Garden Colors, Garden Reminders

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

It's a strange beginning here on the hill this morning. The sun is poking up through the balsams and tamaracks while a bank of thick, dark gray clouds is moving in. We'd all like sunshine and warmth but it almost seems as if more rain is on the way. Vermont has already set new records and we'd just as soon stop where we are.

Karl the wonder dog was very reluctant to return to the house this morning. Sharp tugs and sharp barks from the master were to no avail this time. He had a scent at the end of his nose that wouldn't go away and as I relented and went back down the hill, I crossed a bear cub track and then the mother's giant print. Karl usually displays stark fear at fresh bear scent but this was a night rover and Karl was more interested in finding what was at the end of the line. I was not. We returned to the house where the smell of fresh coffee was the scent I wanted.

The gardens here at the house look like a scene from a modified Piet Oudolf design with grasses and large swaths of color. Most of the swaths are weeds however, but the accentuating colors are Crocosmia Lucifer, shastas, gloriosas and rudbeckias. The vertical dimension comes from some lilium and the very tall Lilium superbum which I absolutely admire. Superbums are tall flowers, towering to nine-ten feet. They grow wild along parts of the Passumpsic, White and Connecticut Rivers although most botanists tell me they are not Vermont natives but simply represent escaped seeds that travelled from cultivation on high waters. To find a colony is to lose one's breath for a few minutes.

Sometimes chipmunks and other rodents seem to pick places I wouldn't have thought of to plant superbums. Here is one along the cedar garden fence. It's an odd place for a single lily ever so tall but perhaps by accident it will work well over time with the nearby Bellingham hybrid lilies, the species daylilies of the "robust class' (3 to +5 feet tall) and my favorite Tetrina's Daughter daylily.

I have many thoughts this morning but the real job beckons and I have to head north. If you have a chance today, stop and visit with Gail at the nursery on Route 2. Chicago Apache is just coming out, Green Flutter is fluttering goodbye for th season, South Seas is that special coral as only it can be. The tall yellow of Patio Parade remains strong even in tough winds and Lusty Leland's velvety red draws chuckles and people with open checkbooks and debit cards.


Best gardening wishes'

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

Vermont Flooding

Friday, July 25, 2008

A bright morning here on the hill and a nice change after days of rain. We don't have a rain gauge this year and it's just as well as the past week has brought us over a foot of rain. The Winooski River that borders our nursery is up 8 feet above what it was last week and I am afraid to check the lower river bank as it had eroded to 3 feet from the fence and gate as of last night. This is the worst flooding up this way since the early 80's. If the river continues to rise, it's likely I'll be missing a good chunk of deer fence.

I got going early this morning and actually want to be out working right now but my chauffeur, Gail, rolled back over after one cup of coffee and there's little hope for another half hour. I was at the nursery at 4:45 loading the rototiller in the truck and fueling the tractor for a couple day's work here at the house. The lawn has gotten ahead of me and the back fields and woods roads haven't even been mowed once this year. I try to keep them all well mowed as it only takes a couple years and they get so far ahead that if takes a long time to catch up.

I was in southern Vermont yesterday and when I returned to the nursery by way of Groton and Rt 232, I was met by flooded roads and tree branches. I have never seen that much water on 232 before as it made new brooks straight down from mountain tops. When I got to the nursery to relieve Gail for the balance of the afternoon, she said they had experienced terrible winds half an hour earlier but no rain. The daylily beds were floating though as it had rained inches earlier in the day. It won't be easy deadheading things this morning but that has to happen.

Despite the rains, the daylilies have been great. Green Flutter (above) is exceptional this year although a little waterlogged in this picture. It's a thick scaped plant with high bud count and probably one of those older daylilies that has been passed over. We like it a lot. Next is Joylene Nicole and Grape Velvet.

I have to get packed and ready for a day at the nursery. Today we start bare root daylily sales and that's a busy time. If you get a chance, drive out Route 2 and check out the daylilies.

Good gardening wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

Bursts of Color

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

A fine morning here on the mountain. Karl and I have already been for a walk and he is sulking now because I cut our walk shorter than he would have preferred. In minutes he'll be back to snoring away on the bed and will forget being slighted. I have to head for the Northeast Kingdom today so there is little time for morning pleasures. The temperature is 54 degrees and as the sun rises above the tamaracks and balsams, it has the makings of a fine day.

Work at our nursery has left little time for any but the most critical responsibilities. The house here looks like the makings of a flea market with everything laying wherever it was last placed. The new washer and dryer get a daily test of several loads and at times it seems as if the floor could become a flower garden. Just the same we are happy and getting along and that's important.

