Blue Jay Morning

Saturday, December 31, 2011

It's a Blue Jay Morning here on the mountain. The temperature has been holding at 31.1° since 4:15 this morning, and the barometer is at 29.44 and moving in the direction of wetter weather with a little jolt provided by a 3 mph wind. The blue jays are out in force and are displaying their pushy behavior as they have moved the small flock of evening grosbeaks off the feeders on either side of the house. I like blue jays but they have all read that famous bird book, Pecking Order To The Top, and they follow its lessons well. They also eat a lot, and waste more, but where else can you find that shade of blue?

Lots to do today as I am trying to return my office to some degree of orderliness. Friend Michelle washed and painted it for me but just unloading everything in preparation for the new paint suggested maybe I should call the camera crew to come in and film a new spot for The Hoarders. Through the process I have pushed back all the books that belong to Gail or Alex and ended up on "my" shelves. I have also arrived at a bushel basket of catalogs, emails and scribbled notes that meant a great deal the day I decided to save them. At some point I have to funnel through all of them so don't be surprised if you receive an answer to a lost-but-not-forgotten year-old question.

This is catalog time and catalogs I am unfamiliar with seem to be arriving in greater frequency than before. I have spent years getting off mailing lists and asking people not to send me catalogs but I guess it's like the other day when a company told me that if they didn't send me a catalog, I probably wouldn't write about them.

Just after New Years I always think about seed orders. By this time Gail has already ordered new shrubs and trees that I have begged for and she has all the new perennial orders confirmed. But with seeds, I usually wait until New Years to insure I have a chance to review new seed varieties. We grow very little from seed compared to many places but some things are important to us.

Friends Harold and Leila Cross, daylily growers extraordinaire from Morrisville, came for dinner Christmas Day and right on target, Harold brought some winter squash. We are squash eaters and by Monday noon Gail had the squash cooked and the seeds outside on the bird feeders and the leftover parings on the compost pile. Just seeing the plump seeds made me think about High Mowing Organic Seeds from Wolcott, Vermont. This is a fine seed company that grows more and better seeds every year. Take a look at their website, newsletter and blog.

Squash are great to eat but the plants are kinda neat too. Here are some pictures of zucchini and summer squash flowers to brighten your day. They are easy to grow and provide numerous kitchen opportunities. A package of seed costs slightly more than a pound of squash at the market. The production is likely to be more than you need so your friends and neighbors might benefit from your gardening endeavors too.





I can tell from a look outside that bad weather will begin quite soon. If you have travel and/or celebratory plans, use care and think of others too. Best wishes for a pleasant evening and Happy New Year to everyone!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the town truck just passed by offering more sand than perhaps necessary. Two doves just landed on the feeder, one cooing "Peace for 2012" I like that. Bet you do too!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
Here to help you grow your green thumb in 2012!

Merry Christmas

Christmas Day
Sunday, December 25, 2011

Zero degrees and calm but with an occaisional breath of outside frosted air that labors to turn the anemometer past 2 MPH. The house is cold at 62° but not as cold as many feel right now with lack of heat or resources to provide it. The wood stove is crackling again and soon my friend Karl the Wonder Dog will replace the warm bed blankets with a spot in front of the wood stove. It's Christmas! In a few hours it will be less quiet and merrier here. It will be at least 9 AM before Alex awakes. It's always been that way. We are not a family that has to rush Christmas morning. We savor our family, friends and gifts and cherish our health and what we can share with others.

Warm Season's Greetings to all our blog, website, Facebook and Twitter friends from around the world. 2011 brought us many, many challenges but strong freindships melted away difficult times and brought smiles as we prepare to sit around the tree and later the table to gather with family and friends.

The red squirrel in the picture brings holiday greetings too. Hatless, he covers his head with his tail to fend off winter cold and snow flakes. He has already had breakfast at the bird feeders and he doesn't have to worry about where his Christmas meal is coming from. Many in our world don't have the luxury Mr. Squirrel does so as you're out and about today, give a thought to others who don't share your opportunities and if you can, lend some support. Everything makes a difference, one day at a time!!


Best holiday wishes!

