Alice In Wonderland
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
58 degrees here on the hill with a heavy fog hanging down towards the pond. It would be a great morning to tour the various kettle ponds around here and take pictures of the fog over the water and the moose and deer drinking at the edge. The nursery calls me to set up for Gail for the day before I head out to the real job. Sadly for me, there's no time for taking pictures or enjoying the wild critters. Today it's just a thought, but maybe I can squeeze out one early morning this weekend.
The summer has been a summer with no summer with heavy, constant rains which have made the daylily fields a muddy mess. Just the same the daylilies are blooming and blooming and some like the Chicago series are now putting forth more scapes. Double Dream and Classy Lassie are two basic daylilies but if you don't have them in your garden, you should stop by and take a look or call Gail and order some. They bloom on and on, not with a couple blooms here or there but with a profusion we haven't seen before. I expect them to bloom for a couple more weeks like this but the weather will be the influencing factor I am sure.
Patio Parade
Around the garden there are some daylilies that catch my eye. These are not fancy, new-to-the market, collectors favorite type plants but daylilies that are backbones of a garden, daylilies that bloom dependably and fill the palette. Patio Parade is blooming strong and 32" tall right now. The petals are thick and high winds don't waste it away. I planted two dozen this spring by the lower nursery border next to some tall white veronica and close to some Eupatorium maculatum 'Gateway'. Next year this spot will be an attention-getter as the contrast in foliage, height and color are dynamic. Folks who want a couple noticeable daylilies by the back garden or entrance are noticing Patio Parade for this use.
Grape Velvet
This is not a good picture of the beauty of Grape Velvet. I can't seem to get the color right. The name says it all but the picture doesn't show what I want. This is an older daylily which is difficult to find. We grow on all we can and never have enough. For three years now Gail has tried to order in a quantity from our supplier and they never are correct. The color is really darker and the velvet part of the name is very true. We have about three dozen left for sale this year so if this tickles your interest, call Gail soon.
Double Firecracker
Doubles never intrigued me--kind of like streaked hostas but it's something that grows on you. I always loved Double River Wye, a light, lemon double that has started blooming in our garden again. This Double Firecracker and Double Dream, Double Yellow and Double Gold are all blooming off and on now and it's nice to see the stand-out colors as we are half way to September.
Guess I better get going here. I was interrupted once already by Karl the Wonder Dog. He heard a small buck entering the hosta garden and I don't know what possesses me to try to protect a garden that has been neglected and well eaten so far this year. Just the same, we ran out and non stop barks with mild ferocity got the buck down the road far enough that he knew Karl wasn't coming. The buck's challenge was really an insult to Karl's ability but Karl and other dogs seldom pick up on animal insults. A dog with a wagging tail clearly thinks he "did good".
Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where good gardens soothe tired bones and sore muscles and make me feel proud about what we have accomplished this year at the new nursery. Come visit if you can!
George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Guess I better get going here. I was interrupted once already by Karl the Wonder Dog. He heard a small buck entering the hosta garden and I don't know what possesses me to try to protect a garden that has been neglected and well eaten so far this year. Just the same, we ran out and non stop barks with mild ferocity got the buck down the road far enough that he knew Karl wasn't coming. The buck's challenge was really an insult to Karl's ability but Karl and other dogs seldom pick up on animal insults. A dog with a wagging tail clearly thinks he "did good".
Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where good gardens soothe tired bones and sore muscles and make me feel proud about what we have accomplished this year at the new nursery. Come visit if you can!
George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
4 comments:
Hi George, and thanks for stopping by my blog.
I'd love to visit New England again, but on my terms, not the NAVY's. If I did, I'd surely make plans to see your nursery. Your daylilies are beautiful and I don't grow enough of them, not for any specific reasoning.
If you don't mind me asking, what size photo did you use for your header image? (And all of your photos are stunning.) Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.
Hi George:
Thanks for stopping by my blog too!
I just bought the Mary Reed daylily - are you familiar with that one?
Hello tc;
The nursery that appears on our Vermont Flower Farm website is not the same as the nursery that has replaced it this year. That has bothered some folks because they found a tranquility and peace up on the mountain that we have yet to have time to recreate at our new location. It will happen over the next couple years but I try to remind potential visitors so they are not surprised.
As late summer turns to fall and fall colors fade to winter snows, I will get back to the new website I started last winter. It will use the strengths of the current site while adding all the missing plants that just haven't made it to http://vermontflowerfarm.com over the past couple years. As you begin to see what Gail and I have done in a year's time, you'll understand the need for patience as we create a flowersphere of color. I hope that new site wil be finished by January.
As for the pictures, I am in love with digital photography. It makes my pictures look great even when the photographer himself has not a clue as to what he should be doing. I use a simple Kodak point and shoot C643 set to take 2848 X 2134 pictures of about 17 MB RAM that work out to be about 1 MB. I use IrfanView to bring them down to a few hundred kb for the web. I also use a Panasonic Lumix FZ30 with pictures 1600 X 1200 and 5.5 MB RAM and a size of 450-850 kb before I reduce them. Smaller is better so I can keep adding pictures.
Good gardening!
George
The Vermont Gardener
Hi Beth;
I do not know Mary Reed so had to go to Tinkers Gardens http://db.tinkersgardens.com/?script=3.1
database for a quick look-see. That's a smaller diploid from +30 years ago. Interesting as I like older daylilies. There are so many registered daylilies that names are easily new to me.
This is the first season we have had daylilies planted at our new nursery. It has been a challenge because the location is 700 feet lower in elevation than our former place. The gardens also border a river which is controlled by a small power plant so there is seasonal change--often daily-- in temperature. Some plants are blooming on the hill but have just budded out in the valley. Lots to learn! There are many daylilies to grow and many great daylily listservs for those special interests.
Good gardening!
George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
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