During the past couple weeks we have reorganized the shade houses a couple times. Gail and Michelle work hard on all the displays and the daily sales show the merit in making things look different for customers. I have to pay high compliments to Michelle for the progress she has made on her own learning how to arrange attractive displays that are easy to pick from. She has become very good at this. She's a hard worker and the kind of employee and friend who you wish you could clone.

Brien Ducharme helped me get the long fence up a couple weeks back and that was a chore. It was in the high eighties when we did it and it took two tries for me to not run out of materials and not have to leave him to wait on customers. It's up, it's planted and with a little more grooming, some wood chip mulch and a few pieces of vertical eye catcher (green shiest stone from Waitsfield via John Cleary's stone park in Richmond) it will be complete. At +200 feet long, it separates the future parking area with the growing fields and it directs folks to what will become the large daylily display garden.

With the fairly consistent rains and sporadic but hot periods, the daylilies I planted last September and early October are throwing out great scapes and strong roots. We are selling these are field dug daylilies now and that means folks figure out what they want and then we go into the field and dig, label and bag the plants. Little red kids coaster wagons serve as delivery vehicles from garden to cars and customers seem happy with their prizes. Sometimes I just dig away because decisions on which one to dig become too involved. Some places that dig daylilies give no customer consideration and always start at the beginning of the row. We may get to that point but right now the customer is considered. 90 per cent of the daylilies are double fans and many are triple or better just since last fall.

As I was reminded yesterday by a man with southern experience, these are not southern sized or priced daylilies. And as I reminded him, this is Vermont and we work hard for what we get. He must have agreed as he purchased 4 daylilies to take to his house in the mountains by Berlin, NH.

Creepy Crawler, pictured above, has a nice toothed edge and thick scapes and lots of buds. It almost reminds me of the way Mary Todd blooms. It has good branching too which makes for an extended bloom period.

Chicago Gold Coast is a plant I recommend for distance planting around the house. To me it looks so bold, especially as the sun goes down. It has a strong scape and lots of large flowers. It grows very fast and can serve as a contrasting focal point if you're new to daylily gardening and trying to find good accents to go with a bank full of Vermont's famous "ditch lilies".

Bertie Ferris is not pictured well here. (just above) It's getting to the end of the line for this small daylily as sales have been very good and flowering time is growing close for her. This is an older, respected daylily which I have seen in northern markets for up to $28. Here at Vermont Flower Farm it's less than half that and the clumps are nice.

Ann Warner is one I picture a lot because it works so well with a variety of companion plants. It blooms for some time and the yellow throat always brings people back to it. Leslie, a customer from Peacham Pond who frequents our nursery, picked one yesterday, walked away for a minute and came back for one to contrast with Bela Lugosi, a couple reds and two astilbes. It will be a nice grouping.

Finally, Along the Way (just above here) is a big daylily which grows tall and has a great bud count. The flowers are 6" across and stand out well. One visitor wanted to buy a display clump yesterday but my answer on that is always the same: "Display is for display, patience is a virtue."

Well there's some pot banging in the kitchen which means Gail has found her morning coffee and moved on to the sink full of dishes. I promised to make a potato salad for the crew today so I have to get going if I'm to be on time for my trip north. I wanted to stop at the nursery first and set up the display table but there's no time today. Gail and Michelle will have to pick fresh samples and get them set up for the day. The table full of samples never includes everything




we have blooming but usually we have about 30 samples for customers and visitors to look at. It seems to be worth the time it takes as it makes it easier for customers and makes for quicker and I think better sales. For us, it's a way to hear more oohs and aahhhs!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a Junco is perching outside my window on top of a white Queen Anne's Lace, a profound contrast in size and importance.

Best gardening wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm-an older website that needs to make some sales to distant gardeners who cannot make the trip here

Perennial Tired Gardener

Sunday, July 13, 2008

An interesting morning here on the hill as morning breaks through presenting a mackerel type sky with red hints and an accompanying wind. The temperature is 63 degrees and the morning ground is dry for a change making flower picking a bunch better. The weeds outside my office window are so tall they obstruct the view to what is left of the lower daylily nursery, much of which was moved to our new business location. It's a big assortment of weeds with the predominant bloom coming from Queen Anne's Lace.

