than resolution but I do hope that this year all gardeners can share themselves and their gardens with others who have yet to experience the peace there's not enough of in our world.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where Gail is moving my Santa collection, one by one, into their annual retirement while a new pot of chili bubbles on the stove.

Safe wishes to all!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Future Fences

January 1, 2009

Just after 4 PM and the wind has finally begun to tire. The Christmas wreaths on the west side of the house have finally stopped pounding the clapboards and the damper on the Vermont Castings stove has calmed its clink-clink-clink. The damper is tickled by chimney downdrafts that started yesterday as high pressure advanced here. This morning's -12 degrees was really three times as cold with winds above 25 mph. This morning, Karl the Wonder Dog set a world record for the least time outside in 2009, and I came in second.

Almost a month ago now we received a letter in the mail. It was postmarked from New Jersey and was a letter of introduction from Bob. He and his wife had just purchased a piece of land adjacent to ours and he was writing to let us know who he was and what their plans were. It was a friendly letter and not something you would expect any more. It was the kind of letter that Gail and I might write.

For some reason, Bob's letter triggered my fondness for Robert Frost poetry and my mind caught on the line from Mending Wall that I like "Good fences make good neighbors." This whole fence thing has always bothered me because our world has always had so many fences, literal and figurative fences, maybe too many fences, maybe not enough fences.

I have always liked looking at fences, especially when they are constructed of stone. I'm not alone in my favor. In New England each town still has a "fence viewer" position that is voted on at town meeting. I guess I haven't made it known that I like fences as I've never been considered for the position here in Marshfield. Any ho-o-o-w........


I spent earlier years with an old farmer named Warner who liked straight fences. To me at age six, a fence that kept the cows and horses in the pasture was a good fence but to him a fence should be straight and the wires should be taut . Frost's review and mine were more pragmatic. He asked: "Before I built a wall I'd ask to know what I was walling in or walling out, and to whom I was like to give offense." As a kid, keeping in animals was the concern, not keeping out neighbors, who I assumed were just that....neighborly.



Times have changed and I almost think there are fewer "good fences" than there used to be. It need not be that way but it is. The actual fence is a structural relationship with the people who live on either side. The "good fence" part doesn't necessarily mean that it's structural like Warner the farmer intended, but more that people have an understanding of each other and a respect for what each is doing. When expectations are clear, the fence serves better.



As we begin a new year, I hope all good gardeners will make like New England fence viewers and inspect their fences. Begin with the structural fences if you have them and insure they meet their intended purpose. Sometimes a coat of paint, the color of the paint on the fence you do not "see", a new strand of wire, a new board, three new nails, make all the difference. Then inspect the personal part of "good fences". If you don't know your neighbor yet, go meet them. If you know them but haven't seen them in a while, say hello. If you don't know what you're walling in or walling out, have that discussion. You might be surprised! The fences we build and maintain today are often carried on for generations. It's those good fences that really make good neighbors!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Gail undecorated the tree and Alex and I just pulled it outside. 9 feet of new bird feeder for the balance of the winter.

Happy New Year To All!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

A Cold Ending

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Just in from too long a day that began at 4 AM when the wind was intent upon filling the walkway with snow and the stars were hidden away by clouds and snow flakes. With afternoon passing quickly, the wind continues, and looking out the windows makes me think of little snow globes that kids shake and watch spin no matter what month it is. Today's Burlington Free Press headline read "Year Brought Weird Weather" and went on to say "A tornado. Flash floods that wiped out roads in a matter of minutes. Ninety-mph winds. Snow measured in feet, not inches. Forests decimated under the crushing weight of ice." That was all very, very true in 2008.

Today as we wrap up the year, I can reflect on what we have accomplished and what is left to be done at the new nursery. It's not new any more. It has been challenged by the weather as rain came regularly in inches, so frequently in fact that at times we closed off part of our daylily display gardens. It was easier losing sales than helping shoeless customers and visitors retrieve muddy footwear. The wind challenged our new shade houses and actually flattened one less than an hour after I had tied the final knots to the shade cloth. That one ended in pieces so twisted and gnarled that I dismantled the steel pipe frame and headed the pieces to the scrap recyclers soon after the lightning finally stopped. I'll never forget that storm.

