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A Special Publication of The Addison Independent • May 16, 2019

On the ceiling of Mary Adams-Smith and Gary Smith’s yurt-inspired Bristol home, a steel compression ring holds together the center ends of the rafters.

Photo courtesy of Jill Pariseault/Living Structure

PAGE 2C — HOME & GARDEN • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 16, 2019

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Viewed from above, the Smith home off River Road in Bristol seems to have been designed by nature itself.

In planning the layout, the Smiths drew inspiration from the yurt they purchased and assembled in 2005. Their lead designer and builder, Jeff Dardozzi, drew inspiration from, among other things, “A Pattern Language,” a classic of architectural literature.

Photo courtesy of Ian Albinson

Yurt inspires theater couple Bristol home fosters sense of flow, continuity & timelessness

By CHRISTOPHER ROSS BRISTOL — One of the most striking things about Mary and Gary Smith’s round house in Bristol is the way the elements lead into one another, providing an open, continuous feel.

“There’s a flow, a constant energy that’s inviting you,” Gary said.

To Mary, it feels like a hug.

“It’s a satisfying place to live, very nurturing,” she said.

The Smiths, who co-designed the house, broke ground on a hill above the New Haven River in the spring of 2015 and spent the next 18 months helping to build it. But they didn’t just sit down one day and decide to build a round “The design- house.

Ten years build before, while process r u n n i n g evolved a theater company in while we L a n c a s t e r , were living Penn., the in the yurt.

Smiths had It was bought some experiential, land and built rather than a yurt on it, a place to get cognitive.”

— Gary Smith away when they needed to.

Yurts are round dwellings that use a tension band to hold the walls and roof in place. Traditional yurts, which originated in Central Asia more than 3,000 years ago, are designed to be portable, like tents.

“It was our first experience with ‘living in the round,’” Gary said.

“And with being in the country, really,” Mary added.

The Smiths were hooked.

RELATIONSHIPS But the story goes back even further, to 1970s New York City, where the Smiths pursued theater careers and developed a keen sense of the relationships among actors and the spaces they use. These relationships were integral to the

“Meisner approach” to acting they had trained in, which calls for actors to “get out of their heads” and to behave instinctively to their surrounding environments.

Forty years later, Gary would find parallels between this theater training and the process used by Jeff Dardozzi, the Smiths’ lead designer

and builder on the Bristol house.

“For Jeff, it’s not just about the product, but the process, the how of making it,” Gary said. “I connect that very much with the Meisner method I learned.”

After the Smiths purchased their land in Bristol, one of the first (See Smiths, Page 5C)

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Natural light figures prominently into the look and feel of Mary AdamsSmith and Gary Smith’s Bristol home. Small square skylights at the top of the ceiling, as well as south-facing floor-to-ceiling windows, capture sunshine regardless of the time of day.

Photo courtesy of Mary Adams-Smith

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HOME & GARDEN • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 16, 2019 — PAGE 5C

After more than 40 years working in theater, Mary Adams-Smith and Gary Smith have developed a sophisticated (and at times philosophical) relationship to space, which came in handy when they co-designed their Bristol home in 2015. Just as important to the design is their relationship to the environment, which influenced their choice of materials, siting and energy sources.

Independent photo/Christopher Ross

Smiths

When the Smiths set out to design their new home in Bristol, Mary remembered the stairs in a previous home, which always felt like something to be overcome. “It’s time to climb the wooden hill,” she would say.

This time around, “I wanted the stairs to be inviting,” she said. “I didn’t want to feel like I was being challenged by them.”

Photo courtesy of Mary Adams-Smith

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made of Portland cement, sand, (Continued from Page 3C) things they did was pack up their recycled Styrofoam and recycled Pennsylvania yurt and bring it to latex paint. The blocks have a Vermont. high “R-value,” which means “The design-build process they’re good at keeping the heat evolved while we were living in. in the yurt,” Gary said. “It Though the house would end was experiential, rather than up being round, the blocks were cognitive.” built square.

Dardozzi painted the yurt’s “Because of the material they footprint on the new can be worked home’s foundation easily with regular and the design “For (designer woodworking process went from and builder) tools,” Gary said. there.

Jeff (Dardozzi), “We sawed the At one point, so it’s not just edges to the proper they could play with angles and rasped about the possible layout ideas them to be as close for their new home, product, but as possible to the the Smiths emptied the process, necessary contour, the yurt of their the how of then build them into belongings and laid making it. I the circle.” out tape on its floor connect that Lime plaster — another theater was applied to the very much with interior and exterior trick.

“We were always the Meisner to finish the curve. working in real space method (of Central to the at real human scale,” acting) I 1,200-squareGary said. “The learned.” foot house is the blueprint evolved Russian masonry — Gary Smith woodstove, which continually.”

MATERIALS has two doors—one The Smiths used the timber on for heating, one for baking. Heat their own property and milled it vents through a series of channels onsite. that warm two stories of masonry, For walls they made blocks radiating heat throughout the of what Dardozzi called house.

“EPS crete,” a do-it-yourself The Smiths’ 20-panel solar insulation-infused concrete array, sited nearby on the

property, takes care of their electricity needs.

INVITATIONS And then there are the windows.

When the winter sun rises above the nearby Green Mountains it “shoots right through the whole house,” Mary said. At other times, the outdoors seems to beckon. “You’re invited into the house and then the windows invite you back out again.”

For Gary the house feels like an expression of personal agency.

“So much of this house is about connecting and expressing it artistically,” he said. “We dreamed about it and then we did it. Craftsmen’s hands have been on everything here.”

Would they do anything differently, if they had the chance?

“Yes,” Gary said with a laugh.

“We would have built it 40 years earlier.”

Still, a lot had to fall into place for their dream home to happen.

Fortunately, it did.

“It feels centered and balanced,” Mary said. “It’s peaceful. All of my feelings about Vermont, this community and this house all blend together.”

Reach Christopher Ross at christopherr@ addisonindependent.com.

PAGE 6C — HOME & GARDEN • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 16, 2019

Gary Miller, a prolific Garden Gamer, is always ready with a smile and a story. He often brings along granddaughters Daisy, above, and Maggie, top right, when submitting his veggies for our game.

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By ALEXIS CASWELL Gary Miller is a jovial man with glasses who can usually be seen donning a wide-brimmed sun hat during the summer months when he brings in his record-breaking vegetables to the Addison Independent offices.

Gary is one of our most active participants in the Garden Game, the vegetable-growing competition that we do every summer, until the first frost hits in early fall.

He has lived in this area his entire life on a piece of land on Halpin Covered Bridge Road on the Middlebury/New Haven border. The Miller family has been there over 100 years and his property looks out onto his father’s property that he grew up on.

You’ll always see a large smile on Gary’s face, but his eyes may get a little misty when he speaks about his late father, Amos Miller, and their shared love of gardening. He also shared a newspaper clipping from an April 1980 Addison Independent that shows Amos, also donning a flat cap, holding two large parsnips. According to the caption, Miller Sr. had brought the long, white root vegetables into our offices in order to show he had grown larger vegetables than Wendel Berno, who was pictured the previous week. That competitive streak, it seems, is in Gary Miller’s blood.

“We grew food to live off of the garden,” Gary said, explaining why growing vegetables has been so important to his family.

Given the especially cold spring we have had so far this year, which has stymied many a home gardener, Gary’s garden is not as far along as he wishes it would be. However, he smiles and in his true optimistic fashion said the weather has only been “uncooperative.” That has not stopped him, and like many home gardeners, his kitchen is full of plant starts.

Looking at photos of his garden at its height last year is something to behold. He has a box that resembles a hutch one might house a bunny in that he calls his “Cabbage Fort Knox,” and a “salad table” that is

Amos Miller, born in 1920, was a competitor in what is suggested to be an early iteration of our Garden Game. This picture of him appeared in a 1980 Addison Independent.

a raised bed where they grow their salad greens. For almost all of the garden space Gary uses raised beds.

Gary Miller was a plumber and a fitter for years. He served on the state board for plumbers and taught the trade to apprentices coming up. He takes great pride in being a tradesman, and he says those skills show in how precise his garden boxes and raised beds are laid out in a pattern with a center hexagon and surrounding boxes ultimately making a perfect circle. He promises with a smile that the dimensions are perfect.

As a Garden Gamer, Gary usually visits our office in the Marble Works over the summer at least a half dozen times. Never failing to bring with him a new record-breaking green bean or Asian eggplant, and usually

with at least one of his three granddaughters in tow — Daisy, Maggie and Autumn. They have each been in at least one of his category-winning photos. Gary’s children, Gary and Meg, each have their own green thumb, and they have imparted that to their own families.

Gary’s joy is clear when he talks about gardening with his granddaughters and them talking to the seeds once they are covered up by soil. The little girls offer support and encouragement, even for the seedlings.

If you see Gary Miller around town wish him a “Happy Birthday!” as he just turned 70 years old on May 15. And I’m sure he will be seen a lot this summer as an active participant in our Garden Game.

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Precisely built raised beds populate Gary Miller’s garden at his home on in Middlebury near the New Haven town line.

What to plant when an ash tree is lost

CHARLOTTE — With the loss and pending loss of green ash trees due to the emerald ash borer’s arrival in Vermont, much focus has been on the removal of trees. Equal attention should be on planning for and planting appropriate candidates for replacement.

“Years ago, we evaluated the clay plain forests of the Champlain Valley and recognized that, save for Red Maple and Green Ash cultivars, virtually none of our local, naturally occurring species were readily available in the nursery trade,” says Charlie Proutt, co-owner of Horsford Gardens and Nursery in Charlotte.

Visitors can see trees growing in the landscape and learn about the soils and conditions they thrive in.

If you’re anticipating removing ash trees, Proutt recommend the following species as beneficial replacements: Burr Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) Oaks abundantly feed native populations and Burr Oak is no exception. While their acorns are important, caterpillars from oaks provide reliable and anticipated protein to many of our native bird species. This oak is faster growing than originally presumed, and is majestic in size and stature with huge, thick, and broadly horizontal branching. Its irregular, yet rounded lobed leaves distinguish it from others in the white oak family.

Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor) This second white oak also performs well in the heavy flat soils of the Champlain Valley. Swamp White Oak sometimes hybridizes with Burr Oak, making it perplexing to confirm which species it is. Like most oaks, it feeds wildlife beyond

many other tree types.

Red Maple / Swamp Maple (Acer rubrum) Brilliant fall color is the most stunning aspect of the red maple. Slow to grow in the true floodplain forest, the red maple can, however, hang on in tough circumstances.

Red and Silver Maple Cross (Acer x freemanii series) Several crosses between red and silver maples appear as promising replacements for the green ash. “Autumn Blaze” and “Sienna” are both distinguished by their rapid growth rate, characteristic of silver maples, and outstanding fall color and structure, favored from red maple.

American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) The Champlain Valley seems to be the northernmost limit of this wonderful tree. Those grown at Horsford’s are propagated from trees native to the banks of the New Haven River watershed. As they mature, the bark turns a bright white. These are the fastest growing trees to replace green ash, growing both taller and wider.

River Birch / Gray Birch (Betula nigra and Betula populofolia “Whitespire”) River birch and gray birch are both tolerant of the clay plain soil types.

“Whitespire” is a cultivar of our native gray birch, made notorious by Robert Frost.

The river birch has a more substantial, tree-like habit of growth and though not native to our area (at least that we have observed), seems to be well adapted.

Trees nourish our native wildlife, shade the grounds of our landscapes, and provide beauty to our surroundings. Choosing from varieties native to the Champlain Valley, and grown in the Champlain Valley guarantees success.

HOME & GARDEN • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 16, 2019 — PAGE 7C

Living in the round

What makes Mary Adams-Smith and Gary Smith’s Bristol home so extraordinary isn’t the depth at which it manages to express certain design languages or the way its materials communicate with the surrounding landscape — or even the way its round shape fosters a sense of flow, continuity and timelessness — but the way the building itself seems at some point to have learned what it was meant to do, and to have deployed its own intelligence in the service of it.

Photos courtesy of Mary Adams-Smith

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PAGE 8C — HOME & GARDEN • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 16, 2019

Money offered to help pay for energy efficiency

MONTPELIER — Vermont’s director of Efficiency Vermont. three energy efficiency utilities “Make no mistake: there is a (EEUs) — Vermont Gas, Burlington great deal of work to be done to Electric Department and Efficiency help Vermonters button up their Vermont — are partnering with the homes, but we hope that more Department of Public Service and families will find a comprehensive the Agencies of Natural Resources weatherization project within their and Human Services to offer an reach with this new offer.” additional $500 to income-eligible The $500 bonus incentive can be Vermont households who pursue combined with existing programs contractor-led, comprehensive available to families with household weatherization projects. incomes less than 120 percent “This additional incentive will of the area median income. For bolster our collective efforts to example, coupled with the Home allow all Vermonters to make home Performance with Energy Star improvements that save money program, the bonus would increase and help reduce greenhouse gas the maximum incentive from emissions,” Gov. Phil $2,000 to $2,500.

Scott said.

“This additional For Vermont Gas’s Since 2008, the incentive will high-use energy audit EEUs’ efficiency program, the bonus bolster our programs have helped could be added to weatherize more than collective efforts the 33 percent of the 10,000 homes. The to allow all project cost already new bonus incentive Vermonters to covered Vermont Gas. seeks to increase that make home “After spending number by providing improvements seven years living additional resources in the south, I had to low- and moderate- that save money forgotten what a income families who and help reduce Vermont winter is work with contractors greenhouse gas like. I signed up for a on comprehensive emissions.” free energy audit from home energy retrofit — Gov. Phil Scott Vermont Gas to learn projects. what I can do to make “Everyone deserves a warm home my home more efficient,” said Sally — and our teams are dedicated to Ross, of Burlington. “Thanks to ensuring that happens for each and these financial incentive programs, every one of our customers,” said including this extra $500, I’ll be Don Rendall, president and CEO of able to tighten up my house, save Vermont Gas. “Whether through our money on heating, and be warmer low-income discount, budget plans in the winter. The best part is that, or generous efficiency incentives, with these changes, I will make a we are committed to helping all our smaller impact on the environment, neighbors have a safe, warm and which is so vital.” comfortable home all year long.”

Vermont Gas, Burlington Electric The EEUs and state agencies Department and Efficiency Vermont have agreed to use existing funds offer a variety of energy-saving from the Thermal Energy and resources to customers. Electric Process Fuels efficiency program distribution utilities also offer — which enables Vermonters to energy cost reduction programs, save money by more efficiently including incentives for wood using unregulated fuels such as heating systems, electric vehicles, propane, fuel oil or woody biomass efficient appliances and cold climate — to offer this incentive. heat pumps.

“This bonus incentive is a step For a comprehensive list of we can take right now to help more available rebates at Efficiency Vermonters, especially those of Vermont, Vermont Gas and modest means, invest in making Burlington Electric Department their homes more comfortable, more visit: efficiencyvermont. affordable, and more sustainable for com, vermontgas.com and the future,” said Rebecca Foster, burlingtonelectric.com.

Now is the time to plan your plot, turn the soil, remove the stones, feed the beds, plant the seeds, set up the trellises and make everything shipshape in your garden. Once all of the spring labors are done you will be well on your way to enjoying a verdant space come July.

Independent photo/John S. McCright

Set garden priorities then do the work

By BONNIE KIRN DONAHUE Oh, the beauty of summer, relaxing in a reclining lawn chair next to your prolific perennial flower garden bursting with color, without a care in the world.

Wait. Why does this sound so far-fetched? What we tend to forget about when we dream of summer gardening is the amount of time, sweat and effort we spend caring for our gardens.

If you want your dream of a lower maintenance summer flower garden to become a reality, spring is the perfect time to take a moment for some garden self-reflection and to plan ahead, including how much time you want to spend working in your garden. You’ll also need to consider your budget.

The best way to decide which areas to spend resources on is to create a simple diagram of your property and include your garden spaces. It doesn’t have to be accurate. Using

simple shapes to represent each space works great.

Then take a step back, and think about these gardens strategically.

Which gardens do you feel the most passionate about, and which do you feel more neutral? Which do you see each day from your back deck or when you come home and which do you rarely see?

Color code your diagram, using three different colors to represent high-priority, medium-priority and low-priority spaces. Depending on your budget and time, you might consider transitioning low-priority gardens back into a naturalized landscape or meadows appropriate for your site conditions.

High-priority gardens should get the most of your attention. Put your labor, mulch and other resources toward these gardens first.

Mid-priority gardens can fall somewhere in-between depending on your time and resources. Consider

dividing and moving healthy plants from other areas on your property or adding new plant material to make these areas more appealing.

Weeding can be one of the most time-consuming garden maintenance tasks in summer. Applying a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch each spring when plants are coming out of their winter dormant state will significantly cut down on the time you spend weeding. It also will add organic matter to your soil and help retain moisture, thus reducing time spent watering.

To calculate how much mulch you will need, measure the area (length by width) of your flower gardens to get the total square footage. Many home and garden supply stores have mulch calculators that will translate the area of your beds and thickness of desired mulch layer into either bags or yards.

Several types of mulches are available. To determine the best type for your gardens and budget, visit bit.

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A clever landscaper trick to apply mulch is to take an empty plant container and put it upside down over the plant. Use a size a little larger than the plant you are protecting, taking care not to damage the emerging foliage.

After mulching, remove the container. Smooth the mulch around the plant, making sure the emerging tender leaves or crown are not covered. Spread mulch evenly across the garden bed, keeping it 2-3 inches away from the base of each plant to discourage disease.

Throughout the garden season, take notes on the challenges you face or changes you’d like to see in your garden. Use these notes next spring to help plan where you will focus your efforts that season.

Editor’s note: Bonnie Kirn Donahue is a UVM Extension Master Gardener and landscape designer from central Vermont.

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bare spots in lawns, and mulching walkways are some of the gardening activities for this month.

Basil is the best known of the Italian herbs and, with parsley, the most grown herb. Sweet or Genovese is the most popular species, grown for its large leaves used in sandwiches, pizzas and pesto making. Another warm season favorite use is in a simple, Italian caprese salad consisting of slices of tomato and mozzarella, topped with basil leaves and a vinaigrette or Italian dressing.

When buying sweet basil plants, or seeds to start, look for ones resistant to fusarium disease such as Aroma 2, Nufar, Plenty or ProEasy. Similar to Aroma 2 is the new Prospera, which also has resistance to downy mildew disease, as does Pesto Party. If you don’t find such disease resistant cultivars, just make sure to plant basil plants right after the last frost (they’re quite cold sensitive), so that you can harvest leaves prior to any diseases appearing.

There are other variations on basil, such as Mrs. Burns lemon basil with a piquant lemon flavor — unusual in basil, Thai lemon basil, or lime basil. Cinnamon or Mexican basil has an aroma as its name indicates.

There are purple-leaved cultivars (cultivated varieties) such as Dark Opal and Purple Ruffles — good used as ornamental foliage plants.

There is even a variegated cultivar

— Pesto Perpetuo — with thin, white leaf margins. Other basils are globe shaped or short — about one foot tall — so grow well in containers.

Boxwood, Spicy Globe, Dolce Fresca, and Minette are examples of these compact basils.

When you transplant annual flowers and veggies from cell-packs or small containers, loosen the roots (often called “root balls”) if they are quite root-bound — often the case.

If roots form a solid mass and are tightly interwoven, either tease them apart gently with a fork or similar tool, or make a couple slits in the sides.

Cutting through these roots will cause them to branch and grow new ones.

If you don’t loosen such root masses, they may never grow out into surrounding soil, keeping the plants stunted, and you’ll find the roots in the same shape in fall.

B e f o r e reseeding bare spots in the lawn, spread 1 to 2 inches of compost over the areas and firm it down. Then sow grass seed. Sprinkle a thin layer of compost on top of the seed, cover with straw and keep it moist.

This is a case where light, frequent (at least daily) watering is good. If you have pets, to deter them encircle the spots with stakes string or mesh netting.

Reduce the weeds in walkways in your garden by covering the soil with some type of mulch. Some people like to use several sheets of moistened newspaper topped with straw (not hay, as it often has weed seeds), especially if you move your planting areas around a bit from year to year.

Try to avoid tilling to remove weeds because the process brings up weed seeds from deeper in the soil and exposes them to the light they need to grow. If you have permanent paths, such as between raised beds, you can use a weed fabric material under mulch.

There are so many other garden activities for this month, such as putting hummingbird feeders out early in the month, waiting until after the last frost and soils warm to plant warmseason crops such as melons and squash and cucumbers, and having frost protection handy for tomatoes. While it is good to shop early for the best selection of annual flowers, particular new ones, wait to plant them until after the last usual frost date — often the end of May.

HOME & GARDEN • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 16, 2019 — PAGE 9C

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PAGE 10C — HOME & GARDEN • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 16, 2019

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PLUMBING•HEATING•A/C HEAT PUMPS•WATER SYSTEMS cvplumbingheating.com

FUEL DELIVERY 388-4975

Garden helpers

Three spritely gnomes arrived in this Middlebury garden just in time to paint the spring flowers a rainbow of happy colors. After creating some sunny spaces by cutting down five troublesome trees, the homeowner recruited these backyard helpers.

185 Exchange St., Middlebury

BIO DIESEL • K1 KEROSENE FUEL OIL •GASOLINE • DIESEL

champlainvalleyfuels.com

Independent photos/ John S. McCright

It’s time to service your heating system and air conditioning units – call to schedule an appointment.

Compost - it’s kind of a BIG DILL! Composting recycles food scraps and yard waste into a nutrient-rich soil ammendment that your garden will love!

SureClose Kitchen Collector

• “Sure-Close” Kitchen Collector sits on top of your kitchen counter • Easy to open and lock lid with perforations for venting • Dishwasher Safe!

Price: $5

SoilSaver Composter

32”

28”

28”

• Holds 11.4 cubic feet • Made from sturdy recycled plastic • Retains heat and moisture better than an open pile • Removable, convenient locking top with selfwatering lid

The Addison County Solid Waste Management District Transfer Station sells containers for food scrap management and offers free compost workshops to District residents. District residents who participate in a compost workshop will recieve a voucher for discounted SoilSaver($35).

Green Cone Solar Digester • 26” above ground and 18” below • Allows fish, meat. dairy and bones • Not a composter but anaerobic digester • No carbon source needed • Purchase includes one Kitchen Collector

Price: $45

Price: $125

Compost Workshop Schedule Date Sat, May 18th Sat June 8th Tues June 11th Sat June 15th

Time 9:30 AM 9:30 AM 7:00 PM 9:30 AM

Location Middlebury Regional EMS Middlebury Regional EMS Starksboro Public Library Middlebury Regional EMS

Addison County Solid Waste Management District 1223 Route 7 South, Middlebury, VT 05753 www.AddisonCountyRecycles.org 802-388-2333

At the At the MillMill QUALITY Kiln Dried Lumber QUALITY Kiln Dried Lumber Hardwood & Softwood Hardwood & Softwood

Friendly Great Specials Family Service Owned•Since 1906 Cash & Volume Discounts

The Johnson family is committed to sustainable for pricing and availability. of quality timberland Call management, the production lumber in a safe working environment, and being responsible, engaged community members.

HARDWOOD FLOORING

Hard Maple Ash • Red Oak Cherry Professional foresters have•managed the•company’s lands since 1944, providing the highest quality hardwoods, as well as white pine inHARDWOODS rough and finished PINE form.

You can count on friendly, professional Rough: Maple •service.

Oak Beaded,

Birch • Cherry V-Joint Ash • Butternut Shiplap Siding Friendly Service • Great Specials Yellow Poplar T&G Flooring Cash & Volume Discounts Walnut • Mahogany Rough • Dressed

HARDWOODS Rough: Maple • Oak • Birch • Cherry • Ash Butternut • Yellow Poplar • Walnut • Mahogany

PINE 802-453-4884 Bristol, Vermont • 802-453-4884 • Mon-Fri 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Beaded • V-J & Pipwick Paneling Bristol, VT • Mon-Friwww.vermontlumber.com 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Shiplap Siding • T&G Flooring • Rough • Dressed

www.vermontlumber.com

Call for pricing and availability.

HOME & GARDEN • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 16, 2019 — PAGE 11C

MAKE YOUR HOME BLOOMING BEAUTIFUL

Our Greenhouse Flourishes with NEW ARRIVALS DAILY

Large variety of annual flower and vegetable plants & herbs.

Huge selection of healthy nursery stock • Trees Shrubs • Perennials • Roses

Bloom time

Cultivated flowers seem to make every space beautiful in the springtime. One local garden boasted vibrant tulips (above left), purple violets (above right) and charming bleeding hearts.

Independent photos/John S. McCright

Yard & Garden Buy bulk and Save!

Bulk Mulches

Pine/Spruce, Natural Cedar & Hemlock

Bulk Compost & Top Soil

Delivery available on all bagged and bulk products.

Bagged Mulch & Soils Middlebury Agway Coupon

NURSERY CUSTOMER BUCKS

o $5 off

o $15 off

The more you buy, the more you save!

o $25 off

any $150 Nursery Purchase any $100 Nursery Purchase any $50 Nursery Purchase Combined nursery purchases include Trees, Shrubs, Annuals, Herbs, Perennials, Bird Baths and Statuary.

One coupon per visit. Valid at Middlebury Agway only. Valid now through 5/31/19

Good Designs and Great Kitchens & Baths don’t JUST HAPPEN!

Endless possibilities and countless capabilities!

Middlebury Agway Coupon

SUMMER CLOTHING FOR MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN

20

%

off

CLOTHING PURCHASE

Carhartt makes great clothing for all seasons!

Pants, Jeans, shorts, T’s, overalls, hats and much more!

Expanded Kids’ & Infants’ line!

Valid now through 5/31/19

PET SERVICES

PET FOOD

Our beautiful

Wide variety of premium, quality brands.

Join our Pet Club and earn rewards for your purchases.

SELF-SERVICE Dog Wash is

OPEN EVERYDAY! Washing your pet has never been easier! Enjoy the pleasant atmosphere in our beautiful spa-like space.

18 Creek Rd., Middlebury, VT (802) 458-8999 www.bradfordkitchenandbath.com

JACKMAN FUELS, INC. Family-owned Local Business Offering our customers:

LP Gas, Diesel, Ultra-Low Sulfur Heating Oil & Kerosene Home and Water Heating Equipment Sales, Service, & Installations Oil tank inspections and upgrades 24 Hour emergency service available Pre-buy and budget programs

We also make

PET I.D. TAGS Custom engraved while you wait.

Choose from a variety of styles.

Beautiful brass Equine & Stable Plates, too.

Toys & treats, accessories, grooming & supplies.

Plus, products for birds and small animals.

Weber Grills are here!

Many Weber Gas & Charcoal Models Available in Colors!

Also Available with Stainless Steel Upgrades.

FREE assembly and FREE propane fill up makes Agway the best deal on Weber you’ll find anywhere!

FREE Propane fill up w/ gas grill purchase

• Concre te Pavers • Edging • Step Stone s • Wall Stone s • Nat ural Fie ld Stone s • Slate for patios, edging and stone walls!

Serving Addison and Chittenden Counties since 1945

FOR MORE INFORMATION: (802) 877-2661 205 Main Street, Vergennes • www.jackmanfuels.com

MIDDLEBURY AGWAY FARM & GARDEN

Open 7 days a week

338 Exchange St., Middlebury, VT • 388-4937 Monday - Friday 8-6, Sat. 8-5, Sun. 9-4

YOUR YARD, GARDEN and PET PLACE™

www.MiddleburyAgway.com

PAGE 12C — HOME & GARDEN • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 16, 2019

FREE ON-SITE EVALUATIONS

802 . 453 . 2500 • BristolElectronicsVT.com

NOW ALSO OFFERING HEAT PUMPS AND WHOLE HOUSE BATTERIES Bristol Electronics is proud to announce that they are a factory authorized & trained installer of Fujitsu cold climate heat pumps and Sonnen whole house batteries.

If you have been considering solar, heat pumps or whole house batteries, please give us a call to discuss your options.

Homeowners Recommendations The solar system that Bristol Electronics installed in 2016 has paid entirely for the power at my home and my tenants’ home since they installed it. In addition to our general electricity needs, we have also used heat pumps extensively in the summer for air conditioning and in the fall and spring for heating. I haven’t paid a “light” bill since we put the solar panels up.

I made it clear that I like even rows. Since I only needed (32) panels they centered the bottom row. It came out beautiful. I look at it and I am proud of how it looks.

Bristol Electronics was nice to work with and very thoughtful of my wishes throughout the project.

Art Provencher – Bridport, VT

For over 20 years we have had a goal of owning a solar system.

Bristol Electronics helped us to reach that goal by installing a (16) panel system. All of our goals were met. The price was right. The installation and quality of work was professional. Most importantly, we have not had to pay an electric bill since the installation.

Chris mentioned that I could use a roof rake to remove snow from my array but I taped a cloth mop to a 20’ closet rod that I had hanging around. I store it under the array and when the array is covered with snow I use it to gently brush the panels off. My array starts producing power quicker and I am very happy with my electric bills.

If we buy the electric car that we have been thinking about, we will have Bristol Electronics return and add to our system, and cover the cost of the added electricity. Solar has been a good investment for us.

John & Beverly Teer – Monkton, VT When I made the decision to install solar panels to power my small farm and residence, there was no doubt that I would turn to Bristol Electronics for help. Having worked with Chris and her team for satellite television service, I was confident that the same professionalism, expertise, quality workmanship, competitive price structure, prompt and courteous service, and continued support would be forthcoming. Such was the case and I couldn’t be more satisfied with the result.

Kent Anderson – Orwell, VT