WashingtonGardener

Video Wednesday: Seed Starting Tips from Jon Traunfeld of UMD HGIC

2012-02-01T19:14:00.000-05:00

An excerpt from the "Seed Starting Tips and Techniques for Hardening Transplants: Common challenges of starting from seed and how to overcome them" talk. Presented by Jon Traunfeld from the University of Maryland Extension Service at the Saturday, January 28, 2012, Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchange at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD.

Say Aloha to the Philadelphia Flower Show

2012-01-31T08:00:00.002-05:00

Washington Gardener Magazine has two tours this year going up to the Philadelphia Flower Show. The Philadelphia Flower Show is the oldest and largest indoor flower show in the world. The theme for 2012 is “Hawaii: Islands of Aloha.” Join us for a visit to the beautiful, tropical experience that blends cutting-edge digital technology with the natural beauty and rich culture of the islands, and so much more. This is not your grandmother’s Flower Show … but she’s going to love it! The Flower Show attracts non-gardeners as well as die-hard green-thumbed people of all ages. Every day, the Show will come to life with hula, music, and fire dancing performances, free wine and spirits tastings, and a Man Cave filled with all the trappings of a happy hideaway. Participate in the Lectures and Demonstrations series, Gardener’s Studio, and All-Star Culinary Presentations. First-time and returning riders will enjoy the personalized and welcoming details of our coach service.

The two tours are on different days, at different times, from different locations. Here are the details:

~ Tuesday, March 6 from 8am-7pm, leaving and returning to Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD - includes a breakfast and free parking at the nursery - see the registration form for more details

~ Wednesday, March 7 from 10am-10pm, leaving and returning to downtown Silver Spring, MD - includes a lunch and is nearby to public transit - see the registration form for more details

Here are the registration form links:

- 3/6 form

- 3/7 form

(Note: The forms are for printing and mailing along with your payment. They are not interactive online forms.)

Grown From Seed Exchange Seeds

2012-01-30T12:30:00.030-05:00

It is so rewarding to see our little Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchange seeds go out into the world into the hands of avid gardeners, but I rarely hear back on what happens to those seeds. I was so excited to get an email from Lilian Cerdeira that enclosed some pictures of flowers that she grew in her garden with seeds that she acquired at last year's Seed Exchange at Green Spring Gardens. The photos in this post are fabulously colorful -- note the goldfinch!

She added, "Thanks for organizing this wonderful event. This was my second year, and it is definitely something I look forward to."

BTW, if you missed last Saturday's event, you can still join us for the second 2012 swap in Virginia next Saturday, February 4, at Green Spring Gardens. We still have spaces left, but they are filling fast so I reccomend you pre-register by mail. Here are more details.

Washington Gardener Magazine 6th Annual Photo Contest Winners Announced!

2012-01-29T17:29:00.000-05:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More flower photos

Here are the top 17 winners in the Washington Gardener Magazine 6th Annual Photo Contest. All entries were taken in the Washington, DC region in garden settings. There were over 300 photos submitted in this year's contest and I know our three expert judges had a Herculean task picking out the best of the best.

Note that what you are viewing online here, is a low-resolution version of the photo images. Winning images will be published in Washington Gardener magazine Spring 2012 issue. They will also be displayed during the Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges this winter and will appear in a local photo exhibit this spring/summer in the Washington. DC region.

Seed Exchange Update: Still Spaces Left, No Seeds Required!

2012-01-27T10:30:00.000-05:00

We still have some spaces left, so you may register on-site at the Washington Gardener Magazine 2012 Seed Exchange on Saturday, January 28 12:30-4pm at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD.

On-site Registration opens at 12:00noon. The program begins promptly at 12:30pm.

We recommend that you print out the registration form and fill it in and bring it along with a check made out to "Washington Gardener" in order to speed things up and keep the registration line moving quickly.

For the registration form and event details go here. To read about the speaker program, go here. To prepare your seeds and yourself for the swap, go here.

We also still have spaces left for the Seed Exchange on February 4 at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA. You can mail in your registration for that, please ensure that it will arrive by February 2.

And yes, you can attend and participate, even if you have no seeds to swap. We always have plenty of extra to share with new and beginning seed starters!

Seed Starting Survey Results

2012-01-26T12:13:00.000-05:00

Our January 2012 Washington Gardener Reader Contest winners chosen at random from among the submitted entries are:

~ Arlene Wagner, Reston, VA
~ CJ Rock, Hyattsville, MD

They each won two passes to the upcoming Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges (a $15 value per pass).

These seed swaps are in-person and face-to-face. You bring your extra seeds and swap them with other gardeners. Everyone will leave with a bag full of seeds, new garden friends, and expert planting advice. The Seed Exchanges are held on Saturday, January 28, 2012 in Maryland at Brookside Gardens and on Saturday, February 4, 2012 in Virginia at Green Spring Gardens from 12:30 – 4:00pm. See full event details here.

We asked our contest entrants to tell us:
What plants you are planning to start from seed this year?

“I will be starting several heirloom tomato varieties, broccoli, cucumbers, arugula, basil, beets, chard, and carrots from seed this year,” said Fred Pinkney of Takoma Park, MD.

“Tomatoes of course, and tomatillos, 5 kinds of basil, spaghetti, acorn, and some odd field cross squash, & melons. Big seeds for small hands. Artichoke if we get ambitious,” said Luc Phinney.

“I plan to start at least cilantro and thyme from seed this year, as well as (possibly) avocado (working on some pits currently!), tomatoes, and other plants,” said CJ (Chelsea) Rock of Hyattsville, MD.

Vernon Roberts of College Park, MD, is planning on starting white habanero chili peppers, cilantro, and tomatoes from seed this year, at the very least.

Arlene Wagner of Reston, VA, said, “This year I plan on starting from seed (and I already bought the seeds for them!): Broccoli, Cauliflower, Edame (soybeans), San Marzano tomatoes, Sugar snap peas, Herbs (like basil, chives, thyme, oregano), Hollyhocks, Japanese anemones, Corn, and Peppers (chocolate, yellow, red, orange, purple).

Cindy Walczak of Olney, MD, wrote: “I'm planning to start from seed: lettuce, radishes, snow peas, beets, malabar spinach, sweet peppers, butternut squash”

“I'm so excited for Spring!,” shared Nancy Davis of Edgewater, MD. “Sitting here writing this email with a dusting of snow on the ground, I'm anxiously awaiting to go outdoors and plant my seeds. I had never really grown anything from seed until last year. A friend and I were talking about gardening and I had said I wish there was more of a selection of plants to purchase at local garden centers. He suggested I buy seeds and grow the things I wanted to grow from seeds myself! For some reason this had not occurred to me. Sometimes the most obvious answers are not so obvious to the person trying to figure things out. I like to grow herbs, vegetables and flowers. Below is a list of what I'm growing from seed this year in all three categories:
~ Vegetables
Shell Peas, Bush Beans, Cucumbers, Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, Lettuce, Spinach, Onions, Broccoli
Carrots,Zucchini, Cauliflower
~ Herbs
Dill, Evening Primrose, Nettles, Burdock, Valerian, Wood Betony, Chamomile, Sage, Yarrow,
Marshmallow
~ Flowers
Nasturtiums, Zinnias, Sunflowers, Daisy”

Joe Schechter of Silver Spring, MD, plans starting these seeds for this spring: Lablab beans; purple pyramid peppers; asclepius tuberosa; black seeded Simpson lettuce; beets for greens and root; marigolds from saved seed. “Probably a lot of others that I've saved and exchanged at last year's seed exchange.”

Kenneth Moore of Washington, DC, said, “I plan on starting a couple things from seed--edibles such as tomatoes and peppers, of course, as well as lots of herbs (a ton of basils, in particular). I don't have a large seed collection anymore, since donating my entire collection to the Farm at Walker Jones when I moved to Saudi Arabia--I've only purchased a few (maybe 20 or so) seed packets since I returned to the U.S. I also am uncertain whether I'll have allotted outdoor space--I mean, I'll find my own *somewhere*, but it would make me much happier to know I could plant a sweet potato somewhere that it won't get ripped up or mowed.”

Ruth H. Axelrod of Frederick, MD, replied:
“Although I’m an experienced ornamental gardener, until two years ago I had not raised food crops except herbs, an occasional tomato plant and a wide terra cotta bowl of salad greens. Partway through that summer, having settled into our new suburban townhouse in Frederick, we bought oak boards and posts, cut to our specifications at a local mill, and built a trio of small, raised beds. That year and the next, I filled the new garden with purchased seedlings from my favorite Washington-area nurseries. My reward was the thrill of preparing and eating salads made entirely from our tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and herbs, and supplementing store-bought lettuce with fresh romaine. But I have been disappointed at the limited variety of greens available as seedlings. So, now, I am ready for the next step--raising them from seed.
Last fall, I purchased a chrome rack that fits along the wall of our basement bathroom, hung a silver mylar emergency blanket behind it and a 4' shop light from each shelf. Last week, I bought two seedling trays to augment those that I scrounged from nurseries last year (and disinfected with 10:1 water and chlorine bleach).
Now, I am creating my schedule--planning when to start each type of seed that I have and looking around for any interesting ones that I haven’t acquired. Two years ago, when I started thinking about doing this, I attended the Washington Gardener magazine’s Seed Swap at Brookside Gardens, which is the source of some of my vegetable and flower seeds. I enjoyed that swap so much that I organized one for my fellow Frederick County Master Gardeners last year and, by popular acclaim, again this year. I am trying not to be too ambitious but I am planning a succession garden this year and, so, will hold some back some seeds to start later in the growing season and the fall.
Why am I doing this? We don’t save any serious money with our tiny garden of edibles and I certainly don’t need more things to do, but I relish the magic of tiny seeds potent with life and rejoice at bringing into the world such a basic necessity as food. It gives me yet another reason to indulge my love of partnering with nature and soothing my spirit by mucking around in the dirt!”

What are you starting from seed this year?

Video Wednesday: New Plant Hardiness Zone Map Unveiled

2012-01-25T16:23:00.002-05:00

This video is from today's press conference held at the U.S. National Arboretum. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released the new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM), updating a useful tool for gardeners and researchers for the first time since 1990 with greater accuracy and detail.

The new, interactive map is available online at: www.planthardiness.ars.usda.gov

According to the USDA:

"Compared to the 1990 version, zone boundaries in this edition of the map have shifted in many areas. The new map is generally one 5-degree Fahrenheit half-zone warmer than the previous map throughout much of the United States. This is mostly a result of using temperature data from a longer and more recent time period; the new map uses data measured at weather stations during the 30-year period 1976-2005. In contrast, the 1990 map was based on temperature data from only a 13-year period of 1974-1986.
However, some of the changes in the zones are a result of new, more sophisticated methods for mapping zones between weather stations. These include algorithms that considered for the first time such factors as changes in elevation, nearness to large bodies of water, and position on the terrain, such as valley bottoms and ridge tops. Also, the new map used temperature data from many more stations than did the 1990 map. These advances greatly improved the accuracy and detail of the map, especially in mountainous regions of the western United States. In some cases, they resulted in changes to cooler, rather than warmer, zones."

The USDA representatives did not think this was conclusive evidence of climate change, in that the data is from a 30 year period and that a much longer period of data (50-100 years) would need to be examined to warrant that assertion.

Kim Kaplan of the USDA stressed that the plant zone map is merely a guide and that home gardeners should use their best judgement when selecting plants for their own nano-climates.

What I find most exciting about this new zone map, aside from the interactive search and increased detail, is the listing of cold hardiness ratings of woody plants that will thrive in each zone. That will be a truly valuable addition for home gardeners to explore.

Seed Exchange Sponsor Swag

2012-01-22T16:14:00.023-05:00

I've been tweeting out as new Seed Exchange swag has been coming in my door. (And my living room becomes a bigger mess than normal!)

Here are just a few of the items that have come in so far:

American Horticultural Society http://twitpic.com/8au2lr
Cobrahead http://twitpic.com/88vuqf
Botanical Seeds http://twitpic.com/88uy8s
Plant More Plants http://twitpic.com/88h1bb
Renee's Garden http://twitpic.com/8996zf
WinterSown.org http://twitpic.com/8b7bsu

Most of these items will go into the attendee goody bags and the rest will be door prizes.

I'll be tweeting more pics as the donations come in the door. You can follow my tweets at Twitter.com/WDCgardener and drool along with the other seedheads.

If YOU would like to donate items for the Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges, please contact wgardenermag (at) aol (dot) com.

For full Seed Exchange information and registration see pages 4-5 of our latest Washington Gardener Enews posted here.

Reader Contest: Seed Exchange Passes

2012-01-21T09:00:00.012-05:00

For our January 2012 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away passes to the upcoming Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges (a $15 value per pass).
These seed swaps are in-person and face-to-face. You bring your extra seeds and swap them with other gardeners. Everyone will leave with a bag full of seeds, new garden friends, and expert planting advice. The Seed Exchanges are held on Saturday, January 28, 2012 in Maryland at Brookside Gardens and on Saturday, February 4, 2012 in Virginia at Green Spring Gardens from 12:30 – 4:00pm. For full event details, see pages 4-5 of the current Washington Gardener Enewsletter issue.

To enter to win a pass to the Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges, send an email to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on January 25 with “Seed Exchanges” in the subject line and tell us what plants you are planning to start from seed this year. In the body of the email, please also include your full name, email, and mailing address. The pass winners will be announced and notified on January 26. (Note: your entry response may be used in a future Washington Gardener publication.)

Seed Exchange FAQ

2012-01-20T09:00:00.006-05:00

Many of you have questions about how to get ready for the Washington Gardener Magazine 2012 Seed Exchanges. Here are a few tips to prepare and make the day a success:

~ You can bring unused seeds from purchased packs or seeds you gathered from your own garden. Carefully pack and label your seeds as best you can. The more information you can provide, the better. More details on seed packing and labeling are on the registration form. Did you know you can make your own seed packs? Get great free downloadable templates are here: http://tipnut.com/seed-packets/
Please do NOT bring large quantities of seed in one bag. Our volunteers are over-whelmed at the check-in tables already with sorting seeds into the table categories, please break them up into smaller quantity packs ahead of time or we will not be able to put them out.
(No, you don't have to bring seeds. It is great though if you do bring them.)
(Yes, you can bring bulbs, tubers, corms, etc. to the swap. They should be bagged and labeled just like seeds.)
(Older seeds are fine, if you can test for viability that would be great. The exceptions are lettuce, onions, and impatiens seeds, which should all be less than a year old.)

~ Make a list of your seed “wants.” It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of the day and forget the basics that you came for or the rarities that you had been seeking.

~ We recommend eating lunch before coming. We will be serving a healthy, light snack break mid-way through the event -- fruit, granola bars, etc. We have spring water - if you have a travel mug, bottle, or cup with lid you like, please bring that to fill up. We will have some plastic/paper cups on hand, but are trying to keep this event as “green” as possible and cannot allow open containers in the room with the seeds as an accidental spill would be devastating. It will help to label your mug/bottle/cup too, in case it gets misplaced.

~ We will give away a prize for the most creative name tags :-). Please make a name tag or recycle one from another event. If you do not bring one, we will have generic blank name tags on-hand. Again, we are trying to recycle and make this event eco-friendly.

~ When you get your goody bag at check-in, please make sure to label it with your name -- all the bags look alike and can get easily mixed up. Bringing a few sheets of those personalized address labels you get with charity mailings will come in handy for this and for labeling your seed packets, giving out your contact information to fellow gardeners, etc.

~ If you are bringing seed catalogs for our give-away, catalog recycling table, be sure to rip off the address labels and tear out any order insert with your personal information on any seed/garden catalogs you bring in.

~ We screen incoming seeds and do not accept any invasives listed in the "Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas" booklet from the National Park Service. So please check your seeds against the invasive listing at: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/toc.htm.
~ Bring extra seed envelopes/baggies, in case you want to break up a bigger seed bag/pack or share with another attendee.

~ We have a Show & Tell portion of the schedule and participation is strictly voluntary. We encourage you to introduce yourself, share some fun facts and background on the seeds you bring, or tell us about any local garden projects or garden-related groups which you are involved in. You can also use this time for special requests for any particular seeds you have been seeking. You may want to jot down some speaking points before the event.

~ If you are attending the Maryland location, here is a link to directions to Brookside Gardens and a map:
http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside
We will be in the Visitor Center in the Main Auditorium.
There is additional parking down the hill at the Conservatory entrance.