Karl the wonder dog and I made a quick walk as I have to get going here. Gail is already banging pans in the kitchen as this time of year she has a super good blueberry coffee cake available for early morning customers. Yesterday she made two large pans but I noticed as the first one arrived at about 9:30 that the berries were absent, suggesting a tired mother, gardener and business woman trying her best to please all. The second cake, so hot that pot holders were in order, had the berries and had a quick following that dispensed it before I had much of a taste. The recipe has appeared on this blog before and probably should be reposted or have the link referenced. It's a very good cake and serves just as well after dinner with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This time of year is the crossover time for major sales moving from hostas to daylilies. The new nursery has been a challenge on a number of levels but if you forget the economic ones, learning the new climate and soil has probably been the biggest. There is a 700 foot difference in elevation and that means it's warmer in the valley. The adjacent Winooski River creates its own micro climate and the clay soil, once warmed, appears to hold the temperature longer. That means daylilies which were late bloomers here on the mountain are already in bloom or bud in the valley. An example is Chicago Apache which is a later bloomer here. Yesterday I noticed it had set buds and was about a week away from flowering. Alna's Pride on the other hand (pictured above), a Barth daylily I purchased on 9-11 at the farm in Alna, Maine, is about as close to on target as can be. Lots to figure out.

Gail bought a poster from the American Hemerocallis Society to hang on the shed and help people understand the difference between lilium and daylilies. We have come to be known as the "lily farm' because of all the bulbs we grew and sold so for some reason, many neophytes think all "lilies" are bulbs. This infuriates some hemerocallis growers but to us it is a responsibility to be better educators. Many are getting into gardening for the first time now and they need and want answers.



Already six here and I have to get going. I want to mention this book that I found at Borders the other day. C. Colston Burrell's Perennial Combinations:Stunning Combinations That Make Your Garden Look Fantastic Right From The Start. It's one of the few books I have located that has a section on growing in clay soil. It mentions some good combinations. When I get a minute, I'll explain some more. For now, it's off to work!

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where does with new fawns teach bad hosta eating habits to their young. Deer lettuce.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

Lilies

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Climate change may be the cause here, if you are into that philosophy, but for the life of me I don't know why the lilium are coming on so strong when all it has done here for weeks is rain. Today, on a day when I wanted to garden in rain-free weather, I had to travel north for client visits. By the time I got to the garden, the air had warmed and big clouds had amassed. Customers were nowhere to be found until the evening commute began and even then most folks wanted to look and talk and not part with any money.

The lilies look quite nice, especially considering the fact that I refuse to spend time I don't have this year trying to spray for the ubiquitous lily leaf beetle. There aren't any lilies at our new location, just here on the hill where we have raised tens of thousands over the years. Although the leaves and stems are totally disfigured on some lilies, the bulk remain unscathed so I guess my use of dormant oil spray last year may have done the trick. If you haven't considered this, scroll back and find a blog I wrote about defending against the beetle.

This is the time of year when travel within about 30 miles of here confirms the number of people who visited Vermont Flower Farm over the years and purchased lilies for their gardens. I wish I had a list of those customers so I could send out an invitation to come to our new location on Route 2. When we were at the top of our game with lilies, the list would have been a long one. Now we have already begun to fade from the numbers and when we visit Harold and Leila up in Morrisville we don't know the fine lilies they display in their collection.

Asiatic lilies usually bloom around July 4th, starting with the pixies and moving to the regular size, then the longiflorum-asiatics. Right now there is a mix of everything in bloom. Factually, if you travel through Plainfield which is about 800 feet lower in elevation than here, even the shorter Orientals are showing color. Sure is an interesting year.

The peonies have had about all the driving rains they can take and although many still have buds, the majority have been driven to uselessness. From a distance, the colors look fine but as you approach the plants or rows, it becomes clear that the short season is shorter still. Today I hung up two bouquets that didn't sell on the back nursery wall. They will dry well there.


The daylilies are beginning to bloom and early varieties like Stella, Happy Returns, Lemon Lolypop, Golden Chimes, and Lady Scarlet are out. I have seen a few Nile Crane, an older Munson daylily that Gail and I like, Selma Rose, and then Rooten Tooten Red from Oaks. Many are budded up nicely and some look early to me but who knows--maybe there is a temperature change that is moving things along.

It's heading for 9 PM and the truck still needs to be unloaded and Karl the wonder dog needs a walk. Gail is preparing a lasagna for the crew tomorrow and Alex is asking for some assistance with a computer question. Guess I better get going.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where it's 61 degrees out, calm and clouding over. A barred owl hoots from across the street, perhaps commenting on the sign I placed in the drive today. "MOVED---the nursery has moved......."

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm A fine place to buy some very good plants

Grow An Extra Row

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

58 degrees here on the hill and water continues to drip from everything after last night's rain. I came home from the nursery about 7:30 and barely made it to the house before the thunder boomers began. It was a noisy affair with lots of lightning flashes but all the hits were 5 to 7 miles away. The rain fell hard and long and will be apparent later as I make my way down the mountain and off to work.

Gail and Michelle worked at the nursery all day trying to fill in the intended daylily display garden with more and more daylilies. We are trying to incorporate examples of every daylily we have in our collection and want to have large plants which will carry their example for a maximum amount of time. I have been digging extra holes in my spare time and Austin has too so it makes the planting a bit easier. The hard part is getting them out of the various planting areas here on Peacham Pond Road and then up into the truck. It's looking better every day and from Route 2, the color is beginning to become apparent.

Gail has been selling cut peonies and sales have been exceptional with everything selling each day. I am amazed at the reaction from some folks when they see we are selling half a dozen fresh stems for $9.50. Yesterday a customer doubted the accuracy of my price calculation but when I got to the root of the problem, I found she was used to paying $7 a stem in Boston. She favors peonies and had quite a smile when she left. Last week we received a call from Florida and a florist wanted a "ton" of peonies for a special wedding. We turned down the request as we are just too busy right now to spend the extra time. It is apparent that those that love peonies will spend a bundle to advance their enjoyment.

Emma dropped by about 6 en route to some local kayacking. She works with the Lake Champlain Basin Project and we worked together last summer on a water flow monitoring project on the Winooski River here in Marshfield, Plainfield and Cabot. Emma conducts a rain garden project and has planted a number of gardens around central and northwest Vermont. This is a subject in itself but the foundation of water gardens is something you might consider exploring as they have great merit and help the environment a lot. As we stood by the miniature hostas and talked, a Coopers hawk came bursting out of the sky and grabbed a songbird, dragging it to earth and heading into an adjacent tree for dinner feasting. This all took seconds and was a National Geographic quality shot I can only relive in my memory. The speed of that accipiter is amazing.

I am including a poster that Anson Tebbetts sent us. He is the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture here in Vermont and he has lots of marketing experience from previous work with Channel 3 television in Burlington. He's a great person and he and his family have been Vermont Flower Farm customers for some time. Vermont's Grow An Xtra Row campaign is similar to the Garden Writer Association's Plant a Row For The Hungry campaign. Both convey the message that extra fruits and vegetables have a great need and benefit the hungry when donated to your local food shelf or community kitchen. The need has never been greater and a couple extra seeds means some extra food of excellent nutritional value to those in need. In the winter time I sometimes help unload the food truck at the Marshfield food shelf and you only have to do this once to see the line of those in need and the message comes home. I always think of children first and remember the hard times when I was a kid. This year will be especially difficult with the price of heating fuels so help others by growing a little extra and donating. Don't put it off, just do it!

Guess I better get going here. I have a few things to load up and drop off at the nursery for Gail. My work day includes Berlin, Waterbury and Morrisville so once I head out the door I won't be back until after 6. Hope your day goes well too!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the peonies are in tremendous bloom and the astilbes are beginning their summer display. If you don't have astilbes yet, stop by Route 2 and take a look at 70 varieties. The almost constant rains have made them grow better than ever.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm Our website where we sell nice flowers and offer fine visual enjoyment. Take a look!

Sign of Progress

Friday, June 20, 2008

60 degrees outside and just after 7 PM. There is a constant dribble of rain from the great gray clouds and limited hope that tomorrow will be fair. Even the soil around here is green with constant, heavy rains leaching much nutrient from the land. Garden soil in Vermont is in a constant state of rebuild this year but unlike the mid west, most of the soil is staying where it should.

We've been home from the nursery for less than an hour and Gail has already visited her mother, checked the care givers for tonight and come home to rustle up omelets for supper. Karl, the wonder dog, has had a ride out back, a nice walk down the road and now he is running around here with one of his toys trying to find someone to play with. It won't be me for a while.

Last night Kim and Lenny showed up to get the new sign on the roof. There was a threat of rain but Kim knew this was important to me and he wanted to follow through on a promise. The sign had been here for a week and I wanted to see it in place on top of the building to see what influence it had on the customer base. (The sign, by the way, was prepared by Joe and Tina at
Sign Depot in Lyndonville. 802-626-0990 signdepot@charternet.com This is a great family of some of the nicest folks you'll ever meet.)

