Last Minute Planting.

8-28-22 VERMONT: We leave in a few days for NJ and are busy closing up, packing, making lists. The split-rail fence was repaired with many new rails and a few posts and the gate posts opposite the barn. The canine fence now seems fully functional after the fourth house call and replacement of a section under a stone wall. I  cut down some burdock and thistle in the pasture. It crops up every year, and as it’s only a few, it’s easily controlled. 

I did some last minute planting. I moved five blue lobelia from near the brook and in the lowest terrace bed that were all close to the lawn and might have gotten mowed. I put them on the pond bank where the goldenrod had ruled. I dug out the goldenrod roots and plants and chucked it into the weedy parts of the pasture. After one day they seem happy. That was yesterday. 

Today Gardeners Supply called about the milkweed that I had been looking for there a few weeks ago. I bought three, got a free fourth, nice looking Asclepias tuberosa ‘Hello Yellow’ and planted them next to the lobelia and lambs ears on the pond bank. Another load of goldenrod was dug up. I added one Asclepias incarnata that had been growing in the old steps that I had potted and watered for a few weeks, and one oxeye clump that was growing at the base of the wall in the bed below the deck. I think it didn’t get enough sun there, and had been infested by orange bugs. I had cut all the buggy parts off, and it was regrowing.

The hollyhock seeds are germinating! We have a dozen and a half as of this morning. A lot of the seeds came from Shari and Dave, at whose house we had dinner last night—Texas ribs!

We had 0.75 inches of rain—hopefully, a sign of a wet fall. 

New blooms: more phlox.

An afternoon shot of our horse guests by the game cam.

After the big rainstorm, the first rainbow of the summer.

Two turtles huddled together, perhaps threatened by that frog.

While the other two turtles were confronting the frog, this turtle was soaking up the sun.

Will there be a ménage-à-trois in the future?

September Looms.

8-24-22 VERMONT: Well, the Vermont part of our summer is almost over, we will be in NJ by Labor Day. We have had scattered showers here the last few days, but no significant accumulation. Most of the showers don’t get the ground wet under the trees and shrubs. I have been spending a lot of time watering.

I got more hollyhock seeds from neighbors, Valerie and Fred. I made a new bed on the far side of the pond between two stands of Joe Pye weed for the hollyhock and transferred the pots to the new bed, filled around the potting soil from the pots with new potting soil and spread the rest of the seeds. From the first batch of 50 or 60 seeds, I got three little seedlings. That seems like a low rate of germination, but we’ll see. 

The three tall clocks all went to the clock repairman from Randolph. I still look at the empty cases for the time but only see the empty bonnet. The canine fence people have been here three times and need to come back again. The split-rail fence repairmen were also here to do work on that fence, and they may have damaged the canine fence. 

Addie and I have been weeding the beds, mostly Addie. We have added to the upper terrace bed perennials—swamp milkweed, coreopsis, liatris and ironweed. Shrubs also got planted there—weigela, butterfly bush, and an abelia.

We went to Cloudland Farm for an anniversary dinner with cousin John. When Lily and friends were here we went to Saap, a Thai restaurant in Randolph that won the James Beard award for all of New England. That may sound unlikely, but it was excellent, and the law students, fresh off high-paying internships, treated us! 

Sadly, Judy and I started putting lawn furniture away.

New blooms: white star clematis, pink turtlehead, sedum.  

White Admiral butterfly feeding on the clematis under the tomatoes.

Pink turtlehead, much later than the white turtlehead.

The white-star clematis has swarmed up to the deck as usual before blooming.

A big caterpillar, half the size of a hot dog, might become a Cecropia moth.

The pond bank is starting to look like a flower bed.

Mid-August.

8-14-22 VERMONT: The summer is slipping away. In September we go back to NJ until October when we come back for the leaves. Gardner and Anna were here for a day, they were up in the area for a wedding. Lily and some law school friends arrive tomorrow for a few days. 

We had dinner with Dave and Gail at Elixir a few nights ago. Valerie and Fred, new neighbors, were here last week for an outside visit. We drove up to Hinesburg, near Lake Champlain, to see old friends, Ken and Jane in their new old house. The house and gardens will be great when they’re finished getting rehabbed. Judy got a pair of miniatures at Smith’s Auction a few weeks ago. 

Yesterday I repaired the steps on the back of the old mudroom. I also got some hollyhock seeds from Shari and Dave and started them in pots. 

The dog invisible fence was knocked out by the lightning strike a few weeks ago. It was repaired, but went out again a few days later, and was repaired again, but now it’s out again. Re-re-repair scheduled. 

New blooms: ligularia dentata, mint, Casablanca lily.

Casablanca lily, smells as good as it looks.

The other ligularia, L. dentata.

Stare-down from a hummingbird.

Hummingbird moth video.

Heat Wave.

8-5-22 VERMONT: Yesterday was in the mid-nineties. We had the house open and fans going all day, and it was hot, hot, hot. It’s supposed to get back there today and the next few days also. We closed the house today as soon as the temp started to climb to see if that works better. As bad as it is for us, it’s worse for the dogs in their fur coats. 

There were T-storms all around the state last night except here. We had a little rain, very little, 0.05 inches. Fortunately I watered all the newly planted stuff yesterday.

Speaking of newly planted stuff, I couldn’t find nice looking milkweed plants so I bought three perennials to fill the newly cleared upper terrace bed. First I planted a tickseed, Coreopsis verticillata ‘Zagreb’, then an ironweed, Veronica noveboracensis, and a gayfeather, Liatris spicata ‘Kobold Original’. I have tried liatris a few times in different spots without success, maybe this one will work. I also planted a swamp tickseed, Coreopsis palustris ‘Summer Sunshine’, next to the lamb’s ears. 

Next week, we’re getting an assessment for a heat pump, which is supposed to help with winter heating and summer cooling—we’ll see. 

New blooms: Joe Pye weed, first aster, fleeceflower. 

Here's a better picture of the hummingbird moth. I should have done a video.

The hosta take over the front of the new house in August.

The pond bank with all the echinacea and some other red stuff. It all draws the butterflies.

Monkshood says purple.

Fair Season.

8-2-22 VERMONT: Still dry, it seems that the rain either goes north of us or south of us. We need a major storm to catch up. The blue berries are starting, I picked a small container. The Sun Gold tomatoes are coming in and giving us a small stream of fruit every day. Addie was here yesterday and cut down more of the golden rod. I like golden rod, but it’s just too aggressive to be in the garden. 

She also cleared part of the upper terrace bed. I bought at Brown’s one weigela, Weigela x ‘Velda’, one glossy abelia, A. Mosanensis, one butterfly bush, Buddleia x ‘Miss Molly’, and one milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa, that Addie planted there. The butterfly bush is rated as Zone 5 [-20°F], and probably not hardy enough for us and will need winter mulching. This is almost the end of planting season because after now, the plants won’t have enough time to settle in before winter. I hope I can get a couple more milkweeds in the next day of so.

Saturday we went to the North Haverhill Fair with Dave and Shari. We saw the midway, the rides, the games, the food and watched a horse pull and chatted with horse pull set, mostly Judy chatted. We watched some young oxen teams, driven by teen teamsters. And, of course, we ate fair-food. The main reason I go is the, once or twice a year, blooming onion, Italian sausage with peppers and onions, and funnel cake. Judy shared, but wanted pulled pork instead of sausage. We had a very light dinner and antacids.

Almost forgot, the septic system alarm went off the day after the previous post. It turned out that the alarm sensor in the pumping tank dropped too low and was easily fixed. The tank was closed once again, and the sod replaced once again. The sod probably thinks that it is going to be pulled up every week from now on.

New blooms: goose-neck loosestrife, helenium, monkshood. 

Black swallowtail. This is an iPhone pic, not bad.

Hummingbird moth, another iPhone shot, not as good.

Lots of color, no players.

Food, clothes, games.

A team easily pulling a small load, very pretty tack.

The big load is not so easy.

Young oxen, young driver pulling a log.