Sleepy Bloodroots

Friday, May 4, 2007

8:12 PM and although darkness is coming quickly now, I am pleased to be able to see the lower road from my office window. Nothing is moving outside and save for an occasional robin grabbing an after-dinner insect, the stillness is stop-frame firm. I like this time of year as the mornings come early and the evenings keep stretching what I can accomplish in a day.

After work today I opened a couple boxes of daylilies which arrived yesterday from Walters Gardens in Michigan. This is a wonderful nursery with one of the biggest selections of perennials around. They called on Monday and said the shipment would arrive by Fed Ex today. Gail planned accordingly but yesterday when Diana was here by herself, Mr. Fed Ex backed down the hill and unloaded 40 yards short of the driveway. There were 28 selections of daylilies, 8 selections of hostas and one order of an astilbe Gail likes named Veronica Klose. Diana helped unload the pallet and then moved all the boxes by cart to the driveway. It sure is nice to have people who know how to do a great job and Diana is one of those!

The first daylily I started planting was Shy Maiden, a special pink that customers will admire. We hadn't ordered daylilies from Walters before so I didn't know what to expect. Plants come packed in 25's and these were big roots and size equivalent to a couple-three fans. They were uniformly processed and packed in wood shavings inside a plastic bag. The box and the bag were both labeled. The plastic labels are most always packed separately and these were good labels with the plant variety at the top of the label. Last week we received an order with labels made for sticking into a preformed slot in a square pot like you see in big box stores or giant nurseries where stock is bought in already planted. The names are on the bottom which means that with our one gallon pots the name is buried and invisible. These are much better.

I finished planting Shy Maiden and then asked Gail if she'd like to go to the new property. I didn't tell her I had a special "find" that I wanted her to see. She agreed since she had to go to the store anyway and away we went.

All along the Winooski River there is new life sprouting. It happens this way every year and would probably be more advanced this year if it wasn't so dry right now. We parked the truck and climbed over the end of the stone pile and then walked along the river. The skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidas, was up about 6" tall. I like to photograph the leaves because they have such contrast with their ribs and veins and smooth surfaces. The light shines through at times and creates a neat picture. I have read that black bears love to feast on this green because it's the first abundant vegetable they can purge themselves with after winter hibernation. In my life of looking at skunk cabbage I've always looked for places where bears might have gobbled mouthfuls of leaves but truthfully I have never seen a missing leaf. The odor wouldn't bother a bear but just crunching a leaf brings on a perfume I wouldn't care to wear.

Just past the first set of skunk cabbage, the treasure I wanted Gail to see started. Tiny bloodroots were everywhere, tiny sleepy bloodroots. I had forgotten how late it was getting and the flowers were already closed on most of the plants. Sunlight struck an occaisional patch and they were still wide open for Gail to see. It was quite a treat. If we don't receive some rain soon they will not hold as long as I'd like. I could see bumble bees pushing their way between the petals to get to the yellow pollen and this made me think that bloodroot, February daphne, forsythia, and the pulmonarias represent the slim pickins bees and insects have right now. That will change in a couple days but for today, that's it.

Gail and I walked a bit but we had to go. We wanted to stay and look and dream about our new gardens but our current responsibility is getting everything planted and ready for mid May customers. If you were with us this afternoon, you would have enjoyed the walk too. Maybe some other time!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where darkness is thick and the music of Paul Simon and Roomful of Blues disrupts Gail's repeated attempts to ask me a flower question.


Gardening wishes for a nice weekend,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com

Eastern Spotted Salamanders

Sunday, 8:35 PM, April 30, 2007

Just as a follow up to my earlier post about the Amphibian Monitoring Program I wanted to show you some pictures of the salamanders I relocated last night. I really wanted to get out again tonight but we have high winds predicted and things are already swirling in good shape. The road I have to take is through Groton State Forest and the chance for downed trees is very good tonight. Cutting trees in the dark is not something I want to learn to do.

This first picture is of two Eastern Spotted Salamanders. The one in the front has a little note attached as I am questioning the blue spots. There are Jefferson and also Blue Spotted salamanders in Vermont and there are hybrids of those two. I wasn't aware that the Eastern (yellow) Spotted hybridized. Alex tells me "no" which means he listened to the lecture better than I did. He cannot, however, tell me how blue spots got on a Eastern (yellow) Spotted Salamander.

These salamanders get to be a foot long. The largest last night was 8.5" That translates to several years old but again I don't remember the exact ratios. I noticed that they don't mind walking all over their friends and fellow salamanders so they do have some human traits too.


When these guys walk, they can cruise right along but nonetheless they are very difficult to spot. When they do stop, they raise their heads but this is only half an inch off the ground so there's not a lot to perceive. If you pick them up and then place them back down they hold in a kind of lame posture with tail curled and head pointed down towards the ground. I was a little apprehensive when I picked up the first one as it turned its head toward my hand and I didn't know what to expect. Probably been around Karl the wonder dog too much. He always bites the hand that feeds him!


One time a reader commented that he enjoyed reading my blog even if I took a circuitous route to get to the garden topic. There's no garden issue with spotted salamanders but the fact is they are part of our environment. If we are good gardeners, we're always thinking about what lives where we garden. Sometimes the absence of certain things such as frogs or the presence of things such as long horn beetles I've never seen before, makes me think about how our environment is changing. Having a new piece of land to work at a new, much lower elevation will encourage us to look at new plant and animal relationships. If you have any questions or comments, let us know.

Karl wants to go out and the way the wind is blowing, I hope this is the last call for tonight.
Gardening wishes from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Wayfarin Strangers plays High On A Mountain ..........where the wind blows free...... and the spring peepers and wood frogs have already called it quits for the night.


George Africa

http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com

Spotted Salamanders, Amphibian Monitoring

Monday, April 30, 2007

A dark, gloomy day here on the mountain above Peacham Pond. The rain is pounding on the standing steam roof and only a kid like Alex could sleep through this kind of noise. Karl the wonderdog already greeted me in the office, looked out the window and went back to bed. He doesn't like the rain but this morning I think it's good to see. We have about 10,000 pots planted right now and they always can use some water. Water from the sky is easier on labor, time and cost than from a garden hose.

arrive from Today more delivery trucks come. I suspect that this morning the soil and supply truck will arrive from Tewksbury, Massachusetts. This is coming from Griffin Greenhouse Supply, one of the two big east coast suppliers. We have used them for years. I don't even want to think about the bill as petroleum prices have affected every single thing that comes to us.

Since buying this piece of property we have thought more about the environment and what's going on to the land we use. The fact that the Winooski River borders a piece of the land gave us a chance to get involved with others with similar interests. A few weeks back we went to a great lecture on amphibian monitoring and this weekend we figured it was time to do some night surveys. On the list of things to be on the lookout for are the Eastern Spotted Salamander, the Jefferson Salamander or hybrids of this and the Easterns, the Eastern Red Backed Salmander, the Easter Spotted Newt, the Wood Frog, Spring Peeper, American Toad and other frogs.

Friday night it looked like I'd be on my own as Gail and Alex had a busy day and Karl isn't all that good at spotting things at night. I made it as far as Owl's Head on Route 232 and then turned around and gave up. The fog was so thick that seeing to drive was enough of a challenge. Sarturday night after some rain I thought things would improve but the temeprature here plunged to 38 and the fog was again quite intense. Last night was different except that I still couldn't find any companions to help with the lookout. My proposed search area was the Railroad Bed East that runs from above MarshfieldVillage to Wells River. It's part of the old Montpelier to Wells River RR.

When I checked out the road yesterday morning it was passable. There were rough places with a few real bad spots made worse by the Vermont boys possessed to challenge their ability to get their trucks stuck in mud. The beavers had been working in different places but the wildlife staff seemed to have most under control.

Last night I found 4 Eastern Spotted Salamanders in the less than half a mile section I had ear marked for survey. I also found one American Toad who did not want to move out of the way, innumerable wood frogs and a bunch of spring peepers. Not having ever done this before I figured the frogs would see me coming and hop away but that's the problem, they don't. Although peepers and wood frogs go silent as you approach a vernal spring or other wet area they sing from, they are in their favorite environment then and they dive under the water. On land they remain motionless and this is how they become pancakes when traffic passes.

One of the most eerie parts of the evening was adjusting to the constant calling of the woodcocks which find the swampland on either side of this road a find place to reside. On a typical night they no doubt feed for worms along this roadbed but last night I interrupted their schedule. They flew back and forth over my head at high speeds and although I never saw one, I heard what sounded like hundreds. I'll have to mention this again to the Audubon folks who are currently surveying this block of Vermont.

Today will get busy real fast so I have to get clicking here. What I did last night was really enlightening and a side of nature you might never see unless you make the effort. Just walking a road in the middle of the night changes perspective. I need to get to the new land and do a similar night survey. If you get a chance, check out your own neighborhood and you might just be surprised as I was.

Wet gardening thoughts from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the absent snow uncovered the winter workings of just too many moles.

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com

Willows and Riparian Plantings

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Just after 6 AM and I already feel like I'm "behind" for the day. Arthritis has a way of slowing down even good gardeners and after helping plant 375 gallon pots yesterday, I can feel some unused muscles getting back into shape. My right hand has finger joints I can count by the degree of pain but after I get going here they'll loosen up and I'll be ready for another day of planting. I hope!

46 degrees here on the hill and probably colder down on the new property. I keep forgetting to buy a max-min thermometer to put down there so I can begin tracking the way the rise and fall of the Winooski River affects the temperature. There are good and bad points to having the river border part of the property. Its inherent beauty over weighs other points but the almost daily increase in water flow by about three feet is something I don't care for. Green Mountain Power owns a power plant on the Lower Cabot Road in Marshfield. Water from the watershed that includes Peacham Pond and the Marshfield Reservoir flow down along Route 2, up to the water tower and then down the hill through the pent stock to the power plant. Many afternoons after 2:30 the pent stock is opened and water rises rapidly. When that happens, more and more river bank is carried to Lake Champlain a little at a time. As you travel Route 2 and look towards the river, you notice oxbow after river oxbow washing out and it becomes clear how serious this is. The Friends of the Winooski River is sponsoring a guest speaker from Green Mountain Power May 9th and I'll be asking some questions about this problem. Here's the lecture info:

Hydropower on the Winooski River on May 9th at the Cabot Town Hall at 6:30 PM. Jon Soter, Manager of Power Production for Green Mountain Power will be the focus of the presentation on GMP's operations on the Winooski River. Jon will cover the company's overall operations and capacity. The presentation will also cover the historical development of hydropower as well as GMP's focus on other renewables such as windpower.


Regarding bank erosion I am going to do a little preventive work myself. When Gail went to the flower show in Essex earlier this year I asked her to buy me a couple bundles of pussy willows. There's always a booth that sells a large variety of different willows for spring home decoration. Few seem to know that if you stick them in water they'll root in short order and compound your investment if you have a place that needs planting. Gail came home with a bundle of yellow and a bundle of black willows which I gave a fresh cut to and placed in water. Willonw have an inherent chemical that makes them root easily. In fact many folks take willows and cut them in small pieces and throw them in a bucket of water with other harder-to-root items. The chemicals dissolve in the water and enhance rooting.

I took these pictures two weeks ago and at that time gave the whips another fresh cut and changed the water. The roots are twice this big now and are getting ready to put outside to harden off a little before planting. The yellow willows have thinner leaves than the native varities common to wet areas around Vermont. The black willows have interesting catkins.

The black willow bundle Gail purchased was a little more dehydrated than the yellow and have been slower to get started but this would not ordinarily be the case. Some catkins went into full bloom as soon as they hit the water. The raven feather I've included in the picture is only intended to show size as its 12" long. In another week or so I'll plant these along the river bank about 5 feet from the high water line. Just another way to keep Marshfield soil in Marshfield.


Have to get going here!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a fine rain falls and loons call from the reservoir but receive no replies from their friends on Peacham. Can loons hear when they are underwater having breakfast?

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com

Spring rains, spring wild flowers

Saturday, April 28, 2007

7 AM here on the hill. 42 degrees and foggy. A light mist is falling from above and two drenched mourning doves are pecking out the last millet seeds from the corners of the platform feeders.
Spring is here. I'm a little foggy myself as I was out last night on the amphibian monitoring program, walking the road with two flashlights that weren't strong enough to see anything but water logger night crawlers.

