UVM Hortfarm Perennial Gardens July 2011

This arbor was constructed in a Friends of the Hortfarm workshop 2 years ago. Brian Gluck of Rustic Cedar instructed 20 members to build and erect the structure in one day!

This is the front gate garden of the Horticultural Research Center (Hortfarm). Marielle Fisher and Ariel Adelstein the 2 Summer UVM/FHF interns renovated the garden this Spring. The new perennials were donated by Fairfax Perennial Farm and showcase new cultivars of Phlox, Echinacea, Leucanthemum, Rudbeckia and Sedum.

Saint George Cemetery Walls

I designed and built 2 free standing walls to mark each corner of the new cremation burial site at the Saint George cemetery. The walls and cap stones are built with Chester granite quarried in Chester, VT.

This is my first public job and one of my most satisfying projects. I am happy to do this for the residents and my home town of Saint George!

Keyser Residence Colchester, VT

My clients goal was to create an interesting low maintenance garden while reducing their lawn area and carbon footprint. The sites soil was sandy so the first step was to haul in 30 yards of high quality topsoil.

Laying the stepping stone path.

Path finished.

Here is the list of plants I used:

Clethra alnifolia 'Ruby Spice' Summersweet

Cornus sericea 'Baileyi' Red Stemmed Dogwood

Cotinus coggygria 'Grace' Smokebush

Fothergilla major

Hibiscus syriacus 'White Chiffon' Rose of Sharon

Hydrangea arborescens 'Invinciball' & 'Invincibelle Spirit'

Ilex verticillata 'Sparkleberry' Winterberry

Larix decidua Weeping Larch

Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus' Ornamental Grass

Physocarpus opulifolius 'Summer Wine' Ninebark

Picea abies 'Nidiformis' Bird's Nest Spruce

Picea pungens 'Glauca Globosa' Dwarf Globe Spruce

Pinus strobus 'Nana' Dwarf White Pine

Rhododendron 'Rosy Lights' Azalea

Rhus 'Tiger Eyes' Ornamental Sumac

Snyder Residence Burlington, VT

Here is the list of shade perennials I used:

Alchemilla mollis 'Thriller'

Astilbe 'Brautscheier', 'Fanal', 'Finale', 'Montgomery', 'Erica'

Brunnera macrophylla 'Hadspen Cream', 'Jack Frost'

Campanula carpatica 'Dark Blue Chips', White Chips'

Dicentra spectabilis 'Old Fashion Pink', alba 'Old Fasion White'

Digitalis grandiflora, purpurea

Athyrium niponicum 'Metallicum'

Heuchera 'Crimson Curls', 'Pewter Moon'

Hosta 'Gold Standard', 'Guacamole', 'Patriot', 'Halcyon', 'Fire & Ice'

Lamium maculatum 'Pink Pewter', 'White Nancy'

Lewisia cotyledon 'Special Mix'

Phlox stolonifera 'Blue Ridge', 'Home Fires'

Polemonium caeruleum 'Brise D'Anjou'

Polygonatum falcatum variegatum

Pulmonaria longifolia 'E.B. Anderson', saccarata 'Mrs. Moon'

Vermont Certified Horticulturist Program

This program was created to help clients find qualified professionals in the field of horticulture and set a high level of ethical standards within our industry. Vermont Certified Horticulturists can answer questions on landscape design, construction, arboriculture, lawn care, disease, insects and plant knowledge. A VCH must pass a rigorous exam and possess a Bachelor's degree or post secondary education combined with employment in the horticulture field.

I became a Vermont Certified Horticulturist in 2000 and have remained certified ever since. To maintain certification a Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association member must achieve continuing education credits throughout the year. This includes attending 2 annual VNLA meetings, educational workshops, presenting seminars to organizations and subscribing to horticulture literature. My business has benefited by keeping up to date on the latest trends and research in horticulture. There are currently 80 certified horticulturists in Vermont.

http://greenworksvermont.org/

FHF Perennial Gardens - Spring 2011

I hope everyone is ready for Spring as much I am, this has been a long, cold snowy Winter! I have come up with a plan to renovate the front entrance gardens to the Hortfarm this Spring. Fairfax Perennial Farm, a local wholesale nursery has agreed to donate the perennials for these beds, thank you! Most of the existing perennials will be potted up and sold at our annual Plant Sale in July. The beds will be prepared with compost and planted with showy low maintenance perennials. The beds will feature new cultivars of the following perennials: Phlox, Echinacea, Leucanthemum, Rudbeckia, Sedum, Hemerocallis and Iris. The FHF interns will be involved in the planting and maintenance of these beds and should be a great learning experience for them. My goal is to improve the look of the front entrance and invite people to come through the gate.

Please consider volunteering to help clean up and maintain the gardens on the following maintenance workdays: April 23rd 9-1pm and May 7th 9-1pm. The gardens have to be edged and mulched to look their best before the Bloomtime festival on May 21st. Master Gardener's receive volunteer hours for this and I can guarantee you there will be no shortage of work and fellow gardeners to chat with! There will be another maintenance day later on July 16th 10-1pm to spruce up the gardens for our annual Plant Sale on July 24th. I want to thank all of the volunteers who have helped in the past and future, without you the gardens would not look as beautiful as they are. I am continuing to work on making new labels for the perennial garden. This is a long, tedious task that will require the expertise of Leonard Perry to help I.D. the plants. The labels are made by UVM interns under the direction of Mark Starrett. I hope to have some new labels made by the Spring of 2012. I'll see you around the Hortfarm, Brian.

Friends of the Horticulture Farm 2011 Calendar of Events

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http://www.friendsofthehortfarm.org

Bluestone Bench Skiff Residence

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The Skiff's wanted to add a little more interest at the end of their wall and a bluestone bench was a great way to finish it.

Skiff Residence Williston, VT

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This free standing field stone wall was built 2 years ago bordering the driveway. I took the wall apart and rebuilt it using 2 additional pallets of wall stone.

After. I prepared the base of the wall excavating the soil to a depth of 18" and filling with 3/4" plant mix compacting in 3" lifts. This creates adequate drainage and prevents the wall from heaving in the Spring from frost in the soil.

Before. You can see the wall is settling and starting to fall over.

After. The wall is battered (tapered in) on both sides, straight and level.

Before

After

Before

After

Building the wall.

Building the corner square to the house.

The original plan was to remove the Birch tree and then build the wall. Instead we decided to leave the tree and curve the wall around it.

Stone Wall Construction Diagrams

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