Hellebores Are Fun In Spring

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The sun is falling quicker now and soon the day's brightness will fade away until tomorrow. It has been a beautiful day in Vermont today and I hope the same has been true where you live. I can see a light wind is rustling the leftover spirea scapes but it doesn't look serious. The snow is still deep here as Alex and I were reminded Sunday when we went to Burlington for the day. Up there the fields were bare and Lake Champlain was open all the way across to New York.

I told Alex that when I went to the University of Vermont in the mid sixties I learned to ice fish quicker than I learned British literature or Zoology. I tried to encourage him to believe me when I said that in early April of those years the lake remained frozen solid and ice fishing was a glorious event. The Burlington waterfront was lined thick with fishing shanties that were a course in sociology all by themselves. I knew Alex didn't believe me as the view coming down Main Street showed open lake and whitecaps that made him challenge my recall. Kids will do that with their parents and you often never know if they will ever see the truth.

When April draws near I begin to think seriously about a plant I really like because it is one of the first to flower here. I think hellebores are a neat plant but I find that few gardeners around these parts know what I am talking about. Kind of like trying to explain about epimediums, another favorite of mine.

Joseph Woodard knows a lot about hellebores and he shares his knowledge at a site named
Hellebores.org It's worth the trip there to see why I am fascinated by the power of this plant to push away snowbanks and beautify garden paths. Prepare to spend a little time with this site. Europe has had an interest in hellebores and more recently American gardeners have expressed a sincere interest too. When it comes to hellebores, I continue to like to visit the picture tour of Barry Glick from Renick West Virginia. To me Sunshine Farm and Gardens is a place to visit if you like hellebores. The place!



In the time that's left between now and spring flowers, take a look at these sites and let me know what you think. In the meantime, the Vermont Flower Farm site is finished save for another hundred pictures and some minor tweaking. It is graphics heavy so be willing to spend some time. We think it will be a nice visit.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the great smells of a fat roaster are floating in here from the kitchen. Gail should be calling for supper any second. Maybe your supper is ready too.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

Forest From The Trees

Sunday, March 15, 2009

A bright sunny day here in Vermont today. The temperature is up to 50 degrees on the sunny side of the house and I can almost see the ice melting off the driveway. In a few minutes I'm going to put on the snowshoes and head out into the woods for an hour or so.

Forests are friends to me and I fear for their health on the one hand while also being thankful for all they do for us. On our Vermont Flower Farm web site I wrote a piece years ago entitled "Our Forests, Our Responsibilities." That page will be available for a few more days so if you are interested, look at http://vermontflowerfarm.com/ourforests.html and see what I wrote. The whole subject means more to me today than the day I wrote those thoughts.

All forests have a life term dependent upon the tree composition. The following picture shows a stand of red pine that was planted over forty years ago. They weren't well cared for so they did not produce as much growth as intended but they are still somewhat of an asset. This time of year the returning crows find refuge there, barred owls eat their evening meals of rodents from lofty perches, and incoming flocks of robins find refuge in large numbers when they return in the midst of spring snowstorms.


We need to do a better job teaching our children the importance of forests and what they can do to help nurture good forests around the world. This next picture is from several years ago when Alex took an introductory forestry course. There were seven or eight home school kids and they obviously felt comfortable in the woods and they learned a lot. We need more programs like this one!


Sometimes we have to take advantage of an assortment of tools to make the woods feel more comfortable to each other. I have been walking the forests since I was five or six. I have had good teachers and that's made it easier for me. Just the same I am quick to walk with anyone who has more skill than me and I reference new books and guides as they come along.




You have probably heard of the Arbor Day Foundation before. They have released a great book named What TREE Is That? Here is some background on an excellent pocket guide.

What TreeIs That? A guide to the more common
trees found in North America

"The Arbor Day Foundation is offering for the first time a tree identification in book form. What Tree Is That?: A guide to the more common trees of North America, published by the Arbor Day Foundation, is a perfect resource to help people identify trees in a simple step-by-step process.

What Tree Is That? will help people identify more than 250 species of trees that live and grow in North America. The book uses a step-by-step approach to identifying trees, explaining what to look for determining the species for a specific tree, such as the shape of the leaves, the differences in the leaf stems and twig structures, the fruits and flowers, and the details of buds and bark."