I don't know about you but when I get interested in a blog I go back often looking for new information and new stories. I get a little miffed when authors go on vacation or just drop out of sight altogether. I must admit I became one of my own "enemies" the past couple weeks for a variety of reasons. We've been helping with a piece of autism legislation in Montpelier, had a 90th b-day party for Gail's mother, spent the beauty of last weekend raking leaves, dawn to dust, and have had a slew of doctor and dentist appointments to get out of the way. We still have a week's worth of leaf raking but Alex and Gail helped me get the plastic on the greenhouse and now we're ready to pot plants no matter what the weather.


This time of year gets us sparked up and the hellebores and hepaticas now blooming in the lower garden bring an instant beauty that helps with the spark. The hellebores look terrible because of the way the weather cycle changed from January to a couple weeks ago but I can tell the second flush of flowers will be special. Right now there are three different colors in bloom and for once the foliage looks great.

There is some interesting work going on now with hybridizing hepaticas and I think in a few years this work will be introduced to the perennial gardening world. I can't site any hybridizers off the top here, as I have followed this interest on bunny hopping Internet cruises. Regardless, if you like this plant like Gail does, do some research.

Wednesday night Gail and I went to visit the new land. The Winooski River was up and roaring but the land was not as wet as we expected. The new driveway had settled in nicely and the $700 worth of manure delivered last fall shrunk to half the size and Gail's dismay. It's really ok as that's what happens with organic matter. In a couple-three weeks when we finish planting here, we'll attack the new gardens and dump tons of other organic material into the gardens we rototilled last summer. This is the time to take a quick look at this land as you drive by because things will begin to happen soon.

I mentioned last winter that I had found that the upper corner of the property we bought served as a staging area perhaps 30-40 years ago for road sand for the state and local highway crews. If you pass by now you can see an old road that staggers somewhat parallel to Route 2 and the Winooski River. It's more obvious now that I have cut out mountains of brush. It's on that first ridge that's I'll begin planting hostas in June.

This hosta picture is taken in our lower garden here on Peacham Pond Road but it gives a good rendering of what we plan for our new gardens. We want a large display of hostas which over time will begin to mesh together with different colors, heights and ripples. If you aren't used to this large a concept it may be hard to imagine but in five years it will be a show stopper and you'll have no excuse for not stopping. If you see me out working come the end of May, stop anyway and chat. I won't stop working but I won't stop talking either. Ask Gail.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where the loons call morning conversations to their friends in transit overhead. Seeing loons in flight is like seeing moose in Vermont. It may take a while but you'll be excited when it happens.

Spring gardening wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com

Winooski Headwaters Speakers Series

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

7:30 PM and the final daylight is fading quickly. It's so nice to look out the office window this time of year and view the field below, still covered with snow but changing dramatically each day. In the lower daylily nursery is a spade shovel left last fall when I was digging a late daylily for a late customer. "Autumn Prince" was the tall, floriferous plant just covered with buds. I can still see the high bud count and the +5 foot tall plants. I recall that the customer had just stopped to talk and spotted the blooms from the house and "had to have one". Tonight they are still sleeping, frozen solid, but a fine memory in my mind.

I made a trip to Rutland today after starting in Waterbury so every part of me is tired. I did want to mention the Friends of the Winooski River again (fwr@sover.net 866-683-7197). They have posted three events that you might be interested in. Since our new land borders the Winooski, I'm trying to keep involved.

Here are the announcements taken directly from the local Field Notes, Vol VII No. 8.

Invasive Species: Identification, Impacts and Management. Emily Seifert, Conservation Stewardship Manger for the Vermont Chapter of the Nature Conservancy will be the guest speaker. April 11th at 6:30 PM at the Plainfield Town Hall.

"Japanese knotweed, common buckthorn, and burning bush are just some of the species we'll discuss. Emily will cover what defines an invasive plant species, how to identify them, impacts they have on Vermont's environment, and steps landowners can take to control them."

This presentation interests me because i have been recognizing more and more invasives and trying to deal with them. A few years ago I added a page to our Vermont Flower Farm website. Take a look: Click Invasives

Hydropower on the Winooski River Jon Soter, Manager of Power Production for Green Mountain Power Corporation will speak May 9th at 6:30 PM at the Cabot Town Hall.

"While the focus of the presentation will be on the GMPs operations on the Winooksi River, Jon will cover the company's overall operations and capacity. The presentation will also cover the historical development of hyrdo power as well as GMP's increased focus on other renewables such as wind power."

I plan to attend this meeting to hear more about the power plant just off the Cabot Road leaving Marshfield Village up Route 215. GMP is said to be changing out the pentstock which brings water from Marshfield Reservoir so there will be potential changes to the entire environment in that area when this happens. I also want to gather more information on why they let the water out of the generation plant when they do. If river use is going to to be recommended, planners and users have to understand what it's like to be in the river with steep banks when a wall of water comes rushing down.

Aquatic Species of the Winooski Headwaters June 6th at 6:30 PM at the Old School House Commons in Marshfield, "Steve Fiske Aquatic Biologist for the Dept of Environmental Conservation will offer a combined presentation and field trip, weather permitting. A brief intro to the concept of biological integrity, and the biological condition gradient. A hands-on identification workshop of mussels and crayfish found in the upper Winooski watershed will be followed by a trip to the Martin Bridge to observe the Margetiffera population. Following the presentation, folks interested in helping to survey the upper Winooski and its tributaries over the summer for crayfish and mussels will meet to organize."

Have to try to make this presentation as it sounds like a good summer research/homeschool project for Alex. Sounds fun to me too.

And with these announcements completed , it's off to quieter times for me. The Winooski is an interesting river and its history is something we intend to study. If you know something you think we'd like to know, please call or write.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where black is the color of the night.

Gardening wishes;

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com

Amphibian Spring Migration

Thursday, March 29, 2007

A bright afternoon here at Vermont Flower Farm. There's still too much snow to get off Route 2 and onto the new property to begin spring chores. It shouldn't be much longer though as the wind is dropping the snow quickly and drying up the open areas.

I just checked the thermometers here and it's 36 on the east side of the house and 62 on the west. The way the wind gusts are striking, I'm sure it feels colder than it reads. Outside my window a male pine siskin is bending sideways on a large mullein stalk as he tries to peck the remaining seed from a nearby Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm'.

The snow will go quickly now and although it will probably return in a couple April storms, it's time to get on with spring. Historically the last couple weeks is the time when Vermont experienced big rain and snow storms and floods. Those were the times when lives and livestock were lost and many things floated down the river. Gail's mother remembers seeing a cow going down the Winooski River in 1936 and a weather channel from the Fairbanks Museum in St Johnsbury reminded us that last week in 1913 (Foggy on the recall on that date??) a whole log yard in White River washed south into the Connecticut River.

When the rains turn warm, other things begin to happen. Last evening Gail and Alex and I went to a terrific program at the Jaquith Library here in Marshfield. It was about the Amphibian Monitoring Program sponsored by the North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier. Larry Clarfeld of the Nature Center brought salamander guests and presented a super show about salamanders, frogs and toads and their spring migrations.

Larry will present next week on April 3d at the Aldrich Public Library in Barre and April 5th at the Roxbury Free Library in Roxbury. Programs at the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library in Williston and Maple Corners in Calais are being arranged. Next week's shows start at 7 PM and our family recommends you attend. If you have home schoolers in the house like we do, this is an excellent program to integrate. If your kids attend a school that isn't big on science (like one I know), this is a program that will challenge you out of your easy chair and into the outdoors. Further details are available at the Nature Center at 802-229-6206. This is a great program and you'll leave with excitment, lots of information and a new way to ribit-ribit. You might even want to participate in the monitoring program.

Yes, spring is here and soon we'll all be very busy. Yesterday morning at about 5 AM I spotted my first woodcock rising in front of the truck headlights like one of those verticle takeoff jets. It was a big one with a long bill very prominent even in the dull night light. Down the road close to RT 2 where I always see animals cross stood a most beautiful red fox. It leaped up over the right side of the road between two snowbanks and kind of hung in half levitated stillness as it's feet settled in the snow and it's eyes fixed on the headlights. It was bushy and alert and a harbinger for me of the day's tone.

This part of spring is a good time to take that last little rest as very soon the gardening chores will commence. If you live in central Vermont or close proximity, try to get to one of Larry's presentations. You'll come away with a better understanding of some very important parts of our environment which don't often get the attention they should.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where only millet seeds remain on the platform feeder, collected like steel filings moved into the corner by a strong magnet.....but really......just millet seeds waiting for the doves.

With spring wishes,
George Africa

http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com

Sugar Snow and Spring Thoughts

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Sunday morning and already past 7 AM. I have been sitting here since 5 reorganizing some of last year's pictures and getting a better set up on my various hard drives for this year. Taking pictures is the easy part but screening what you took and naming them is time consuming. I am not a photographer and hardly can take a good picture but the world of digital was made for me. You can shoot yourself silly and most always pick something that catches attention.

I've been busy for a couple weeks now with some autism legislation in Montpelier. The Vermont budget is a mess and funding is less than likely now. Legislators who vote against dealing with this need now are shortsighted for sure and will get bit hard from behind when they look at it again. Vermont is one of only two states with a two year term for governor and this impacts on any legislation.

So after some interruptions I believe strongly in, I'm just now able to get back to spring planning. Although it snowed last night, the sugar snow confirms that spring is really here. There will be some more cold nights and an April storm of 8"-10"-12" of snow is not uncommon but whatever it amounts to, it won't last long. I keep looking up at the thermometer on the shelf above my desk. I feel badly that it didn't go low enough last night for a good sap run today. It got below 30 last night for less than an hour and has been above freezing since midnight. The maple trees needed a hard freeze to run well today but here on the mountain, it just didn't happen.


Gail has been checking over our inventory from last year against her new orders and every once in a while I ask a couple "Did you order.....???" questions and the piles of paper start flying and one way or another I receive an answer. People come to visit us now accompanied by Excel spreadsheets listing everything they have and fancy layouts from landscaping software to show where everything is planted, from color to height to bloom time. One person comes with two trees worth of paper downloads from the Internet to ask why our prices are what they are and can't we do better. Gardeners sure do come in a interesting variety don't they?

The plan for this spring is that I help Gail and her crew get everything planted for this season here at Peacham Pond Road. Nothing will change here excepting that there will be larger quantities of some items. I figure we'll start planting in about 3 weeks and should be done by the end of May, first week of June. From there, I'll do a quick rehash of the amount of firewood I have down and drying for next winter and then I'll begin work on the new property. Everyone has priorities! The perimeter fence goes up first and then I'll begin building a tool shed and planting the front display garden.

Gail is finalizing the design for the first display garden you'll see as you enter the new property. It will be 200 feet long by 10 feet wide. There will be a split rail fence the entire length and set about 7 feet in from the parking area. I want to get this planted first so it displays well next year when we are finally open for business there. Drawing fancy pictures is the easy part but turning clay soil into workable loam takes time.

I always ask myself why my springtime thoughts already give me the feeling that we're behind before we start but that's what happens to all gardeners when spring arrives. A list works well for us and we review it often and feel good when items can be crossed off. Life is complicated for everyone now days and this next couple years will be a real challenge for us. Visit us often, either by web or in person and lend kind words and happy smiles. We'll need lots of both!!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the mud is getting deep and the robins have arrived at our 1530 foot elevation, scratching some form of breakfast this morning from underneath the white pines.


Spring gardening wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com

9 Great Display Gardens, 9 Display Daytrips

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Already heading for 8 PM and the rain is pounding the standing seam roof. The thermometer was 51.8 just minutes ago and now it has dropped to 47.1. The piles of snow left by tired shovelers and the Chevy and the snowplow are now slouching into smoothed off mounds three quarters of their original size. My feelings are not hurt by the snow's departure but I know too well that it is false hope that in a week grass will show and spring will arrive.

Gail and I have been busy the past couple weeks and the two blogs have suffered. I was heartened to receive an e-mail asking if I was ill because my writing had diminished. It's not for lack of wanting to write but I have been writing to a different audience of late.

There are two pieces of legislation in Montpelier which are dear to Gail and me because they involve autism. There is such a lack of understanding of autism that we have been trying to help people improve their knowledge. All that takes time. I have written to the members of both the House and Senate Education Committees, all the bills' sponsors and then other key legislators I know.

Asking for support is an interesting concept and I cannot imagine what it's like even in a small state like Vermont to represent people and be obligated to open their email every morning or night. Clearly if you want to do a good job you have to ask questions and listen to answers. What I do not understand yet is committees seem so burdened by the large number of bills that they are less desirous of hearing from the people affected by the legislation. Yesterday one of the committees took testimony from a single person. I don't know him so I shouldn't comment but from my perspective he didn't have all the facts. This may have left the wrong impression with the people who must vote and it means self appointed lobbyists have to try to fill in the spaces that were question marks.