2008 was a great year nonetheless, as we met many new people, learned to be travel directors, and waited patiently for prior customers familiar with our Peacham Pond Road gardens to reorient themselves to Route 2. Every new business has its idiosyncrasies and you can only guess at what they will be.

For 2009, we have to construct a hosta display garden that will provide the same opportunity we offered on the mountain. The site is prepared and when spring arrives we'll begin planting. I carry the plan with me every day but it's not written on paper or electronic media. The day I decide to start planting, I'll convince Gail that we need to do something different. She's accustomed to this with me and with reluctance she'll agree and get people organized. She knows it's important to me. Within a week, the bones will be in place and a new beginning under way.

Here are some pictures from our current garden on Peacham Pond Road. It is small in comparison to what is planned. Come visit next summer to see the new garden grow. Watch our two blogs for pictures as the garden evolves. And for now, be safe, wish family and friends well, and keep commitments to making our world a better place. The best gifts do not have to cost money.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where eleven blue jays fill themselves with sunflower seeds, as strong winds ruffle their feathers and blow them sideways as they land and take off. First Night for some, but just another blue jay day.

Warm New Year wishes to everyone!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

Christmas Afterthoughts

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Just in from a brief walk with Karl the Wonder Dog. His feet and mine weren't doing too well this morning on the glaze that covers the walks, driveway and road. That glaze arrived yesterday morning but is nothing like what is en route in the next few hours. It's 26 degrees right now and the wind is clocking at 9 mph. The humidity is 76% and that makes the air feel heavy outside and colder than the thermometer suggests.

Christmas Day has passed but the spirit and happiness we enjoyed here continues. I always try to take time off now to be here with Alex as sometimes the senses of the holidays get confusing for him and us too. Autism, just like gardening, is something everyone should try to learn a little more about in today's world.

Gardeners and especially flower hybridizers enjoy using Christmas names when they register a new plant. We grow a lot of hostas and daylilies and although we don't have such individual collections specific to Christmas, we're aware of the numbers out there. Each of these plants has its own society and membership is worth every nickel.

The American Hosta Society ranks number one with us but folks could debate that either way. We belong to both societies and a bunch of others too. For years now the hosta group have had an incredible journal of table top book quality paper and a pictorial display that's unmatched among the societies. I recommend membership for yourself or friends if you even think you should learn more about hostas.

During the past year the American Hemerocallis Society (hemerocallis=daylilies) has revamped their journals and taken on a larger paper/print/picture format. They are moving along with much more content and still publish seasonally four times. Again, a great journal with lots of information and details about regional and national events, plant sources, and growing information.

So the registered names, what are some examples? With hostas the list is a third that of the registered daylilies but still interesting. Actually that's not a bad ratio because there are probably 15 times as many registered daylilies as there are hostas. I recently wrote to the daylily registrar asking for the actual count because I don't know what it really is any more.

With hostas try Christmas Candy or Christmas Cookies or Christmas Cup; try Christmas Dome, Christmas Gold, or Christmas Jewel. How about Christmas Lights, or Christmas Pageant or Christmas Stocking? Try Christmas Tree, Christmas Tree Gala, Christmas Surprise or Christmas Tart. If you want to see what these look like, try the Hosta Library .

With daylilies the list is longer than I want to write. It's probably around 50 registrations. Try these as example, all with the prefix "Christmas". There's Christmas Angel, Balls, Blessing, Candles, Candy, Carol, Celebration, Cheer, Cherub, Chocolate, Colors, Comet, Concerts and another 40 or so. If you use Tinkers Gardens daylily database, many of these are pictured. Just enter "Christmas" in the database and you will get the list.

Slim availability here at Vermont Flower Farm which is probably surprising to anyone who knows us and knows how well we decorate for the holidays. We have the daylily Christmas Is pictured up top and then the hostas Night Before Christmas and Christmas Tree pictured below. Sometime maybe we'll move along with a collection.

Better get going here! From the mountain above Peacham Pond where a lone blue jay is sitting on the platform feeder outside my office asking "Where's the breakfast buffet?" Guess it's bird food time.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Christmas Trees For Profit???

Friday, December 26, 2008

A cold, still morning here on the mountain. The stars are sparse compared to a week ago and yet it's bright for 4:30 in the morning. Karl the Wonder Dog heard me stirring the fire and came out to try to coax me for a quick walk so he could get back to bed. Christmas Day with food and friends and different smells tired him out and he obviously wants to sleep in some more. That's fine for him but I am too much of a morning person and I have lots to do before I sleep again.

Writing and just having blogs is a fun way to garden when the snow depth exceeds three feet like it is here. I am always amazed the number of people who write to me as a result of what I write and I guess I'm more amazed at how many people prefer to write directly instead of responding to the blog itself. I care not, for correspondence from any direction is fine. Of late there has been lots of news from Europe and that is very interesting. Some time ago I had a computer crash and lost some addresses including one from Marek in Poland. He found me again a couple weeks ago and it like finding a long lost friend even though we barely know each other yet. He raises cannas and has a site that's quite interesting.

To my last post here, Don, a retired physician from eastern Iowa wrote and questioned profitability in growing Christmas trees. Don writes An Iowa Garden and has shared links with me for two-three years now. I enjoy his thoughts as he grows many of the same things I enjoy.

Many of us purchase a Christmas tree every year, some raise their trees, and some only buy a live tree which they plant when spring arrives. When I was a kid there was slim to nothing under the tree most years but the tree was always large and well adorned with many antique, hand blown glass ornaments from England and Germany that were passed down from great great grand parents and their families. Our tree was always something my Dad would find in the woods and I was always required to go on the "hunt". I sure got to see some acts of ........I sure got a chance to see some interesting behaviors over the years. Once we returned home and Dad didn't think he cut a tree with enough branches so he got out a bit and brace and drilled holes and added more branches. I saw this same performance recently on one of the home and garden channels and it reinforced my thought that someone should break out the Stanford-Binet intelligence tests again and try to find out what's going on. Another time the only apparent tree was really the top of a giant fir balsam. It looked fine at 60 feet but once on the ground it was a little lean. Once home it was turned around so many times in the tree stand to find "the good side" that it left a mark in the wooden plank floor.

Gail asks me time and again when I will begin to prune some of the bazillion balsams we have growing here. I think the price this year has pushed me far enough in that direction. Her Dad had a twenty acre piece logged off in 1992 and now it is coming back strong with lots of balsams. I think a planned pruning program over the next few years will get us out of buying each year.

But back to Don's question about profitability. First, let me be really generic with the answer. Farmers do not get rich. Most wealthy farmers were wealthy before they started to farm whether they raise Christmas trees or cows or porkers or trout. Flower farmers like us are even worse because we are more at odds with the weather. As for Christmas trees, you have to be forgetful to grow them. When you make a sale you have to put the money in your pocket and completely forget the previous ten years. That time started with initial planting and then there were annual prunings, fertilizer application, fungicide/insecticide worries, grass mowing, and deer control problems. The errant tree thief doesn't even register on this scale. Just look at your tree for a minute and ask how long would it take to trim and shape it each year? How much did you pay for it? Makes no sense does it? Next time you buy a tree from a grower, remember to give a nice "thank you".

Now how about buying a tree from a retailer? My son Adam lives in Seattle and now, with a house and kids, he is into Christmas trees. This year's story is no better than the last one I heard. Last year he found a place that was recommended, bought a tree, brought it home and looked at the truck bed which by then was covered with needles. Oh boy!! The day after the tree was in the stand the needles were on the floor and the cats were having a field day scooting stuff around. This year he got a step smarter. He picked up the tree and kind of half bounced it off the ground to see how much fell off first. The report is it's about 50% better than last year. No one has shared any pictures so I can't confirm how the learning process is really going. I relayed that I heard there were some very nice tree farms down towards Olympia so maybe just maybe next year.........??

So to answer Don in Iowa, no Don, there is no profitability in trees unless you take them to a city yourself or you are the middleman.

I'm not cutting trees but I do have lots to do here today. Have to get going. Sunrise is bright red and that's just a reminder of the rain that is headed this way for the next two days. Hope you are having a great holiday season, with or without a tree.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

Website rebuild update: I keep saying I am updating our site. I am rebuilding it all. The old site is still here and works well but will be replaced soon. I've completed the rewrites on astilbes and daylilies and started the hostas last night. Nothing too difficult but it sure takes time. Bear with me!

