Off to Vermont and Quebec - any tips?

16 years ago

DH and I are flying to Burlington, VT, on Sep 30th for ten days in Vermont and Quebec. We are locked into Montreal and Quebec City starting on the 5th of October, but have some free time before that. We were thinking of going up into the Laurentian mountains, west of Montreal, for some hiking - will the foliage peak be over there, do you think? We could also spend time in northeastern VT, where I think the season will be a little later.

I expect it will be too late to see roses, but are there any gardens that we must not miss in the area? DH looks at gardens only because he loves me, but he'll humor me.

We are not planning to go south of Burlington, or into any other US states than Vermont. We want to minimize time in the car, and maximize hiking or looking at beautiful sights. The photos people have been posting about fall foliage has us pumped for this trip!

Anita

Comments (9)

anntn6b
16 years ago
Montreal Botanical Garden. Roses. Roses. Roses. And a really innovative way to protect their moderns through winter. As well as a huge species and OGR garden that are left to fend for themselves in winter.
You might want to email Claire LeBerge at MBG and tell her about your work in Sacramento. Several years ago she had just begun looking at the roses in the old cemetery in Montreal.
oath5
16 years ago
Make sure to pick hips if you can!
Related Discussions
any one else notice......Q-tips
Q
Comments (6)
I have chronic ear issues and use Q tips daily to apply medication in my ears. I have noticed the difference! I used to never buy store brands because the stick was wimpier and the cotton came off. Now, I can't tell the difference and I'm really disappointed. I would guess it's a cost-cutting thing. :(
...See More
My best tips
Q
Comments (43)
There are all kinds of people everywhere, it's very true. Of course lots of people enjoy visiting and vacationing, even retiring, to less congested wide open spaces. I was just saying that we decided it wasn't a good starting point for us, both from an occupational opportunity standpoint and from an educational standpoint for our kids. Our options wouldn't have included rural or farming communities just as a matter of personal preference and background, but rather more likely a smaller beach town instead of where we wound up. I can see where my limited and abbreviated comments might have brought you to your conclusion but I don't think any of what you're suggesting is the case. About them or me. On the other hand, it wasn't me who first described the existence of and a term for "country bumpkins". My kids are young adults now, very open-minded (perhaps more than I) and all have what I might describe as a compassionate world view. I think the experiences they had living in a diverse and more cosmopolitan place played a role in the development of their views. In the US, it's sometimes difficult (for many reasons, not infrequently economic ones) to be able to live in areas that give familes access to higher rated school districts. Unfortunately, many of the higher rated ones are in areas where housing and the costs of living are higher. What reasons brought you to want to home school your kids? I ask because that too can rob kids of the learning experiences gained when having to interact with lots of other kids. Does any of it matter? Nah, just chit-chat.
...See More
My Backyard planting experience (Part 2) - Zone 4a/b Quebec, Canada
Q
Comments (55)
Mat, yeah I have 2018 and 2019 to write up. I have all my notes. Just have to find time. I checked out Pepiniere casse noisette website. They do not list their rootstocks anywhere that I can find. What rootstocks are your pears, peaches, apricots on? Honestly, a lot of what they are selling, at least in apricots, peach, nectarines seem to me to be VERY marginal for their climate. In many case they mention useful for growing in pots but if that is the case how are they propagating for sale? I don't want to disparage them without information but my impression is they might be reselling . You absolutely need to be buying based upon root-stock. For apples I am not only buying on Bud118 as it has best cold hardiness and is vigorus for our short seasons - Bud9 is just too slow. Train and prune to keep the size you want. Pears on OHxF87 or 97 and prune/train. I have found PAW-PAWs to be marginal in 4b - still 3' tall after 5+ years. Blueberries don't like my soil so Haskasps and Currants are much better. You have better options than Indigo Gem, Aurora is good though. Pink Lemonade is like a zone 5/6 plant, I see little chance of it surviving. Both Whiffletree and vigneschezsoi are good options. Be aware that a 1-2 year old bare root grape vine will bear fruit 1-2 years faster than the same year rooted cuttings you will get from vigneschezsoi. If you are only buying a couple might want to spend a couple extra $$ to get fruit a whole year or 2 earlier. Somerset and Trolhaugen are good. Had a couple Brianna this year, not enough to really say. Get Bluebell as well. I suggest 10-15' between vines. Can go closer but I am of the hack back 90% every year and then let grow. Trollhaugen can put out 12-15' of growth in 1 year alone - plant closer and you have to keep on top of canopy thinning to avoid overgrowth. Apples and pears will benefit from bagging with ziplocs. Grapes I bag with Organza bags when starting to turn color. So far I am loosing 99% of stone fruit (plums) to plum curlico and the rest to birds/racoons (can't bag plums - they rot). All peaches die. Trying apricots but no fruit yet. Don't get too caught up on types of fruit. Buy something disease resistant on a hardy, vigorus rootstock then topwork as you get enough branch structure. You will then be able to test fruit to see what you like or not within 3 years of grafting. My crabapple is now up to 65+ different apples grafted to it.
...See More
Tips on grass type for Los Angeles area
Q
Comments (31)
The very best way is to hire a tractor (and driver) with a box blade. If it is a traditional SoCal yard, it will take about 30 minutes. Or you can DIY with some effort. Probably the hardest part is to figure out whether you need to remove soil that's already there. I'm going out on a limb here, because I see a lot more (LOT MORE) yards needing to remove soil, but I'm going to suggest you should remove soil. If the soil is higher than the surrounding hardscape, it should be removed down to, more or less, level with a slight crown in the middle for drainage. Once that is done you can deal with high and low spots. Assuming the grass is gone, then look for low spots to fill with sand. Smooth that off with a long 2x4 board with some weight on it. Or you can drag a piece of wire fencing around. I made a chain link drag with rope, wood, bag of sand (for weight), and fencing. It worked great for a small area. So with the drag you drag that around until it looks perfect. Then spray it all down with a mist of water to encourage the sand to settle without washing it away. Let that dry and fill the new low spots with more sand. Drag, water, and evaluate again. After about 3 cycles of that you should have a relatively perfect surface. Don't walk on that until the grass is down. Sand works better than topsoil for this because topsoil always has little clods in it. Even a 1/4-inch clod will make you scream as it creates a furrow in the sand. You can make it putting-green smooth, which is a great goal. After the sod is down, then use a roller to press the bottom of the sod down onto the surface of the soil/sand. Roots will not grow through the air to reach the ground. Of if it is a small area, you can achieve the same result by walking on every square inch of sod to press it down. Your weight is perfect for this. You might want the sand to be moist/firm when you do this. Dry sand might push around and defeat the purpose of leveling.
...See More
duchesse_nalabama
16 years ago
Please take pictures if you can and post them when you get back. I'd especially love to see whatever might take your fancy at the Montreal rose gardens - I've read about the covers they use on their roses to extend the blooming season- who knows, theymight still be in bloom while you're there. I would love to see what 10,000 roses looks like, whether or not they're in bloom! Have a wonderful time.
opheliathornvt zone 5
16 years ago
I live in the Burlington area. Here we have only the very beginnings of color, but north of us and in the mountains it normally starts earlier, and if you'll be in this area for 10 days, I think you might see some good color. In any case, it's a lovely time to be here, and all of Vermont, in my unbiased opinion, is stunningly beautiful.
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
16 years ago
There are several websites that give fall foliage reports. I've given the link to one below.

Burlington has a very nice waterfront park. The only garden I can think of in that general area is a small, but nice, 1930's formal garden connected with Fort Ticonderoga. Ti is a nice 20th century reconstruction, but the Canadians have turned historic fort resotration into an art form.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fall Foliage Link
cemeteryrose
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks to everybody. I didn't even know that there WAS a Montreal Botanical Garden - now, I'm working on DH to visit it the first day that we are in Canada! Thanks, too, for the website on fall foliage. Looks like our plans will work out well - we are going up into the Laurentians first, and will work our way back through Vermont at the end of the trip. Yes, I will take photos. Yes, I expect Vermont to be stunningly beautiful. Have never been to Quebec, and have only been to Vermont once before, many years ago. This is very exciting!
Anita
opheliathornvt zone 5
16 years ago
From the local paper this morning:

"The Northeast Kingdom has near peak color throughout the region. Cold temperatures at night and bright sunshine filled days stepped up the foliage progression everywhere.
Vermont 118 to Vermont 105 into Richford is showing strong color, as is Vermont 114 between East Burke and Canaan. If you happen to find yourself in Victory this coming weekend, be sure to head out along the Moose River to Damon's Crossing, where the view across the basin to Hobart Ridge is spectacular. Serious leaf peepers also will want to head up the Burke Mountain Toll Road to scout for pockets of near peak foliage.
Central areas of the state are showing strong color, especially on Vermont 12A in Roxbury, Vermont 12 in Putnamville, and Vermont 14 between North Montpelier and Woodbury. Colors are developing along Vermont 100 and 100B in the Mad River Valley, as well as U.S. 2 in the Bolton area, and Interstate 89 between Northfield and Montpelier."

Sounds like the perfect time to be here. Hope you have a great time.
judith5bmontreal
16 years ago
Hi Anita,
Sorry, I just checked out the forum today, and almost missed your post! Yes, you are definitely going to see wonderful colour in the Laurentians, north of Montreal. They have had several frosts at night and warm days, so the conditions have been perfect. And as others have said, the Montreal Botanical Gardens is a must-see for any gardener visiting here. I'm sure you will love it. Also, Quebec City is a great place to visit, with many historical sites and old world charm. There are a lot of fabulous restaurants too, so be prepared to gain a few pounds:) I haven't been to Vermont in a few years, but it is a beautiful state. Sounds like you will be having a fantastic trip - enjoy!
Judith
cemeteryrose
Original Author
16 years ago
Must finish packing - thanks for the info, hope to take many photos and enjoy a very different part of this continent. I'll let you all know about it on my return!
Anita

Off to Vermont and Quebec - any tips?

Comments (9)

anntn6b

oath5

Related Discussions

duchesse_nalabama

opheliathornvt zone 5

mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)

cemeteryrose
Original Author

opheliathornvt zone 5

judith5bmontreal

cemeteryrose
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Off to Vermont and Quebec - any tips?

Comments (9)

anntn6b

oath5

Related Discussions

duchesse_nalabama

opheliathornvt zone 5

mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)

cemeteryroseOriginal Author

opheliathornvt zone 5

judith5bmontreal

cemeteryroseOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

cemeteryrose
Original Author

cemeteryrose
Original Author