George, Gail and Alex Africa
Vermont Flower Farm
Marshfield, Vermont

Winter Whiteness

Friday, December 23, 2011

30.6° here on the mountain. Quiet. Windless. Snow angels, puffy little collections to 2-3-4-5 snowflakes, parachute slowly to earth and land softly as part of a new blanket of white that has erased leftovers from Fall. December has been unusual here in the east and the new whiteness covers patches of ice and great slipperiness left from two days of rain. But with the Winter Solstice, Mother Earth, in this part of Vermont at least, has changed attitude and what we expect of winter in Vermont is apparently en route. Sleighs full of gifts pull better on snow anyway.

I woke early this morning, not for any reason that I know of, and got the coffee going. Karl the Wonder Dog stood in the kitchen looking up at me and I saw his lips quiver a "Ready yet?" and out we went. The Christmas lights at the top of the snow fence lining the walkway sparkled brightly against the falling snow and the morning was without sound...... perfect, fresh, untouched as Karl and I walked slowly, fearing to find yesterday's patches of slick ice. In places his four feet slipped sideways as much as my two but somehow we made it out to the road and down to the lower road and back without incident or accident....and on the return I asked why I was remembering Paul Simon and You Can Call Me Al at 4:30 in the morning.

Holidays are a time of giving and annually I try to remember to share gift ideas with other gardeners. I am still working on the writers cottage and as such other chores including writing have been back burnered as I have tried to beat bad weather. This morning's snow is obviously going to change today a bit but while I regroup my thoughts, here's a small list of ideas just the same.

Books and magazines are easy purchases and even if you're late with an order, you can make a hand made card from a gardening photo in your collection. Three days ago I ordered two books from Amazon and they were on the steps when I got home yesterday. I picked up a book at a local bookstore yesterday and have another waiting at a New Hampshire store. It works! Stephanie Cohen is a garden writer who comes to mind. Her 5-6 year old The Perennial Gardeners Design Primer is still very popular and The Non Stop Gardener will please too. For magazines I balked at Gail's purchase of The English Garden Magazine but I look for it in the mailbox and try to snag it before Gail. It's great!

For crazy-about-gardening enthusiasts there are memberships to plant societies. They are in the $25-$35 per year range but there is a society for every plant going. I used to do lilies but now continue with daylilies, hostas, primroses, rock gardens, conifers--maybe a dozen or so societies.

There are flower shows all around America and the world and a nice card with some tickets is a fun gift. Many gardeners overlook flower shows but once they get reinvigorated they want to go again and again so maybe this year's gift will make figuring it out easier next year.

Too late for this year but a bulb digger attachment to go on an electric drill is a great tool for those who love planting spring bulbs. Under $20 and worth it, especially if you buy bulbs by the bushel as we have been known to do.

All gardeners have to kneel down at some point and there are knee pads, kneeling pads and kneeling/folding benches. I have all three but really like the folding bench that you can sit on one way or kneel with and use the reverse handles to push yourself up. Once you use it you'll be buying them for friends. $35 but worth it.

And of course there are gift certificates. Find a place that sells red perennials and incorporate a picture with your card. Red holiday reminders--red daylilies, phlox, bee balms, columbines...dependable perennials that are sure to please. At our place we also offer one-on-one garden tours packed with good advice in a hands-on setting for $50. Always popular because it makes a person get to a nursery they may not have seen before and places them in a situation where they can freely see how other people grow things and---the important "and"--they can ask questions.

So-o-o-o, time is getting short but gifts for gardeners is easy. Questions? Let us know. We always try to help grow better green thumbs!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the snow continues to fall as Karl snores in front of the wood stove. Best holiday wishes!!

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

7 Sisters

Thursday, December 22, 2011

33.1° here on the mountain with a 4 mph wind that has small bursts to 7-8-9 mph. The rains have stopped, leaving walkways and dirt roads polished up enough that I could hear the town truck's tire chains slapping long before it slid past our driveway trying to make the corner and head for Peacham Pond. As I walked Karl the Wonder Dog earlier I could hear ice tinkling on the banks of the trout pond. That means that for the third time this fall the pond has frozen and thawed, frozen and thawed, frozen and thawed. The trout may be confused but I have been elated to get so much outside work done during times when snow usually prevails. In a few minutes I'll check the weather forecast and try to reprioritize today's chores to take advantage of yet another warmer than usual day.

Winter solstice is often announced with commercial pictures of sunlight breaking through the giant stones at Stonehenge. I figured the way things have been going I'd never get there for a personal visit so in 2000 I hired a guy to help me plant what became known as the 7 Sisters and the start of a beautiful shade garden. Much has passed in those 11 years. The garden has traveled from infancy to superiority and maturity. At it's height it was a magnet, luring customers and visitors from some distance to stop and tour. The garden fell from glory when we decided to move the nursery and since then the beautiful collection of shade plants has been overrun by jewel weed that sparkles much less than its name might imply.

Just the same there is something strong about standing granite and at times like this I find myself caught up in redesign sketches and personal promises that this will be the year to reinvigorate the gardens around the stones. Last year Michael and Alex got as far as raking all the leaves and picking out the fallen maple branches but we just never got back to the real work. But the strength of the granite is reminding me that in times that have been difficult for many, I need to rebuild what people came annually to see. I have hand drawn maps of how it was and perhaps between now and spring I can rework where the swaths of Japanese primroses need to meet the hellebores and how the small hostas need to be moved away from the giants. I think it can happen this time.

Sitting and writing on the granite mountain above Peacham Pond. The sun is still a half hour out and until it breaks loose, the quiet I hear will continue. Peace and good will.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
Still sending out nice gift certificates and helping every gardener grow their green thumb!

Back from Shopping

Word thoughts after a day's shopping! Happy seasons greetings from Vermont Flower Farm!

Standing Stones

Friday, December 16, 2011, 9:00 PM

The day flew by quickly today as I knew it would. It's not that the holiday season is about us and there is lots to do, it was the fact that today was the last guaranteed warm day before December becomes what December in this part of Vermont is supposed to be. Cold and snowy. But today was in the high 30's here and I knew this might be my last opportunity to clean up some outside chores, one of which required laying on the ground.

I started the day at the Community Center where the Food Shelf delivery was supposed to arrive between 8:30 and 9. It arrived at 7:45 and I received thank yous for coming to help and suggestions that I return next time. I was assured my help was needed and that the "new" driver was ahead of schedule today. I'll return in a couple weeks even though the food that was delivered today will be gone by tomorrow night.

Next stop was at the flower farm where I removed the batteries from the zero turn mower and "Gail's golf cart." Two years ago Gail told me that if I insisted on planting row upon row of daylilies at either end of our five acre plot, the choices were for me to dig them all for customers myself or buy her some form of travel. I got a deal on a used golf cart and it has paid me dividends. I do not know if Gail knows it has a battery that should be removed and properly stored for winter but it matters not.

After a quick stop at the hardware store I headed home to move the wood chipper, disconnect and store the brush hog from the John Deere and change the oil in the New Holland tractor. Then it was a quick sandwich and out to the writer's cottage to do some insulating. I don't think the wind ever stopped blowing today and for sure it was cold at times but not as cold as it will be when morning arrives and the projected temperature is in the low twenties.

As I had a chance to read my mail tonight, mention was made of a YouTube video on stonework. The video was of a dry wall stacker from Kentucky. It immediately made me think of Vermont's own Dan Snow, a certified dry stacker and author of In The Company of Stone and more recently Listening To Stone. Dan has a great blog named after his first book and if you're into stonework like I am, this is yet another resource to subscribe to. Either book would make a great Christmas present, whether the recipient wants to learn the trade or hire out some stone work.

I have had a chance to do some stone work myself. You become a quick study in the art of mechanical advantage and although it's unlikely you'll ever get to Pyramids 101, you can quickly become confident in some of the simple work. I hired a guy in 2000 to drag out and plant what became "The Seven Sisters", the start of a beautiful shade garden, and a couple-three years later I traded a truck load of potted perennials for a truckload of flat stone for steps and walls around the Sisters.


You might not think of giving stones for Christmas but it could be a welcomed present. I like John Cleary's place on Governor Peck Road in Richmond or Mitchell's Quarry in Plainfield. There are other stone dealers around Vermont and if all else fails, ask your local town clerk for advice as they know everything.

My gardening friend, Julie from Red Wagon Plants in Hinesburg, offers stone workshops and the first one of the new year is in January. Again, this might be a nice surprise for your gardening friend or partner. Check out Julie's site at http://redwagonplants.com/blog

So folks, books to read, a delivery of stones or a workshop to attend--all good choices if someone you know likes stone and you have to come up with a holiday gift that will please. I don't like to use the word "hate" but I hate people who re gift presents..... but..... re gifting a truckload of stone might be interesting. Good gardening wishes to all!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the temperature is now falling and the wind has stopped. But nothing stops the noisy coyote conversations tonight at the edge of the woods.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
Always available to help you or a friend grow your green thumb!