I had forgotten that Kim was supposed to be at school for the 8th grade graduation at 7 but once he started the sign, it was clear he'd leave when it was finished. Even when his wife and kids stopped by with a vocal coaxing, he said he wasn't finished and they left in a fury.

If it clears tomorrow long enough for the sign to dry on top, I'll climb up there and silicon on the protective border. The sign is 2 feet high and 16 feet long to comply with local zoning. It was prepared on two pieced of metal board with vinyl lettering. The signs are screwed to pressure treated 5/4 decking and the whole affair is screwed into the frames. If that sign leaves the building, Dorothy and Toto will have returned from Oz as it's all lagged into the rafters. It looks sharp and does the advertising trick we wanted. If you have a business or are contemplating one, think about road signage and visibility. Lots of issues there--enough for a winter's discussion when topics are more sparse and time is more free.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where dinner is ready.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

Lookin' Under Leaves

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Almost 7 AM and 58 degrees outside. Still raining ever so lightly after an entire night of heavy rain. All the five gallon buckets around the potting stand are overflowing so I have no idea how much rain we received. I'm leaving shortly to open the nursery for the day and the little brook at the intersection of Routes 2 and 232 will be a good indicator of what happened.

I took Karl the wonder dog for a brief walk this morning. He should be kind on Father's Day but his sniffer was in overdrive as hungry wildlife had a late start to last night's dinner or this morning's breakfast. We really needed some rain and the sounds while walking suggest it was much more than an inch.

This is a good time to look around your hostas and see what previous year's seed production may have provided for you. At the entrance to the lower hosta garden here at the house, I planted a sieboldiana 'Elegans' next to a couple Abiqua Moonbeams, an Albopicta and an On Stage. Just above it are an August Moon and a Sunpower. They are all mature plants and five or more years old.

I suggest a little exploring this time of year because you will always find some of previous year's progeny but you may never know what the genetic mix is due to insect hybridization. The hosta to the left of the yellow On Stage pictured above is the result of some kind of mix. The thing about this hosta is that it's going to be a giant in time. Last year was it's second year and it really grew. It looks as if it will be the size or bigger than the On Stage this year but in a couple days I'll have a better idea because the heavy rain will bring everything along quickly. Many very popular hostas were "found" so look under the leaves of your favorites and you might be surprised!

The peonies look great this year. As if having an ability to read the calendar, the peony named 'Dad' is in blossom as of yesterday. Nearby is 'Paul Fay' and also 'Sea Shell'. The rain probably cancelled out the eight blossoms left on the fern leafed 'smouthii' which was special this year. If you get a chance, add this to your collection as it is the earliest here and very nice.

Better get going. It's Father's Day so good gardening wishes to all fathers in every garden anywhere.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm Our outdated but very useful, still operational, home built commercial site which needs some sales ......but just the same has some neat pictures and good comments. Take a look! We're still biased.

Bad Weather

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Just about 7 PM here and at 80 degrees, it's the coolest part of the day. Today's high temps around Vermont ranged from 93 in this area to 97 in Burlington. Considerable destruction occurred in Franklin County on the northwest corner and power outages here and there. We got by with a couple flickers here at the house but didn't do as well at the nursery.

Buying used "anything" can be a good deal or a future headache. I should have learned my lesson by now but I haven't. With three feet of snow on the ground this spring, I purchased a used shade house from a place going out of business. I had seen it before but never really inspected it and when it was delivered for free I quickly noticed that many of the poles had been split open by winter's ice. Some poles also looked bent as if the thing had fallen over once but since there was a back up supply and one brand new piece of 20 X 80 shade cloth plus other odds and ends, the price seemed right. Look at the picture up top and scan to the back middle and you'll see the frame.

We had lined the whole frame with astilbes and other shade plants and were waiting for them to get set before putting on the shade cloth. That's what we did today. Austin helped before he left and I spent a while securing the cloth. As the storm approached, my worries grew and when the winds really kicked up the house headed east into a pile of bent debris. I cut the ties on the fabric and headed to the safety of home for the storm to pass.

Two hours later I returned for an assessment. Not much saving there but there's a chance that I can use the pipe cutter and get back to a 30 foot house without having to buy any more pieces. I'm not all that pleased but that's kind of what being a farmer or a small business person is all about. You have to make decisions and sometimes they aren't the smartest ones. Tomorrow Gail will rearrange the pots, fill a few that need more soil mix and then get as much as possible into the shade house by the miniature and small hostas. It won't all fit but she'll figure out something.
As for right now, I have to go out and unload the pieces from the truck and get it ready for Gail.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where Karl the wonder dog is barking at one of the neighbor's kids getting their mail. It's real obvious when he is feeling well because he barks with great enthusiasm while his tail about wags itself off the dog.

Good gardening wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

New Nursery, New Hosta Garden

>

June 9, 2008

After almost seven years of building a shade garden at our Peacham Pond Road location, it was time to move the nursery and leave all that work behind. It will be impossible to forget that garden and even if we wanted to, customers wouldn't allow it. Gail and I have already been reminded of that about every day, so Sunday I got serious and began to build the new hosta extravaganza. Only time will tell how successful I am.

For a couple days, Austin, a UVM summer helper, toiled away at digging holes for me. He commented that it wasn't a great job but the day went by quickly. It wouldn't have for me but his preparatory work was much appreciated. When the holes were ready, we began digging hostas from more mature gardens and then loaded up the tools and amendments we'd need. I was hoping for a little help but he had a house to paint and Gail had other chores so I was on my own.

When hostas are 5 or 6 years old, any listed as large or extra large are heavy. There's no other way to get them out but to dig all around the plant as deep as you can go and then begin to slid the shovel under the root ball. I use a 6 foot pry bar and with a little luck and someone tugging on a corner we can usually free up the monsters. It has been raining hard here for many days so the ground was loose and the task was less than it would normally be.

You have to understand that the height of this new land is solid clay, the kind potters dream of. It is so heavy that when you finally get a hole dug and fill it with water, it forms a frog pond that takes forever to drain. That's where calcium sulphate comes in. At $6.79 a 40 pound bag from Wal Mart or a buck and a half more wholesale from farm supply outlets, it's become gold to me for what it does to clay soils. As soon as Austin dug the holes I had him dose them liberally, bottom and sides, with this miracle composition. From there I mix bagged manure, 4 year old rotted tree chips, handfuls of lime, one handful per hole of 10-10-10, about 5 pounds of peat moss and a bucket of rotted maple leaves. I fill the hole with water and turn and turn until it is well mixed. Then the hosta goes in and the sides get firmed and then covered with more wood chips.


Everyone has their method and their secret mixes. Mine aren't a secret although I have to say I'll never use Agway's products again as this manure of theirs was as much clay as Austin dug out of the hole in the first place. Vermont Compost from Montpelier, Intervale Compost if you can get it, or good old farm manure are the way to go. I used the last of the big pile a couple weeks back and elected not to bring in a truckload of fine smelling green manure while I was trying to lure customers to a new location.

This planting took a couple days and contains June, Parhelion, Aristocrat, Wolverine, Abiqua Moonbeam, Bressingham Beauty, Frances Williams, Shade Fanfare and a few others. Before I am done, there will be a trail leading down the hill parallel to the Winooski River and then on into the grove of box elders. The 450 hostas we have will in some part make the move and with luck some of the sad comments will dissipate. In time we'll have that answer. In the interim it's me and Austin and the shovel and the truck. If you stop by to visit us on Route 2, walk on down through the astilbe shade house to the river bank. You'll see what we have done.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where it's 74 degrees out. A lone mosquito is attempting to peck at my shoulder and he's going to get a good one if he'll hold still. Not as big a project as at 3 this morning when a June bug practiced maneuvers in the bedroom until banging into a wall and falling victim to the phone book.

Good gardening wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener Another good blog
Vermont Flower Farm A place to buy great flowers online

Playing Garden Catch Up

Saturday, June 7, 2008

56 degrees here on the hill this morning. 100% humidity after two days of drenching rains. This morning's foggy haze and quietness are harbingers to the 85-90 degrees and stifling air that is en route by later today. Just the same, this is Vermont and we long for summer, the short season, when gardens grow and gardeners find a peace that is not easy to describe.

I have not written in a couple weeks. It's not because there weren't things to say and invitations to be made to our new location on Route 2, Marshfield. Time is short and most people would say we are crazy to try to do what we do in a day. There's a full time job for me, Alex and his interesting autism challenges for Gail and me, Gail's 91 year old blind mother and her accompanying entourage of care givers to coordinate. Karl, the wonder dog, with his as yet undiagnosed stomach problems........the list goes on. We keep the car full of gas and pads of paper scattered about to make sure that when thoughts come to mind, they are written down so they cannot escape. If we have not answered your email yet, do not fear. We are playing catch-up and we are making progress!Today from 10-2 I will be working on a new hosta garden. I had Gail change the sign by the road to let folks know they can stop by and watch the process if they want. You are invited too. I work and talk at the same time but show the steps from digging into potter-quality clay, scattering the holes with calcium sulphate, working in a variety of amendments, planting and mulching. For me it's a dirty, slippery, tiring process but the reward at the end is what I enjoy and that's what I want people to see. Stop if you get a chance. I'll probably be working tomorrow too, same hours. I stop projects like this at about 2 because that's when customers begin to stack up and I like a clean hand and a dry shirt when I make greetings. Come visit us at our new location on Route 2 just one half mile before Marshfield Village coming from Montpelier, E. Montpelier, Plainfield.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where I have to fire up the tractor, load the trailer with compost and stack on another dozen hostas for planting. If you are coming this way, throw the canoe or kayak on the car as the day will be perfect for all sorts of events.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm Our commercial website, a bit behind, but still a great place to order some hardy perennials. Call or write if you have questions.