Here at Vermont Flower Farm I get to vote on things I like and I always hope that I make good decisions. You learn things when you operate a business and some things come by making mistakes. Color is a good example. Gail and I always offered flowers in colors we enjoyed. We soon learned that it's more important to offer what people want and will buy than what you want to see. We've changed the palette in recent years and it will certainly change every year from now on.

If you haven't been to Vermont Flower Farm before you will find that we're located on a dirt road in the middle of no where. Once you're here you'll probably be in awe and will return time and again, will tell your neighbors and bring your relatives. It's the "getting here" which is the challenge and that's why I added the Virtual Tours to our website years ago so folks could make the visit visually before they decided to make the trip. To see what I mean, go to http://vermontflowerfarm.com and click on one of the Virtual Tour options.

Businesses use a lot of different tactics to get and keep customers. Gail figures that there's a three year turnover in customers meaning that a new customer today will probably make significant purchases for two more years. Then they will continue to revisit annually but will make smaller purchases in subsequent years. Since many customers are 40 years old and older, the timing to all this is important.

Advertising is very expensive so if you get a chance to appear in any publications, the opportunity brings big smiles. This past week the March-April Issue of Vermont Magazine hit the shelves with its Scenes of Spring addition. Vermont Flower Farm was real pleased to be one of the gardens featured in a very nice article by Kate Carter named 9 Display Daytrips. Kate offers a lead-in which says "Vermont's picture-perfect display gardens soon will be in bloom. Visit one or all of these to admire their outdoor artistry--and gather inspiration (and information) for your own artistic display"

Vermont Magazine is published bimonthly through the talents of Editor-in-Chief Joe Healy. Pick up a copy if you get a chance or try their website for additional information. The pictures are special ....just like Vermont.

And as for special, so is author and photographer Kate Carter. We've mentioned before how much we like Kate's book Wildflowers of Vermont. She has recently released another book to slip into another pocket before you head out for a nice walk. It's Shrubs and Vines of Vermont. When the snows melt and the temperatures warm, we'll do a little review for you. In the meantime stop at your favorite store and pick up your copy. Kate will be happy and so will you. As for me, I was in Borders in Burlington last week and I had my eye on the last copy in the Vermont section. A customer was reading it page by page and then put it back on the shelf. I reached to grab it up and she changed her mind and I was left Shrubs and Vineless. Hope you fare better!!

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where the temperature is back down to 48.2 and the rain has let up.

Spring gardening wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://vermontgardens.blogspot.com

Garden Links

Saturday, March 10, 2007

4:40 PM and 40 degrees here on the hill. The warmest it's been for weeks. The rain started about an hour ago and continues falling lightly. The power company truck just went by so I am assuming the wind that preceeded the rain knocked a tree over on the main line. Our electricity comes down the hill from Route 232 but everyone below us receives theirs from Peacham and it comes up from the pond. I'm not into electricity and don't know if this makes sense but that's how it works here.

Today's picture is of some chain links I found one day while digging in the lower shade garden. I was making some holes for new hostas and my shovel made a clanging sound as the middle of my right foot dug deeply into the top of the shovel and reminded me of a pain I don't want to feel again. We call it the lower garden but it's really a garden within an old barn foundation. It's going to be difficult to replicate at the new site come spring because there are so many special stones involved. There's also quite an accumulation of leftover hardware common around old New England foundations. I have yet to find something really interesting but I have uncovered everything from the front grill from an old car to a tractor radiator to a couple buggy seats. There's a fairly large wagon seat coming to the surface ever so slowly and perhaps this will be the year I'll have to dig the perennials out of it and get it out of the walkway. Frost is a powerful force which does what it wants when it wants.

I just kind of tossed the large links on the corner of the foundation and they have only moved once in several years when a fairly small kid decided they needed to be rearranged. I rearranged his thinking about my garden and they haven't moved since.

As you look at the size of some of the stones which farmers have moved in Vermont, you have to be amazed. One stone in the headwall of our foundation is over 8 feet in width and who knows how deep. It's granite so it weights something like 165 pounds per cubic foot so it's really heavy. Chains like these were probably a part of getting it into place. Manpower, horses or oxen no doubt contributed too.

Links like these remind me of the sturdy garden links which build a fine Internet for us to enjoy. I am trying to add links to this blog as I find them so if you have any that you think I should include, please pass them along.

I stopped at the Cabot Store this afternoon and Aileen reminded me that there was no absence of snow at our new property. It's funny how quickly word gets out when you decide to start something new. She apparently watches what's happening there just as I watch the Winooski River now that we own a piece of property that adjoins it.

Wednesday afternoon on the way home from work I was as happy about what I saw by the river as I have been for some time. En route to Twinfield H.S. from Plainfield and in the field on the right just before the big red barn was a mature bald eagle pondering a dead deer. I almost reconfigured my truck when my eyes left the road which they shouldn't have. Another car was pulled off to the side confirming the importance of my sighting.

I wish my friend Eric from Massachusetts was around to witness this. He might want to tell me bald eagles don't eat deer but I didn't imply that....only said the eagle was sitting by the deer. I've seen eagles before but not in large numbers as they are just beginning to accept Vermont. I'm not sure why Vermont has been a hold out for them as the state has no native population unlike the rest of the country. I just wish that this summer I'll be able to see this same eagle sitting on the old butternut tree where I have seen a great blue heron and an osprey several times this summer. That would make our new land very special!

I have to get going here with a fish chowder I committed to making earlier today. The way the rain is falling now, it seems like a good meal for tonight.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the sky is black and the power crew just headed back up the road.

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com

Morning Warning: Vermont Flower Show

A beautiful morning and a reminder of a weekend change in weather. I'm busy here for a few days redoing a bathroom. Just the same I want to remind everyone that the Vermont Flower Show opens tomorrow at the Champlain Expo Center in Essex. Here's the website. This is an incredible show for a state this size and it's worth the visit. The theme this year is Walk on the Wild Side. All kinds of great events, lectures, displays.

I'll be sweating joints and playing with teflon tape but Gail and friends from the Marshfield Inn and Motel will be walking the garden paths and enjoying a tour away from the deep snows of Washington County. I hope that you'll join them sometime tomorrow through Sunday. The Vermont Professional Horticulturists Association does an incredible job!

With kind garden thoughts from the mountain above rock solid Peacham Pond,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com

Mindful Hosta Plans

Thursday, March 1, 2005

5:45 PM and I just got off the phone with a person I cannot understand who told me that the problems I have been having with a Yahoo listserv are widespread and don't worry about it. It has occurred to me that I can't recall when in my life I first heard "They're working on it." but that is a phrase often exploited now. Hughes, our satellite broadband supplier, was chosen from a choice of one and I'd say they are about as good as any. Tonight I was transferred to their level three tech support where I was provided with a description of how my problems are being handled. If you know me personally, you alreay know how I got to level three and what my attitude is after hearing this absurd description of the problem. I guess if it involves a satellite 26,000 miles from here, there's not much I can do.

Gail and I have been mapping garden strategies for our new gardens on Route 2 and it's been a lot of fun. Everyone has their special way of doing this but Gail likes big sheets of paper devoid of restriction and lacking any formal scale. Sketch after sketch flows off her pencil and when she finishes I always make one of those "How'd you do that?" faces. This girl is good and she doesn't have any landscape academy initials after her name. If she did, she wouldn't use them anyway as they are pretentious to her---downright meaningless.

Last fall we rototilled some gardens in the main field and we have outlined what needs to be done this summer. We'll figure out a weed and grass erdication plan and then rototill the entire perimeter of the land. On the external face of that perimeter I'll install an extruded plastic fence for deer control. I haven't figured out how to deal with the Route 2 perimeter yet as I want it to look open and inviting to people but not deer.

I have already begun trimming dead trees along the Winooski River and under every bit of shade that remains, we'll plant hostas and their complimentary companions. Customers have grown to enjoy the lower shade garden here on Peacham Pond Road and it's compactness will be difficult to replicate in the first year or so by the river. A couple years back I saw a real nice presentation at Fieldstone Perennials in Maine and I'd like to use the same model. They prepared deep gardens parallel to stone walls and then planted hostas which as full grown specimens made any gardener stop in awe. With time, we can have that same large plant, widely spaced show. We'll move some of our larger hosta clumps and will plant 3-4-5 of other varieties to get some good clumps started. It still takes a good 3-4 years for this method to pan out but from that point on, growth is eyecatching.

Now that tax time is over for us, we'll take the sketches Gail prepares, check our inventories and then make metal markers for all the plants we intend to get in the ground next year. We use the markers available from EON or Paw Paw and then make weatherproof labels using clear Avery Labels printed on our old HP Laser printer. These stand up well for years. It eliminates any confusion later on if you have the plant stake ready at planting time. .....ask us if we learned this the hard way.

New gardens are just that and they'll require lots of compost and other amendments. We still don't know where all the physical energy wil come from to operate two locations at the same time. Gail has a crew that seems willing to keep coming back and that's a real nice feeling. If I stop for just a minute I can hear the laughter that comes from these gardeners who just keep plugging away in about any kind of weather because they enjoy each others company and they enjoy working with plants.

Right now I can smell a nice haddock dinner calling and that's something that shouldn't be delayed.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the temperature is holding a steady 26.1 for the third hour now. This is putting us on notice that the storm is approaching. The plow is on the truck and there's a shovel by each door.

Garden planning wishes,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com

Designing Your Product Choices

Friday, February 23, 2007

I've been away for most of the week and just getting back home finds me facing a long list of things in various states of completion. I had to stop at the wood stove store in Montpelier and gets some advice on a cleaner for the Vermont Castings stove we have. It's building up some creosote inside the wood box and I don't want to see that continue.

The salesman at the store said he worked at Vermont Castings back when it was a start up and customer service had 50 employees. Gail worked there at about that time I think. When I picked out what I needed, I looked over the new Defiant enamel coated stoves. Lots of new features but the price tag of $2900 is a little difficult to take. I think I'd go the outdoor furnace route before I made that big an investment for a new interior stove. That kind of money makes you study a little more.....at least it does with us.

As I drove home, the wind was coming up steadily and snow was blowing off the top of the snowbanks and straight across the road. Visibility wasn't good in places and it was good to get closer to home. En route I was in a line of traffic coming into Marshfield so I had no choice but to slow down and look at the new land, complete with three feet of last week's fresh snow. It was quite a site. The snow erases lots from the canvas of the land but it still affords a look at the high and low points. I'll have to get back this weekend and take some pictures because I'm in the mood to begin planning the hosta gardens.

When your are thinking about starting a nursery, you should really do a little market research first.There's no sense growing something that is either not in demand any more or is readily grown by others, or produced cheaper than you'll have to sell it for. When we moved our gardens to Marshfield from Shelburne, Gail and I decided to slow things down to 3-4-5 plant groups from the dozens we had been growing before. By reducing the scale, it forced us to learn our numbers better and we've never forgotten those lessons. Things would probably look different now if we had learned the importance of numbers years earlier.

Hostas are plants which we have grown for years. It was only in more recent years when the hosta bug got me that we got more and more carried away with the number of varieties we grew. They are a great example of an approrpriate plant to sell in Vermont right now because they are receiving fine publicity in gardening magazines. Since Vermont is reported to be the third shadiest state in the continental US, this plant is even more appropriate. These are things you can market as you talk to customers and these comments do sell plants.

Hostas are not readily available at Vermont nurseries.....well....... I shouldn't say they aren't available, but should say there are fewer than a couple dozen varieties typically available. This translates to good sales and a customer base which grows quicker than normal once people know you have an above average selection for sale. Over the past few years we have ramped up to over 150 varieties for sale and that is a fare selection for a state without a lot of commercial hosta growers.

When you settle on any product to sell in your business, you have to understand the supply chain. Now days people come to know a business for certain items and if they see something once, they might not buy it that time but they expect to be able to make a purchase later. The supply side of gardening is important because you want a good quantity of anything you advertise or list on your web page. You have to track this carefully because if you sell out, it's difficult to get back-up stock at diffferent times of the summer. Since it's also a lot cheaper to reproduce your own plants instead of buying them in, growing and reselling them, you have to have plants in various stages of market readiness. With hosta, there's great variation in the time from planting to plants being market size so there's lots to learn and remember.

One thing we stick kind of close to is the surveys which the American Hosta Society does each year. Members are asked to rank hostas and we try to grow close to the rankings, knowing that the list will appear in garden magazines and people will want what they become familiar with.

How people pick plants for their garden is an interesting thing and deserves some study. Some people do it by color, some by height, some by alphabet. Some people buy every plant they can find by specific hybridizers and some come with the annual populatiry poles and start at the top of the list and buy towards the bottom until they get what they want or fulfill their financial quota for the day. You have to be prepared for this behavior and take advantage of it.

There's more to growing hostas for sale than I can quickly write here but here are a few summary thoughts worth remembering. Hostas are available from hundreds of sources on the Internet. There are some great wholesale level growers out there and it just takes a little time on the Internet to determine where to buy. Some companies are one-person shows which grow their own stock, sometimes including their own registrations. Those people might be a tad more expensive but typically give really good stock.

There are tissue culture labs which crank out flats of hostas in plugs by the thousands. They still command a good price even though the hostas are small and might require another year or two before being market ready. There are companies which sell in quart on up to gallon pots and their are wholesalers, predominantly from Europe which sell large divisions of bareroot field grown stock. It doesn't take long to learn the places and the prices which make you happy. We purchase from a mix of such places but we try to go to some of the smaller guys similar to our operation. One of those "help your fellow man" things.


The knowledge you have about your product is critical to the success of your business. The considerations we suggest about hostas can be transferred to other plants and other products. Once you know how to grow a certain plant and want to offer it for sale, think through the issues we described.



The wind must be gusting to 25 or 30 mph right now as it pounds against the house. A long day on the road has made eyes cross and I think it's a bigger issue than the greasy finger print on my left eyeglass lens. Rest in the prone position sounds great.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where "rest" is synonymous with "nice"....at least for tonight.

With garden planning wishes,

George Africa
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

New England Grows, VFF Grows!!

An even zero degrees here at Vermont Flower Farm this morning. The sky has a smoke grey tint as the sun rays reluctantly shake off last night's sleep and reach for the top of Hooker Mountain and surrounding ridgelines. The temperature will begin dropping any minute now but I expect it will be a nice day.

Gail just headed out with Karl the wonder dog. She seems to always end up talking with someone passing by the place no matter what time of year it is. This is the time ice fishermen speed by. They're in a hurry to get to Peacham Pnd and find a parking space as close to the ice as they can. Within less than half an hour we'll be able to hear the burr-r-r-r of ice augers cutting holes for tip ups. Peacham Pond has a population of brown trout that's not half as respectable as it was when we first came here but fish and water quality is yet another discussion.

Hands down, Vermont is a great place to live and garden. It's the best in our book. Nonetheless, if you are going to operate a business now days, you have to keep current on what your industry is doing. The Internet is a fantastic way to learn what's going on but you need professional opinions and you need to see what people are doing outside of Vermont. Many businesses in this state have excellent products but until the market external to Vermont is developed, the true potential is often unknown.

Anytime people stop and ask for help about starting a new business I tell them to get reading. I have no idea how many magazines I read in a month but winter time is catch-up time and Gail and I read constantly. From spring on it's difficult to read much and magazines stack up waiting for winter to approach and the comfort of the woodstove and the wing back chair.

The green industry produces mountains of magazines. Many are free, some are expensive, some in between. One great idea from a $50 a year subscription pays for the annual cost and more. That's the way you have to think about magazines. An Internet search can get you going and after you're established for a while, new offers will frequent your e-mail or mailbox.

Branch-Smith Publishing is "big" in the horticultural world and puts out 4 magazines that are quite good. Greenhouse Production and Management, Garden Center, Nursery Management and Production and Garden Center Products and Services will get you started. Ball Seed Company and Ball Publishing produce Green Profit and that's free too. Meister Media Worldwide produces Greenhouse Grower, and Scranton-Gillette Communication puts out Greenhouse Product News and a number of other lawn and garden magazines. These are professional magazines and meant for the trade. They are published through trade advertising and provide a nice monthly summary of what's going on.

We subscribe to American Nurseryman too and think it's a good investment. It is published 26 times a year and has a good cross section of plant material stories, the latest in insect invaders and possible controls and timely articles about new trends. It always features successful nurseries and greenhouses and that's very important too.

There's nothing like a trade show to jump start your mental energies and New England Grows in Boston is an annual show of great merit. This past year it won another award for it's rapid growth as an industry leader. The show was this week at the Boston Convention and Exhibit Center and it was well worth the trip and the entrance fee. There were over 700 vendors present and the show catalog couldn't have said it better "One Show, A Million Ideas".

It's 198 miles from here to the convention so the trip affords time to think about plans for the coming year. I always make a mental laundry list of vendors I want to speak with and I include things that I want to see first hand that I've only seen in magazines before. In addition to the displays there are ongoing lectures and demonstrations which put you in touch with some of the finest information specialists in the business.

In coming weeks I'll write about some of the things I saw at the show. I noted some great new nursery stock tempered for New England's varied climate, new hosta varieties, perennials with exiciting new leaf color and texture, and some interesting specialists growing plants for forest, river and wetland restorative planting. In the meantime, if you're not a garden magazine subscriber, stop at a good bookstore and try People, Places and Plants Magazine, Fine Gardening, Garden Gate, Horticulture or any of the many special issue releases on garden design. I'm not sure that these will conjure up a million new gardening ideas but they will certainly help you reevaluate your current gardens or help design the ones you've only been thinking about.


Writing from the mountain above PeachamPond but thinking about our new endeavor along the Winooski River on Route 2 in Marshfield.

With gardening thoughts,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com

Hollyhocks

Monday, February 5, 2007

Gail is in the kitchen putting together a turkey pot pie, Karl is snoozing in front of the wood stove like only a wonder dog can, and the only birds left on the feeder at 4:30 PM are Juncos. The wind is blowing so hard that even their little feathers are heading every which way as they peck at the millet seed. The sun is sinking and so is the temperature which is now at 3 below. No idea how low it will go tonight but the wind today was just brutal. I'm sure the wind chill was below zero all day.

This time of year I make myself go through thousands of pictures taken during the summer. I'm learning to take pictures and have a long way to go so I take lots of pictures. I try to give a self critique during winter when there's no one to hear my comments but me. At work today, someone asked me if we grew hollyhocks. I gave my stock answer "Buy a pack of seeds." which no one believes, and then I did the obligatory explanation which no one wants to hear. I explained that these plants have a fibrous root system, are susceptible to years like this one with lots of freeze-thaw-freeze, wet,wet,wet, frozen. When the person got to the "Maybe I can find some plants at WalMart next spring" I brought the conversation to a quick stop and got on with other things. I didn't want to share my thoughts and mumbles about Wal-Mart with someone I didn't know very well.


Hollyhocks have been with us for a long time. Every farmhouse back door, barn milking parlor entrance, outhouse in New England probably had hollyhocks in close proximity at some time in the past. People in my generation and older remember these beauties and if they see any in our display gardens, they want some. Our problem is we don't grow them to sell and don't plan to start because the root system is typically frail for the size of the plant which develops over time. If you can find a place that grows them in deep, narrow pots such as tree band pots used to grow tree seedlings, you might stand a chance. In contrast, a package of seeds in fairly plain ground will do very well. Being a biennial it will take this season into the next to see some flowers but if they like your soil enough to dig their feet in, you'll have them for some time. They self seed nicely and produce enough new plants from seed that even bad winters/springs don't knock them all out.


Years ago I got into this dried flower thing and I decided to give hollyhocks a try. I gathered flat boxes and mixed borax and cornmeal with a little fine sand and used that as a drying agent. It worked very well and the flowers stood up nicely when completely dried. I can't recall the proportions but 50-50 on the Borateem/cornmeal will do just fine. The borax leaves the flowers with a residual insect chaser which is kind of nice.

Hollyhocks are part of the "bones" of many gardens because they grow tall and bloom for a long period of time. We intend to plant them in the new gardens along the fence lines so the masses of color help paint a backdrop of color visible from Route 2. This plant has a couple less than desirable traits which make planting as a backdrop a more sensible idea. Hollyhocks lure Japanese Beetles from near and far. In short order the beetles eat holes into the large leaves and make a mess of the plant. The flowers still stand out but in a close garden setting they just aren't pretty anymore. Hollyhocks also get a rust which stains the leaves before they begin to brown, blacken and curl up. Cornell University has a good fact sheet Hollyhock Rust: Puccinia malvacearum. It describes the rust and treatments. Neem is an organic product which apparently is helpful but you have to tap your savings account before buying any.

Despite a couple shortcomings, these are a nice flower that will stimulate lots of conversation. They are widely used as the subject of paintings. Georgia O'Keeffe painted a black hollyhock over 70 years ago, long, long before Alcea niger became popular on the American market. About eight years ago I purchased a couple hollyhock prints at the Laudholm Craft Festival in Wells, Maine. I'm vague on the artists names now and over time the prints have faded a bit, hung in too much light. Schott and Gallant are coming back to me but I'm not as clear on the names as I am clear on the beauty of these flowers. During what's left of Winter 2006-7, maybe you will want to research the varieties and purchase some seeds for spring planting. If you do, they'll look really nice in 2008.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where 24/7 cold has grabbed tightly to Vermont for the next 4-5 days to come. Warm drinks, comfortable chair, toasty fire, and garden catalogs will get you through. Hollyhock......Alcea.........Nice.


George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com

Organizing a Company

It's a beautiful morning here on the hill, 5.6 degrees with a mild wind that reminded me to tuck in my shirt when I took Karl the wonder dog for his morning walk. It was a short walk for him, his choice, but it gave me long enough to notice the stars turning off for the night as the sunlight grew stronger from the east.

Sun rises tell me it's time to get moving. A sunrise as beautiful as this morning's encourages a good attitude and a good day. Some folks even get fanatical about sunrises, traveling back to certain places, taking pictures and movies....that kind of thing. My favorite place other than Vermont is Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park in Maine. There's something special about sitting on that granite mountain and looking towards the harbor and the ocean and watching the sun. Here in Vermont, Cabot Plains is an easily accessible place with great sunrises and sunsets. Good or bad, you cannot question your sense of beauty when you can often hear shutters close on nearby cameras of all sizes.

Sunset isn't on my mind today, finishing our 2006 taxes by sunset is. I already have some other commitments at both ends of the day so I may not make my goal...... but I'll be close. It keeps reminding me that my last post Tax Time Beckons didn't explain sole proprietorships and limited liability companies. I should have mentioned them.

If you decide to put together a nursery business, or any other business, you need to register the business within your state. Choosing business names is a topic in itself. A name that is available for use within your state and on the Internet, and a name which any number of people don't already use in other states has to be considered. Many people have this thing about names and pick the name first, forgetting that it may already be taken. A business card with your name on it is nice, but a business card does not a business make.

In Vermont the Secretary of States Office is very well organized, consumer friendly, Internet oriented and just plain helpful. You can even find a real person to talk with by telephone. Their site has a database of registered names so you can begin to see if your name makes sense. As I say, this is a topic in itself but the process has to be respected.

For some reason people including a lot of paid business consultants think that small business translates to sole proprietorship. I don't agree. In today's age I feel that you have to protect your business as well as your other valuables and to that end a limited liability company is the way to go. Although attorneys may charge $300-$400-$500 to do this for you, in Vermont the process and form are readily available on the Internet on the Secretary of State site. I suspect this may hold true in other states too. Starting this year you can even file annual reports and make annual renewal payments on-line.

An LLC separates your personal and your business resources so if the business runs into financial difficulty, it is clear what goes with what. Something to think about for you but not really a choice as far as I am concerned. No one likes the thought of financial distress or being sued for a business related event. We seldom hear of problems in Vermont but it's more prevalent than you think and is important to be prepared for anything.

If you're interested in a nursery business, and live in the east, there's an event this week that you have to consider. New England Grows is a three day trade show held annually at the convention center in Boston. I shouldn't just say convention center, it's the one off 415 Summer Street. This is a fun show with over 600 exhibitors and daily presentations about relevant nursery topics. It's the single best place to find out who sells products you need for your business. It's also the place to meet people face to face, find out what's new and get other folk's opinions on challenges you will face.

If the entrance price seems steep, you may not have been to a show lately. Just pay the price as it will pay dividends over time. Also remember to keep your receipts and travel info as it's all tax deductible. Oh yes, don't forget a good pair of walking shoes and in the first hour pay attention to places to sit down. At some point you'll want a break and it might just be at the same time everyone else has the same idea. The show runs Tuesday through Thursday. Say hi if you pass me on the floor.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond, where the sun is up and the temperature is down. That happens most days but is more noticeable in winter.

Good Gardening thoughts,

George Africa
http://vermontflowerfarm.com
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com