Busy and Blooming

Ideally, at least once a week I would submit something horticulturally interesting and educating to this blog. I am grateful to be incredibly busy right now, but the people waiting for their pots to be planted (not to mention seeds I MUST get in the ground) come first.

Saturday morning was the first day at farmers' market in St. Johnsbury. After setting up with Rose I returned home and was then picked up by Ed Smith to participate in a one hour radio call-in show about gardening. I was surprised by the number of questions that came in - and the fact that I could answer most of them.

Despite the late spring, everything in the greenhouse has been blooming right on schedule. Here are two of the new introductions.

Calibrachoa Minifamous Double Amethyst

Double Wave Red Petunia

The double wave is quite spectacular and surprising. I'm not so crazy abut the fact that once the bloom has gone by it really needs to be removed, unlike other petunias grown from cuttings. Those blooms just kind of shrivel up and disappear. These are so full I don't think that's going to happen.

Business is booming here, which is a fortunate thing, as the fuel bill averaged $500 a WEEK in March and April. It will take a lot of six-packs to cover that expense!

I have had some of the same customers for 20 years, so there has been much hugging going on in Cabot. Gardeners are good people.

The Greenhouses are Open!

It is way past time to get new photos up on this blog. The plants in the greenhouses are doing great and if anything, are a bit ahead of schedule. But outside we are 2 - 3 weeks behind when it comes to digging perennials and getting plants potted and laid out.

Last year the ice out at Joe’s Pond was April 5; this year it was April 27, a good indication of the difference between the two seasons.

We officially opened Sunday and the weather was lovely. Next weekend is Mother’s Day and I hope there are a lot of appreciative children out there in a flower-buying mood, as we have lots of blooms ready.





I have a huge soft spot for violas and pansies.



Some of the perennials that we over wintered in pots, like the above columbine, are blooming already.



'Dark Eyes' has always been the most popular fuchsia and it is the hardest for me to size up, but this year the fuchsias are huge and walking down that aisle is like being in a blooming tropical forest.

At the moment some of our perennial gardens are swamp-like and I am hoping those plants will survive until we can get in there with our shovels.

Meanwhile, I am giving an illustrated talk (and plants as door prizes) Tuesday, May 10, at 6:30 in the Cabot Public Library about "new" perennials and annuals for the northern Vermont gardener.

Spring (?) in Northern Vermont

Last year in the beginning of April we were two weeks earlier than normal. This year the weather has put us at least two weeks later than usual. The photo below is our "pansy house." Normally we would have the sides unrolled, tables set up and be filling it up with our hardier annuals. Those bulges in the plastic along the ridge line are huge chunks of solid ice. Until they melt we can't get the darned thing set up.

Our largest greenhouse is packed to the gills, and we have to move plants somewhere, so we are putting them into the "geranium house" where we managed to get the sides down, but it still has snow on the floor, as you can see by the photo below.




Meanwhile the big greenhouse is packed and the plants are happy for the time being, but we are pinching and are going to have to spread things out soon.


The plants in the greenhouse do not know we are having a colder than normal spring outside and they are growing in leaps and bounds. I'm excited about most of the new varieties and will post photos in the next blog.

The 2011 Gardening Season

I have closed my various online vintage clothing selling sites and have changed my answering machine to say "Amanda's Greenhouse," so for me, the season has started. Fortunately, no cuttings were delivered in the beginning of the week, because we had a major snow storm. Doubly fortunate is the timely return of my 31-year-old son who went from balmy weather in Guatemala to shoveling paths in the snow for his Mom.

The big concern is the fuel bill. I have a 300 gallon tank that needs to be filled with oil every week for a while. Over the years I have managed to keep my prices low. We'll see how things work out. Meanwhile, seeds are sprouting, cuttings are being delivered at an alarming rate and the workload looks unsurmountable. The again, I always feel that way this time of year.

My Winter Activities

I have two great loves - gardening and vintage clothing and accessories.




The above earrings and pin are on ETSY


I am fortunate to pay my bills through gardening and my business is at my house.The downside is that from April through September I have no privacy. A constant parade of people come into my house, which is almost eligible for the “Hoarders” TV Show.

Fortunately my customers are great and my “employees” are all good friends.

Whenever I shop during the summer, I try to visit thrift stores or yard sales as well. And some of my customers trade vintage items for gift certificates. So I am always on the hunt. During the winter I sell these items online using eBay, ETSY and Artfire. My goal is to sell enough to pay for the internet and associated services for the year.




The above 1970's velveteen jacket is on ArtFire.



And I recently sold the neat art deco 1930s necklace (above) on eBay. On Etsy and ArtFire my selling name is "VintagefromVermont."

On eBay I am AmandainVermont.


I am also an active member of the Vintage Fashion Guild, a great group of men and women who are extremely knowledgeable about vintage clothing and accessories. I have lots of enthusiasm, but not their education.

However ... There is a huge pile of seed catalogs waiting for my attention and it is time to start preparing the greenhouses for the next onslaught. My first job in the transition from vintage clothing to horticulture is to go through my seeds and check their dates, viability, etc. I will be planting begonia seeds very soon.

New Plants for 2011 - Part II

Fortunately for me, many of my customers are just as excited to try new plants as I am.

Dahlia 'Dark Angel Dracula'

I've always liked the look of bright blooms on dark foliage, and this dahlia, 'Dark Angel Dracula' won best dahlia at the Colorado State Flower trials. It is compact and uniform and is grown from cuttings.

Callie 'Painted Coral'

Calibrachoa is closely related to the petunia and was first introduced to Europe in the early 19th century about the same time as the petunia. In 1988 wild samples were collected from South America and, after breeding, the first 'Million Bells' was released in 1992. Hundreds of different colors and growth habits are now available and I grow a lot of them including some from the 'Superbell', 'Minifamous' and 'Dream' series. The 'Callie' series have been good performers for me and I am looking forward to trying Callie 'Painted Coral' .

Argyranthemum 'Angelic Pink Delight'

Argyranthemums are essentially daisies grown from cuttings. It would be hard to beat the perfomance of 'Butterfly Yellow," but I have heard good things about 'Angelic Pink Delight,' so they will be on our shelves this year. They have fully double flowers and bloom early in the season and then hopefully throughout the summer.

'Landmark Citrus' Lantana

Another flower grow from cuttings that has won rave reviews at trial gardens is 'Landmark Citrus' Lantana. This is a plant that's good for high heat situations and hopefully will do well in baskets.

I'll have more new varieties to show grown from cuttings and then it's time to share new perennials and plants grown from seed.

NEW Plants for 2011 - Part I

While there is still much to do in the gardens and with the perennials, I have been busy ordering my plant stock for next spring. I start most of my seedlings in the house and then in the greenhouses, but for the most part it is necessary to buy in rooted cuttings both because they are usually patented (taking cuttings is prohibited) and because I don’t have a good space to over winter plants for cuttings.

'Phantom' Petunia'

It will fun to see how this new petunia (above) performs. Last year Proven Winners came out with ‘Pretty Much Picasso’, (below) and while I appreciate its novelty, I thought the color would be lost in the foliage. I did have a few requests for ‘Picasso’ so I may order it this year.

'Pretty Much Picasso'

I am hoping Begonia 'Million Kisses Devotion' might be a good replacement for folks who have a hard time or with (or don't care for) fuchsias.

Begonia 'Million Kisses Devotion'

Bacopa is extremely popular and it now comes in colors other than white.

Bacopa 'Taifun Mega Blue'

However, I can not “get my head wrapped around” black petunias. I know black pansies have been popular, but this one is NOT going on my Order List.

'Black Velvet' Petunia

More new plants when I next get back to this blog.

YES, I am planning for next year ...

... and cutting back, taking inventories, cleaning up and covering. At the same time I have started my winter hobby again - listing vintage clothing, etc. on eBay and Etsy.

In my next post I will show some of the new plants I have ordered for next year.

Etsy VintagefromVermont

Fall Bulbs in Vermont - It's Time!

As a child growing up in Connecticut our spring gardens were full of flowering bulbs. My Dad concentrated on daffodils, narcissi and hyacinths. The latter have never done well for me in Vermont and I don't care for the over bearing fragrance anyway.



One of my favorite combination plantings is allium 'aflatunense' planted among the daylilies. They come up early and bloom while the daylilies are still putting out their initial foliage. When the daylilies are just about ready to begin blooming the foliage on the allium dries up and disappears. I simply snip off the gone-by allium blooms, but some people leave them as seed pod interest.


Above is this allium planted in a daylily display and below is a close-up. These are not the huge "Globemaster" type alliums, rather they are almost the size of a soft ball, just right in my opinion.


I am planting them in pots now for spring sales, but the best bet is to buy the bulbs now and get them in the ground before it freezes.

Another shorter allium I love for its foliage and spring flowers is Allium Karataviense.

This allium is perfect for the front of borders or rock gardens. It has golf-ball sized blooms on 10 inch stems and it is the combination of those blooms and the broad fleshy foliage that appeals to me.

Years ago I bought a pot of Oxalis Adenophylla from a nursery and they did well for quite a few years in my shade garden as a spring bloomer.



It is one funny looking bulb, and I plant it in pots every fall for spring sales with limited success. But planted directly in the soil it should do fine.


When the first gardeners visit my business in the spring, they all seem to love 'trout lily' (erythronium) or some call it "dog's tooth violet." These have increased every year for me. They go dormant and completely disappear by early summer.



Another plant that folks have asked me about in my spring garden is the species tulip, Dasystemon 'Tarda.' It resembles a crocus more than a the flower we associate with Dutch tulips, but it's a good perennial, self-seeding where happy. The blooms last a long time and are a great way to welcome the new growing season.


For quite a few years I had a showy orange Fritillaria imperialis in a display garden. I tried planting it in the fall in pots for the spring sales and in the ground to dig and pot up in the spring, without any luck. This fall I am planting some frittilaria MELEAGRIS.


It is supposed to do well in a sheltered spot in the garden, and I'm thinking it will be nice with the Trout Lily. This is called the "checkered lily" and the following photo is from the bulb company I use.



It has been around since 1575 and is rated zone 3-8, so it certainly has proven its mettle.

I always buy some tulips to plant in our village and treat them like annuals. There's nothing subtly about my selection for this year's planting, "Holland's Glory." Here in northern Vermont we have a short growing season. Our winters can be cold and mean, followed by a challenging mud season, so we like our blooms loud and cheerful.



I hope this will make folks smile next spring.

Fall Photographs

I officially closed my business for the season Oct. 1. All but one of the mums sold at farmers' market (some seen here before loading)



I stopped on my way home to take some of the same photos that I'm sure "leaf peepers" take.



We had a lot of rain last week, flooding the fields across the road to the point that three people got in a canoe and paddled around in a pond that covered a hay field.



One of my very favorite plants for winter interest is miscanthus ‘siberfeder’. It stands up to all kids of weather, is lovely in every light, and is still upright and proud in the spring.




I also sell Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foester" which was named the 2001 perennial plant of the year, but I only do that because people ask for that one. It grows too fast for my taste and quickly becomes just grass in the garden. I prefer a stand of grass that adds vertical structure my plantings. I haven't had much luck with other grasses, but will keep trying.

When I left the Department of Agriculture 20+ years ago my staff gave me a small weeping crab apple tree which I popped in the lawn by the driveway. It has grown well every year and always provides food for the birds that stick around late into the fall. This year the fruit yield is unbelievable.











The robins will think they have landed in heaven.