Lily Beetles

Good evening from the mountain above Peacham Pond. Not much strength left in me after 12 hours of lugging pots to the truck, from the truck, as we move to our new nursery. About half way done but it seems like a forever thing. Michelle and Mike from down the road volunteered to help today so with their hands and a pickup with a trailer, things went faster. All but a few hundred daylilies have been moved and that's a welcome sight.

I continue to be bothered by the presence of the lily leaf beetle. I wrote about it in the past and much of that has been recreated at the University of Vermont Hort Farm site. I just released a series of pictures on The Vermont Gardener so take a look at the pictures. Once the eggs hatch, this is what you will be looking at:


I am interested in how many of you who enjoy lilies have noticed this beetle in your gardens this year. Please let me know.

From the land of great tiredness,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

First Shade House

Saturday Morn'

May 24, 2008

A quick good morning wish as I head out to the nursery with a truckload of astilbes. Time is limited and I haven't been able to keep the correspondence going. Wednesday we started this 20 X 60 foot shade house and Thursday it was finished off. Austin helped me on this one and although he had never done this before, it all went well. Yesterday we put the top on the 20 X 30 foot house we moved from Peacham Pond Road and today we will try to get the 15 X by 70 foot used house up that I bought last month. That one will hold most of our astilbes.

If you are out and about this holiday weekend, stop by our new property on Route 2 just west of the village heading towards Plainfield. Gail has some nice hanging baskets for sale although they may be a little wet this morning after a heavy rain last night. All visitors are welcomed!

New Roof, New Lessons

Monday, May 18, 2008

Cold, raw morning here at Vermont Flower Farm. The wind is blowing and last night's rain has made it feel a lot colder. Aching muscles will not get working as fast this morning.

The roof is now on both sides and the only part to finish is the roof vent. Buildings must have a means for allowing internal air circulation but some builders forget the importance of this. Houses with multiple levels and sections need to be vented externally and internally for good flow. For a building the size of ours, the important part is circulation over the 2/3's that will be the office but we are venting the entire roof.

Roof vents come in plastic material which nails to the roof peak. They come in 20 foot rolls or separate pieces 4 to 10 feet long. The builder needs to remember to leave space on the top course of plywood and also be sure that if using GRACE for waterproofing or just traditional felt paper that the roof peak remains open so air can flow. I had a house once where the contractor put the vent right on top of the water proofer and it took forever for me to figure out the problem. t wasn't too handy a thing to fix after the fact.

We continue to work on the daylily display garden. Richard Ducharme from Hillcrest Nursery in Cabot is closing his nursery and doing stone work and Adirondack furniture full time so he is selling all his stock. Gail and I bought a truck load of trees the other night including some weeping crabs, a couple Korean Lilacs, four ninebarks and some weeping pussy willows. If you look closely at the preceding picture you can see the pots layed out with a bench in the middle. This is the center of what will eventually become an American Hemerocallis Society certified display garden.

Right now I have to load up the truck and get going. Austin, a UVM student on summer break, will help put up the 20 by 60 foot shade house this morning. We'll see how good his math skills are figuring the third dimension of triangles. Shade houses are a series of 2" pipes in 10 X 20 foot sections. To keep them square and tight, you have to understand a little geometry. Guess we'll see.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where two wild turkeys are pecking at something in the lower daylily garden. If you stop by to see Gail, walk down that way and catch a glimpse of the Trillium grandiflorum and the Trillium erectum. Special this year as are the hellebores.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm Check out the astilbes and hostas on our site. More available at the nursery.

Motionless morning

Saturday, May 17, 2008

A dark and quiet, almost motionless morning here on the mountain. The birds are quiet but the tom turkeys off in the field are calling in their hens and strutting with full displays of plumage and colorful mating season head colors. Karl,the wonder dog and I had a quick walk this morning because there's much to do today and little time. He was obviously bothered by an abbreviated walk when there were so many good smells from last night's animal traffic.

