Bird Entertainment

Monday, November 8, 2010

A breezy, cold morning here on the mountain. 27 degrees an hour ago, 30.0 right now with rain falling even though it should be snow. The trip out with Karl the Wonder Dog required care getting down the slick steps and upon our return, the morning news listed school closings from Cabot to Waterbury as the front approaches.

Today started day two in minimal bird feeding as I am reluctant to fill up all the feeders until I know for sure that the bears have hibernated. Bears like bird seed and they do a terrible job on feeders as they seek out a different snack while gorging themselves before sleep sets in. This morning there is a good collection of chickadees, one white breasted nuthatch, several blue jays, half a dozen juncos and a couple male evening grosbeaks. This time of year I always hope for evening and pine grosbeaks to come and stay through the winter. Often an eruption of pine grosbeaks will appear in the crab apples and some will stay all winter but so far they are missing. I suspect that if I can continue to feed, the message of food will be telegraphed into the woods and other species might appear.

The wind is too strong today to safely work in the woods as I had planned. I think I'll spend some time later cleaning out the bird houses and disinfecting them for next spring's families. This doesn't take too long and provides a safer environment for young birds.

Watching birds in winter is a fine hobby. Bird seed is no longer inexpensive but area stores offer bird seed clubs so the price is reduced a little. I usually put several bags of sunflower, mixed seed and cracked corn in the cellar before the snow comes so it's easier to fill the feeders each day or so.

The Cornell Lab Of Ornithology is probably the best link to search for bird related information. Gardeners are known to enjoy birds and gardens look best with houses, feeders and watering opportunities. Although winter is approaching, part of the fun of bird watching is just beginning. If you have a minute, share some thoughts on birding with us. Building new houses is a winter project for me and Alex and might be something you'd be interested in too.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where freezing rain is coating the trees and birds feed in haste.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as George Africa and also Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Energy-Wise Landscape Design

Friday, November 5, 2010

35° here on the mountain with rain pouring down since it woke me at 4:30. Still too dark to see what's been happening all night but my guess is the snow that was a possibility remained as heavy rain. Yesterday afternoon as the new front moved in, large snow flakes fell until dark so there was that question of what would materialize. Karl the Wonder Dog is a great weather dog as he refuses to budge from dog dreams this morning, sleeping but fully aware that it's not too pleasant out there.

Sometimes publishers or authors send me books to review. I love the respect to be asked to comment but I always feel guilty in how long it takes me to respond. I treat each book as if I wrote it myself and I ponder, reread, make notes, rewrite and finally complete the opportunity. Back in September I received a special book from New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, British Columbia. I have to say that late summer is not the greatest time to send me anything as work at the nursery is intense and reading is not on the list. But now it is.

Energy-Wise Landscape Design: A New Approach for Your Home and Garden by Sue Reed is a special book representing an incredible mix of science, history, botany, math and physics combined with great writing, descriptive image references and sound ideas. Sue is a graduate of the Conway School of Landscape Design and a registered landscape architect. You needn't read many chapters before it is abundantly clear that she is organized, skilled at research and competent in pushing critical landscaping issues to the front. Do you notice I love the book? I do! Here are some personal analogies.

A couple weeks back Gail and Alex and I went to the Shelburne Museum. I was intent on seeing the Ansel Adams/Edward Burtynsky exhibit, walking the decks of the steamship Ticonderoga, reading medicine bottle labels at the apothecary, and sitting in the Bostwick Garden admiring Stephen Procter's giant garden urns. But as we entered the Stencil House, a house originally built in 1804, my hand landed on the door sill as I entered the place. I stopped as I noticed my hand completely surrounded the entire width of the house wall suggesting a time when home insulation was obviously not the priority it should be.

This encounter reminded me clearly of the lessons Sue Reed offers in Energy-Wise Landscape Design. How a home is built and how it is situated on the land to take advantage of wind and solar to heat and cool are topics the author covers from a scientific, meteorological and practical approach. As I exited the house and looked back at the grass surround and lone apple tree "landscape", Reed's lessons rewound for me. Her method of presenting concepts on energy efficient landscape design obviously worked for me and they will for you too!

For the past several years I have been on a crusade to get people to think differently about what they plant around their homes in New England. Sue doesn't make this sound like a crusade but we both promote the same concepts. Planting trees and shrubs under the eaves of northeastern homes makes no sense for a variety of reasons. Ice and snow destroy plant material over time and planting trees or shrubs that will grow to cover windows or interfere with rain gutters, shingles and pedestrian traffic flow just doesn't make sense. Sue's book starts with situating a new home or reinventing the landscape of an existing home. In both opportunities she guides the reader through an evaluation of the merits of the surrounding land relative to soil composition, ground water, light and wind.

Somewhere along the line Sue must have read Robert Frost's poem Mending Wall as she indirectly mentions "good neighbors" relative to fences, parking cars, and placing high activity areas where they respect need for mutual owner-neighbor privacy. These are all critical issues and deserve priority long before the planting begins.

I enjoy the organization the book displays and the summaries at the close of each chapter. Sue defines needed "actions" and follows up with design tips, images, specific explanations of relative associations. In Chapter 9, Using Water Efficiently, one of the action statements is "Manage Runoff with Topography". Water management has become a giant topic in America and here in Vermont legal challenges in Chittenden County have mandated that builders, home owners, and zoning administrators consider what happens with water on a property. Everyone is mandated to survey how much runoff derives from every flat surface on one's property. This translates to total square footage from roofs, driveways, walks, patios and recreation areas--any hard surface that leads to runoff. The days of water runoff from a development heading for a storm drain, into a brook and into the lake are no longer acceptable.

Energy-Wise Landscape Design discusses understanding and use of native plants and stresses buying plant material locally. Sue does an excellent job explaining the need to make the best use of all resources and to spend time up front with design to the long term benefit of the entire property and budget. This is dear to me as a nurseryman because I spend time each day explaining to folks very common things like why their zone 8 box store plant didn't make it in zone 4 Marshfield, Vermont or how tall their "in-front-of-the-bay-window" conifer is really going to grow.

Sue Reed should be proud of her book as I am proud of her for writing it. It's a serious book that should be required reading for all building and landscape architects, Master Gardeners, garden designers, landscape and building contractors and plant and soil science students and staff. As a book it would make a great radio or television garden show as every chapter is a story unto itself already well prepared for production. It's not the same as when I pick up a book by Vermont author Chris Bohjalian and don't want to put it down until it's finished. Energy-Wise Landscape Design is a book I have already picked up and put down so many times that dog ears are forming, margin scribbles are more noticeable and I recommend it every time I can. If you get a chance, order it from you local bookseller or my favorite 'big" store, Borders. And don't forget to check out New Society Publishers--they really are ahead of the curve. Thanks Sue, please keep writing!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the contractors have headed to the pond for winter construction projects while two doves sit on the empty platform feeder waiting for food. Sorry birds, no food in the feeders until the bears go to sleep.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as George Africa and also Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Remembering Thuya Garden

Monday, November 1, 2010

28 degrees here on the mountain. Gray clouds prevail and just a whisper of wind makes it feel colder than it is. This is the fourth day of cold and it has already erased the fond memory of last Wednesday's 68 degrees. The ground is littered with just enough snow to remind one that winter is the next season. This is the time to play catch up with a list of fall chores. My list is getting shorter but my writing from a couple weeks ago is still behind.

Back on October 19th I blogged about a trip to Maine and a beautiful Japanese garden I visited. It is named Asticou Azalea Garden located at Northeast Harbor just down the road from Acadia National Park. Down Peabody Drive a bit further is another famous garden, Thuya Garden. There is a slice of a parking lot on the shore side of the road and a small sign across the road at the start of some prominent steps leading up the mountain. I'll put up a picture album on our Facebook page, Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and will cite a couple links to compensate for the fact that I ran out of camera power before I finished a tour of this incredible garden!

Adjacent to the parking area is a trail leading down the shore to Asticou Landing, a public dock for the community. I walked down to get a better view of Northeast Harbor and enjoy the scenery. It was low tide but there was still some activity about the harbor. It helped me frame my thoughts on a era of America that is slipping away.

As I began to climb the terraces I found myself stopping, looking back, looking up. I was amazed at the work involved in creating this garden as the stone work to make the steps and plateaus was just monumental!

Half way up to the first lookout is a beautiful plateau and a memorial to Joseph Henry Curtis. The memorial reads: "Vigilant Protector of These Hills. The Asticou Terraces are his gift for the quiet recreation of the people of this town and their summer guests."

As you continue up the trails, there is opportunity to stop and sit. I enjoyed the overlooks and the views to the ocean.

I back tracked the the main trail and about the time I snapped this shot of the trail leading to the lodge, my camera reminded me that back up batteries were back at the car. Just the same, the balance of the tour is worth every minute spent. I was happy I arrived in the fall when tourists are mostly absent as the sign at the parking area asks that you be considerate of others and not stay beyond 2 hours.... but for me, more time was needed to enjoy this treasure. I know I will return again.

Here are a couple links to get a better idea of the gardens.

Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve

Landscape New England


Writing today from the mountain above Peacham Pond. Karl the Wonder Dog is barking at the sound of a flock of Canada geese and I have to get to my chores.


George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as George Africa and also as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Missing "Friend'?

Friday, October 29, 2010

40 degrees this morning and windless. I expect as the sun rises, the front will begin to change and the next weather system will descend. I was hoping for one more day in the 60's to make working outside more pleasant but the weather folks say it won't happen. Alex helped me pour some footings for a machine shed yesterday and we have to finish that cement work this morning and then get down to the nursery and flush and drain the big sprayer one last time. Gail has almost all the potted plants cleaned up and ready to cover. We'll wait a few days as they dehydrate faster than you might think over the winter so we like them to be well watered before covering them. Rain, maybe a little snow, are on the way.

I know I am a busy gardener when it finally occurs to me that I have lost a plant friend and didn't even know it. I had this autumn clematis (above) growing along the split rail fence at the house for years. Yesterday I noticed its absence. Earlier this summer I noticed that the Clematis tangutica were a lot smaller than before and that should have been a clue that last winter was the culprit. January had a few days when high temps hit 48-50 and brief thaws continued each month during the entire winter.

Clematis tangutica, summer and fall

Autumn clematis was always a friend to me. I cannot remember where I bought it but suspect I may have bought in a few clematis years ago when I was looking for some vining plants to add some "vertical " to my shade garden here at the house. The white blanket tossed over the split rails looked so nice each fall, accompanied by the tall anenomes and the last of the 'So Lovely' and 'Miss Amelia' daylilies.

In warmer climates autumn clematis is known to generously drop a bazillion seeds and find itself on invasive lists. I never found that to be the case here although tangutica occasionally succeeds in reproducing here. Seed production is plentiful ( picture just above) so in the right climate, here's another potential troublemaker for the garden and the environment.

Everyone has plants they like even if they tend to become roguish, undisciplined or even carry an "invasive" name about. Some clematis might fit this category and perhaps sweetly scented autumn clematis is one. Just the same I never placed it in the same category I place loosestrife, garlic mustard, wild parsnip, Japanese knotweed, goutweed or hogweed. Perhaps it is just another "eye of the beholder" thing as one of New England's oldest nurseries still sells goutweed as if it is a beautiful ground cover. I have found hogweed at a reputable nursery in Bainbridge, Washington and just noticed it listed in a catalog from a very reputable Vermont nursery. The tricky part is understanding how plants grow in your zone while at the same time understanding and promoting information on any plant (like hogweed) that has serious health risks, shades out important natives, has dramatic impact on riparian structure....that's the thinking that I believe needs to go along with every plant nurserymen sell.

So here on the mountain above Peacham Pond, my perennial autumn clematis was not roguish and is now history. Perhaps fellow gardeners can help me with recommendations of other fall blooming white vines that can serve as a bright light along my split rail fence.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Canada geese are flying low and honking loudly this morning. Perhaps they just lifted off the pond or the reservoir. In some places in New England, just like Clematis tangutica, they have become a nuisance. Here they have a majesty I enjoy as I tip my neck skyward and twirl in circles trying to locate a flock and verify where they are heading. Everything can be beautiful.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as George Africa and also as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Art in the Garden

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

58°, windless, with light sprinkles that started again. Karl the Wonder Dog just returned from his second walk of the morning and seems disgusted that my empty oatmeal bowl is still empty. I'm wondering how it got to be 9 o'clock and I haven't pushed back from the computer yet.

Two weeks ago I was in Maine enjoying some nice gardens. One was the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden in Boothbay. I have visited there annually since it opened and it's a pleasure to see the changes. I especially enjoy the art that is incorporated and wanted to mention a couple links for those who haven't or cannot visit this fine place.

On my first visit several years back I was struck by Dale Chihuly's glass sculpture in the Slater Forest Pond. I had seen his work in Seattle before and kept going back to this little pond to see glass like I had not seen in the east before. This year I spent more time with some work by Squidge Liljeblad Davis Here are four examples that seem so simple but offer a complexity of emotion that works so well with a garden setting. I stop and stare and hope others don't see me staring until I walk away and turn back to see unknown visitors doing the same.

Maine has a large number of incredible artists and Falmouth curator June LaCombe has done a superb job showcasing their art at Coastal Maine Botanical Garden. I remember the first time I approached the gates of the garden and how struck I was by the animal sculptures of Wendy Klemperer. To see a life size elk or a howling wolf makes me see through the sculpture and visualize the same creature alive and moving through the gardens. Check out Klemperer's site and you'll find some examples that have been displayed at CMBG.

Art will have to become a memory now as I have parts of the next three days to finish work at the nursery, plant the last 3 katsura trees, a dozen lilacs and a couple-three nine barks. And I absolutely cannot forget to plant a big pot of Hosta Empress Wu and some odds and ends of pulmonaria. There may be a warm day or two in early November but more often than not when it snows the end of October, the snows is with us here when the calender displays a new year.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Gail is making a carrot cake for tonight's Hardy Plant Club potluck while 6 turkey's have climbed the bank and are looking in my office window.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook at 2 pages: George Africa and Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
Social networking makes gardeners garden better!

Garden Vessels

Sunday October 24, 2010

Another clear, cold morning on the mountain. 26°. A pack of coyotes disturbed my sleep at 3 and the thought of what may have happened interfered with my getting back to sleep. Over the past 50 years I have witnessed coyotes go from "what is that thing?" to "Lost four sheep last night." I am feeling worse about the thought, not knowing what happened. My uncle from Fairfield CT sent a couple newspaper articles recently telling of two attacks in the Rye NY area where I started life. I do know that coyotes adapt readily to any environment and sitings in Central Park, NYC are quite common. There is something tranquil about living in a rural state such as Vermont but there is always caution from the unknown.


Last week we headed up to Chittenden County for an overdue visit to the Shelburne Museum. If you live in Vermont or are visiting us, log off for a day and visit the museum. By itself is sufficient enough to learn a bunch about Vermont but the museum has some great exhibits that make you even happier that you made the trip.


One of the exhibits was All Fired Up: Six Ceramic Artists from Vermont and it made me wonder who put the six together. The contrast was significant and the work was outstanding. But for gardeners, there was a real treat via the extra large garden vessels by Stephen Procter. Here is a sample of what was on exhibit in the general display and then outside in and around the Bostwick Garden.

Big garden art or any garden art for that matter is not received well by all gardeners. That's what makes us different. But I enjoy the craft industry and this work is special. Beginning with the coil method and ending with these beautiful pots, Procter sets the stage. If you have any garden art that is special to you or if you know a crafts person that other gardeners would like to know about, let us all know.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where 26° is still 26°, it's dark, windless and it's quiet. I'm still thinking about gardening....and sharing ideas.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as George Africa
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
Social networking is good for gardeners too!

Asticou Azalea Garden

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The quiet of 4:30 AM was as quiet as now, almost 2 hours later. 24.1 ° this morning, the coldest morning of fall 2010. Hunters have been complaining of not seeing enough deer while gardeners complain of too many. I suspect last night's cold will begin to encourage the bucks to get moving and more sitings will prevail. I have one request for information on the deer fence I use and I have to call my supplier and find out what the current shipping situation is. This has become a big market for the fence folks and fewer hunters and more urbanization have pushed deer to become a big nuisance in places.

I have always had a problem with the world travelers who have to pack up the family and travel great distances when they don't even know what is going on in their own backyard. There seems to be this need among some to be able to stand in a group of people and brag about a trip to Paris or Jamaica or Costa Rica with the kids while not even understanding the fun or historical significance of Lake Champlain or the beauty/harshness/economic impact of the Barre granite quarries. My opinion on this is everyone wants to point fingers now on why kids don't excel but they don't want to hold themselves responsible for their growth.

Yesterday was an example. We went to Shelburne Museum to see the new exhibits including the Ansel Adams and Edward Burtynsky exhibit and the Alzheimer's Forgetting Piece by Piece quilt exhibit. As we approached the gallery that held the Adams exhibit, a totally unruly group of school kids complete with teachers came by. Ten minutes later the teachers were asked to get the kids under control or leave the gallery. A visit to any museum is a gold mine of experience but it should be tied to a lesson plan that begins with behavior, goals, responsibility, and homework after the trip. Enough!.....but I think I am right.

My personal trips around New England get me to gardens someone else has put their life in. For some time, Asticou Azalea Garden in Northeast Harbor, Maine was on the list. Actually it was an art exhibit at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine that was the catalyst that got me thinking now was the time.

Designed and built by Charles K. Savage around 1956, this Japanese style stroll garden uses Japanese design techniques and the natural landscape of this famous Maine peninsula. The garden was probably encouraged by the availability-for-relocation of the valuable Reef Point plant collection owned by Beatrix Ferrand. I'm guessing too that the generosity of financial support from John D Rockefeller, Jr. brought the garden together....all in one year. The history of the Mount Desert Island area is very valuable and points out how long and challenging residents, gardeners, and visitors have worked together on this beautiful piece of earth.

I have added a photo album (Asticou Azalea Garden) on my Facebook business page, Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens. There are 46 pictures that document what this marvelous garden offers. Each photo is worth more than I can say. Bad behavior, by the way, is not the property of kids. I saw a woman with a camera worth more money than I can imagine walking away from the middle of the freshly raked Sand Garden. If I ever see her face on a book jacket I'll give her a good review. Like great gardens, I never forget a face. If you get to Mount Desert, visit this garden. You'll never forget it!





Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where most of the loons have left but Canada geese honk good morning.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as George Africa
On Facebook with a year 'round business page, Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On twitter as vtflowerfarm

Final House Thoughts

Saturday, October 16, 2010

The sun has left a 4 mph wind to close the day as larch needles fly like snowflakes and maple and birch leaves drift past my office window. Mrs Doe Deer and two fawns were here for over an hour earlier this afternoon as they munched on raspberry leaves, a deer candy of sorts. Since they left, the only visit has been from brief gusts of wind and wet leaves bouncing against the window screen. 40° did not make for a pleasant day and as I dumped the rain gauge with 2.2 inches of rain since yesterday, I was thankful it didn't get colder last night as it did in some parts of New England. We have seen snow this early before but it's never welcome.

Yesterday in Back In Vermont I mentioned the benefit of studying older landscapes and older home architecture. Today I ran across this picture from a house in Harmonyville, Vermont I took last fall. We were in southern Vermont tracing the steps of writer of weird tales, H P Lovecraft, and his good friend Vrest Orton, later of Vermont Country Store fame, when we noticed the house. The house is not winning any local community awards for a tidy lawn or well kept premise but once again it exemplifies my suggestion that old is good. The lines of this house are straight, there are plenty of windows for lighting and cross ventilation, there is an ample attached shed, and originally there were two chimneys (now one), probably complete with fireplaces, top and bottom.

The standout on this house is the porch as Gail will quickly point out. In the old days, all houses had a porch someplace and the further south you went the larger the porches. They were places to recover from the heat of the day or from an overly warm house. Gail says there's nothing like a long porch and a line of rocking chairs to momentarily tranquilize an exhausted gardener. She has a point.

I don't want to overstate my premise that old is good but with houses as with gardens, there's something noteworthy with the designs of the past. In this case, a very simple architecture provides a home with ample space, opportunity for several layouts, and in modern consideration, affords both green and sustainability options that are very marketable. If this style house were rehabbed to modern standards, space exists to provide those assets and make buyers smile.

No more house stories. Promise.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond. Alex and I have chicken duty now--have to take care of a friend's chickens while he is away taking care of his recuperating dad. Maybe they'll enjoy a fresh kale......the chickens!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook at George Africa and also Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

External To Vermont

Friday, October 15, 2010

After 2 PM and the rain has let up a little. The temperature has dropped to 37.8° and the wind comes in little bursts from 2 to 5 mph. The tall goldenrod, now flowerless, sway back and forth in the breeze, nodding right, then left. My neighbor persists in bringing in firewood with his tractor. He must be wet and cold to the bone after doing this since 10 AM. He's bringing in next year's wood but couldn't have picked a much nastier day to get ahead.

Sometimes it's good to step back and look at yourself and what you do from afar. I do that once in a while and I do not ask for feedback during the process. Questions expect answers and some of that is no one's business. During the week I might walk into my woods and sometimes I drive a bit into the state forest and walk where I have never walked before. Curiosity of difference draws out new insight into life and it helps me see some things more clearly. Sometimes I even leave Vermont altogether and that's what I did this week.

Downeast Maine is a difficult concept for some and I won't go there. You figure it out. Acadia National Park is mid coast to me and that's where you'll find Cadillac Mountain, a place I have been known to enjoy. I liked it a bunch more before thousands of people appeared there by bus, car, RV, bicycle and feet, each competing for mountain space relative to their mode of travel. Just the same I headed there this week.

Cadillac Mountain is a wide open place where the sun and the moon play interesting games. I just like to walk down the mountain and find a stone pocket others might avoid and sit there and watch the ocean. I also like to walk around looking at the plants, insects, birds and other critters that survive there.

At the ocean's edge is Bar Harbor, an old city that in more recent years began inviting luxury liners to visit. There is mixed review from the locals about what this has done to the town's infrastructure but it's a reality now that may not go away. Only two liners waited in the harbor compared to 5 on a previous visit.

I would not think of visiting the mountain during the tourist season as being in lines of traffic is why I live on a mountain in Vermont. Fall foliage apparently has great interest as the top parking lot and the lower observatory lot were full when I arrived as I knew they would be. I waited for a parking space. I drove in from Ellsworth and as soon as I left there traveling down Route 3, there was a constant line of traffic leaving Acadia.

I spent two hours up top and never once saw anyone I knew. Lots of people shared smiles and pleasantries but that's where it stayed. If you could temporarily erase the blue sky and ocean from your thoughts, you might think you were at a camera club meeting or a camera manufacturers convention. ..but I wasn't.

There is a magnificence to Cadillac Mountain that warrants respect and a visit. If you have been to Yellowstone you can understand park traffic. Visit anyway--at least once.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where our hostas have senesced. This includes one named Cadillac, pictured below. I don't sell it any more as it is slow for me. I don't think the name is related to the mountain....maybe the car?....maybe the Frenchman in Detroit?

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as George Africa and also as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Cadillac, the hosta
(In the middle)

Back In Vermont

Friday, October 15, 2010

10 AM here on the mountain with rain falling from the sky in drops so large that there is a drumbeat on the standing seam roof that thud-thud-thuds. Large yellow leaves from sugar maples seem pushed straight to earth by the rain as smaller yellow leaves of black cherries blow vertically as if the smiling, puffy white cloud face you see in cartoons is blowing out leaves to entertain young children.

Three drenched tom turkeys just passed my office window. When I left for Maine there were four but this is turkey season in Vermont and some friendships change. Two are aged toms with long beards and one is a jake, a younger male learning the ropes. In fall they come to the bird feeders looking for leftovers the wasteful blue jays kick out. It is too early to feed birds as black bears still visit often.

The cadence of the rain has just changed significantly as sleet has joined the mix and is noisy as it hits the bottom of my overturned canoe. Why did I leave it there again? Why can't fall last longer?

Just returned from Maine last night. I planned to stay two more days but the weather changed and this storm had nothing good about it. Just the same I saw a lot and did see three gardens and a museum I really wanted to see. I love Maine but there is nothing like Vermont!

US Route 1 runs the Maine coast and almost any day it is a slow drive through villages and a fast drive on out-of-town stretches. The roads are posted at 55 mph but no one respects that speed on the open road. Maine roadsides, like many roads this year, are plastered with political signs. No matter what size or frequency the signs appear, they don't change my personal intent. In Maine the number of "For Sale" signs approaches political signs because so many people are facing difficult financial times. I don't think I have seen so many Sotheby real estate signs along the coast in my recent life. Their ad always exclaims "our unrivaled collection of luxury real estate properties" but really what I am seeing is a wide variety of economic lifestyles moved by tough times. There are even fixer-uppers like the one pictured above. Just kidding about this one!

One of my agendas when leaving home is to check out older landscape and architectural design and try to incorporate things I like in what I am doing at our gardens or what I am suggesting to others. I have been at a loss for why schools do not teach more "architecture in retrospect" so students learn to apply some of these proven designs. Roman architecture is always covered but American application over the past 200 years is often overlooked.

Take the house pictured up top. The red "No Trespassing" sign says it all as the house is decayed beyond repair and is falling down. But in its day, this house had some strong architectural points. I can envision a recreation using the wing on the left as a well appointed kitchen and dining area. The octagonal cupola could be heightened slightly to serve as a second floor master bedroom sitting area and an add-on to a first floor living room for entertaining. The list of ideas continues. If you look carefully you can see some interesting cornice work around the main entrance door, at the house corners and around the windows including the dormer windows top right.

When I look at old gardens I get into detail just as I saw in this house. Heights, textures, colors, grouping, bloom time are all relative. I look at trees and shrubs, big leaves and little flowers. As you embark on a garden redesign or a home retrofit, how about considering the past and applying things that worked well for hundreds of years? Could be you'll become part of another winner that others will admire for a long time to come.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a flock of low flying Canada geese sounded a "welcome home Vermont Gardener". I'm happy to be back in Vermont.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook at my personal page, George Africa, and as Vermont Flower Farm & Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Lichens and Rock Ferns

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Just past noon, 44°, with 5-8 mph wind gusts and continued rain. Outside garden plans for today fell to the wayside as I decided to go for a hike on the backside of Marshfield Pond. This is a hike I only made one time before and it kept taking a back burner to other chores until today. I told Gail I was scouting for deer and looking for oyster mushrooms as I turned off the lights and closed the back door at about 6. Karl the Wonder Dog was obviously disappointed at the exclusion but I wanted privacy, not interference. I should have been more specific about where I was going before I left, but that became an after thought.

It was darker than a pocket with patches of heavy fog that made me flick the high beams on and off trying to get the best vision in case a deer, bear or moose walked in front of me. As I headed down the old railroad bed, two woodcock stood senseless in the road until the truck inched too close and they burst straight into the air. I was not surprised to see them but was surprised that at the end of a 3/4 mile strip I had counted a total of 21 birds. They had been eating worms in the road and had found temporary residence in the adjacent swamp. The last time I saw so many was one spring perhaps three-four years ago when I was working on an amphibian migration project with spotted salamanders and frogs. That night I felt as if Alfred Hitchcock was nearby doing a remake of The Birds as woodcock were everywhere.

For the second time in as many trips I failed to reach two goals. I wanted to at least get to the bottom of a giant glacial erratic that sits in the middle of a mid level swamp and I wanted to climb at least half way up a mountain I had just spent an hour walking to. The rain was falling so intensely by that point that both boots were full of water and rendered inappropriate for difficult climbing. Slipping off a rock crossing a brook did not help my boot problem either.

I noticed a series of very large glacial erratics to my far right and decided to give them a look-see. I was not disappointed. Up top is a picture of one of the groups that caught my attention. Visualize in excess of 50 feet in height and 70-80 feet width. The rock faces were covered with rock tripe and the tops were blanketed in rock ferns, one of my favorites. No place within the interior structure of the giant rock pile did I find any signs of animal life--no scat, no bone shards, no hair, no animals.

Rock tripe, Umbilicaria mammulata, in contrast, was everywhere. It is known to be very sensitive to air pollution so what I saw today gave me a good feeling as this was the biggest I have seen in the forests around here. Despite what I have read about it being edible or being coveted by rug hookers for creating a beautiful purple dye, I gave no thought to taking any home even though collection would have been very easy.

I leaned against a maple for a few minutes contemplating the beauty around me and then I headed back down the mountain. The water was rising in the stream and I was happy when I made it safely across. In a few weeks when the temperatures drop and the rains cease, I'll return to this area and maybe reach one of my goals. Still didn't make it back to Camel's Hump this year.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Canada geese are flying at lower levels and robins eat sargentii crab apples as if there is no tomorrow. There will be, and I'll be here.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as George Africa and also Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Fryeburg Fair

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

43° on the mountain this morning, still windless but the air has a heavy feel that suggests it's colder than the temperature reading. Humidity is about maxed out from last Friday's storm and we have a couple-three more days of unsettled weather coming before things clear for the weekend. Karl the Wonder Dog wants no part of today as he sleeps on with dog dreams despite my beckoning for a walk.

Gardeners like Gail and me work hard all summer and then as things begin to close down we do a few things to get out of Dodge and spend some time together with Alex. Yesterday it was the Fryeburg Fair in Fryeburg, Maine. This is a large New England fair held on 126 acres as I remember. It was first held in 1854 and has grown over time to a week long event.

Might seem odd to go to a fair to just see animals and flower arrangements and vegetables but we do. Alex and his autism make watching his interaction with animals like a line from Temple Grandin's movie or books. (try website and go from there if not familiar). Alex can talk with animals and some of it is clearly not audible speech that makes the connections. His favorite are the pigs but he can tell a chicken to hold his head up or quiet a goat or a calf with some sensory cue that I don't understand.

We left here at 9, stopped at Marty's in Danville for a danish and cup of GMCR coffee, and then stopped at Dismal Pool, Crawford Notch, NH for a few quick pictures and then at Willey House to feed the ducks and trout and head for Maine. Fryeburg during fair time is a line of traffic. Everyone along the road sells parking space for $5 a pop until you get closer to the main gate and then the price goes up. We slid into a place we knew we could get out of and walked for 3-4 minutes to the gate.

Haven't been to this fair for 4-5 years and recalled that last time we never made it through half the things we wanted to see. We got reoriented and headed for the animal barns first. I don't know how it happened but we stopped long enough to see a crowd of people and although we wanted the goat judging, we found the skillet throwing contest. How 5-6-700 people could be enamored by people throwing iron skillets is beyond me but the crowd roared with happiness as the coordinator called out the names of contestants who stepped up and let the skillet fly. I guess I shouldn't over react as in places, Maine beaches have become wall to wall bocce ball games.

We made our way through lots of barns an along the way watched this woman coax her ox out for a bath. This 3160 pounder must have smelled the three bottles of Pert shampoo the lady carried as he had no interest in a bath and it took a few words of encouragement to get him moving. Gail and Alex and I snuggled up to a couple Red Holsteins across the way as there wasn't much space left when this bruiser stepped into the central corridor. We weren't the only ones flying when he lifted his tail.

Alex has a time limit on events with noise and other sensory interactions so we headed out again before we saw everything. Never saw the goat judging or got to the flower show but did have an interesting demonstration from a Mainer who taught Christmas wreath making. Gail and I have been doing this for years but in just minutes the woman showed us little tricks that make the whole thing go so much faster. I asked her what the going price is now for a decorated wreath and she said most makers sell for $27 plus shipping. Nice lady, talented, cordial, and a great representative for how they do things in Maine.

This fair continues until October 10th so if you are out and about, give it a try. It's 90 miles from Marshfield and there's lots of scenery along the way. I will put a bunch of pictures on my
George Africa Facebook page today sometime today.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the temperature doesn't budge but Canada geese call out from above.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as George Africa; also as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Timeless Retirement

Monday, October 4, 2010

34° here on the mountain as the sun has found strength to break through the fog and clouds that prevailed two hours ago. Karl the Wonder Dog and I got out early and enjoyed the quiet and the smells of autumn on our back forest road. He loves to walk through the fallen maple leaves and dig and paw and root around even though I want to get moving. He found nothing to bark at this morning and my enjoyment was in the form of a large pileated woodpecker that left one dying sugar maple for another.

Fall frosts signal an end to many things, but for me and Gail, fall is equally as busy as summer. The nursery commands lots of very important work that is "behind the scenes" work that no one ever sees when they make a plant purchase. When frosts arrive my work slowly moves from the fields into the woods as I cut wood for the following heating season. We have slightly more than 70 acres here on the mountain, part in Marshfield and part in Peacham township. My forest work includes making a series of walking trails while cleaning up brush and fallen trees, reopening old woods roads and cleaning up around old white pines, black cherry, yellow birch and healthy sugar maples.

I retired the end of March from a career in state government that started in 1969. At the end I received constant questioning about what I would do to keep busy. Those who asked obviously never really knew me as keeping busy has never been a problem. Actually having enough time has been the problem and I have sought a "day stretcher" for some time but they just aren't made.

Yesterday Gail and I worked on our river garden along the Winooski River at our nursery. We have a vision for five acres of botanical happiness and this is part of it. It will take time to complete the garden and as those who know us say, our gardening endeavors will never cease.

We started working on April 1st and worked nonstop for over 150 days. As October approaches, the light at the end is Columbus Day when we close the nursery for the season. But since Labor Day we have been open by chance or appointment and that affords us time to catch up on things. For me, getting into the woods and back into some photography is the answer.

Up top is a picture from last Thursday. The property belongs to Marshfield's Water Tower Farm, home of Tennessee Walking Horses and a terrific therapeutic riding program. I took the picture just before the rain began to flood the area with well over 5.5 inches of rain here on the mountain. This field was still covered 24 hours ago but should begin to dry today.

If you are a photographer, there's probably a stack of pictures or a file folder on your computer that contains a bazillion pictures of the same spot. This is Marshfield Pond, a place in Vermont that is special to me. It is a couple mountains away from our house and I seem to spend a lot of time in that area. It lends an instant peace that sort of tranquilizes one from the busy life that is part of American now.

Guess I better get going here. I have dahlias and cannas to clean as soon as I change the oil in the '57 John Deere tractor. I need to get the brush hog mounted and trim out the woods roads and the back field one more time. Retirement is fun. Stop by if you have a minute. I probably have a story to share.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Canada geese have been flying almost nonstop for three days.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as George Africa and also Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Fall Chores, Plain Busy

Monday, September 27, 2010

52° here on the mountain above Peacham Pond. Windless but rain pours off the roof, first as cats and dogs and then as drip-drip-drips. We are sort of in between right now with a gentle cadence of the drops by my office window. We needed rain and I like it more when it comes at night like this. A glance at the weather maps and there's little hope that we'll see sun until Wednesday so tomorrow's plans will need a little rearranging.

As fall arrives and our nursery is pretty much closed for the season, you can quite often find us on our hands and knees planting, weeding, moving--all in preparation for the next season. In today's world, many folks don't know what goes on behind the scenes of any business. Today it was more daylily work. Gail had new areas ready to plant based on varieties that were almost sold out or those which we must double and triple up on for next year. We probably planted 8 varieties today and prepared a similar number for later this week and yet the only one I can remember tonight is Vanilla Fluff. Tired!

With fall comes a self imposed mandate to do some things we want to do after a season that started April 1st and continued seven days a week until Labor Day. These are fun things that might not be too impressive to some but to us they are family oriented, educational, laughter generating, just-plain-fun things.

Last week we got to Burtt's Apple Orchard on Cabot Plains Road, Cabot Vermont. Cabot is the home of Cabot Creamery and some of the best cheese in the world. It's also the Burtt's home and their days of dairy farming have changed to beef cattle and pick-your-own apples and pumpkins, nice winter squash and great sweet corn. We go for their apples. Here are some pictures starting up top with secret (see white) beehives (honey, folks!) behind Macintosh apple trees.

Freedom Apples

Honeycrisp Apples

If you haven't seen state-of-the-art Vermont apple growing, it's worth a visit. Trees are planted 4 foot on center and are tied to 8 foot electrical conduit which floats off a ten foot wire rope kept taut with tensioners that are cranked tight to hold the weight. The tree leaders (think "Trunk") are encouraged to grow tall and the side limbs are trimmed at 3-4 feet wide. The fruit looks burdensome to the branches it is so abundant but this modern growing arrangement really works. Seeing it is easier than trying to figure out my description but eating a Honeycrisp apple is something you have to do personally.

In the next couple weeks things will draw to a close and Columbus Day will be the last day we'll entertain customers or visitors except by special arrangement. We're spending a day up north at the Old Stone House Museum and at a couple historical societies. Another day we'll scoot down to Proctor to see the Marble Museum and quarry, and before the end of October we'll visit Shelburne Museum and see theAnsel Adams and Edward Burtynsky visiting exhibit. Before the snow begins to fly we'll cover a few more back roads as we relax from a busy season. Nothing special, just getting out and seeing part of what makes Vermont so special.

Writing from the mountain where I think I heard thunder over Karl the Wonder Dog's snoring. I think.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter many mornings as vtflowerfarm

Two Men I Met

Saturday, September 18, 2010

34° this morning, windless and dark as a pocket. A week ago today I was standing in front of the hotel deck door looking out at the Atlantic, watching the sun pull itself above the ocean. Less than half a dozen people walked the beach in front of me as the tide went out exposing rocks for the first time in my +25 year visits. Winter had been cruel to the once sandy beach and the ocean's wrath had sucked the sand out to sea and repositioned it somewhere else.

Going to Maine each year is something I have to do. It's as if Ernest Hemingway's Old Man and The Sea rings in my ear and makes strong suggestion to get packing for the ocean. And I do it, but now I lock in the same time every year as it's easier than dealing with reservations and forgetfulness.

People who know me know I am a talker. Gail just laughs, thinking perhaps of the bazillion times she has waited in the car or at a store or place of visit waiting for me to finish a tale and shake hands goodbye. And as difficult as that may be for others, it has always been part of me and has allowed me to meet people and learn their stories as opposed to seeing and forgetting just another passing face. Here are a couple stories of two men I met in Maine. In neither case was I speaking with a gardener but instead I was gardening for new friendships.

As we entered our destination town, we pulled up to a four way stop light in queue. Before I knew it, a man approached the driver's window and suggested I better get off the road as I had a tire in distress. The light changed and I thump-thump-thumped into the first parking lot. For the first time in well over 25 years I was looking at a flatter than flat back tire with a piece of metal protruding from the sidewall. No fix to that one.

In earlier years when tires weren't so strong I had plenty of experience changing flat tires but this was different. The spare and jack were hidden under a trunk full of vacation needs but just the same, within half an hour and a few cuss words we were on on way. I left Gail and Alex at the hotel and left to find a garage. Starting a vacation "spareless" was not my idea of good thinking.

A very nice man, probably a Road Specialist or Tire Technician or Vehicle Movement Director by today's jargon, took my keys and said I was number three as he directed me to the waiting room. It was nice and bright with plenty of windows, a gigantic wall mounted TV and Eddie.

Eddie was a little man, sitting in a chair, half cocked on one arm, with his oxygen tank on his lap and his glassed eyes glued to the TVs story of 9-11. "The country's in bad shape, the worst in my life, and we have to have jobs for people, have to have change." He breathed slowly to let the oxygen work and clearly this was part of his life now. His introduction was not a typical "Hi, how are you doing today? intro but I could tell I would like the man a lot.

As our conversation progressed I found that Eddie had worked the first twenty years of his work life in a tannery. He was certain that the chemicals in the factory dissolved much of his lungs and were responsible for his current condition. Over the next forty minutes we talked about his post-tannery work as a fisherman, the demise of the Maine sardine industry, the impact of foreign fisherman at the 200 mile limit grabbing every fish with a tail, the American fishing quota system, the death of small boat fishermen, fish farms for mussels, a screwed up sea urchin industry, the absence of razor clams, what to do with 200 dogfish in your nets, the warm water temperatures at 30 miles out and his new "job" working for a friend shucking lobsters and picking meat. His friend let him work any hours he felt strong enough to work even if that meant 3 o'clock in the morning. Eddie said he'd clean 25-30 pounds of cooked lobsters and then go home. He was proud to still be working and it was clear that part of what kept him going was lung treatments and picking lobster meat.

When Eddie's car was ready he rose unsteadily from his chair and shook my hand. "This has been a fine conversation. Nice to meet you.", he said. His handshake was not firm but his smile and his thank you will be with me forever. Eddie is part of America.



A couple days later I was sitting outside a fish shack waiting for a take-out order to be cooked. Alex and his autism have difficult sensory issues with eating at restaurants during crowded times so take-out on the deck of the hotel room looking at the ocean and listening to the waves is a therapy that works for all of us. I heard a car door close behind me and an older man, thin and tired looking, right hand and forearm in a red cast, shuffled to the window. "I'll have one scallop dinner--the big one you know--and you do sell with ketchup don't you--"to go" please. His voice was pleasant as he asked the girl to sign his credit card slip. "Fell down and broke my arm and wrist, nothing moves, can't write, please help me, can you?" He finalized the order and sat at a table beside me.

"How you getting along?" I inquired. I quickly got the details of the injury and the fact that he has escaped for a few minutes from home to get some dinner. He is 85 and his wife who is 89 and has Alzheimer's was home with an attendant so he felt he had to rush. Cooking, like signing his name, had become an instant chore with the break but he was in the mood for seafood. I told him I understood that feeling very well.

Our conversation bunny hopped from topic to topic, local stuff, careers, no politics. I mentioned the importance of taking care of his eyesight and keeping his mind active. He responded that his kids had bought him a computer a couple years back and he wrote a book that was now for sale. He was from Drakes Island, just down the road a few miles, and he did a historical sketch of the homes of the area. He was abundantly proud of his accomplishment.

As our orders were ready and we headed to our cars, he showed me a box full of his new book, just available from the printer. He was proud of his accomplishment. We did not shake hands but he thanked me for good conversation. I thanked him for taking good care of his wife and complimented him on how important documenting history is. He smiled and raised his right hand to wave goodbye but his hand did not move far. I'll remember his smile and his story. He too, is part of America. Just remembering these two men and their stories brings a little tear to my eyes.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where 34° is still damp and cold. The fog is shifting through the trees but I know it will lift in a couple hours. I'm off to the nursery soon to build a sedum display garden. Come see or help if you have some time today. Great day to climb Owl's Head, walk around Osmore Pond or go to Burtt's and pick Honey Crisp apples.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm