“We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it - for a little while." ~ Willa Cather
Monday, March 18, 2024
Sunday, March 17, 2024
17+ Cherry Blossom Viewing Alternatives in the DC Region
(The 17+ Cherry Blossom Viewing Alternatives in the DC Region listing is one of our most popular and imitated annual blog posts -- we've updated it here for 2024.)
Dumbarton Oaks |
It is Cherry Blossom Festival time again in Washington, DC.
~ Tudor Place is a lovely place to take a stroll on your own through the spectacular Yoshino Cherry Blossoms during the full bloom. Event and entry fees may apply.
~ Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown, WDC, has a marvelous orchard of cherries. There is an admission fee that goes to support the gardens and you will want to make advance reservations. Parking is also a bear in that neighborhood -- I recommend you walk or take the bus.
~ Hillwood Estate in NW DC is pleased to celebrate the National Cherry Blossom Festival with short guided tours of Mrs. Post’s Japanese-style garden. Docents will be available to answer questions between the tours. The suggested entry donation to Hillwood is $12 per adult.
~ Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD, also has beautiful cherry blossom trees and many other flowering trees like plum, apricot, magnolias, and quince in bloom right now, and you don’t have to fight the crowds to see them. The gardens are also full of flowering bulbs like hyacinths, tulips, and hillsides of daffodils.
~ Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA, has over 100 cherry trees surrounding a lovely lake that you can stroll around. Admission to the gardens is a mere $5
~ Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, VA, has a ring of Yoshino cherry trees around their lake and Okame cherry blooms throughout the gardens. There is an entry fee of $10 to visit the gardens.
~ Green Spring Gardens near Annandale, VA, has several flowering cherry trees in its collection. There is also a wonderful witch hazel collection there.
~ An anonymous post to my blog, tipped me off that there are several blocks of cherry blossom trees creating an arch above the streets of Garrett Park Estates in Kensington, MD. "Take Strathmore Road near Holy Cross Church, turn onto Flanders and then I think it’s Waycross. The trees span several streets, are lovely, and totally free of crowds!"
~ Adam Bailey let me know that “Stanton Park and Lincoln Park on the Hill — and the Capitol Hill neighborhoods in general — have a good display of blossoms, too.”
~ "Scott Circle, at Massachusetts & 16th, also has some great cherry blossoms," reports John Boggan.
~ Katie said, "There's a neighborhood off Query Mill in North Potomac, MD, that has streets lined with cherry trees. Not as fantastic as Kenwood, but if you're in the upper Montgomery County, it may be more accessible. Streets include Moran and Bonnie Dale. It blooms a few days later than Kenwood."
Grow Your Own!
Ever since getting my weeping ‘Higan’ cherry, I feel no need to rush downtown. I keep a daily watch on my baby tree and celebrate loudly when the buds finally burst open. I highly recommend it.
Got other DC-area Cherry Tree viewing locations? Please share them in the comments below.
Saturday, March 16, 2024
GardenDC Podcast Episode 186: Planning Your Vegetable Garden
If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/10/gardendc-podcast-episode-124-raised-bed.html
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-68-summer.html
SHOW NOTES will be posted around 3-19-2024.
- Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/
podcast/gardendc/id1502631179 - Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc
- RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/
gardendc-G2ql5V - iHeartRADIO: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-gardendc-73615877/
- aCast: https://play.acast.com/s/gardendc
- Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/776561ca-75d6-4c63-833b-7dafedf57a72/GardenDC
- Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/GardenDC-Podcast/B08JJNZBMX
- Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/
gardendc - Bullhorn https://www.bullhorn.fm/gardendc
- Chartable: https://link.chtbl.com/GardenDC
- Castbox: https://castbox.fm/channel/GardenDC-id2691161?country=us
- Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/show/5587897
- Headliner: https://play.headliner.app/podcast/37086
- Himalaya: https://www.himalaya.com/courses/gardendc-1747568
- Ivy: https://ivy.fm/podcast/gardendc-940013
- Listen Notes: https://lnns.co/VIfcBjWRnw6
- Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/
podcast/gardendc/ - PocketCasts: https://pca.st/9phvd8bk
- Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/2629285
- Podfollow: https://podfollow.com/GardenDC
- Podlink: https://pod.link/GardenDC
- Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/gardendc-1137444
- Overcast: https://overcast.fm/
itunes1502631179/gardendc - Reason: https://reason.fm/podcast/gardendc
- Samsung: search for GardenDC on the Sampsung app
- TuneIn: http://tun.in/pj7Sb
- Vurbl: https://vurbl.com/station/gardendc/
- YouTube: https://youtube.com/washingtongardenermagazine
- Google Podcasts at this link (note that currently, this link will only work on Android devices.)
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Amur Adonis Plant Profile
Amur Adonis Plant Profile
Amur Adonis (Adonis amurensis) is an early season ephemeral plant that appears and disappears in the late-winter garden in a matter of weeks. The plant’s foliage is lacy and ferny.
It is native to China along the Amur River and in other parts of Asia as well as eastern Siberia. Even though it is quite small, it still packs a punch with its bright-yellow flowers in the bleak winter landscape like its cousin in the Ranunculus family Winter Aconite.
It is hardy to USDA zones 4 to 7. It prefers to grow in full- to part-sun and likes fertile, well-drained soils.
It is pollinated by bees, flies, and beetles. It is deer-resistant.
There is an invasive look-a-like: Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna). However, that plant blooms later in the season and does not have the ferny foliage that Amur Adonis does.
Amur Adonis is a popular rock garden plant and several cultivars have been bred in Japan.
Amur Adonis: You Can Grow That!
The video was produced
by Washington Gardener Magazine.
Audio, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz
Editing by Cassie Peo
Videos by Cassie Peo, Kathy Jentz, and Jonathan Gazarek
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Monday, March 11, 2024
Monday Thoughts: “We have some spectacular trees here, a legacy of so many others who cared for the space before we did.” ~ Ethan Kauffman
“We have some spectacular trees here, a legacy of so many others who cared for the space before we did.” ~ Ethan Kauffman
Saturday, March 09, 2024
GardenDC Podcast Episode 185: Birdscaping
If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/11/gardendc-podcast-episode-174-wildscaping.html
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/11/gardendc-podcast-episode-36-gardening.html
SHOW NOTES: 0:54 Get to know Tim Mack, founder of Birdscaping Industries Inc. 3:22 How Tim got the idea for a birdscaping company 4:50 Tim defines “birdscaping” 5:49 “Why should we support birds?” host Kathy Jentz asks Tim 6:00 “...they just bring so much joy to the environment, so they're just super-important and plus they're really good on pest control too” – Tim 8:29 Tim’s talks about his favorite bird 9:03 “Are there any birds from your childhood or in your region that you’re no longer seeing anymore?” – Kathy asks Tim 10:10 Kathy and Tim talk about identifying birds 12:05 How can we support birds in our landscape? 13:47 Tim says to use organic materials like twigs, straw, or milkweed fibers for nested materials rather than indoor materials like dryer lint 16:16 Using nests to identify the bird 17:56 “Any tips for placing that birdhouse in your landscape to attract birds so they'll actually use it?” – Kathy asks Tim 21:08 Providing water sources for the birds 21:42 Tim advises to change the water every other day, with rain water if possible 25:17 Tim talks about feeding the birds and setting up a bird feeder 29:31 “Don't feel guilty putting the feeder up. They’re not going to…depend on you. They didn't evolve with the feeder…” – Tim 32:14 What can we grow as gardeners to support birds? 33:29 Tim’s favorites are black elderberry, high and lowbush blueberry, river birches, and the red, gray, and silver twig dogwoods. 36:10 “Some home gardeners, they want each little plant to have its own separate world with a bed of mulch around it, and that's not going to be as supportive for the wildlife” – Kathy 36:44 Seed-producing native plants 39:24 “Are there any plants that you would advise against growing for a birdscaping backyard?” – Kathy asks Tim 42:35 The fun in gardening 44:11 You can reach out to Tim via email at tim@birdscapingindustries.com and through his website birdscapingindustries.com 44:45 Tim’s last thoughts on birds and gardens 46:43 Plant Profile: Wind Anemone 48:05 What’s new in the garden this week? Saucer Magnolia and Dutch Hyacinth Bulbs 49:31 Register for Potomac Rose Society’s virtual talk on Sun. March 17 at 2PM 49:58 Learn more about Silver Spring Garden Club’s free event Knockout Natives on Mon. March 18 at Brookside Gardens 50:35 Learn more about Takoma Horticultural Club’s free event Gardening with Rocks on Wed. March 20 7:30-9PM 51:26 Kathy Jentz’s book “The Urban Garden” 52:26 Kathy Jentz’s book “Groundcover Revolution” 53:47 Christy Page reading Laurel Radomski’s “Garden Escape, A Week in the Greenery Wonder” 58:08 How to support the GardenDC Podcast
- Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/
podcast/gardendc/id1502631179 - Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc
- RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/
gardendc-G2ql5V - iHeartRADIO: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-gardendc-73615877/
- aCast: https://play.acast.com/s/gardendc
- Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/776561ca-75d6-4c63-833b-7dafedf57a72/GardenDC
- Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/GardenDC-Podcast/B08JJNZBMX
- Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/
gardendc - Bullhorn https://www.bullhorn.fm/gardendc
- Chartable: https://link.chtbl.com/GardenDC
- Castbox: https://castbox.fm/channel/GardenDC-id2691161?country=us
- Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/show/5587897
- Headliner: https://play.headliner.app/podcast/37086
- Himalaya: https://www.himalaya.com/courses/gardendc-1747568
- Ivy: https://ivy.fm/podcast/gardendc-940013
- Listen Notes: https://lnns.co/VIfcBjWRnw6
- Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/
podcast/gardendc/ - PocketCasts: https://pca.st/9phvd8bk
- Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/2629285
- Podfollow: https://podfollow.com/GardenDC
- Podlink: https://pod.link/GardenDC
- Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/gardendc-1137444
- Overcast: https://overcast.fm/
itunes1502631179/gardendc - Reason: https://reason.fm/podcast/gardendc
- Samsung: search for GardenDC on the Sampsung app
- TuneIn: http://tun.in/pj7Sb
- Vurbl: https://vurbl.com/station/gardendc/
- YouTube: https://youtube.com/washingtongardenermagazine
- Google Podcasts at this link (note that currently, this link will only work on Android devices.)
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