Gail and Alex leave for Jericho just after 7 and the potting crew will be here by 9 so I have to get clicking. Michelle will lead the crew today and I'll try to clean up some of the loose ends around here. Time is very short and Memorial Day is fast approaching. We still have one shade house to be disassembled and three to be rebuilt at the new location. Not difficult work but not something that goes quickly. Holes to auger into hard clay soil and lots of ratchet work with bolts and arm braces.

The new construction is really advancing with the encouragement Gail and I need. It seems as if not a day goes by but what there is something I have to run to the store for and just keeping ahead of Lenny and Kim is not easy. They are no-nonsense workers and when they quit their regular granite worker jobs for the day and turn into carpenters, it's best not to get in their way.

Last Sunday the rafters were all up and by Tuesday we began installing the roofing. Plywood should come with some built in levitation process because after the first sheet, each new 4 X 8 foot sheet gets heavier and heavier to lift and push upward to someone standing at the wrong angle pulling upward at a disadvantage. That's construction.


Even though we designed this building to sit on 6 X 6 pressure treated timbers, it is being built so it won't go anyplace. The roof will hold big snow loads and the walls will stand straight. I placed the windows so building occupants can get light and air and not have to deal with customers looking in to see what's going on. The interior ceiling will be high to allow for good air flow and it will all be insulated.

Probably one of the more difficult parts so far has been installing GRACE on the roof. This is the name for a rolled asphalt product originally designed for roof valleys where Vermont winters might cause ice build up and penetration of water under the flashing and shingles. In older days tar paper which was really asphalt impregnated felt paper was used but it dehydrated over time and leaked. This new product is exceptional. The nature of it's components allows every nail hole to immediately close in and the entire roof is waterproof. That's the good news.

GRACE is the name of a giant conglomerate that in the old days controlled all the vermiculite mines in America. Vermiculite was used for years as pour-in insulation which you dumped by the bag on top of the rafters above your ceiling. It was light weight and just sat there preventing heat loss. Trouble was that vermiculite was mined in the same location as asbestos and that's the story that needs no explanation. This new roof coating is the company's money maker and it's probably doing a good job helping pay off the law suits from the asbestos problems. We can't hold the absence of medical research against a company as for long years no one knew what asbestos could do to humans. But that's the past, not the current installation problem.

GRACE comes on 200 square foot rolls and sells for about $90 a roll. The product comes on a peel off waxed paper just like those strange tasting fruit roll ups you buy in the store. You unroll about 6" of the product and stick it over the side of the roof with the plan of keeping the roll parallel to the bottom of the drip edge and then moving upward, one roll width at a time. But rolling the product across the rood if not easy. One person has to roll what starts out as a very heaving, awkward roll while the other person pulls the paper covering from underneath the roll. You have to keep everything centered and once the stuff sticks, sorry folks, it's there forever. The product must be kept cool before you start and a hot day is not the type day to learn to install it because it gets even stickier in heat. Installation sites should be absent of children and women who claim not to have ever heard profanity. The flow of expletives, although not included in the warning on the box, is colorful.



As of this morning, the GRACE is on, the face sure boards have been primed, painted two coats, and have been installed along with the drip edge. Everything is ready for the shingles and roof vent. I have half the ship lap siding (above) stained with Cabot's cedar stain and we've already installed it on the end where the electrical and data/telephone entrance will be. Tuesday night we framed in the peaks and the window framing materials are all cut. Progress is good.

We are down to about 3000 plants which need to be potted. Today I hope to see us get about a third of those out of the way. We'll miss Gail's speed at the potting bench but I'm positive we'll do well if the rain holds off. Gail has hired an additional person for the summer and that should help us along. If anyone has seen our friends Harold and Leila from Cross View Daylilies in Morrisville, kindly remind them how to get to our house. They are good planters and often leave their own business to come help us.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where two turkeys are looking curious in front of the office window. I noticed a large moose had walked through a neighbor's newly seeded lawn last night. Footprints are nature's message that creatures like to know what we do.

If you have some time on your hands today, report to the Marshfield Inn and volunteer to work with the Friends of the Winooski River as they complete some riparian plantings along the Onion River in an attempt to solidify the river banks and stem erosion problems. This is a very worthwhile project and I hear that Tracy will be in the kitchen helping with treats of encouragement.

Have a nice day outside!


George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm