Early Morning Bruiser

Sunday, June 14, 2009

The quiet of the morning and a mental list for today were too much for me as I awoke at barely 4, thinking how much had to be accomplished today. A quick glance at the clock confirmed this was too early for complicated thinking but Karl the Wonder Dog was part of the problem as he sat near the bed demanding through repetitive whimpers that a walk was in order. He knows when the weekends fall and he wants to be a part of my every move but this morning it was a nature thing that called him.

We headed down the road towards the pond and had hardly passed the mailboxes when he froze in the road, so statue-like that I almost pulled his collar off. With coffee spilling and expletives flying we had stopped dead in front of the lower hosta garden and he wouldn't budge. I switched the coffee cup right to left long enough to shake off the hazelnut wetness and then looked around for signs of what was bothering Karl. Looking down the road I noticed a set of tracks and my first assumption was a small moose had just passed by. Understand this is a hard packed dirt road of two centuries existence and a recent topping of calcium chloride had packed it harder.

I coaxed Karl down the road a couple resisting feet (his) at a time and got to where his leash was extended to the fullest and I could see the tracks. The problem was most obvious. Karl did not like the bruiser black bear that had just gone through and I was uncomfortable enough myself to start to glance right and left and turn on my one good ear to full alert. This bear was giant for Vermont standards.

I bent down and placed my hand over a track and there was a good inch and a half remaining around my hand's outline. The bear was huge. His toenails cut deeply into the hard pan, footprints close enough together to confirm that he was on a morning breakfast foray and not in any rush. I have a good sized paw myself and out of curiosity I'd like to see this bear. I usually see a single track like this each November after first snow maybe around Thanksgiving week. The animal follows the exact same treeline route each year and like growth rings on a fresh cut tree, this set of prints grows bigger each year.

Gardening in Vermont has changed over time, especially as more people build homes in what were remote areas. I did not know that twenty years ago we built our little house 50 feet from a major animal corridor and a neighbor down the road built his right in the middle of an ancient path. We can't track animal commentary on human intervention but I know I react when I have to walk around something someone has left in my regular path. I expect animals have their own comments about humans.

Here on the hill above Peacham Pond we see an abundance of wildlife each day. A barred owl was welcoming morning when I got up, a pileated woodpecker just commented that it's time for breakfast in the sugar maples and the loons at the pond are loosening very ancient calls that are echoing through the valley. Bigger animals like whitetails and moose as well as bears more formally interact with gardeners. For me they are simple reminders that we have to get along. The birds and the animals and me are like the picture of Sempervivum tectorun, hens and chickens, houseleeks up top. We come in different sizes and we live in slightly different places but to make it all work we have to get along.


Good gardening wishes from the mountain. I have to get to work.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com
Vermont Flower Farm
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Still have a few golden bleeding hearts left for sale at the nursery as well as maybe 5 eximia.
E mail if interested.

Strange Spring

Monday, June 8, 2009

A bright sunny morning here on the mountain with an abundance of large, gray clouds floating by and a temperature of 67 degrees. Last night's rain was a marginal, two drops (literally) in the bucket storm and a disappointment to farmers like us who need to see spring rains at the right times. The ground is dry and the forests and pastures worry us in case a fire starts.

Despite the recent dryness, the spring flowers are nice. The bleeding hearts are well under way and they remind us of grandmothers gardens. The old fashioned varieties so common to us were joined a few years back by a gold leafed variety that has been expensive to buy. Gail has ordered it twice this year because of demand and although many say $17.50 is too much to pay, dozens already have. She has one planted by the back door that is in bloom for those who cannot wander to the split rail fence that has a bunch I planted years ago.

Along the path to the lower hosta garden is a patch of Dicentra eximia. We typically carry the creamy white 'Aurora' as well as the pink-red 'Luxuriant' and 'Stewart Boothman'. 'Luxuriant' drove me nuts last year because it was featured in a number of gardening magazines and people were ordering it right and left. Our supply remains better than I thought but will be a challenge in a few more weeks. I really like all the eximias because the foliage is light and nicely cut and at 14" tall it works as a nice contrast to many other late spring colors.

I have never been a fan of perennial bachelor buttons but I have to say that the blue of this flower is something you'd like to maintain all summer long. If you take a single close up picture of one flower you will be amazed at the beauty that prevails in the design. By afternoon it's difficult to get a picture here as the bumblebees love them and can often be found bouncing around from flower to flower. This happens to be a flower that contrasts well with peonies and as this photo shows the contrast appears as if it belongs in a painting.

I wish I could stay here this morning and get caught up on writing but my favorite sport--the dentist--beckons.

Best gardening from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a loon calls loudly from an overhead flight.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm A web site in need of interested gardeners

New Tomato To Try

Tuesday, May 28, 2009

There are some advantages to being a would-be garden writer. Over time dealers, growers, publishers, manufacturers, and suppliers find out about you and try to encourage you to comment on their product. Some things I just let slide over the top because I don't think they are in line with what Gail and I think of gardening. I'm not interested in flowered belt buckles and garden shoes with little smiling snails, and really, I'm not interested in anything "steel" made in China.

In this particular example today, the product received a double whammy award from me because I like the concept and I also am intrigued by the method of shipping enough to share it with you. The product is a tomato hybrid named Tomaccio, the sweet raisin tomato, originally developed in Israel and now popular in parts of Europe. It will be released in America next year although there has been some experimental release via vegetable plant wholesalers this year. If you click on the following announcement, you'll get all the details including its merits as a dried tomato and its ability to do well as a container or garden plant.

Gail and I receive lots of plants each year and packaging is critical to a happy customer. One shipment from a major US supplier arrived by a major delivery company but looked as if it had been pushed off the truck without regard for the contents. There was no doubt that the boxes were expensive but they didn't do the trick at protecting the plants inside. Not the case with this shipment!

These six packs were surrounded by a cardboard wrapper which took up half the box size. The box was designed to hold up to 12 tomato plants. Although the box was marked with an arrow and asked for proper handling, I turned the box upside down to see how the tomatoes fared and they didn't move at all. It's obvious that the supply network has to be perfect as the plants must be shipped just before they reach the interior height limit of the box. No problem with the 6 we received.

I noticed that the stems were very strong, almost wiry and this might be attributed to the origin of the tomato said to come from the wild. This is important if planting in a windy area and is a must for a plant which reaches 9 feet tall.

I'll give away all but one of these Tomaccios and try to collect results later this summer. In the meantime, keep your eye out in stores if you are looking for a small cherry tomato with good flavor and the ability to dry well in the oven for use next winter.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the rain is pounding down as Karl the Wonder Dog, 6 hours post-dental surgery, is just beginning to wander around as his anesthesia wears off.

Good gardening,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm A web site with trollius offered--now in bloom here in Vermont!

New Shade Garden Under Way

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Almost 7:30 PM and Karl the Wonder Dog is getting anxious for his evening walk. I am less than anxious as I have acquired some nasty cold virus and my patience and energy are minimal. The neighbor's cat just went by and that translates to some amount of running-with-dog, one arm outstretched, and I'm not really in the mood.

Another nice day here in Vermont although that will change tonight as a large low pressure mass will move in after midnight with heavy rain for a couple days. We are in serious need of moisture but there are dozens of things that need completing that do better when I'm not dressed in rain gear. One project that won't be completed all too soon is the new hosta and shade garden.

I've mentioned and pictured this garden site since first posting pictures of our new land a couple years back. The garden is finally taking shape although I'm still working on the skeleton phase. The pictures aren't the greatest but see if you can picture this in your mind.

The cultivated part is almost 300 feet long and 100 feet wide in the deepest part. There's a 7.5 foot tall deer fence on the back (right side of cultivated area) the runs about 8 feet higher than the cultivated area. That's because that section was an old road used locally to dump off sand and gravel for the road crews to use fifty years ago.

On the left of the area, I planted seven fast growing maples. These are Glory and Sunset maples which can handle the varying moisture while growing quickly to 25-30 tall and wide. In between each maple I have planted 24 to 36 one gallon pots of daylilies. Each block is a single variety, single color beginning up top left with Tetrina's Daughter, then Red Ribbons, then Wayside King Royale, Lemon Lollypop and ??? ??? boy I am tired. Although the colors will show significant bloom at different times, my plan was that blocks of color would overlap and the mass of color would catch visitors attention both from Route 2 and from our small parking lot. I caught this idea a couple years ago while visiting the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden for the first time. Although planting larger numbers of the same thing is expensive, the eye catching notice is worth it.

There are two sets of flags, orange on the left and red on the right. The orange flags mark a proposed walkway that will curve through the garden. Eventually stone steps and another pathway will lead down from the hilltop astilbe/shade house near the river bank to connect with this path. I have tried to accent the minimal curves with a couple linden trees and three weeping blue cedars. I have plans for maintaining all these trees to less than their natural mature height.

The red flags mark the high water mark during last year's flood. That was the biggest flood I had seen since 1983 so it seemed like a good benchmark to employ. To the right of the red flags will be the plants which are more tolerant of moisture like astilbes and aruncus, darmeras in containers, rodgersias and ferns. Along the bank where it is dry, I'll add astilboides tabularis. The fringe between the two wet-dry areas will accept the hostas, primulas, iris, and pulmonarias. The line flagged in red is already planted with winterberry and long term I have plans for a small pond. I want to try to get about 250 different hostas planted in small groups by the end of June. Some hostas will be planted in waves of 25. I'll be satisfied for this year if we can meet this goal. Some of last year's gardens are already out of control and until we can get those cleaned up, I'm reluctant to move ahead at my typical, Tasmanian Devil speed. Since few thought I'd be this far along, I'm pleased already.

Most gardeners would hardscape first but as I move along with this I'll bring in a friend with a cherry picker to place large stones where I decide I want them. I'll pick the stones to contrast with the way I do the hosta planting, color combinations, need for shadow, etc. and will go from there. Lots of times I ask peoples' opinions but on this garden I am the creator and the plan is in my mind, not on paper or a computer screen.

Karl has now scratched my leg about enough so we're out of here. If you have a chance, stop by the garden and take a look. I'll continue to post pictures now and again so you can see how this is progressing. I wish all of you could have seen the blue ribbon of native forget-me-nots that grew after I rototilled the fence line again this spring. Apparently they were in great abundance there some years back and the light activated germination. Click on the pictures and you should be able to see the wave. It is predominantly blue but also contains white and pink flowers.


Good gardening wishes!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm: A nice offering of common plants that grow well and make good gardeners and their friends smile!

Garden Fair

Saturday, May 16, 2009

A dreary night here on the mountain. The fierce winds have subsided and the rain falls straight down with a drumming sound on the standing seam roof. The office window screen is filled with water and my vision to the outside has become cataract-like and limited. Oh for evening sunshine!

Tuesday night I had a chance to visit an interesting garden. It included a woods walk to the crest of a mountain where the owner had planted a rock garden some thirty years ago. The garden had been left to its own some years back but the conifers prevailed and one nice planting included four jack pine. Just seeing them reminded me of the coast of Maine, a place I would like very much to retreat to for the balance of my life.

I have always pushed conifers aside, not because I don't like them as I really, really do. I have too many plant vices already and days grow short for me and some parts of my list never get done as it is. Conifers would take more time than I can spare although they would enhance every garden.

I waited at the top of the mountain for other visitors to pass as I wanted to look over the special pine, congratulate its size and enjoy its sprawling peace. Only here and there were residual cones from last year but it had the appearance of a bountiful harvest of cones and seeds come fall 2009.


The June issue of Downeast Magazine includes an ad for the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Garden Fair which is scheduled for June 19-21. This spectacular garden is located in Boothbay, Maine and their web site is http://mainegardens.org. If you do a quick search of my blogs you'll see past comments and pictures from 2007 when the gardens first opened. I wanted to go back last December to take some winter shots but never made it so this summer's visit will be real special as the gardens will show more maturity and the new Sensory Garden will be open. Something as simple as a jack pine can make your garden sing a new spring song. Give conifers a thought and if you are in Maine in June, try to squeeze in the Garden Fair.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the rain has quieted. Karl the Wonder Dog knows this as he is nudging my leg for an evening walk. Sometimes walking with him is better than Advil for this gardener's aches.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm A web site with hostas and daylilies wanting to move from our gardens to yours

Heavy Rains, Happy Mother's Day

Sunday, May 10, 2009

A cold morning here on the mountain with a slight wind and a rawness to the air that makes all of us want to stay inside for the morning. Karl the Wonder Dog apparently has an internal weather evaluator that suggests he continue to sleep in as I can hear him snoring in the other room. Usually he is already out and about but today is different.

The spring flowers continue to please us excepting that we can't find enough time to get out into the woods and enjoy the wild ones. The weather has been perfect for some beautiful displays of our native foam flower which I have noticed along the road on the way to the nursery. Years ago Gail got interested in tiarella, the hybridization of our natives, and at one point she had quite a collection. Last fall Michelle dug up and repotted those we were growing on in the lower garden and I noticed how well they looked the other day. They are slower to sprout forth than the natives but once they get going they are very nice. If you are interested in tiarellas, take a look at our shade plant section, Some Nice Shade Plants and scroll down to Tiarella. Yes, I know, I know, I should simplify this page so you can get right there but it takes time I don't have right now.

Spring bulbs are easy to come by although I am always amazed that people know little about them and ask to purchase some in the spring when they see them. Fall is a good time--actually any time after late August here in Vermont, and local nurseries often have good selections and mail order sources are plentiful. I always wanted to begin a collection of historic daffodils but once again that wish is simply on a list of scrap paper someplace now.




Today is Mother's Day and all mothers need a hug and a kiss and a thank you for putting up with us for so long. I've never seen a mother yet who didn't like a new potted plant, a bouquet or something for the garden, but the "thank you" is the important part.

Best wishes to all mothers!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Mr and Mrs Mourning Dove scour the ground in front of my office window looking for errant pieces of cracked corn kicked to the ground by wasteful blue jays. The feeder has been empty for weeks with the thought of prowling black bears but birds return in hopes of one last buffet.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm, a nice place to visit, virtually or in person. Mothers Day hanging baskets still available today

Spring Frosts

Sunday, May 3, 2009

A beautiful morning here on the mountain. The grass is frosted from last night's temperature but the sun rising above Peacham Pond is already beginning to melt the whiteness from along the house. I just returned from a brief walk with Karl the Wonder Dog and for the second day in a row marveled at the sight of a mature male osprey dive into the trout pond and come up with breakfast. It is a splashy affair when he hits and rises back with talons tightly clenched around a squiggling fish. I try to enjoy the glory and not remember that I paid $1.89 for that fish a couple years ago.

This is a busy time of year at the farm and days start at 5 and end well past that time on the other end. Weight loss is less of a problem as mixing soil in a 8 cubic foot wheel barrow with the repetitive back and forth motion of a hoe tightens muscles that need some work. My hands are beginning to callous up again and I start each day with a good coating of Bag Balm, that very old Vermont product originally developed for dairy cow udders and bags. Great stuff because it fights infection and heals cracked skin in a couple days. I usually have some for sale at the nursery for those who cannot find it although more general stores seem to stock the small sampler cans.

Although we are unpacking boxes, potting, planting, dividing, digging, rototilling, there's still time to enjoy the spring flowers. The little yellow crab spider above was having breakfast while surrounded by the various daffodils and narcissus, the scilla, corcus, hellebores and of course the array of wild flowers including erectum and grandiflorum trillium, the hepaticas, trout lilies and bloodroot.

I have to get going here but if you have a minute today, get out into the woods and see what is available. You can now get into Osmore Pond and that's a nice walk. Kettle Pond is open and the Lanesboro Road is passable. Owl's Head is a mile climb until Memorial Day weekend when the park opens but a walk up the hill, like me and the wheelbarrow of mix, are good for "spring tighening." Enjoy!

George Africa
The very busy Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm Our revised, ready to go website. If you cannot get out today, walk through our virtual tours....not bad substitutes.

Shade House on a Sunny Day

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Yesterday was a cold, damp, sometimes drizzly day and today was sunny, bright and 56 degrees with a stable wind that never let me really get warmed up. Both days shared one goal: to erect the new 30 X 60 foot shade house. This is the third shade house we own and every one has been purchased from RIMOL Greenhouse Systems in Hooksett, NH, 1-877-746-6544. RIMOL is the largest pipe bender in New England and although you can purchase from many other dealers, there's a good chance the pipe came from RIMOLs anyway. I figure if I buy a couple more I'll have the installation part down to a science. This one is the "squarest" yet and was actually more of a challenge to erect because the land slopes down to the Winooski River.

I started yesterday by getting the pipe layed out and some of the holes dug with the power auger. My neighbor Kim showed up about noon and in 4 hours we had the full house erected. Today I went back and added the stabilizers on each pole and tomorrow after work I'll go back and space those properly and tighten everything up.

There are a lot of variables involved in making anything square and it's just not a responsibility that you can force to go quicker. Measuring several times, using a level, eye balling up and down, back and forth all result in a better looking structure. I have to say that when the shade cloth is on and the house is full, about the only guy who can see the problems is the installer but just the same there are many reasons to do it right from the beginning.

This particular house will have the hosta overflow from the other two houses as well as all the astilbes, the actaeas, rodgersias, epimediums and astilboides tablularis. Gail is a "mover" when it comes to her displays and if things don't sell in one place, she moves them to a new location. This translates to some other plants ending up in the new house too.

The potted plants on the ground in the pictures are just beginning to show new growth. They need some rain or watering to get going but they spent last winter right about where you see them. In a week they'll all be lined up and accompanied by new products that will begin arriving next week. If you're out and about, stop by and say hello. We're not officially open yet but we always make sales and always offer advice.

Good gardening wishes!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm Our newly revised site with some great pictures and good gardening
ideas to help quell your springtime garden anxieties.

Spring Thoughts!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

April Fool's Day but here on the mountain we are not pranksters and we just sit and watch others in their small glories. We always seem to be too busy this time of year to get into that kind of spirited fun and this year we're more busy than ever. Gail is getting ready to take a load of clothes and durable medical goods to the Salvation Army and I have some construction work that has to get started. We're only a couple weeks away from transplanting time and we have to make good use of our time between now and then.

I just finished a phone conversation with the building supplier who wanted to schedule a tractor trailer with a 52 foot box trailer to make a delivery here. I cautioned him with an explanation of deep snow and thick mud and we mutually agreed three weeks from now would be more safe for the driver and us. Mountain life has different challenges than living along Lake Champlain where lake temperatures present a different weather set than here.

My last post about hellebores was more to encourage me to get through until real spring than to suggest we have them blooming here now. It won't be long but they are under lots of snow in the lower hosta garden. My thoughts are on what plants we have started so far and what is planned. Yesterday an order arrived with 50 astilboides tabularis. The order came a month early and I'm still thinking about what to do with them. If I had space in the fridge they'd be there but they really need to be planted. They are a great plant with 3 foot wide leaves over time like a plant from the Jurassic Age. The roots are dry now and the buds are thick so I don't have much time to reach a conclusion.

As I think about summer, I always think about how many new gardeners we saw last year and how many more we expect this year. Daylilies are a great flower to start a garden with because they are easy to grow and dependable. As I move on to other chores today, here are some more pictures of daylilies that you'll find at Vermont Flower Farm. Our website has a fresh new look so give it a try at http://vermontflowerfarm.com If you are one of the 18% of the US population who has a computer but must still use dial-up for a connection, remember that we have lots of pictures. Up top is Patio Parade, followed next down here by Jeune Tom.

Island Sand Dollar

Janice Brown

Jungle Beauty

Late Pink


Lady Fingers

If you have any gardening questions, need more info after looking at our site, or have any good recipes for hungry springtime gardeners, mail us at lilies@hughes.net. Gardeners make good friends and are always happy to share!

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where 46 degrees and a 21 mph wind take away thoughts of spring.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com
Vermont Flower Farm newly updated and better than most catalogs!

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