Holiday Gift Thoughts

Monday, December 22, 2008

Tonight is flying by as I try to crank out Christmas cards and little notes to people I am feeling guilty about. They were able to find time to send nice notes and I'm trying to figure out if I should use up the rest of the sunflower postage stamps or wait in line at the post office for half an hour tomorrow. It's been one of those weeks that doesn't seem to change. Do people really look at stamps on Christmas cards and letters or is that just something my mother taught me?

Last week's 8 inches of sleet and freezing rain bonded to the roofs and Friday's additional foot was followed by yesterday's 22" of new fluffiness. I am not going to get into an inconvenient truth type discussion with anyone but I have to say that the past couple years have brought this part of Vermont one pile of snow.

I cannot make myself forget when I was a kid growing up on Church Hill Road in Woodstock that by January my 6 foot 6 inch father was made small by mountains of snow. The snow was so plentiful it blocked visibility from the farmhouse windows while actually shielding us from the subzero winds that blew through our 1826 farmhouse. It was so cold in that house that you could see your breath despite six woodstoves. Even the mice packed up and moved to the farm next door for the winter.

The top picture is looking down the valley from the house roof on Saturday. It looks a lot different today. The next picture of the snow fence at night shows the fence before it was covered with drifting snow. A snow fence is intended to block snow and this one did just that until the snow got deeper than the fence. Tonight the lights look nice but the path that was supposed to be protected is deep in crystal magic.

The holidays are here and good gardeners have already made gift purchases for other gardeners. I know there are some who see shopping as a challenge that only gets better as less time remains and for those I want to drop a few suggestions. There's no order to this but I do ask that you think about the last suggestion after number 12. I wanted to have some pictures but time is short so just pretend there is a backwards Letterman drum roll and here we go.

1.) Folding garden bench for huff and puff older gardeners. Gail asked me to get her a fold up bench like worker bee Gail brought to work one day. These are readily available and I got one at Gardener's Supply in Williston for $32.95. They have two folding handles and a knee pad so you can huff and puff and push yourself back up from a kneeling position when you're pulling weeds or planting. The plastic and foam pad is marginally easy on your knees but it's the ability to get up off the ground easier that makes this product worth it.

2.) Long handled garden trowel. I suspect most would call this a little garden shovel with a 4" shovel blade and an 18" wooden handle. These are so great for planting annuals in the spring or perennials in September. I wish they would paint a flourescent stripe on the handle so I don't have to keep hunting for mine when I lay it down but that's because the handle is dirt brown after twenty odd years of use. About $20. now. Do not buy one that says "Made In..." you know where on it. Their steel is no good.

3.) It's hard to believe every gardener doesn't have a cheap digital camera. They come with too many pixels now and some are made for outside use, i.e. built to lay on a rock, spray with the hose, coat with fertilizer, leave in your pocket with the old Hersey candy wrapper, etc. Digital pictures of your garden make you proud but also give you plenty of recall during winter months when you are replanning gardens or designing new ones. Memory cards wear out over time and are cheap so if a friend has a camera, find out what they use for a card and buy a replacement/back up. If you really like the person and know they don't have a newer model computer with ports for every gadget going, spring for a card reader for about $15. They plug into aUSB port and will handle 13 different memory cards. That way they won't have to plug their camera into the computer. Cameras aren't built for the stresses of plug in, plug out, plug in, plug out, etc

4.) A bulb drill bit to fit in your electric drill is of no use this time of year but a great tool for quickly planting hundreds of bulbs next spring or fall. I even use mine to plant annual plugs in early summer. The drill will fit in any electric drill. $10.00 will do it.

5.) Gloves and polar fleece socks are good stocking stuffers and make for better spring and fall chores when wet, cold days tend to slow down the day's to-do list. Write a little verse and stuff it in a glove or sock and no one will know about it until the day they are placed into action. The little note will be nice and generate smiles.

6.) Memberships to plant societies are great. We belong to a dozen societies and like the American Hosta Society best followed by the American Hemerocallis Society. Name the plant and there's probably a society to go with it. Don't say "no" to the American Conifer Society or the
succulent folks or the rock gardeners or the begonia clan. They are all great and have an annual magazine published from 2-4 times a year. $25-$40/year for individual memberships.

7.) A one gallon, recycled, glass mayonaise jar with lid and a note from you saying you'll get together in the fall and make a terrarium of native woodland plants that are not on the endangered list. Thoughts or pictures of bunchberries or partridge berries or tiny hayscented ferns or mosses would give nice thoughts to what is possible.

8.) A stainless steel shovel, strong and sleek. It won't rust, will look attractive, will feel good in the hands and will cause garden comment. $50 or more.

9.) A leather, belt case for nursery shears. About $10 but either give it with some leather curing oil or rub it good before giving as a gift. Tell the recipeint what the smell is. Protect it at the beginning and it will be passed on for years and years, turning darker with age but remaining soft. A good leather holster is one that is on your belt but you don't know it 's there.

10.) Lunch and a day trip to visit 1-2-3 garden centers, display gardens, speciality nurseries within an hour of your home. Do this annually and you won't be able to stop because it's always fun and always enjoyed by anyone. Pack the lunch if you don't want to stop at a resturant but include a tentative sample menu and itinerary at gift giving time as a description to what you're planning. Make the card yourself and slide in a dried flower, some dried herbs or rose petals and thoughts of creative genius.

11.) Garden books that you think will match the recipent's experience or interest. I'm a nut and love the outdoors so you can give me a new bird book, an 1932 daylily species book, a history of a New England garden estate or Dan Snow's latest book on dry wall stacking. Used book stores have some great finds and such books are cherished. I once found Pioneering With Wildflowers
by Vermont's famous US Senator George D Aiken. Not only had the senator autographed the book but the previous owner had included newspaper clippings of him in the cover flaps. Book dealers have great memories and can help with books you may not have ever seen or even thought about.

12.) A can of Vermont- famous Bag Balm for sore, garden- rough hands. Made in Lyndonville, Vermont for chapped cows teats, Bag Balm cures problems fast. $5 to $10 depending on the size (of the can). Include a pair of cotton gloves for excitement. Explain that rough hands rubbed with Bag Balm and gloved before bed, will seem odd until morning when the soreness is gone. ..all gone.


These are just some ideas to get you going. There are millions more out there and unless your mind is getting muddled and time is growing short, you'll do fine yourself. But before you finish with the giving part, think about those that you do not know who are not receiving gifts. As I sit here writing away, the temperature is 4 below zero and the wind chill is "I don't know how cold". "Bitter" isn't close to what it would be called if you were homeless and "shivery cold" wouldn't be much better if you were on fixed income with the heat turned to 40 so you could keep from freezing and still have a buck to buy something to eat.

If you want to feel really good about the holidays, think about what you can give of yourself. There are lots of charities to give to, kitchens to work at, food shelves where deliveries need to be unloaded, seniors' driveways to be shoveled, rides to doctors to be offered. These are things that are worth a million to someone with nothing. These thoughts always become more obvious to people when I ask "Who exactly does put money in the Salvation Army kettles? Give these thoughts a little attention. The warmth created will come from you!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where fine snow drops from a below zero sky as a sliver of moon twinkles seasons greetings to all.

Best holiday thoughts and wishes!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm Where gift certificates are always available

Just A Day Stretcher, Please

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Heading towards 9 PM here and the snow is still raining from the sky as if it was February, not the first day of winter. My body is a little weary from a couple weeks of this snow thing and the past week has been a little more taxing than usual. It's not that it's the holiday season, it's the snow that is getting to me.

Yesterday I cleaned off Gail's mother's roof. Miriam recently moved to a nursing facility but the home remains and has to be cared for. I wanted to get the last storm shoveled off but it quickly came to me that the "rememory" part of my brain wasn't turned on. I had already forgotten that under the top layer of a foot of fluffy light stuff was 8 inches of sleet with a slippery crust of left over freezing rain...left over from last week. That roof work sliced almost three hours out of my day and gave some leg cramps I didn't need.

Before I climbed up the ladder, I erased the foot of snow from the road and driveways that fell Friday night. Being a snow plow operator seemed great when I was in high school but now I just can't get excited about bumping around in a truck cab, wipers flip-flopping and defroster moving humid air in circles. Even though Karl the Wonder Dog enjoys riding shotgun with me, it's still not a job that ranks high on my list. Somewhere in yesterday's mix was a lot of shovel work plus cleaning the backside of our house roof too.

I finished yesterday's snow removal just in time for the evening news and weather. There's nothing like sitting slumped into a chair like bread dough that won't rise, listening to a weatherman who is smiling when he says "...and 12-18 inches, maybe a little more in the mountains." That was today, no, no, the part about the little more in the mountains. We are in the mountains and the snow depth of 3 inches above my knees is about where we were two hours ago when I came in from cleaning off our satellite dish to make this connection. And to top that off, the snow that was falling again today in Seattle, home of my two fine grandsons, should be here in Vermont sometime pre-Christmas like Wednesday afternoon.

So there's my snow story and that's why it appears I have packed up and left the world of blogging.......... even though I reported a couple weeks back that I would give a few holiday shopping hints for tardy shoppers. Days are only just so long and the snow has been an interruption for certain.

So now I want to make the promise again that by tomorrow night there will be some ideas out there for gifts that shouldn't be too difficult to pick up in the next couple days. Don't trust me on this but check back late tomorrow night or first thing Tuesday. Could be the ideas will be helpful.

In the meantime, consider finding a Cape Cod Weeder. It's such a handy gift that even if your gardening buddy already has one, two is not too many.

This brand was Snow and Neally, a company that may or may not be around any more but the concept is the same. Gail liked this brand enough to buy them in multiples to hand out as gifts. This one is tagged at $19.95 which was probably the going price four years ago. If you find a look alike, grab the steel weeder hook in one hand and the wooden handle in the other and see if they come apart. The Snow and Neally brand were built strong but many imported look-alikes are poorly bonded. If you can't find anything better, some Gorilla glue in the joint will solve the problem even though no one likes to "fix" something brand new. In this modern day real world, there is however, an acceptance that there's never time to do things right, but always time to do them over. I'm not keen on that philosophy but that's why Mr. Gorilla apparently made a very good glue. Think it through and if you read this blog and don't know a gardener who needs a weeder but do know a woodworker, then buy some Gorilla Glue and make someone happy.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Snowflake Bentley would be pleased with tonight as he'd have plenty of snowflakes to investigate. As for me, two of Gail's ginger cookies and a glass of milk should be just fine. I'd really like to find a day stretcher but I don't know that one exists yet.

Good Sunday wishes. Travel with care!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

If you are a gift certificate type gift giver, consider calling Gail and ordering one up. Unlike some businesses, we know we'll still be here when all this snow melts next spring. 802-426-3505

Temporary Turkey Talk

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Troublesome morning here on the mountain. Just can't get going. Made it through the newspaper and have had a chance to watch my environmental clean up team, Mrs. Turkey and the kids, clean up blue jay spills from the past couple days. Here is a through-the-window-and-screen video clip. I haven't incorporated a movie clip before, so if you have any feedback, send it along.

The Thursday night-Friday ice storm was quite an event. We probably received 8 inches of snow before the rain poured down as if it was an August storm. Although everything was cover in ice here, we had nothing close to what people experienced in southern directions of New England where having electricity may be days away for some.


I have noticed that the grosbeaks are having a difficult time with Sunday brunch. They really want some crab apple seeds but getting through the coating of ice is a bit of a chore for them. When the turkeys head out, I'll replace the seed and be sure to get a good quantity of seed down for the ground feeders. Between the snow and the heavy crust, seeds and nuts are difficult to come by today.

During the holidays I enjoy being on the receiving end of ornaments for our tree. I especially like items from nature. From Tracy and Diana, our friends from the Marshfield Inn , we received a hand carved ornament by Gary M Starr of Starr Decoys, Middlebury, Vermont. Gary does great work creating an ornament that is also a great teaching aid for children for years to come.

Here are the three ornaments we have so far including the Hermit Thrush, Vermont's state bird, on the bottom. This is a bird to watch because its numbers are in decline relative to the demise in old growth forests.



In contrast to "old growth" is a new growth "forest" to watch. It's the Cabot Christmas Tree Farm at the old Smith Farm in Cabot. The farm is accessible from either Thistle Hill Road off Route 2 just east of Water Tower Horse Farm, Marshfield, or off Rt 215 in Marshfield Village, then the first right hand turn just past Cabot Creamery entering Cabot village. There are signs at all junctions. The have 35,000 trees for sale and they are beautifully sheared and market priced. I cut an 8.5 footer last Saturday and now it's standing proud and perfect. If you live within reasonable distance and don't have a tree yet, give this place a try. Cabot Creamery is also a place for some nice gifts and stocking stuffers!

Have to get going here although I have misplaced my energy. As you work your way through your Christmas shopping this year, don't forget to support your local farmers, hand crafters and businesses. Operating a small business is difficult any time and these recent times place many small business owners in precarious spots. Work together and we'll stay healthy together!


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where a sudden, heavy downdraft of wind just placed a scary cloud of smoke in the living room. That's what living at great heights does.

Good Sunday wishes!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

First Eruptions

Sunday, December 7, 2008, 5:10 AM

A different-than expected morning here on the mountain. Yesterday's 7 degrees was programmed in my mind to welcome me this morning but it's 21 degrees out and strangely bright with light pushing through thin cloud cover. Karl the Wonder Dog wanted to walk longer than I did on the ice covered paths out back and then down the road. The coyotes are moving more right now, perhaps looking for deer, sadly leftover from deer season which is now in its muzzle loader phase. Karl pulled right, then left, nose sniffing and snorting like the bloodhound he is not. If Karl was on his own this time of year I would worry about him as coyotes have bad habits with domestic dogs and the result sure wouldn't be a holiday story.

Friday I noticed the first of two eruptions here and I welcome them. These are bird type eruptions, not volcano eruptions which would really have people talking. Vermont is volcano-less but full of fine birds. Certain birds move to food sources and you can see movement when there is more snow in Canada earlier in the year than on average. The evening grosbeaks came first last week and by Friday the Pine Grosbeaks were here in abundance eating the bazillions of crab apples on the Malus sargentii trees.

If you enjoy birds and want a fine display of spring color on a small crab apple, try Malus (that's may-lus) sargentii. The flower buds begin as red and then the flowers open, first pink and then to white and the trees hum with the sound of bees. The fruit is not anything you'd do anything with but the tiny red apples are packed with seeds which any of the seed eating birds love. Grosbeaks have conventions on our trees and when they are there only the briefest of time, the snow is covered with red confetti as they are seed eaters, not apple eaters. Usually when the crabs are cleaned out, most of the pine grosbeaks move along but the evening grosbeaks seem to stay here as long as there is sunflower seed and cracked corn in the feeders.

As the holiday season approaches, I want to do my usual couple-three-four recommendations on possible presents for gardeners and their families. I personally don't think we do a good enough job teaching our children about the world we live in so I'm always looking for inexpensive gifts that help parents do what they themselves may not be all that good at any more.

Cornell University is one of the finest in my book and their Lab for Ornithology has lots of opportunity for new bird watchers. They have set up an eStore that makes on-line shopping easy. One of the favorites is Project FeederWatch. For $12 a year you can get everything you need to know about bird watching and as you use the resources, you can help track very important information about where bird populations exist, pass through, or are now absent from. You can be a piece of the environmental puzzle and have fun doing it too!

Another possibility comes from a local ornithologist and one of Vermont's best, Bryan Pfeiffer. We just received a card from Bryan and he is again promoting his Vermont Bird Tours. These tours include Vermont opportunities but also February 20-March 1 in southern Florida looking for Limpkin, Magnificent Frigatebird, Reddish Egret, Swallow-tailed Kites and as he says in his ad "sunshine". From April 4-12 he's doing a tour to the Texas Rio Grande Valley in search of Great Kiskadee, Ringed Kingfisher and the Green Jay. Now don't get me wrong, even though I've lived in Vermont since I was five, I see birds every year that are on my "new and unknown" list. Show me a Limpkin and I'll show you a new addition to the list. People such as Bryan can help those of interest expand their knowledge and get outside. Give it some thought and don't forget about Cornell!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where this writer will be at the computer much of today learning more Dreamweaver software and redoing more of our Vermont Flower Farm web site. In my personal chain of weak links, this task is mine. Bear with me and in a couple months, there will be a new site that should catch your interest. In the meantime, remember that we offer gift certificates for your gardening friends--just call Gail at 802-426-3505 and she will help. And if you see this bird (just below) in one of your trees, let me know. Mr. Pine Grosbeak having breakfast.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

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