shantasia…
November 30, 2009
Happy Holidays!
Come on in and see us in our December home in Bristol village next to Almost Home Market on North Street.
Every Saturday in December we host an Open House with Almost Home, with a special Wine Tasting on Saturday, December 12th from 2-5pm to sample bubbly and sparkling Holiday Wines!
Our Christmas Shanty is filled with a wide selection of beautiful hand-made ornaments from Europe and a selection of hand-blown glass ornaments from John Chiles Glass in Cornwall, VT.
We have fresh wreaths and garlands of balsam, pine and a mix of cedar-pine-fraser in several sizes. We also have numerous loose greens for arrangements including black spruce tips, berried juniper, incense cedar, and silver fir. Also available- boxwood tree arrangements and boxwood kissing balls, amaryllis and paperwhites.
We can help you with any custom work and we’re happy to ship these Vermont wreaths for you.
We hope you have the time to stop in and enjoy this brief festive time, gather ’round the fire and share in some Holiday Cheer.
We hope you enjoyed the sounds of A French Christmas- Andre Claveau singing “Noel Sans Vous”
it’s beginning to look a lot like…
November 13, 2009
Rocky Dale has set up its Christmas Shanty next to Almost Home Market in Bristol Village. This is a tradition in the making- marking our 5th season with the Christmas Shanty this year. We decided to spruce it up with a new paint job.
Kathy touches up our paint job- her theme for the Shanty this year- “Shantasia”.
We have great Amaryllis that we’ve started forcing in eco-friendly rice pots. They’ll be available for purchase inside Almost Home Market.
We create a number of floral pieces from small boxwood trees, to an assortment of greens and berries arrangements. We use a number of greens from our own garden.
Each wreath is unique. We start with a fresh wreath assembled from balsam, pine, fraser fir, and/or cedar from the Northeast Kingdom. We then add Rocky Dale greens and an assortment of other decorations.
Inside the Shanty, we have beautiful and unique European hand-made glass ornaments, as well as items from our store including Felco Pruners, hand tools, and garden ornaments.
Even it you can’t make it to the Shanty- we’re happy to help you share in the festivities. Let us know if you’d like us to ship something to you.
If you need something special made up- let us know in advance.
Every night we have a fire going and all the ingredients for s’mores. It’s a festive time and even though it’s cold outside- we’re warm on the inside! Hope to see you in town!
november…
November 13, 2009
Many people think that November is the dreariest month. The sun has been out a lot so far this November, and the temperatures have been very pleasant! That aside, I usually enjoy November, what is commonly called “stick season” in Vermont- the period after the leaves have fallen, before the snow comes.
The shadows become long, you can see into the woods, and the light has a quality that is hard to capture in a photograph. For us it’s a time to put things away- clean out the barn, shut off the water, drain the lines, cut back the gardens, and on and on…it’s a busy time!
It’s also a pensive time- and it’s possible this is my favorite time in the garden. The leaves cling to the beeches and oaks, the conifers stand out brilliantly, and berries emerge as the flowers of winter. Because the nursery closes the end of October- it’s also a quiet time and I get to enjoy this beautiful place where I live.
A big “Thank You” to all of you for stopping in this year, we really enjoy working with you and are always happy to share our passion for plants and gardening.
Hats off to you!!
autumn’s colors
October 14, 2009
We’ve had our first hard frost here in Bristol- this past Monday night. On Tuesday morning, the lawn was white, and the large leaves of the Paulownia were drooping. Whatever sensitive plants we didn’t get under cover are history now. Just up the hill, there was snow. Still, the colors of fall are stunning, and many flowers continue to bloom including Aconitum, Anemone, Aster, Rosa, Phlox, Solidago and Gentian, (to name a few). The Heptacodium’s white flowers have faded and now we’re enjoying the pink capsules and sepals- it’s beautiful! Michael Dirr referred to this plant as the “Northern Crape Myrtle”- I like that!
I made a decision to remove all but one of the Hazelnuts from the garden. Right now they’re cut back and the effect is both shocking and gratifying. It’s nice to take in a larger wide angle view of the garden. When I bought Rocky Dale in 2004, we had 8 large clumps of Hazelnuts that had been growing on this property for over 30 years. I removed two clusters right away to minimize the “green wall” that was eliminating views into the garden. Each group easily occupied a minimum of 225 square feet and in most cases considerably more. They have a beautiful vase shape and grow 12-15 feet high. Their fall color is a tapestry of red, orange and yellow. They produce heavy clusters of Hazelnuts that Blue Jays seem especially attracted to. One down side is that they produce a lot of dead wood and they need to maintained in a formal setting. Their flowers are insignificant.
The Hazelnuts Before
The Hazelnuts After
The Hazelnuts After
So- you can see why it was hard to make the decision. However, we are running out of room to showcase new varieties of plants as the garden has matured and trees have taken up significantly more space. I thought one group of Hazelnuts was a good representation for a plant very few people have shown interest in. I now look forward to having space to plant new varieties and bring back some old favorites including: A variegated River Birch, a variegated Cornus mas, Nyssa ‘Autumn Cascade’, Acer rubrum ‘Candy Ice’, Stewartia ‘Gold Spring’ and Scarlet Sentinel’, Cercis ‘Covey’, Cledastris, Sorbus magnifica, and a few more. the list is long and there isn’t enough room for all of them! We’ll start getting them in the ground next spring.
Here are some photos of the garden taken yesterday. Enjoy the season- fall is a great time to work in the garden!
final fall sale…mmmm
September 28, 2009
Is time running out for planting? Well soon. We recommend planting through mid-October. Of course there is plenty of planting done past that date, but one must really be keen with watering, spraying evergreens with an anti-desiccant, wrapping burlap around sensitive evergreens, and mulching over perennials. We recommend “mudding in” new plantings. After you dig the hole, place the plant in the hole, and water thoroughly- two or three times, before gradually filling in the hole with a soil/compost blend- water, fill, water, fill- until it’s just soggy. This will get out any air pockets and fully saturate the root mass- aiding in overwintering.
So- here’s a final offer for the season- come on in and buy us out!
- Perennials-30% Off
- Conifers- 40% Off
- Trees and Shrubs- 50% Off
- Cast Stone Fountains, Pots, and Statuary- 25% Off
- Glazed and Terra Cotta Pots- 25% Off
- DeWitt Tools (we never do this)- 10% Off
Have fun and enjoy the beautiful fall weather!
fall color
September 28, 2009
Here are some images taken from the garden and the nursery. We have many things continuing to bloom: Phlox, Aster, Gentian, Heptacodium, Hydrangea, Rudbeckia, Hibiscus x ‘Kopper King’, various Echinacea, Platycoden, Tricyrtis, Chrysanthemum, Cimicifuga, Chelone, Ligularia ‘Desdemona’, Persicaria ‘Fire Tails’, Boltonia, Sedum, and Ornamental Grasses.
In addition to blooming, fall color is setting up. I love the garden this time of year. Many perennials have beautiful fall color, and berries start appearing on the deciduous hollies- Ilex verticillata.
In the blog entry right below this one- we’ve listed some of the garden chores you can do this fall. If you have time on your hands this fall, it will save you time next spring!
spring bulbs are here this week
September 22, 2009
Some of our bulbs arrived today and the bulk of them will be here by the end of the week. Most of the bulbs we’re carrying have been grown in our garden; since we liked them so much, we’re offering them for sale. And then a few are new for us- we were intrigued, and hope you are too!
Here’s a list of what we’re carrying this year with some of our own photos and some taken from that great library called “the internet”. If you scroll over the image and leave your curser there for a second, it will reveal the name of the bulb depicted in the photo. Enjoy the show and see you soon!
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Half Price Tree update…
September 12, 2009
The following is an update on our half price trees. Included are the varieties, the quantities, and the original price. These trees are on sale through the end of the season at half their original price. Be aware that quantities are limited and will change daily. I’ll try to keep the list updated regularly. Hope you see something you like!
Fruit Trees:
- 3 Gala Apples Original price: 79.00
- 5 Golden Delicious Apples Original price: 79.00
- 6 Granny Smith Apples Original price: 79.00
- 2 Liberty Apples Original price: 79.00
- 5 Macintosh Apples Original price: 79.00
- 6 Red Delicious Apples Original price: 79.00
- 2 Four-varieties on one Apples Original price: 125.00
- 1 Toka Plum Original price: 79.00
- 1 Superior Plum Original price: 79.00
- 1 Sungold Apricot Original price: 79.00
- 1 Bartlett Pear Original price: 79.00
- 3 Moonglow Pears Original price: 79.00
Acer pseudosieboldianum 3 LEFT Original price: 229.00
Acer tataricum ‘Hot Wings’ 4 LEFT Original price: 109.00
Acer tegmentosum ‘Joe Witt’ SOLD OUT
Acer triflorum 5 LEFT Original price: 79.00
Betula nigra ‘Summer Cascade’ 10 LEFT Original price: 69.00
Catalpa bignonioides ‘Aurea’ 7 LEFT Original price: 79.00
Catalpa bignoides ‘Variegata’ 2 LEFT Original price: 189.00
Catalpa bignonioides ‘Purpurea’ 2 LEFT Original price: 119.00
Cercidiphyllum japonicum 3 LEFT Original price: 2@ 89.00, 2@ 159.00
Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Amazing Grace‘ SOLD OUT
Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Titania’ 2 LEFT Original price: 189.00
Cladrastis kentukea ‘Arnold’s Pink’ 1 LEFT Original price: 109.00
Cladrastis kentukea ‘Perkin’s Pink’ 2 LEFT Original price: 69.00
Cladrastis kentukea 1 LEFT Original price: 95.00
Corylus avellana ‘Red Majestic’ 2 LEFT Original price: 269.00
Crataeguus laevigata ‘Crimson Cloud’ SOLD OUT
Liriodendron tulipifera 1 LEFT Original price: 109.00
Crabapples
- Adams 1 LEFT Original price: 79.00
- Golden Raindrops SOLD OUT
- Indian Summer 2 LEFT Original Price: 79.00
- Red Jade 1 LEFT Original price: 149.00
- Robinson 4 LEFT Original price: 79.00
- Spring Bride 5 LEFT Original price: 79.00
Parrotia persica 1 LEFT Original price: 189.00
Platanus occidentalis 2 LEFT Original price: 119.00
Prunus subhirtella ‘Pendula Plena’ 1 LEFT Original price: 159.00
Prunus subhirtella ‘Snow Fountains‘ SOLD OUT
Quercus bicolor 1 LEFT Original price: 119.00
Quercus rubra 3 LEFT Original price: 119.00
Quercus x warei ‘Long” SOLD OUT
Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Purple Robe’ SOLD OUT
Syringa reticulata 7 LEFT Original price: 109.00
Tilia americana ‘American Sentry’ 3 LEFT Original price: 129.00
Ulmus americana ‘Valley Forge’ 1 LEFT Original price: 149.00
Ulmus procera ‘Argenteovariega’ SOLD OUT
Ulmus procera ‘Aurea’ 2 LEFT Original price: 139.00
Fall- Hydrangeas and Grasses predominate…
September 1, 2009
Labor Day Sale- Sept 4th-7th
September 1, 2009