Life Is A Labyrinth

Friday, December 16, 2011

Dark and cold this morning with a constant 10 mph wind that is just enough to cause dead tree limbs to provide unwelcomed forest music as they crash to earth. It's 36.1° and the temperature is falling slowly as a new weather front arrives. The town plow just went by, not plowing snow but salting and sanding as last night's rain buffed the roads to skating rink smooth and slowed Peacham Pond traffic to nothingness. This unsettled morning caused Karl the Wonder Dog to shorten his morning walk and return to the warmth of the wood stove where his music comes from his snoring.

Christmas is coming and people are beginning to exhibit strange behaviors. Disorganization, misplaced shopping lists, coffee cups, pocket books, packages left on car roof tops and lost, missed stop signs, beeping horns, people lines in stores, traffic lines on the roads. Christmas is coming. As complex, as complicated as we make it but even without our personal intervention, life really is a labyrinth of sorts and pre-Christmas life is a challenge.

Over the years I have come to enjoy labyrinths and I have learned to cope with the confusions that prevail as Christmas nears. When Alex was about 5 he displayed in very articulate style. He thought about Christmas after watching my frustration as he accompanied me as I shopped. At that age, Gail and I were still trying to figure out the puzzle of his autism and only knew that something was different. There was no name for his behavior back then, no diagnosis from a physicians desk reference but Alex was sharp. At then end of a shopping trip he said one sentence to me "Never go Christmas shopping the day before Christmas." He was right!

So Christmas shopping and life in general are like a labyrinth we need to traverse. If we think through our responsibilities and plan what we need to do in advance, the labyrinth is fun and easy. The labyrinth pictured just below here is from the Sensory Garden at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine. The close up at the intro up top shows the detail.

People are encouraged to take off their shoes and walk the labyrinth with closed eyes. If we better challenged our senses than we often do now days, we might/might not make better decisions.

At the gardens there is a different labyrinth in the Children's Garden just as there are different challenges in life. Little kids love it, some sit down half way through and play and roll on the grass, forgetting the responsibility that doesn't prevail until later years. Just the same it's a nice labyrinth.

As days grower short and the holidays approach, reflect on personal labyrinths and try to figure out how to best negotiate them. They aren't as bad as they seem.......the day after Christmas.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where I hear noise in the kitchen as my good friend Michelle G. and wife Gail fix coffee and share morning thoughts. I listen for their laughter but the wind outside is louder. Nature is like that. Have a nice day!

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

The free gift offer with a purchase continues on our website until the end of the month. We always want to help you grow your green thumb!!

Nature's Circles

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

It's a quiet night here on the mountain. The outside temperature has been holding at 30.9° for a couple hours but now the wind is beginning to come up, first at 2 mph and now at 4-6 mph. There is a light mist flying around, enough so that Karl the Wonder Dog decided to return to the house quickly in hopes of securing some warm sort of mealtime leftover to compensate for his wet hair. A nanosecond after entering the back door he began shaking to rid himself of excess water and he continued despite my protestations which included several unfavorable words. Tonight's weather report for early morning hours includes other unfavorable words such as "freezing rain", "black ice" and "slick conditions after 4:30 AM". I guess winter is heading this way in the next week.

I got going early yesterday morning with a full slate of projects and high enthusiasm. I was doing fine until I headed down Route 15 into Hardwick and as I touched the brake, all sorts of alarms went off in my Chevy truck, blinking lights and repetitive sounds that would have been annoying if they had not told me to take immediate action. One of the brake lines had burst at a point where it came in contact with the engine block as over time road salt and water had cut into the elbow. As I pumped the brake coming down the hill, I had emptied the brake fluid reservoir and things were not looking good for my landing at the bottom of the hill. No dragging my feet to stop this truck!

Someone was on my side and I slo-o-o-owly enter Hays Mobil and came to a stop. The smell of brake fluid was as obvious as the fact that I needed a mechanic in a town where I was friendless. I entered the garage and half begged for assistance as the manager said he'd look at the schedule and see if they could help me. I secretly glanced at my watch, not wanting the man to see me looking. The time was exactly 9:55. He labored over the schedule book like a tired flight controller at O'Hare and then replied with great seriousness, "Yes we can fit you in at 10." (5 minutes away!!) Well it wasn't ten, it was 10:35 but I didn't care as just seeing the truck enter the service bay was sufficient to make me smile. "Want to come in where it's warm?" he asked. "No, I'll just walk up town and look around." I replied. "Need a ride?" he asked. I declined the offer as the walk was barely a city block from one end to the other and I knew I would have at least a couple hours worth of time to kill.

I've been to Hardwick a lot but it's mostly been "through Hardwick". Yes, I have eaten at Claire's Restaurant and bought various things at the Buffalo Mountain Coop and held deer rifles I couldn't afford at Riteway Sports. Recently I even attended the second annual readings by some super fine local ag writers but really, I didn't know much of Hardwick.

Walking at street level is different than riding in a pick up and for the first time ever I noticed the suspension walking bridge that goes from Main Street across the river to The Flower Basket. The bridge caught my eye and despite a slippery, packed snow covering, I decided to walk across. Halfway across I stopped short as if I had seen my first ever crop circle. There in the river below me was a perfectly cut piece of ice probably measuring 10, maybe 12 feet in diameter floating in the river and spinning in a circle. I couldn't believe it. I wanted to run back to Main Street and direct people on down to see it but I didn't know if this was a rarity or something everyone but me had seen before.

Circles in nature are interesting and this siting made me think a book must exist that documents what I saw. As I watched the piece of ice spin, I gave up on the "find the book" idea and thought for a minute about other circles I had seen in nature--concretions.

The year we began work on the new nursery was the year I learned what concretions were. It all began at the end of a work day when Mark, a part time fence builder spotted what he thought we nickels on the freshly bulldozed ground where the office was planned. Within a couple days my pockets were full of concretions and baggies of them had piled up on my home dresser. Although some big ones measuring over 3 feet in diameter have been found, nothing I found was bigger than a few inches.


If you have ever been to Button Bay State Park down Panton/Ferrisburg way on Lake Champlain, you might have seen buttons at the lake's edge. They have been well picked over the years but like the round, spinning ice, they are always attention getters. Some concretions are odd shaped and I always felt they should be copied in silver or gold by a good Vermont jeweler as earrings or pendants ...or ...buttons.






There are many circles in nature and they are all interesting. If you have a minute make a list and share it. A circle closes a straight line but in nature, circles stimulate our attention. How did that piece of ice form in the river in Hardwick?


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where my back up dog walker reports that the air is thick, humidity maxed, as bad weather approaches. Use care out there tonight. Stay safe!!


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

Winter approaches but we will still help you grow your green thumb!!

Snow Plow Mailboxes

Monday, December 5, 2011

I always liked this picture of our daylilies and other display gardens when the flower farm was located at our home on Peacham Pond Road in Marshfield. The house in the photo is owned by a friend now who used to work for us.

If you look closely you will see a green mailbox standing in front of a crab apple tree towards the house. I always save old mailboxes when the road crew misses with the wing plow and leaves me sputtering and the box laying in a snow bank. Over time I have too many for my patience but they serve follow up duty in the gardens and never get nailed there!

I use the boxes for paper and pencils for customers with memories as bad as mine. Also include a knife, shears, small shovels, all the tools I don't carry around with me. The key is getting them back to the mailbox when you're done. It works for me--might be worth a try for you too.

Best gardening wishes from Vermont Flower Farm!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

Writers Cottage Continued

Monday, December 5, 2011

33.4°, windless, with a rose colored sky above Peacham Pond that serves as a backdrop to the tops of the aged fir balsams. A blue jay just tried unsuccessfully to crowd 4 mourning doves off the platform feeder as a couple chickadees, small and polite, crowded in without incident. I filled the feeders yesterday but the changing weather brought in lots of birds yesterday and I have to get back with more food soon.

Work continues on the new writers cottage and I have to say that I am pleased with how a guy who cannot cut a straight line has assembled a workable building that I don't think will fall down. There is a lot of work left to be done but with the main building up and the wood stove functional, so I can get back to the inside work any day I please.

Yesterday was "in the woods" day and I worked hard on cutting out a trail from the cottage to the back Peacham land border. Our 70 acres includes land in Marshfield and Peacham and I am working my way across a mountainside crossing both townships as I make the trail. I'm making it big enough for easy cross country skiing, snowshoeing or just hiking and will use the wood for the cottage stove. I have plans to plant the more open areas with wild flowers that I have been propagating in various locations on the property. Lots of ambition, but less time than I need.

Close to the cottage is a very nice spring that percolates big bubbles of crystal clear, very cold water from a bed of sparkling white, always shinning granite dust. In spring I'll put in a hand pump to make it easier to draw water and somehow I'll pipe that to my idea for a solar shower. Anyone with ideas on the solar shower can let me know what works, what doesn't.

Today is recycling day and I have to get the truck loaded and get to East Montpelier. It looks like the weather will hold til noon and that's good as it will take a bit to get the truck loaded and a few other chores finished. I hope your day goes well too. As you think about holiday gifts, think about replacement tools. There are some handy items on the market that make gardening easier.

Best gardening wishes from the mountain above Peacham Pond where this morning's noisy coyote concert faded quickly, replaced by calming bird songs.

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

Building A Writers Cottage

Sunday, December 4, 2011

24.6°, quiet, a 2 mph breeze. The humidity is high and the air has a little bite this morning. The stars are shutting off for the night and there is a faint lightness beyond Peacham Pond as the sun thinks of getting out of bed on the eastern coast. Light will arrive here in another half hour. I just poured another coffee and went to the cellar to fill the buckets with various bird seed. As light comes, I'll fill the feeders with sunflower seed, cracked corn, millet and thistle. Birds are entertaining and once the bears have gone to rest for the winter, I can be assured that the feeders will be well visited, not disturbed. I have 4 pounds of suet thawing on the kitchen counter. Today will be the first time I'll hang old onion sacks here and there to bring in the woodpeckers and warm all the other birds too.

Karl the Wonder Dog only wanted an abbreviated walk this morning until he looked up and saw two deer standing by the tractor. If there was a little more snow on the ground it would have made a nice picture for a tractor commercial for Christmas. Karl snorted, the deer snorted and I said "Let's go!."

It's nice to know that readers of The Vermont Gardener have remained faithful during this busy fall season when writing has been minimal as this writer has been cyclone-like and busy. It wasn't just fall clean up and equipment repair, but a major project that started October 25th as I began construction of a writers cottage in the woods. I have an office here at the house but there is a peace that comes from the woods that made me want to build a little place to go and write in total quiet. Thoreau did this at Walden Pond and I sure am no Thoreau but I do recognize how nature and quiet provide a different environment for writing.

I had lots of 8X8 hemlock timbers milled almost two years ago and the plan was to build wide steps from the hosta shade house down the steep bank to the lower gardens. My goal was to provide an easier way for people with mobility problems to get up and down and not miss some beautiful displays when they visited Vermont Flower Farm. The floods of May and then again when Hurricane Irene washed half of Vermont to the ocean changed my thinking on steps. Had I built them, they would be washed up on the shore in Burlington or Winooski now as the area they were scheduled for became a new river and under "feet" of water.



Getting 8 and 10 foot timbers to the site meant building a road for my tractor. The site itself had to be cleared and although I began in late September, I didn't start digging holes and pouring cement until the end of October. Since then I have had help from Alex and my friend Michelle has acted like a roof monkey, climbing around, rearranging plywood and screwing down the roofing. The wood stove is in and now I am ready to spend some time inside insulating top to bottom with the luxury of heat. It will be another couple weeks to get the insulating done but after that I am finished until next spring. Alex and I began wrapping the outside with Tyvek yesterday and that will finish today. I'll get a couple more pictures today so everyone can see what I have been up to.

The writers cottage, shed, camp, whatever you wish to call it, was built with another thought in mind too. We have a little over 70 acres here on the mountain and I have toiled with clearing roads and trails for years now. In 1992, some of the land was cut for pulpwood but that was the only time any forest management was undertaken. I have contemplated hiring a logger with horses to clean up the woods. Last fall I built a machine shed that can serve as a temporary horse barn and this little cabin can serve as a base to work out of, even stay at for whomever I get to log for us. I still need an outhouse and a solar shower, hand pump and a sink but these are winter projects too. By next year this time, the place should be finished up, ship lap siding on the outside and typical amenities added. Any building is a surprise in terms of time to build and cost for materials but this was an investment I really wanted to make. Check back tomorrow and see more recent pictures. Right now I have to head out for the Sunday paper.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pnd where sunrise has encouraged more wind. A feral cat I have not seen before is sitting in the lower field waiting for a mouse. Breakfast time for others than just me.

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

Gail has holiday gift cards ready. Each has a picture of one of our gardens, individual flowers, etc Interested? Give her a call to order. She'll gladly add your special message. 802-426-3505

A Murder of Crows

Thursday, November 17, 2011

31.8° here on the mountain and only a faint wind now. The dark skies of an hour ago have faded to a rising sun over Peacham Pond and long flat clouds that don't appear to move. The temperature is more than ten degrees cooler this morning and the feel is more like November than the previous two weeks when we were spoiled by above average temperatures. Blue jays are everywhere this morning and they are greeted by 7 mourning doves that lift off and land outside my office window, apparently remembering the cracked corn feeder that is nowhere to be found. Until the bears hibernate, the feeders remain empty here.

Overhead a few beech leaves rustle as a murder of noisy crows heads east. They were loud enough to get me to stand up from the computer and count them as they went by the window. I stopped at 87 but there were more. "Murder" is a collective noun specific to what many might call a "flock" of crows (or ravens). But crows are usually in small groups until in late Fall when they decide to move along a bit, south to warmer temperatures and more frequent road kills and east to more snowless fields. I like crows and I appreciate their attitude towards clean roads. This morning I hope a few are down at Ian the bagpipers house on RT 232 as there was a giant skunk there yesterday, flatter than flat and already quite odoriferous. Death occurred at the crest of a hill and it's difficult to avoid the pile of black and white with traffic wanting to get by quickly.

Just the word "collective" reminds me that it's Fall and Fall is pick up time in the garden. I have a very bad habit of leaning up tools against trees and then not going back to pick them up. Today will be pick up day and at very least I'll get everything into the cellar in a pile so they can dry out. Later this winter I'll sharpen edges and oil handles but for now, just collecting them will be enough. It's probably a good idea for you to consider too.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where deer hunters pass the house and the wind has grown silent. Have a nice day!

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

Call Gail at 802-426-3505 if you need a holiday or special occasion gift certificate. We're always happy to help you grow your green thumb!

Sweet Peas and Other Maine Thoughts

Sunday, November 13, 2011

28.1° this morning. The moon's light is overshadowed by floating clouds but surrounding stars offer plenty of light. It bounces off the snow and allows for easy travel. Deer hunters will be happy to have a second morning to work their way into the woods easily. There is a crunch to the frozen leaves but the shadows are alluring and remind me that I should learn to take those pictures sometime. Karl the Wonder Dog isn't into photography and just wanted to keep walking but I have things to accomplish today. I am like the message in my favorite poet, Robert Frost's, Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening. He wrote:

"But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Social media gets all the hype now and it's justified. As a gardener I can see and hear new ideas, great suggestions, from around the world from people I may not even know. This morning I read a note from Carol in Hope, Maine reminding me of the garden beauty that appears in the work of Belfast, Maine photographer Lynne Karlin. In 2001, I bought GARDENS Maine Style which Lynn co-authored with Rebecca Sawyer-Fay. I loved the book because it reminded me of so many places I had visited in my "second best state" after Vermont. Their sequel, GARDENS Maine Style Act II is equally entertaining and the books sit side by side on one of my bookcases, a bit worn from sharing with other gardeners.

Although friend Carol was pointing out the books, she was also calling my attention to a gardener in Surry Maine, just down from Bar Harbor. The business is Sue Keating's Sweet Pea Gardens and it's another on my list of "Been there's". Years ago when Gail and I were first growing flowers together, we grew sweet peas for sale at the Burlington Farmers Market. Sweet peas were a New England farmer's garden favorite and every farm lady either of us knew grew sweet peas. Gail's dad was a good gardener too and each year he planted sweet peas for flowers the same time he plated peas to eat. Gail's mom loved the flowers and Ralph was there to please with the peas. There was no question about how Gail learned to grow tall, long stemmed, beautifully fragrant sweet peas or why she loved them so much.

Fast forward 30 years and we have just begun to discuss growing sweet peas again. Success comes in good seed which is more pricey now than the $28 a pound we paid in the early 80's. Success also comes from good garden soil and getting the seed started in early spring. If you are interested in seed, Keating's website offers some for sale. There is also a link to the National Sweet Pea Society (United Kingdom) that will get you thinking about a beautiful flower. What you will not find on the Internet, is any place that offers in-line fragrance of a bouquet of sweet peas. Buy some seed. Enjoy!


Writing from the moutnain above Peacham Pond where deer hunters have started traveling the roads and getting out of camp and into the woods. Not much activity yesterday. Herd is said to be down 10% statewide due to last year's winter.

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

Our nursery is closed for the season but web sales continue year round as we try to help you grow your green thumb!