What Tree Is That? features advanced, hand-drawn illustrations of many distinctive characteristics of many species of trees in full color. The book was illustrated by Karina Helm, who specializes in scientific illustrations."

I'll detail more about the book on The Vermont Gardener in the next day or so. In the meantime, learn to tell the trees in the forest and help new generations learn too! Click on
What Tree Is That? It's available at bookstores and on Amazon beginning April 1, 2009.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a fine day has developed! If you haven't purchased or ordered vegetable seeds yet, you better get going. Estimates for seed sales suggest as much as a 19% increase in sales this year. Plant start sales may reach the 100's of % increases. While you're at it, consider putting a copy of What Tree Is That? on hold.


George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

Vermont Flower Show, Let's Go!

Centaurea Amethyst Dream

Thursday, March 5, 2009

One of those afternoons when the air feels as if bad weather is coming soon. No precip but 29.9 degrees and a deadness to the outside air that confirms what they have been saying this afternoon about a mix of weather by morning. Karl the Wonder Dog is stretched across the bed snoring as if the weather doesn't matter. Alex is working on his computer and Gail just left to meet some friends in Montpelier for a meeting of the Hardy Plant Club. She and her friends should have an enjoyable time as tonight's presentor is David Lewis. A recent introduction of Mr. Lewis and his experience reported :

"David Lewis has decades of experience growing, breeding and propagating rhododendrons. He will give a slide show about rhododendrons that bloom reliably in northern Vermont, others which are potentially hardy here, as well as a few which he wishes were."

(Intro by Don Avery, owner of Cady's Fall's Nursery, Morrisville,VT)

I'm hoping Gail can give us a brief summary of this presentation. Rhododendrons are not popular yet in Vermont although more and more people are showing their success with them. I think as more get out there, the colors will encourage gardeners to ask their nursery suppliers to buy in more varieties. Personally I have always been reluctant to grow anything that I have to protect from 4-5-6 feet of snow but the more I see growing, the more I think I may give it a try soon.

As for me, I'm cleaning up paperwork and making lists for the weekend. What I would like is to locate a day stretcher so I can catch up on some reading. Plant material abounds this time of year and being a member of the Garden Writers Association seems to guarantee additional treats, by e-mail and in packages.

Today some pictures came from Blooms of Bressingham and they were just enough to divert my attention from what I should be doing to what I'd like to be doing--planting new gardens this summer. Just about any new flower catches my attention while making me wonder if they will be successful here or not. In today's world, gardeners are looking for more unusual plant material and if it's easy to grow and presents a nice display, it's sure to catch on. Here are a few pictures from Blooms of Bressingham. Most of these introductions are listed as zone 5 but I wouldn't be surprised but what they would make it in much of central Vermont on South.

Dendranthema Frosty Igloo

Dendranthema Cool Igloo



Penstemon Loganberry Ice



Penstemon Amelia Jayne



Eryngium Big Blue

Whoops, someone is knocking at the back door and Karl the Wonder Dog is not the best of greeters! Have to go. Remember, everyone, that if you are within traveling distance of Chittenden County/Burlington/Essex Jct, Vermont, the Vermont Flower Show starts tomorrow at the Miller Convention Center in Essex. This is a spectacular event sure to jump start your spring. Sponsored by Greenworks, the Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association.


George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

University of Vermont P&SS Seminars

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Blustery and cold here on the mountain this morning. Yesterday's high of 50 degrees and sunny was replaced by dark and gusty and 11 degrees. As I look out the window I can see where a coyote came through the field to the compost pile sometime after midnight when the snow crusted over and travel became easier. It's years like this when I really fear for our deer population because snow is deep and travel is difficult for them.

I have been remiss in not posting enough about events in the area which will benefit some gardeners. I'm always tossed between local conversation and the world at large. I have had correspondence from India, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and New Zealand this week, hence the confusion of who I am writing to. Just the same I figure that what I offer might provoke thought about a similar resource in your locality. Here goes.

The University of Vermont is located in Burlington, Vermont and like any land grant college it has a College of Agriculture and a division of plant and soil science. Recently I heard that they offer seminars most every Friday afternoon at 3 on a variety of subjects. The seminars are free and open to the public and located in the Stafford Building adjacent to the greenhouses. Here is the schedule.

Yesterday the seminar was listed as Garden Marketing and Trends and was presented by Kathy LaLiberte, the Director of Gardening for Gardener's Supply. If you are familiar with the area you know that Gardeners Supply merged last year with Four Seasons Garden Center in Williston and the merger took two of the finest gardening companies in New England and shared their information and resources.

But anyway--the seminar. Other than the fact that I should have picked a seat up front so I could hear better and also the fact that those skimpy little fold-down lecture hall seats don't accept a maturing gardener with a bad back, the lecture was super. Kathy is one of the original Gardener's Supply founders so we're talking a long period of experience gardening in Vermont. If you get a chance to hear her speak sometime, it's worth the hour.

I was interested in the demographics of the company and how things had changed since it's inception. Originally the customers were mainly men aged 62 and over. Over time that has changed and although I didn't take notes I think the ratio went in favor of women like at 52%. The most important change to me was that age has decreased and there's an interesting split now with more favorable ratings in the area of the 30 year olds who want to get into gardening. That tells nursery owners like Gail and me that we have to gear our marketing and our seminars to younger customers who may be new to gardening. We are good at describing our customer profile but we are still in a slightly older profile with a higher concentration of women. You have to temper our review with the fact that we not only offer only perennials but we only offer specific perennials--hostas, daylilies, astilbes and shade plants so that concentrates the market some more.

The other point of interest was the fact that the first Gardener Supply gardeners were mainly interested in vegetables and that's where the original emphasis centered. That's not a surprise. As I have mentioned in earlier writings, the post WW II days gave constant reminder to the lean times of the Depression and the things that people sacrificed for the the war industry.

If you can think back 30 years, there was an abundance of greenhouses growing annuals and there were no box stores as we know them now. If you wanted annuals or vegetable starts or perennials you went to a farm stand or a greenhouse. That has all changed and GS experienced that change and responded to it.

So from the predominance of vegetables to the integration of perennials came the current trend that is different in several respects. From a nursery owners perspective, this is important to remember at all levels--not just the changing interest, not just the change from vegetables but the influence the advent of box stores had coupled with the American lifestyle and accompanying need for instant garden (and other) gratification.

The day's of six packs of plants has changed to garden centers offering large pots which give the impression a garden has been growing for some time. Now people want large plants, different plants, showy plants, low maintenance plants and they often want them right away. This whole lifestyle change lead to a company named Proven Winners which offers pots of perennials and shrubs in mature sizes. The same large pots easily transplant to containers as the container gardening market has really caught on too.

So where is this now? Lots of nursery owners including Gardener's Supply and even lowly producers like Gail and me ask the same question. Garden research is interesting and with a little luck I'll share some in the near future with you. In the interim, remember that from Gardener's Supply research there is an expected 19% increase in vegetable related sales en route for this year. That's obviously part of the recession, part of the "stay at home-save money-work on our landscape-produce some safe food" thinking. When we hear of all the groups trying to get a vegetable garden back on the White House lawn, the direction we're heading in becomes more obvious.

I have to say I enjoyed Kathy's presentation and I wish it was a web cast so you could see it/hear it too. She pointed out the importance of saying thank you to all customers as she received thank yous from the audience for help GS has done with the Master Gardener program. In a time when things are tough, it would be good for each of us to set some gardening goals that include growing vegetables to go with our expanding perennial gardens. And at the same time maybe we can think about growing some extra vegetables for a friend or helping start a community garden that others can share. If you want to see what the impact can be in terms of people power, try this link which comes from the Gardener Supply page. These are people's stories about their gardens. I enjoyed them and I think you will too. Oh yes, and thanks Kathy for a great presentation!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the birds want breakfast, "somebody" better bring in some more wood for the stove, and I should go find my old copy of Putting Food By.

Best garden wishes!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

Berry Nice Thoughts

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Thirteen degrees here on the mountain and a bit warmer than I had expected. The sky is overcast and there are clouds matching the outline of Peacham Pond. It's always odd to note the seasonal influence the pond, all 360 acres of it, has on the area. You might not think a body of water, frozen solid and held firm by winter, would be an influence but it holds temperature differently than the surrounding mountains and is enjoyable to watch.

The balance of the inhabitants here on Peacham Pond Road are having a snoring competition this morning. Karl the Wonder Dog is in second place and the other two are moving in and out of first. We went to bed late last night and apparently the deep REM sleep has just kicked in for the trio.

Alex found a DVD set of H.P. Lovecraft oriented horror films at Borders the other day. They are tame enough for Gail and I to watch. Actually they are about a newspaper writer/quasi investigator and they are quite entertaining from the perspective of a 1970's production. The part I like is each one is only 45 minutes long so I am not committed for too long. We have watched one a night for three nights (17 to go) and Alex is happy for the participation and we are happy to see him smiling. People on the autism spectrum have an remarkable set of interests, sometimes difficult to comprehend, sometimes compulsive in repetition. In this case we have struck a balance for everyone. Hopefully his growing interest in daylilies will follow the same direction.

So I am sitting here this morning thinking about making some pancakes and thoughts of fruit have turned to berries. Some gardeners are absolutely firm about their garden design and the thought of fruit or vegetables integrated with flowers just doesn't make it with them. That's fine but to me the integration adds a spot of interest. It may be that when I grew up in Vermont after WWII, there was a not-so-fine depression going on and any food was good food. By the late sixties there was a strong resurgence here in the "Have More Plan" concept of 1946 and in Burlington there was a neat store named Garden Way that promoted many of the grow-your-own, put-food-by lifestyles. Together, those thoughts helped build a gardening philosophy for me.

So as thoughts turn to what fruits to add to the morning pancakes, I'm encouraging you to think of what fruits or vegetables might fit nicely with your flower gardens and add some unadulterated produce from a known and trusted source to your table. We are big on blueberries here and have both the wild ones in adjacent fields and cultivated berries in the flower garden by the road. There are blackberries on the hillside by the house and wild blackberries and raspberries in the fields and along the woods roads. We compete with birds and bears for these fruits but there always seems to be enough for everyone.

Strawberries is a crop I cannot find time to plant-grow-harvest, plant-grow-harvest, but we sure go through a number of pounds here. In summer time the area CSA's and market growers have a good supply and it seems as if we know enough people who like to pick their own that baskets of berries show up unannounced. This summer a customer I never even saw before even shared a basket and a visit and made me pleased. Gardeners are like that.

I guess this morning I'm going to make a quick compote with blueberries and strawberries and add some apples to the pancakes. Should be a good mix and provide smiles at breakfast---
-----if the snoring competition comes to an end.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Karl the Wonder Dog wants to walk and the birds are looking for some sunflower seed.

Best wishes and good gardening thoughts on Sunday morning!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

Lilies on Valentine's Day

Dizzy

Saturday, February 14, 2009

A peaceful morning here on the mountain. Eleven blue jays are enjoying a cracked corn feast as half a moon fades into slumber on one side of the house and the sun climbs up through the tamaracks and above Peacham Pond on the other side. It should be a nice day.

Valentine's Day is sometimes a dizzying event. Romance can do that to you. The Oriental lily featured above is named Dizzy and it is always an attention getter and its name always encourages interesting comments. We don't grow lilies for sale any more because of the insidious lily leaf beetle but lilies are sure to arrive in Valentine's Day arrangements and packages of cut flowers. It's sad to us that the beetle has knocked us out of that business as at one time we had the largest retail sales of potted lilies in Vermont and probably the largest number of varieties in New England. I've written about the lily beetle before so just plug "lily leaf beetle" into the search area up above and you'll get to know the problem.

Lilies make a great florist flower and in fact the hundreds of varieties available at florists every year is the result of the demand placed on the floral industry to come up with new and interesting color combinations each year. Most all lilies in major floral production are now grown in greenhouses with dozens of bulbs planted side by side in black plastic crates. The lilies are forced into beauty, cut and processed and then the spent bulbs are discarded and the process starts again. We would probably have problems throwing away bulbs but that's just how it works.

Here are a few pictures to think of on Valentine's Day. They are easy to grow but think through the beetle before you commit to trying some.

Lollypop

Kiss Proof

Dutch Red

Arena


Partner

Smokey Mountain


Red Claret


Red Canadence


Sorbet


Sphinx

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where backyard bird counts are about ready to begin. Click on the link and involved!


Sweet garden wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

Bleeding Hearts and Valentine's Day

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Good morning from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the rain has picked up since I finished writing Valentine's Greetings a few minutes ago. Travel over to this page for the greeting: http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com/2009/02/vanlentines-greetings.html


Bleeding hearts are a popular flower with a long history in Vermont and New England. In spring they seem to save their underground energy through a few rainstorms and then with the first warm weather they grow almost non stop, changing leaf color from this picture to a nice blue green that accentuates the rows of pendant hearts. The entire family is said to be poisonous which means that troublesome woodchucks, rabbits and deer enjoy the color but not the plant. In today's world of garden critters doing flower garden damage, this is a welcome plant to grow.

For all the times that I have written about my appreciation for bleeding hearts, I don't think I gave advice to think about where you place one. As summer works into August here and Vermont receives a few days of heat, the foliage of Dicentra spectabilis yellows and fades. In warmer climates south of here, the foliage may fall apart sooner. This translates to a need to think through a good site so that you aren't left with a bare spot close to where garden visitors walk to view your gardens, access your home, etc. Good gardeners don't like to hear too many "What happened heres?"

In addition to the old fashioned bleeding heart, we have some fringed bleeding hearts--smaller plants, smaller foliage, different flower. They are available at the nursery or via our website. The new varieties will be posted by mid-March. If you have a particular interest, send us an inquiry.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Gail is leaving to work with Jerome the Florist in Barre for a couple days. She is a superb florist and they are mutually pleased to be able to work together at such a busy time.

Valentines wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

Time To Plan

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Just got the fire going again in the wood stove and the coffee has finished. 4 degrees above this morning which is considerably warmer than the below zero that was predicted. I checked the weather maps for the possible storm on Tuesday but not much is showing yet. After spending 4 hours yesterday on the tractor moving snow around in the driveways, I can accept a break.

February has arrived. We are halfway through winter but this is the time when big storms can come and temporary thaws are often followed by cold blasts and more snow. Two years ago around Valentines Day we received three feet of snow over much of Vermont and 42" here on the mountain. That's not the way you want to see snow arrive!

As soon as we finish with tax preparation, we begin to go over our plans for spring. Orders have to be checked and rechecked against inventories and the questions have to be tracked down. I keep telling Gail I want to put all the inventory on a hand held for her but she is still one of those pencil and paper people for lots of things. That's probably why we can't tell if we do or don't have that nice little 12" mound shaped Aruncus aethesifolius. It's not too handy looking for plants in the garden this time of year even if they are in neat rows. 4-5-6 feet of snow on the ground here depending on where you are.

Sometimes the plant wholesalers that you use for buying in new items don't help a lot either. Yesterday we received an order confirmation for a hosta named 'Faithful Heart'. Gail and I did one of those mutual "Did you order this?" moves but the answer was no. Gail mumbled away about another thing to add to her list which meant she had to call the company and remind them we have some other nursery's order coming here. We'll keep the order if the company can spare it because it's a nice mini hosta, a sport of Hosta 'Cheatin' Heart'. Miniature hostas are always popular and this one works well as a border plant or in rock gardens.

Despite the usual business interruptions, this is a good time to finish your planning. If for some reason you're one of those people who think you should kick up your hobby garden to a small business, take a few snowless minutes and read Tony Avent's book So You Want To Start A Nursery. Then follow up with one I bought Gail for Christmas. It's not new but it is very good.
The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski, Chelsea Green Publishing, 1997, 2008, is a great resource, full of pictures, grower bios and some nice business profiles from around the country. Between the two books, you can get a good sense of the business side of taking your hobby one step further and in either case the lessons that are offered apply to most businesses.

If your planning at this point is only for your personal gardens, catalogs and the Internet should get you where you want to be. In the daylily world in the 70's, a number of small daylilies were released with the prefix "little". Many of these plants were in the 16"-18" range and most had high bud counts. Here are four I have always liked that you might find space for.

Little Missy

Little Skipper

Little Bumblebee

Little Pumpkin Face

Regardless of where you live, this is the time for a little planning. If you are a vegetable or a wanna be vegetable gardener for 2009, plan early and get your seed purchases made early. Last year most seed suppliers set records selling out earlier than ever before. There's no doubt that with today's economy, we will see more gardeners than ever. Great gardens benefit from good planning. Give it a try!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where we are already up to 9 degrees and the birds are looking for breakfast. Have to get going here!


Good garden thoughts from The Vermont Gardener!

George Africa
Vermont Flower Farm
Vermont Gardens

Presidential Concerns

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Ten degrees above zero here on the mountain and a growing wind blows small birds sideways as they land on the feeders. Flocks of evening grosbeaks and blue jays swap back and forth on the platform feeder, trying to maintain dominance which is short lived. Birds have a self defense mechanism that triggers when there's movement close by--all birds that is but mourning doves which seem to have steadfast courage not to fly until the last end. Last week I almost put the truck in the ditch waiting until the last minute for a small flock of sand eating doves to move out of the road. They flew and none got nailed but it was a last minute affair. I tried out a few expletives as I continued on.

Been very busy lately and can't get everything done that needs doing. My hand is coming along nicely thank you. I tried it out snow shoveling the roof yesterday. I brought that event to an incomplete conclusion when I got four feet around the edge shoveled off. My hand was hurting and I have been well advised to go slowly. I left the rest of the snow on Gail's mother's place for another day. At least now the icicles won't grow.

I don't know how many of you do your own websites but I'm sure you're tired of me mentioning ours. You'll probably enjoy it when it's done but boy does it take time. To complicate things Gail has the house laid out with IRS materials and I am about ready to start the taxes. Taxes are not my favorite sport and it's amazing to me that I have to spend so much time getting things ready to give to an accountant who charges too much to finish the deal. Where did that presidential candidate go who said he would get rid of the IRS?

Yesterday as I listened to the news, I chuckled as a new stop-the-war president approved a drone in Pakistan and got hammered for not having enough women in his cabinet. Of the two subjects, the one that made me stop for a minute involved the female critics. Not enough women in the cabinet I guess. To insure that none of you criticize the management at Vermont Flower Farm I want you all to know that this is a 50-50 management "group" and it involves Gail and me. That's one woman and one man. There may be slightly more women than men in the world but our management ratio is staying the way it is. Now the staff ratio is a different thing. In the spring there are an average of 7 women and 4 men getting us through planting time. That means 64% women and 36% men. That should satisfy folks I think. When we get into the business end when customers prevail, a typical day has Gail and some combination of Michelle, Austin and maybe one other woman. Again, this should satisfy any critics out there that we try at VFF to be gender considerate. I'm open to comments but we do try!

As snow deepens here on the mountain, give some thought to your gardens, now blanketed under tons of white stuff. Daylilies are a very good flower for the Vermont climate. Gail and I enjoy the older varieties and refuse to pay $150-$250 for some new to the market variety. Up top is one of Gail's favorites, Indian Paintbrush, named after the wildflower that predominates out west but grows here in Vermont too. Immediately below here is Island Sand Dollar and Hush Little Baby. None of these are expensive, they all preform very well and in three years from planting you'll receive compliments that will make your day. With +61,000 registered daylilies on the market now, you have plenty to choose from. Give them some thought and stop by this summer to walk the fields and see what we have.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where ice fisherman sit in shanties drinking different beverages and peering out windows waiting for small flags to pop up on their tip ups, perhaps signaling a trophy brown trout, perhaps a hungry nuisance perch.

Be well!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm: Our old but functional website that will be replaced in February

Seeds of Change

Monday, January 19, 2008

20 degrees warm here on the mountain and that's a fine change for what has been a colder than normal week. Three mornings were close to or colder than minus 20 so there's been quite a temperature spread. I just came home from White River and Hanover about an hour ago and there was snow all the way. There was also a little black ice here and there on the interstate that made things inter-state-esting. Right now large fluffy flakes drift by the millions bringing reality to the fact that Snowflake Bentley photographed over 5000 snowflakes that he said were all different. Next time you're out with the kids take a good hand magnifier and start counting!


Gardeners are writing regularly on their blogs now about the number of gardening and seed catalogs they are receiving. Something like 95% of all published catalogs, even in good times, get dumped unread. Part of the moral here is that if you like forests as we do, look on-line more and order that way too. Admittedly there is something nice about a stack of new catalogs to thumb through but we all have to be more cognizant of what we are doing with our resources.

Because of my membership with the Garden Writers Association I received some promotional pictures from Park Seed Company. The first pictures came on a CD of specially selected seeds for 2009 as judged by a seed overview group. That's what caught my eye and prompted me to write to Park Seed and ask for some pictures to use in my blogs. Parks has been around a long time, they understand customer service, and they responded immediately. Here goes!

That's a Cauliflower named Graffiti up top with a brilliant purple look, followed down below by three different tomatoes including Tomatoberry, Kellog's Beefsteak, and Chocolate Cherry. There's also an acorn-like small squash named Honey Bear at the end. I can envision the tomatoes sliced thin in a nice vinegar-mint dressing and the Honey Bears cut in half and filled with maple syrup, butter and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. Baked squash can't be beat!







Last year I grew just a few vegetables but a few seeds made for lots of vegetables which found their way to the local food shelf and the senior citizens weekly meals program. I never personally met a single person who got any of the fresh produce but I did get reports that it was gone lickety split on pick up days. This is why I'm thinking about more vegetables this year so we can have a little more variety and we can send more food to those who need some help. These Park Seed varieties are new to the market and look interesting.

As you plan your gardens and make seed purchases, think through how many seeds you need for the size of your garden. If you have extra seed and a little spare space, think about growing a little extra produce to leave off at your food shelf. If that doesn't work for you, I guarantee you don't have to look too far down your street to find someone who would appreciate what you don't need. Fresh vegetables can't be beat. Seeds can create change and can help us rebuild relationships the way I remember them in the early fifties. Friends cared about neighbors and looked out for old folks. "Thank yous" were commonly heard. Wouldn't be too hard to get back to that point would it?

Today's miles have caught up with me for sure. I'm tired but I keep wondering what those Chocolate Cherry tomatoes taste like. Give this seed thing some thought and maybe you can help make a little change in someone's summer menu!

Winter garden greetings from the mountain above Peacham Pond. Karl the Wonder Dog is snoring on the rug by the stove. I'm thinking about some maple nut ice cream topped with two ounces of light amber maple syrup from Gadapes Sugar House in Danville. Then I'll be snoring too!

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener

Very Cold Thoughts

Thursday, December 15, 2009

Good morning from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the wind is calm and the thermometer registers 19.8 below zero, and slowly drops lower as the sun contemplates rising. Karl the Wonder Dog just made a Superman-like, "faster than the speed of light" trip outside and back and neither of us debated the decision.

I've been busy at work, had a carpal tunnel repair job on my left wrist, and here at the house I have been working on our new website. I'm down to resizing hundred of pictures and that takes time just to get organized. I have always said I am not a "New Years Resolution" person but one thing that has to change this year is when I take pictures, they have to get sorted, labeled and stored in proper files and folders. I am spending too much time trying to find what I know I have and it's all my fault.

I belong to the Garden Writers Association and with that membership comes product information from many plant and supply companies. The DVDs are interesting and most work so after you get excited you really can see what is available. I planned to show you the latest poinsettias before the holidays and the DVD I received was messed up. I called for another and half of it was missing so I gave up on that one. By next year there will be more varieties of this fine holiday flower as a great deal of hybridizing work is being done on color and style. I'll try again!

Before I head out the door this morning, here are a few selections to think about. Nothing super but everything has a place. Gaillardia Arizona Sun is up top.Change is good in the garden too!

Vinca Pacifica Burgundy

Osteospermum Asti White

And finally, a new pepper named 'Carmen' . Hot thoughts on a very cold day!

Be well, keep warm and remember your pets and animals. It's cold out there!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener