The long days of high summer (fifteen and a half hours at the moment) and this year’s cool damp June has made EVERYTHING, special plants and weeds alike, grow ‘like Topsy’ in my Vermont garden. And, in trying to keep up with it all, my journal has been sadly neglected.
So now, with an extra long post, I am making up for lost time! 
For several mornings this week I have been out and about in the garden with my camera, and here are some of the things that caught my eye. And, as I strolled around, I also reflected on three wonderful local nurseries and growers where many of these plants originated. If you have a chance I hope you can pay them a visit this summer... speaking as a gardener I feel that a ‘buy local’ philosophy applies as much to buying plants as to food.
Roses, early-flowering clematis and peonies are the undisputed queens in my garden now, along with a great supporting cast of Siberian iris, nepeta, geraniums, veronica ‘Crater Lake Blue’, several different dianthus, and more.
Pink, white and blue are the signature colors at this stage of the summer.... not ‘meek and mild’ baby colors, but assertive tones that demand attention. And, as with clothes, it is lots of fun to play ‘ mix and match’ with flowers.
The climbing rose ‘William Baffin’ is one of the famous Canadian ‘Explorer' series’ of roses... (and yes...they are truly hardy in our Zone 4 gardens). It is definitely a strong pink which seems best paired with a contrasting color like blue. Here it is with a clump of the Iris siberica ‘Perry’s Blue’ growing around the base. With each passing year, a bit like a married couple, this duo look better and better together.
And just outside our kitchen window, there is a second blue/pink combo I really like. Another William Baffin rose intimately shares its trellis with a Clematis Multi-Blue (it has blue/purple petals and unusual thistle-like centers) and the white Clematis ‘Miss Bateman’.
A few years back I bought these two clematis, along with several other varieties (all of which are still happily thriving in my garden) at Rocky Dale Gardens in Bristol, Vermont. This is a great nursery with beautiful gardens, and without a doubt they have the best selection of clematis available anywhere. It is definitely a ‘must-visit’ destination for everyone who loves gardens and gardening. I hope to get over there this summer with my camera and I will share pictures when I return.
Like all gardeners I love peonies. Many of the peonies in my garden came from Bill Countryman, of Northfield, Vermont, a very very special person indeed. After a long career of as a biology professor at Norwich University, Bill began his new life’s endeavor, collecting and growing peonies. Over time he collected almost 1500 varieties, including every variety awarded a Gold Medal by the American Peony Society. Dick and I visited Bill and his wife Ann on two different occasions. Each time Bill graciously took us around his extensive peony fields in his golf cart, pointing out his favorites and telling us about their special points. Tragically, four years ago right at the height of the peony season, Bill died just days before members of the American Peony Society were to convene at Countryman’s for their annual meeting. In response to this devastating event, local Vermont Master Gardeners, along with others who knew Bill and Ann, turned out in force to help prepare the fields for the meeting, which went ahead as planned. And today his sons, Chris and Bill, are still keeping the business going.
Countryman Peony Farm is an incredibly beautiful spot, and quintessentially Vermont. Their little shop, up on Winch Hill Road in Norwich, overlooks the amazing peony fields. If you are able to make a visit to Norwich in the next few days, many peonies will still be in bloom. Wander through the fields, decide which you want to buy, and they will arrive at your house in the fall, at just the proper planting time. And each summer, as I enjoy my peonies, I always remember Bill with great affection.
Raspberry Sherbet is a variety of peony with intricate shaped flowers and color gradations. For this reason I planted it near our driveway where I enjoy it up close as I come and go. Raspberry Sherbet also stands up to harsh weather better than many peony varieties...a very good thing when you live in the mountains.
Peonies also look good when a couple of contrasting varieties are grown together. Here are a red and pink pairing is nestled in with some Alchemilla mollis and Allium.
I have lost the name of this georgous single peony, one that also came from Bill Countryman. It flowers very early, and if anyone can identify it I would love to hear from you.
And last, but not least, here are some of the smaller flowers in bloom now that caught my eye as I trolled the garden with my camera at first light the other day.
I don’t know anything to match the midnight blue intensity of Veronica austriaca ‘Crater Lake Blue’ and I love the striking contrast it creates against the pale pink striated Geranium sanguinium ‘Lancastriense. This picture does not do it justice. I have had these two in my life for a very long time now, and fifteen years ago moved them, along with a host of other favorites, when we migrated from New Jersey to Vermont.
Jeffersonia diphylla and Primula kisoana are both spring flowering, but all season long their exquisitely shaped leaves make a great addition to the shady corner beneath by my serviceberries. And right now they create a very pretty picture next to the brightly colored dianthus. Both the jeffersonia and the primula came from Cady’s Falls Nursery in Morrisville, Vermont, another gem of a garden and nursery. Cady’s Falls is run by Don and Lela Avery, great plantspeople who over the years have also collected an incredible range of rare and unusual plants that are hardy in our climate. Their gardens are an absolute delight for all serious gardeners. I will soon be making my annual pilgrimage up to Morrisville to scout out some additions for a new section of garden I am currently developing. I will post some pictures of their gardens when I return!
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