~ If you are attending the Virginia location, here is a link to directions to Green Spring Gardens and a map:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/gsgp/directions.htm
We will be in the Horticulture Center in the Main Auditorium.

~ Here is the updated event schedule*:
12:00-12:30 Registration and seed drop off to WG Staff & Volunteers
12:30-12:35 Introductory remarks and overview
12:35-1:25 Speaker 1
1:30-2:00 Speaker 2
2:00-2:30 Refreshment Break & Seed Swap Preview
2:30-3:00 Seed Show & Tell**
3:00-3:30 Seed Swap!
3:30-3:45 Garden Photo Contest Winners Presentation
3:45-4:00 Final Door Prizes and closing remarks - Kathy Jentz Washington Gardener magazine
*As with all live events, the schedule is subject to last minute change.

Snow Plan
If there is a bit of snow, we'll ignore it and carry on.
If it is a real blizzard and we have to change things, we'll send out an email that morning by 10am to alert folks IF anything changes.
Again, we’ll make the decision by 10am so check your emails after 10am, if there is any question about the weather. No note from us means we are still on as planned.

PS We recommend you register in advance as the event is limited to 100 attendees at each location. To register, see the form here. Print it out and mail it in with your registration payment.

RootingDC Happy Hour Fund-Raisers

2012-01-19T09:00:00.026-05:00

Guest Blog by Katy Nally

Madam’s Organ was the perfect setting for Rooting DC’s second fundraising happy hour. Locals came out last Thursday to the Adams-Morgan bar, which donated $1 from every drink and 20 percent of food sales.

The event raised money and awareness for Rooting DC – an annual forum organized by the Field to Fork Network that aims to bring together urban gardeners and community members to learn about food production and food access within DC. This year’s 5th annual event will be held Saturday, February 18, and will feature workshops focusing on gardening, nutrition and food preservation.

Last year’s Rooting DC hosted several panel discussions and included Gordon Clark, founder of Montgomery Victory Gardens, as its keynote speaker.

For more information about Rooting DC, visit fieldtoforknetwork.org/rootingdc or check it out on Facebook at facebook.com/rootingdc.

Pictured here are Ann Margaret Millspaugh (right) and Kirsten Stasio (left) looking through seeds given away at the Happy Hour provided through the America the Beautiful Fund.

A third Rooting DC fund-raiser is planned on Thursday, February 2 from 5-8pm. Celebrate 5 years of Rooting DC with us. Complementary tasty treats provided by our hosts at The Looking Glass Lounge, a silent auction with goodies for everyone and, of course, drinks and laughter. A$10 suggested donation is request, but no one will be turned away! AWESOME drink specials: $2 off draft beers $1 off rail drinks and special just for US a $4 Rooter Shooter.

Video Wednesday: What is a Seed Exchange?

2012-01-18T12:01:00.002-05:00

This video was taken at our Washington Gardener Seed Exchange three years as part of the ThinkGreen show and it aired multiple times on Montgomery County, MD cable television. (I'm sad to report that ThinkGreen is no longer in production, another victim of the poor economy.)

To sign up for this year's Seed Exchanges, go to this form and print it out. Be sure to mail it in soon, registrations are rolling in and space is limited!

A BIG thank to to Phil Shapiro of self-described "public geek" of Takoma Park, MD for his assistance in ripping and uploading this file online.

Seed Exchange 2012 Speakers Announced!

2012-01-17T18:16:00.001-05:00

I'm so thrilled to announce our Seed Exchange 2012 Speakers. I called in some favors and got some of the best talents in local gardening world to commit there Saturday afternoon to us!

For the Saturday, January 28 Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchange at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD, we have:

> Basic Seed Saving: Squash and Peppers
Learn to save seeds from your (non-hybrid) squash and peppers. This workshop includes tips for seed saving at home, plus an opportunity to see some of the many beautiful and tasty heirlooms a gardener might grow and save.
Presented by Ira Wallace of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

> Seed Starting Tips and Techniques for Hardening Transplants
Common challenges of starting from seed and how to overcome them.
Presented by Jon Traunfeld from the University of Maryland Extension Service

For the Saturday, February 4 Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchange at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA, we have:

> My Seeds Sprouted! Now What Do I Do?
The best ways to get your seeds growing and thriving after they have started.
Presented by Linna Ferguson aka Linna the Locavore of VA Foodscaper.com

> America’s Love Affair with the Tomato
A history of the tomato breeding and the best local varieties.
Presented by Barbara Melera of D Landreth Seed Co.

I hope you can join us for one or both of our Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchanges! For full details and how to register, please see the previous blog post here or download the form directly from here.

Links for more information:
http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2012/01/seed-exchanges-2012.html
http://issuu.com/WashingtonGardener/docs/seedexchange2012/1

Caring for Cut Flowers ~ Washington Gardener Enews ~ January 2012

2012-01-15T18:15:00.000-05:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More DC

Washington Gardener Enews ~ January 2012

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

~ Caring for Cut Flowers

~ Magazine Excerpt: A Daytrip to Biltmore Estate

~ Washington Gardener Magazine 2012 Seed Exchange Details and Advance Registration Form

~ Mid-Atlantic Garden To-Do List for January-February

~ Reader Contest: Win passes to Washington Gardener Magazine's 2012 Seed Exchanges

~ Washington Gardener's Recent Blog Post Highlights

~ Washington Gardener Magazine 2012 Photo Contest Rules

~ Spotlights Special:Bloom-A-Thon Azaleas

~ Top Local Garden Events Calendar for January-February

~ Washington Gardener Magazine Back Issue Sale!

and much more...

A Frozen Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

2012-01-15T16:42:00.000-05:00

Heather

Time for another Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day -- how time flies! The weather here in the Mid-Atlantic USA (Zone 7 DC/MD border) has turned bitterly cold these past few days, after some wonderfully balmy temps last weekend. My little pond is one again frozen over, but I still have several things in bloom -- most notably this Heather pictured here. Also in bloom are Winter Jasmine, Helleborus niger 'Josef Lemper', Pansies, and some Primrose.

'February Gold' daffodils

The 'February Gold' daffodils are higher up and more advanced than at this time any other year that I've had them. They look actually like the could bloom next week, if this cold snap breaks. Usually, they don't bloom for me until late February or early March.

So what is blooming now in your garden?

An update on Recent Damage to the Bishop’s Garden

2012-01-13T15:44:00.000-05:00

Damage to boxwood near Pilgrim Steps

Huge Crane Falls on Herb Cottage and Bishop’s Garden at Washington National Cathedral

Guest Blog by Linda Daisley,
All Hallows Guild, Washington National Cathedral

The century-old Herb Cottage building was badly damaged on Wednesday, September 7, 2011, when a towering crane being used to secure the earthquake- damaged pinnacles of the Cathedral’s central tower toppled during windy storm conditions, smashing the front roof and garden area of the structure. Long a main source of revenue for All Hallows Guild, the Gift Shop in the Herb Cottage sustained considerable damage. Luckily, no one was injured. The clipped roof, causing structural and water damage, will be repaired. The garden, mutilated by the huge crane, can be re-established. The garden benches, the re-circulating pool and walkway can be renovated and the smashed fig tree replaced. Though beheaded and damaged in the crash, the small bronze statue of Pan, the legendary god of forests and gardens, which has greeted visitors at the front entrance to the Cottage since the 1960s, can be mended and reinstated in its familiar location. The treasured stone walls which have acted like protective surrounds to the area can eventually be restored. The shattering destruction means a long restoration period and will require strong financial support from All Hallows Guild and its many friends and followers.

Incense Cedar outside Herb Cottage

As the crane fell on the Cottage its great weight devastated surrounding gardens. Nothing was spared. According to the Cathedral Director of Horticulture Joe Luebke, there was significant damage to plants and trees from the Pilgrim Steps to the front of Church House. The Yew and Sophora japonica above the Upper Border are destroyed as is the Weeping Cherry, memorial Crab Apple and American Holly. The Norman Arch is damaged and the Bishop’s Garden lost trees, boxwood, bushes and flowers of historic interest and ancient heritage. Peggy Steuart, chair of the AHG Garden Committee is busy formulating plans for the recovery of the damaged area and advises everyone to view the Cathedral website for current information. Rehabilitation will take months, if not years. Engineering and horticultural experts are still finalizing recovery options. Until then, All Hallows Guild –like Humpty Dumpty is putting it all together again.

We have suffered a "hit," but still expect to open the Garden to tours April 1st.

For updated information and more pictures of the damage to the Herb Cottage and Bishop’s Garden, please visit our website: http://www.allhallowsguild.org/ on the home page under “Tours” or “Fall Events”. If you would like to help the Guild restore, repair and renew the extensive areas of destruction, you may do so online: https://www.allhallowsguild.org/involved/donation_form.php.

Video Wednesday: Dreaming of a Hort Career?

2012-01-11T14:50:00.000-05:00

Washington Gardener Magazine is happy to be a part once again of the annual GWU Landscape Design Career Fair. The next one is Saturday, January 21 at a new location in Arlington near the Ballston metro.

If you have ever thought of a career in horticulture, this is the event for you. Come talk with our exhibitors from 1-4 pm and then stay for our career panel from 4-5pm. Refreshments will be served. RSVP (preferred but not required) to mfeuer@gwu.edu.

Even though this is titled a "landscape design career fair," it is certainly not limited to landscape designers and aspiring designers. My experience has been that it covers all aspects of horticultural and green jobs. The networking alone is worth spending your winter afternoon at it.

Don't blink and you'll see Washington Gardener Magazine's table at last year's career fair in this terrific video from GWU:

Seed Exchanges 2012

2012-01-06T16:44:00.000-05:00

Register NOW to Save Your Seed Exchange Spot

It's that time again! Washington Gardener Magazine's Seed Exchanges are coming up on Sat Jan 28 in MID and Sat Feb 4 in VA. I hope you can make one of those dates.

The full information and registration form is posted here:

Open publication - Free publishing - More annuals

(IF you have already signed up, thank you! I will be sending confirmations to those registration I have received so far over the next few days.)

Video Wednesday: Brookside Garden's Youtube Channel

2012-01-04T17:59:00.001-05:00

An arctic blast is blowing outside and my hands almost fell off trying to film a short video today, so I'll save that idea for next week.

Meanwhile, I thought you'd all enjoy a taste of spring-summer by sharing with you Brookside Garden's Youtube Channel.

Brookside Gardens is a wonderful public garden just north of Washington, DC, in Wheaton, MD. There are over 80 videos to choose from right now from gardening how-to to plant identification. I chose the one I'm sharing above just for the sunshine and warmth it conveys. I, for one, cannot wait to be in short sleeves and shorts again!

Some Light Winter Reading...

2012-01-03T15:02:00.000-05:00

While I'm a busy bee behind the scenes working on several projects*, I realize I've been somewhat ignoring my blog friends. Here are some recent articles of mine that have been published online.

~ Green Your Home from the Inside (Indoor Gardening)
The Voice newspapers

~ Gardening By the Rules (5 Rules to Break, 5 Rules to Make)
see pages 80-81
Pathways Magazine

~ Nearby Destinations for Silver Springers to Get a Garden Fix
Silver Spring Patch

~ Silver Spring Residents Vent over Leaf Blowers Use
Silver Spring Patch

~ Residents at Odds with Growing Deer Problems
Silver Spring Patch

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

*Some of the projects happening now and coming up:
~ Washington Gardener Photo Contest
~ Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges
~ Washington Gardener Magazine Winter issue
~ Washington Gardener ebook of Local Daytrips
~ Washington Gardener Tours to the Philadelphia Flower Show
and much more...

Washington Gardener Magazine PHOTO CONTEST Kicks Off!

2011-12-31T15:40:00.000-05:00

The 6th Annual Washington Gardener Magazine Photo Contest kicks off now! Time to start sorting and picking out your best 2011 garden shots. The entry period is January 1-20, 2012.

Note that eligible entries must have been taken in the 2011 calendar year in a garden setting within 150-mile radius of Washington, DC.

We have four major entry categories:

~ Garden Views (landscape scenes)

~ Garden Vignettes (groupings of plants in beds or containers, unusual color or texture combinations, garden focal points, and still scenes)

~ Small Wonders (flower or plant part close-ups)

~ Garden Creatures (any living creature in a garden setting)

A little tip: we have far more entries in these last two categories than in the first two. Meaning, your odds of winning are far higher in the Views and Vignettes categories.

Remember that garden photos need not all be taken during the first week of May nor should they all be tight close-ups of a red rose. Look for the unusual and for beauty in the off-season too. Our judges give equal weight to the following criteria when evaluating the entries: technical merit, composition, impact, and creativity.

Anyone can enter: professional or amateur, adult or student, local area gardener or visiting DC tourist.

See this PDF for full contest details:

Photo Contest - Rules and - Guildelines

Best of luck to all!

Video Wednesday: How to Make a Moss Container Garden

2011-12-28T16:00:00.012-05:00

A Moss Container Garden is a super-easy project and you can do it anytime of year. It is especially a nice garden to create with little ones. They can notice all the different kinds of moss that grows when out on an early winter's walk.

Watch this short instructional video and then make it with some moss, found objects, and your imagination.

The moss garden can be kept indoors or out. You can take it apart after you have enjoyed it and return the moss to where you found it or add the moss to your own garden.

If you make one, please take a photo and share a link to your picture in the comments section. I'd love to see your finished projects.

Primrose Path

2011-12-26T17:29:00.000-05:00

This primrose by my back door has been blooming away since October and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. It was downright frosty last night, but that did not stop it. Maybe it is the exceptionally wet autumn we'd had or that it is in a fairly protected spot, I hope it keeps on doing its thing until spring comes.

Anything in your garden blooming now that "should not be"?

Garden of Lights Pass Winners Announced

2011-12-22T10:00:00.007-05:00

Congratulations to the following pass winners of the December 2011 Washington Gardener Reader Contest:

~ Mike Carvalho of Silver Spring, MD
~ Jeavonna Chapman of Baltimore, MD
~ Katie Rapp of Gaithersburg, MD
~ Michelle Snow of Arlington, VA
~ Karen Sutter of Arlington, VA
~ Carla D'Anna of Laurel, MD
~ Kathy Parrent of Silver Spring, MD
~ Stephanie Richard of Rockville, MD
~ Stephanie Vermillion Fletcher of Reston, VA
~ Mary Olien of Winchester, VA

They each won a win a vehicle pass to Brookside Garden’s Garden of Lights Show in Wheaton, MD. The Garden of Lights is a half-mile walk through a landscape of almost a million twinkling colorful lights shaped in imaginative displays throughout the gardens. Enjoy the four seasons illuminated as giant summer sunflowers, autumn leaves, winter snowflakes, spring flowers, rain showers, and more.

The show runs through Sunday, January 8, 2012 (with the exception of December 24-25 and January 2-5). The hours are 5:30 to 9:00pm, with the last car admitted at 8:30pm. Entry is by car/van and is $20 on Mon-Thurs and $25 on Fri-Sun.

Video: Season's Greetings from Washington Gardener Magazine

2011-12-21T18:59:00.002-05:00

Try our slideshow creator at Animoto.

Poinsettia Pointers ~ Washington Gardener Enews ~ December 2011

2011-12-20T17:35:00.000-05:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More DC

Washington Gardener Enews ~ December 2011

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

~ Poinsettia Pointers

~ Magazine Excerpt: Growing Sweet Potatoes

~ Washington Gardener Magazine 2012 Seed Exchange Details and Advance Registration Form

~ Reader Contest: Win passes to Brookside Gardens' Garden of Lights

~ Washington Gardener's Recent Blog Post Highlights

~ Washington Gardener Magazine 2012 Photo Contest Rules

~ Spotlights Special: Red Native Trumpet Vine

~ Mid-Atlantic Garden To-Do List for December-January

~ The Top Local Garden Events Calendar for December-January

~ Washington Gardener Magazine Back Issue Sale!

and much more...

Wolfgang Oehme: A Profile

2011-12-19T19:46:00.000-05:00

It is with great sadness that I post this. I ran into Janet Draper of Smithsonian gardens on Friday morning outside the Downtown DC Holiday Market and she told me of Wolfgang Oehme passing away the day before. I tweeted out the news right away, but could not bring myself to do more until I let the news sink in a bit more. This year seems to have neen especially cruel in our local gardening world. We have lost too many great folks and much gardening knowledge with them.

Here is an interview with Wolfgang Oehme from the September/October 2006 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine.

Wolfgang Oehme: Landscape Legend
By Kathy Jentz

You know you’ve “made it” in the horticulture world when you have a plant named after you. Carex muskingumensis ‘Oehme,’ a variegated palm sedge, which was bred from a sport was found in Wolfgang’s garden.

I had the privilege of visiting Wolfgang Oehme this summer while on a tour with the American Bamboo Society of area gardens.

His home in Towson, MD, is on a large suburban lot off a winding road and suitably the approach gives little hint of what lies beyond.

Branches loosely woven together form informal barriers between the planting beds, driveway, and property borders. Rocks are stacked to form impressionistic totem poles and mark the corners of walking paths.

His front garden contains many of the bamboos he is a collector of and is so passionate about. A true collector, pots of rare specimens and trial plants fill up his back deck and patio.

This co-creator of the “New American Garden” has 43 kinds of grasses and sedges on his property, in addition to 111 ornamental trees and shrubs, 170 kinds of perennials, over 50 fruit and nut trees, and the list goes on. One thing he does not have room for? A turf lawn. His neighbors supply that .

Two bodies of water are separated by a tall wall of perennials and grasses. Closer to the house is a naturalized pond complete with croaking frogs. Hidden from view is the pristine lap pool where Oehme gets his regular morning exercise in.

Most surprising of all, he has a large edible garden at the back of his property that includes a riot of strawberries, garlic, fennel, figs, and more.

Wolfgang himself is generous with his time and knowledge — patiently taking visitors around and naming each plant from memory.

His son, Roland Oehme is also a practicing landscape architect. He specializes in “regenerative designs that enhance the environment and provide active enjoyment for people.” Roland and Wolfgang also host tours to Germany that feature innovative ecological designs.

Wolfgang’s landscape firm has given a great gift to downtown Washington, DC, with its bold installations as anyone who travels on downtown Pennsylvania Avenue can readily attest.

One pet project of Oehme’s is the Towson Courthouse Garden. Once a flat lawn with a few trees, the land has now been sculpted into an undulating parkland that is the pride of their county.

“Our job,” said Wolfgang in a 1985 interview, “is to provide the framework, an exciting combination so that the garden is like a painting or a symphony. Then we let the plants . . . express themselves.”

Oehme, van Sweden & Associates, Inc., can be reached at 202.546.7575 or www.ovsla.com.

Official Bio

Wolfgang Oehme, co-founder of Oehme, van Sweden & Associates, is a distinguished landscape architect and horticulturist with more than 40 years of professional experience, nationwide and abroad. His career began in Germany, where he completed an apprenticeship at Bitterfeld Horticultural School in 1950 and a degree in landscape architecture at the University of Berlin in 1954. His early work in Europe during the 1950s featured the breadth of experience that marks his work today: from direct involvement with plants (Hamburg’s Planten un Blumen and nurseries in Sweden and England) to large-scale landscape design and land management projects (the Parks Department in Frankfurt and Delius Landscape Architects in Nurnberg).

Oehme moved to the United States in 1957. He designed golf courses, parks, and playgrounds for the Baltimore County Department of Parks until 1965, and continued practice independently from 1966 to 1974. His work included park systems for the new town of Columbia, MD, and many private residences in the Baltimore area.

In 1977 he founded the firm of Oehme, van Sweden & Associates with James van Sweden. Since then they have collaborated on a full range of landscape design projects, many of which are honored by distinguished awards and published reviews. His credits include redesign of all planting along Pennsylvania Avenue from the U.S. Treasury to the National Gallery in Washington, DC, for the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation; the Virginia Avenue Gardens of the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC; Morrill Hall Gardens at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis; the National Education and Training Center campus for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Shepherdstown, WV; and the MacArthur Center retail complex in downtown Norfolk, VA. His practice also extends to his native Germany with projects in Chemnitz and Magdeburg.

Wolfgang Oehme’s creative use of herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses demonstrates how dramatic, multi-seasonal, and low-maintenance they can be. His recent honors for this work include the 2002 George Robert White Medal of Honor, awarded to him and Mr. van Sweden, in recognition of efforts to advance interest in horticulture. He is also a co-recipient with Mr. van Sweden of the 1992 Landscape Design Award by the American Horticultural Society, and he holds the Perennial Plant Association’s 1987 Distinguished Service Award for 30 years of active participation. His teaching experience includes the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Georgia.

Oehme and van Sweden co-authored Bold Romantic Gardens: The New World Landscapes of Oehme and van Sweden (Acropolis Books, Ltd., 1990; reprinted by Spacemaker Press, 1998). It received two Awards of Excellence by the Garden Writers Association of America. A series of books by Random House also feature the firm’s work. The series includes Architecture in the Garden (2003), Gardening with Water (1995), and Gardening with Nature (1997).

Mr. Oehme is a licensed landscape architect and a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Design Philosophy

Peers describe Oehme, van Sweden and Associates’ approach to garden design as the “New American Garden” style. The New American Garden is a metaphor for the American meadow. It reflects the year-round beauty of the natural landscape. It frees plants from forced and artificial forms and allows them to seek a natural course as they weave a tapestry across the entire garden plane. It results in layered masses of foliage that boldly celebrate the ephemeral through mystery, intrigue, and discovery. In sum, it is a basic alternative to the typical American garden scene — more relaxed, less like a formula, and more sympathetic to the environment.

Plants chosen for the New American Garden, especially perennials and ornamental grasses, require less maintenance, no deadheading or pesticides, and only limited water and fertilizer. These plants welcome change seasonally and, as they mature, botanically.

The built elements of the New American Garden share importance equally with the plants. Carefully designed walls, terraces, steps, and other “hardscape” features complement the surrounding “softscape.” Upon entering a garden, the visitor’s attention is drawn first to dramatic spectacles of planting and then to the practical beauty of built elements that firmly anchor the garden to the ground plane.
For further reading, here are two obituaries:
~ The Baltimore Sun
~ The Washington Post

The photo above is Wolfgang with large drifts of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’ at the 2005 Federal Garden Show in Muenchen. © Roland Oehme.

A Rosy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

2011-12-15T05:00:00.015-05:00

Mutabilis rose in bud

Mutabilis rose bloom

Christmas Rose (Helleborus niger)

Heather (Erica)

For the December 2011 Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, I still have a China Rose aka Butterfly Rose aka Rosa 'Mutabilis' in bud and in bloom. Meanwhile my "Christmas Rose" hellebores are just starting to open up just in time for the holiday. My pink Heathers are blooming the earliest I've ever seen them. It has been a weird weather year in th Mid-Atlantic US states, but I'm not complaining about the relatively mild December we've been having thus far.

So what is blooming in YOUR garden today?

Video Wednesday: Save Seeds Before Winter

2011-12-14T16:14:00.000-05:00

Another trip into our Washington Gardener Magazine video vaults. This one is a MonkeySee.com production. It is about How to Save Seeds Before Winter. Don't forget about the two upcoming Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchanges next January 28 in Maryland and February 4 in Virginia. I'll be posting Seed Exchange registration details in the next week.

BTW, you may have to wait a few seconds for the video to load while listening to a brief MonkeySee.com sponsor commercial. If the above viewer, does not work, you can also go directly to MonkeySee.com to watch it there.

Win Passes to Brookside Gardens’ Garden of Lights Show

2011-12-12T18:43:00.000-05:00

For our December 2011 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away passes to the Brookside Gardens’ Garden of Lights Show.

Brookside Gardens’ Garden of Lights is a half-mile walk through a landscape of almost a million twinkling colorful lights shaped in imaginative displays throughout the gardens. Enjoy the four seasons illuminated as giant summer sunflowers, autumn leaves, winter snowflakes, spring flowers, rain showers, and more.

The show runs through Sunday, January 8, 2012 (with the exception of December 24-25 and January 2-5). The hours are 5:30 to 9:00pm, with the last car admitted at 8:30pm. Entry is by car/van and is $20 on Mon-Thurs and $25 on Fri-Sun.

To enter to win a vehicle pass to Brookside’s Garden of Lights Show, send an email to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on December 20 with “Brookside Lights” in the subject line and tell us your gardening resolution for the new year. In the body of the email, please also include your full name and mailing address. The pass winners will be announced and notified on December 21.

Video Wednesday: Create a New Garden Bed Without Digging

2011-12-07T17:12:00.000-05:00

Another trip into our Washington Gardener Magazine video vaults. This one is a MonkeySee.com production. It is about Create a New Garden Bed Without Digging pre-winter for spring planting. Enjoy!

BTW, you may have to wait a few seconds for the video to load while listening to a brief MonkeySee.com sponsor commercial. If the above viewer, does not work, you can also go directly to MonkeySee.com to watch it there.

Washington Gardener Magazine at Downtown DC Holiday Market

2011-12-02T12:35:00.000-05:00

Washington Gardener Magazine will be on sale at the Downtown Holiday Market again this year.
The market runs from December 2-23 and is located on F Street between 7th and 9th Streets, right near the Gallery Place metro.

Look for us in the "Jentz Prints" Booth #6. We'll have a display with current and back issues for sale at $5 and subscription cards as well that you can fill out on the spot or take home to mail in later. Generally, the booth will be open 10:00am to 8:00pm each day.

I'll be helping out there for several mornings of the market, so stop by and say, "Hi!"

5 Lucky People Won Lewis Ginter's GardenFest of Lights

2011-12-01T08:00:00.001-05:00

The winners of our November 2011 Washington Gardener Reader Contest are:

~ Janet Benini of Washington, DC
~ Gloria June Sherman of Silver Spring, MD
~ Linda Martin of Falls Church, VA
~ Lauren Peterson of Rockville MD
~ Monica Scott of Fairfax, VA

Each winner receives passes for two people to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardenfest of Lights. I hope our winners will share photos from their visit!

A holiday tradition in Richmond, VA! The walk-through show features more than a half million lights arranged in botanical themes throughout the Garden. Visitors can also marvel at displays in the Garden’s Conservatory and decorations in the Visitors Center and the Education and Library Complex. GardenFest includes family-friendly activities, botanical decorations, model trains, a bonfire (weather-permitting), oversized “LOVE” artwork, courtesy of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, and mazes of lights in the Children’s Garden, holiday dining, music, and more! The show runs Friday, November 25, 2011 - Monday, January 9, 2012. (Closed December 24 and 25.) The hours are 5:00 to 10:00pm. For more information on the Lewis Ginter Gardenfest of Lights, visit: http://bit.ly/gardenfest.

We will be announcing our December 2011 Washington Gardener Reader Contest in a few weeks, so be sure to check back at our blog (http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/) regularly for details.

Video Wednesday: Overwinter Tropical Bulbs

2011-11-30T15:40:00.000-05:00

Here is my latest video demonstrating how easy it is to overwinter your tropical "bulbs" like canna and caladiums.

For those who want to play "spot the kitty," at about 1:40 in you'll start to see cat ears at the bottom right corner of the frame. That is my Santino wanting to know why I'm not petting him.

Free Koi: Bring Your Own Net and Bucket!

2011-11-29T17:57:00.001-05:00

So earlier this year, some misguided soul thought he would gift the world with 80 Koi fish bought from a pet store by adding them to the fountain at Meridian Hill Park on 16th Street in Washington, DC. Sadly, 20 died almost immediately. The 60 that lived will do what fish do when given a large space to fill, they spawned and soon there were several hundred more Koi inthe park fountain. (The park is Federal property and yes, this gentleman violated several laws with his ill-thought-out "gift.")

Now winter is approaching and the park fountain is drained so it does not get damaged in the freeze-thaw-freeze cycle, we area gardeners are all too familiar with. There are hundreds of small Koi needinga quick re-location to a new home.

The Washington Humane Society (WHS) has already spent one morning attempting to capture and re-locate many of the fountain fish. The Koi proved pretty elusive, so tomorrow at 10:00am (Wednesday, 11/30), the WHS will be back and the fountain will be partially drained to make fish capture a bit easier.

Michael Triebwasser, Humane Law Enforcement Officer at the WHS, is coordinating the rescue event. He says, "There are at least a couple hundred fish left of various sizes, ranging from an inch (and less) to 6-8 inches. If you can give the fish a good home, you are more than welcome to take as many as you’d like."

If you have a backyard pond that can accomodate some rescued Koi, come on down with your net and a bucket to help out.

You can read more background about these fishy-tales at the Prince of Petworth blog here.

UPDATE: I went to the rescue and spent an hour sifting through algae-muck for the littlest of the fish. Boy, are my hands cold! I brought home 15 small ones -- half will go in my pond and the others to a friend's pond. I put up a photo album of the rescue event at facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine.

Back Issue Sale!

2011-11-28T17:58:00.000-05:00

You can request a single copy of any back issue for $6 each or any combination of 6 back issues for $24.
You can also order ALL 30+ back issues for just $100.
Prices include postage and handling.
Please specify the issue date(s) you would like. Order must be prepaid by check or money order.

Send Your Order to:
Washington Gardener, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910

ISSUE LISTINGS

March/April 2005

• Landscape DIY vs. Pro

• Prevent Gardener’s Back

• Ladew Topiary Gardens

• Cherry Trees

May/June 2005

• Stunning Plant Combinations

• Turning Clay into Rich Soil

• Wild Garlic

• Strawberries

JuLy/August 2005

• Water Gardens

• Poison Ivy

• Disguising a Sloping Yard

• Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

September/October 2005

• Container Gardens

• Clematis Vines

• Sponge Gardening/Rain Gardens

• 5 Insect Enemies of Gardeners

NOVEmber/DECEMBer 2005

• Backyard Bird Habitats

• Hellebores

• Building a Coldframe

• Bulb Planting Basics

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006

• Garden Decor Principles

• Primroses

• Tasty Heirloom Veggies

• U.S. Botanic Garden

MARCH/APRIL 2006

• Top 10 Small Trees and Large Shrubs

• Azaleas

• Figs, Berries, & Persimmons

• Basic Pruning Principles

May/June 2006

• Using Native Plants in Your Landscape

• Crabgrass

• Peppers

• Secret Sources for Free Plants

JuLy/August 2006

• Hydrangeas

• Theme Gardens

• Agave

• Find Garden Space by Growing Up

September/October 2006

• Shade Gardening

• Hosta Care Guide

• Fig-growing Tips and Recipes

• Oatlands Plantation

NOVEMber/DECEMber 2006

• Horticultural Careers

• Juniper Care Guide

• Winter Squash Growing Tips and Recipes

• Weed-free Beds with Layer/Lasagna Gardening

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007

• Indoor Gardening

• Daphne Care Guide

• Asparagus Growing Tips and Recipes

• Houseplant Propagation

MARCH/April 2007

• Stormwater Management

• Dogwood Selection & Care Guide

• Early Spring Vegetable Growing Tips

• Franciscan Monastery Bulb Gardens

MAY/June 2007

• Roses: Easy Care Tips

• Native Roses & Heirloom Roses

• Edible Flowers

• How to Plant a Bare-root Rose

JuLY/AUGUST 2007

• Groundcovers: Alternatives to Turfgrass

• How to Pinch, Prune, & Dead-head

• A Trip to the William Paca House & Gardens

• Hardy Geraniums

September/October 2007

• Succulents: Hardy to our Region

• Drought-tolerant Natives

• Southern Vegetables

• Seed Saving Savvy Tips

November/December 2007

• Gardening with Children

• Kid-Friendly Vegetables

• Indoor Bulb Forcing Basics

• National Museum of the American Indian

• Versatile Viburnums

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

• Dealing with Deer

• Our Favorite Garden Tools

• Indoor Bulb Forcing Basics

• Delightful Daffodils

MARCH/APRIL 2008

• Patio, Balcony, and Rooftop Container Gardens

• Our Favorite Garden Tools

• Coral Bells (Heucheras)

• Brookside’s Phil Normandy

• Japanese-style Garden

MAY/JUNE 2008 — Almost Sold Out!

• Growing Great Tomatoes

• Glamorous Gladiolus

• Seed Starting Basics

• Flavorful Fruiting Natives

• Build a Better Tomato Cage

JULY/AUGUST 2008

• Landscaping with Ornamental Grasses

• Edible Grasses to Graze On

• Slug and Snail Control

• Sage Advice: Sun-loving Salvias

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

• Autumn Edibles — What to Plant Now

• Ladybug Lore

• Beguiling Barrenworts (Epimediums)

• The Best Time to Plant Spring-blooming Bulbs

• 14 Dry Shade Plants Too Good to Overlook

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008

• Outdoor Lighting Essentials

• How to Prune Fruiting Trees, Shrubs, and Vines

• 5 Top Tips for Overwintering Tender Bulbs

• Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick

• A Daytrip to Tudor Place

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009

• Compost Happens: Nature’s Free Fertilizer

• Managing Stormwater with a Rain Garden

• Visiting Virginia’s State Arboretum

• Grow Winter Hazel for Gorgeous Winter Color

MARCH/April 2009

• 40+ Free and Low-cost Local Garden Tips

• Spring Edibles Planting Guide for the Mid-Atlantic

• Testing Your Soil for a Fresh Start

• Redbud Tree Selection and Care

• Best Local Viewing Spots for Virginia Bluebells

MAY/JUNE 2009

• Top 12+ Easy Summer Annuals for DC Heat

• Salad Table Project

• Grow and Enjoy Eggplant

• How to Chuck a Woodchuck from Your Garden

Summer 2009

• Grow Grapes in the Mid-Atlantic

• Passionflowers

• Mulching Basics

• What’s Bugging Your Tomatoes

• Growing Hops

FALL 2009

• Apples

• How To Save Tomato Seeds

• Persimmons

WINTER 2009

• Battling Garden Thugs

• How to Start Seeds Indoors

• Red Twig Dogwoods

• Unusual Edibles to Grow in Our Region

• Visit to Riversdale House

SPRING 2010

• Community Gardens

• Building a Raised Bed

• Dwarf Iris

• Broccoli

SUMMER 2010

• Fragrance Gardens

• Watering Without Waste

• Lavender

• Potatoes

FALL 2010

• Vines and Climbers

• Battling Stink Bugs

• Russian Sage

• Garlic

WINTER 2010

• Paths and Walkways

• Baltimore’s Cylburn Arboretum

• Edgeworthia

• Kohlrabi

SPRING 2011

• Cutting-Edge Gardens

• Final Frost Dates and When to Plant

• Bleeding Hearts

• Onions

SUMMER 2011

• Ornamental Edibles

• Urban Foraging

• Amsonia/Arkansas Blue Star

• Growing Corn in the Mid-Atlantic

When Does My Subscription Expire?

2011-11-27T14:54:00.000-05:00

A few of you have asked, "How do I know when my subscription runs out?"

On your address label on the Fall 2011 issue, above your name is a code.
It consists of two letters and two numbers.
The two letters are the issue:
SP (spring), SU (summer), FA (fall), and WI (winter).
The two numbers are the year:
11 (2011), 12 (2012), 13 (2013), etc.
So, if you see "SP12" that means Spring 2012 is your last issue in your subscription.

I hope this helps and that your holiday weekend was restful!

Social Media Subscription Special & Back Issue Sale

2011-11-25T12:23:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm running this subscription special through December 5 in gratitude for all my online friends, followers, fans, and frequent commenters.

Print out the coupon above, fill it out and mail it in with your check/money order to get 10% off a year's subscription to Washington Gardener Magazine.

I'm also running a Back Issue Sale, full details can be found in on page 8 of the latest Washington Gardener Enewsletter posted here.

Video Wednesday: Shutting Off Water Sources

2011-11-23T11:39:00.000-05:00

Another trip into our Washington Gardener Magazine video vaults. This one is a MonkeySee.com production. It is about Shutting Off Water Sources for winter. Enjoy!

BTW, you may have to wait a few seconds for the video to load while listening to a brief MonkeySee.com sponsor commercial. If the above viewer, does not work, you can also go directly to MonkeySee.com to watch it there.

Win Passes to Lewis Ginter's GardenFest of Lights in Washington Gardener Magazine's November 2011 Reader Contest

2011-11-22T17:56:00.001-05:00

For our November 2011 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away 5 sets of passes for two people to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardenfest of Lights.

A holiday tradition in Richmond, VA! The walk-through show features more than a half million lights arranged in botanical themes throughout the Garden. Visitors can also marvel at displays in the Garden’s Conservatory and decorations in the Visitors Center and the Education and Library Complex. GardenFest includes family-friendly activities, botanical decorations, model trains, a bonfire (weather-permitting), oversized “LOVE” artwork, courtesy of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, and mazes of lights in the Children’s Garden, holiday dining, music, and more! The show runs Friday, November 25, 2011 - Monday, January 9, 2012. (Closed December 24 and 25.) The hours are 5:00 to 10:00pm. For more information on the Lewis Ginter Gardenfest of Lights, visit: http://bit.ly/gardenfest.

To enter to win a set of two passes to the Lewis Ginter Gardenfest of Lights, send an email with “GardenFest” in the subject line to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on Wednesday, November 30. In the body of the email please include your full name, email, and mailing address. The pass winners will be announced and notified by December 2.

Giving Your Tender Plants Winter Protection ~ Washington Gardener Enews - November 2011

2011-11-18T12:43:00.000-05:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More dc

Washington Gardener Enews ~ November 2011

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
~ Giving Your Tender Plants Winter Protection
~ Magazine Excerpt: Autumn Onion native plant profile
~ Washington Gardener Magazine 2011 Day Trips
~ Reader Contest: Win passes to Lewis Ginter's Gardenfest of Lights
~ Washington Gardener's Recent Blog Post Highlights
~ Spotlights Special: Cool Wave Pansies
~ Mid-Atlantic Garden To-Do List for November-December
~ The Top Local Garden Events Calendar
~ Washington Gardener Magazine Back Issue Sale!
and much more...

Video Wednesday: How to Clean & Preserve Garden Tools

2011-11-16T16:28:00.000-05:00

Another trip into our Washington Gardener Magazine video vaults. This one is a MonkeySee.com production. It is about How to Clean & Preserve Garden Tools for winter. Enjoy!

BTW, you may have to wait a few seconds for the video to load while listening to a brief MonkeySee.com sponsor commercial. If the above viewer, does not work, you can also go directly to MonkeySee.com to watch it there.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day: Sunflowers in November

2011-11-15T15:23:00.000-05:00

This autumn has been a wonderful "Indian Summer." The past few days in the Washington, DC-area were in the '60s and made weeding and raking a joy.

The line of sunflowers along my fence may look a bit scraggly as the other annuals I planted there have died back, but the sunflowers just keep right on blooming! I plan on keeping them up until the last flower finished up.

NEW Fall 2011 Issue OUT!

2011-11-14T17:46:00.001-05:00

Our Fall 2011 edition of Washington Gardener Magazine issue is printed and mailing this week. If you are a current subscriber, look for it in your mailbox soon. The cover story is on Herb Gardens for our Mid-Atlantic region.

Also in this issue is the Edibles column, “Growing Great Sweet Potatoes” by Cindy Brown. She shares her tips on how to grow them here and the best varieties for our area.

Our Daytrip is to the Biltmore Estate in Ashville, NC. I visited there myself last year and cannot wait to get back next summer for an even longer stay.

You’ll also find in this issue:

• Best Cover Crops for Your Vegetable Garden

• Earwigs: Beneficial or Nuisance?

• An Interview with an Influential Local Community Gardener

• Meeting Up with the Potomac Chapter of the Herb Society of America

• Toadlily Plant Profile and Varieties

• Before/After of a Former Slave Cabin’s Landscape

• An Intriguing Personal Garden Story

• Coverage of several local events including our own Tomato Taste

• Answers to readers’ questions such as why are some azalea leaves losing color, what is eating the zinnia foliage, and much, much more...

To subscribe, go to www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm and use our PayPal credit card link. OR, send a $20 check to Washington Gardener Magazine, 826 Philadelphia Ave. Silver Spring MD 20910.

Longwood Holiday Extravaganza Daytrip

2011-11-12T08:30:00.009-05:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More gardens

Join Washington Gardener Magazine and Cheval's Garden Tours for a daytrip to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania on Thursday, December 15. The tour departs and returns to Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD.

Get in the holiday mood and get all your gift shopping done in one day at one of the most beautiful displays in the world. Treat yourself and bring along a friend.

Remember that current Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers get $5 off the registration fee!

Act soon as spaces fill quickly.

Fenton Friday: Season's End

2011-11-11T15:12:00.000-05:00

I cleared out my garden plot at the Fenton Community Garden this past week. We have been blessed with some warm autumn days and it was fairly easy work to pull up the plants. I dug the last of the potatoes and plan to have them for dinner tonight. I gathered all the stakes and plant labels for re-use next year. Instead of a cover crop, I mulched with straw.

I was able to gather over 5 pounds of green tomatoes, tomatillos, and eggplants. I also plucked some hot peppers from the communal compost pile. I brought them over to Shepherd's Table and hope the chef there can use them.

The last of the beans I plucked and set on a screen in my sunroom to dry for seeds in next year's garden -- and for trading.

The only thing left growing in the plot now is my garlic, which I'll harvest next spring.

I did leave up some marigolds, as when I tried to pull them, both bees and butterflies got in my way. I will pull those last flowers out this weekend or next. Maybe I'll add another layer of wood chips to my pathways also as that is pretty warn away. Other than that, I'm done with the garden plot for the year and will turn my full attention to getting my hom garden set for winter. For starters, I have a lot of spring-blooming bulbs to put in and tender summer-blooming bulbs to store.

Video Wednesday: Winterize a Vegetable Garden - the Last Harvest

2011-11-09T11:04:00.001-05:00

This weekend I went to Button Farm, a stop on the Maryland Emancipation Day tour, and left my camera! Luckily, I'll be reunited with my camera in a couple days, but meanwhile will have to reach into the vaults and share with you one of my oldie-but-goodie videos.

This one is a MonkeySee.com production. It is about Collecting Your Last Harvest in preparation for putting your vegetable garden to bed for winter. Enjoy!

BTW, you may have to wait a few seconds for the video to load while listening to a brief MonkeySee.com sponsor commercial. If the above viewer, does not work, you can also go directly to MonkeySee.com to watch it there.

New Blog - Cats in Gardens

2011-11-08T10:47:00.000-05:00

Hi all -

I have started a new blog for fun all about Cats in Gardens, featuring (you guessed it!) photos of cats in gardens. Please visit and share your cats in gardens at: catsingardens.blogspot.com.

Preparing Your Garden For Winter talk

2011-11-07T10:24:00.000-05:00

Takoma Park Branch (DC) Library, Washington Gardener Magazine, and the Takoma Horticultural Club present:

"Getting Your Garden Ready For Winter"

When: Thursday November 10 at 7:00pm

Where: Takoma DC Public Library at 5th and Cedar Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20012
Who: Kathy Jentz, Editor of Washington Gardener Magazine
Grow a beautiful garden filled with flowers and foliage and still honor the Earth by using sustainable gardening practices. Learn how to prepare your yard for the next growing season in an eco-friendly way. Presented by Kathy Jentz, Editor of Washington Gardener Magazine, to celebrate the donation of 18 garden books to the Takoma DC Public library by the Takoma Horticiultural Club. Make sure to peruse the books on display while at the library!

FREE to Attend!

See Washington Gardener in person at Behnke Craft Show 11/5

2011-11-04T15:07:00.000-04:00

Washington Gardener Magazine will be at the Behnke Nurseries holiday craft show on Saturday, November 5 from 10am-4pm at their Beltsville, MD location. Come by to subscribe or renew and to buy current and back issues of the magazine.

Find out also about our upcoming daytrip to Longwood Gardens on December 15 with Cheval's 2nd Act.

For full details on the Behnke Nurseries holiday craft show, go here: http://behnkes.com/website/events-calendar/2011-christmas-craft-show.html

Also, here is a list of some of the Behnke Nurseries holiday craft show vendors:
http://behnkes.com/website/events-calendar/christmas-show-vendors.html

Fenton Friday: Documented on Video

2011-11-04T11:18:00.000-04:00

Here is a student-made documentary on the Fenton Street Community Garden starring a few of my garden plot neighbors. You'll see my house/garden in the opening shot across the street from the garden. There are also close-ups of my basil and marigolds with bees on them. The garden plot season is definitely winding down here, so I'm glad they captured this point in time and hope it will show others just what a community garden is all about.

Video Wednesday: Bulb Forcing 101

2011-11-02T12:45:00.000-04:00

Bulb Forcing 101

How to Get Spring Blooms in the Dead of Winter
By Kathy Jentz
Didn’t get all your bulbs planted before the ground froze? Don’t discard them! Instead pot them up for indoor forcing and enjoy an early springtime in the depths of winter.

If you were a good little gardener and got all your bulbs in the ground on time, there are still a few bulbs hanging around unsold at local area garden centers and on major markdown sales on the web and through mail order, snap them up now at these bargain basement prices and consider yourself a savvy customer. Next year, when you place your bulb orders, add a few extra to your quantities to set aside specifically for forcing.

Never forced bulbs before? Nothing to it. Here are the basics and a few extra tips I've learned from past experiments:
1. Bulb Selection. You don't need to buy any specific variety or kinds. You can just select a few bulbs from those that you would buy for outside plantings. After they are done livening up your winter home, you can plant them outside after the last frost so that they will return annually with your other bulbs. One note of caution, indoor bulbs can sometimes give off potent smells. Some people love them, some don't -- paperwhites and hyacinth are especially notoriously in the love/hate category. Experiment a bit, and you'll soon learn which scents are to your tastes and which are just too overpowering for inside your home.
2. Timing. Keep in mind that bulbs bloom within three-four weeks of removal from cold storage, which lasts about 12-16 weeks. So if you want blooms for a specific occasion, you need to work about 16-20 weeks in advance for planting time.

3. Bulb Planting. Regular bulbs should be planted in soil, but at a shallower depth than you would outside. The top of the bulb should be even with the soil line and have about 2" of soil below for root development. The container should have drainage holes. Because it will be inside your house and no one likes a leaky mess on their furniture, I recommended lining the bottom of the pot with scrap landscape fabric and placing the pot on a good-sized saucer filled with a layer pebbles. Place the bulbs pointy side up and with the "flat" side towards the outside of the pot and as tight together as you like. Crowding them actually makes a nicer visual effect than spacing them far apart. Tight quarters also helps the foliage from growing out too much and flopping over. Water the newly planted bulbs well. Place the pots in plastic newspaper sleeves to maintain a moist environment.

4. Cold Storage/Removal for Flowering. Place the potted-up bulbs in cold storage for about 12 weeks. Cold storage should be roughly 40-50 degrees and without light. Storage areas might include your basement, garage, or the crisper drawer in your refrigerator. Different bulbs have different cold cycle times but most are between 12-16 weeks. (Tulips need the most time at a full 16 weeks.) Mark your calendars so that you don't forget about them. When you first remove them from storage, place them in indirect light and away from a heat source to prevent “legginess.” After two weeks, when they have sprouted and are several inches high, move them to a sunny, warm window. Once a flowerhead or bud starts to develop, you can then move it to your desired location with indirect sunlight to prolong the bloom life. Keep them watered regularly as soon as you remove them from cold storage. Enjoy!

Author:
Kathy Jentz is Editor of Washington Gardener Magazine. This winter she is forcing two dozen apricot tulips as holiday gifts for friends --- sh!

Washington Gardener Magazine, is the only gardening publication published specifically for the local metro area — zones 6-7 — Washington DC and its suburbs.

The magazine is written entirely by local area gardeners. They have real-world knowledge and practical advice with the same problems you experience in your own gardens. They share their thoughts on what to plant in deep shade, how to cover bare spots, which annuals work best throughout the humid DC summers, and much more. If you are a DC area gardener, you’ll love Washington Gardener magazine!

The magazine is published four times per year with a cover price of $4.99. To subscribe to the magazine: Send a check/money order for $20.00 payable to “Washington Gardener” Magazine to: Washington Gardener, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910 OR to pay via Paypal/credit card click on the “subscribe” link at www.WashingtonGardener.com.

Washington Gardener Magazine also makes a great gift for the gardeners and new home owners in your life!

Organic Gardening Practices Survey

2011-10-30T18:17:00.001-04:00

For our October 2011 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we asked our entrants to tell us if they gardened organically and why or why not those made that choice. Here is what some of our entries told us about their home gardening habits.
"I garden organically in my tiny vegetable garden," said Caroline Parr of Fredericksburg, VA."And mostly organically otherwise except for occasional sprays of Round up on recalcitrant weeds. I garden this way due to my parents, who composted everything and gardened happily together for many decades"

"I garden organically because the thought of man-made chemicals poured into my garden confounds me," commented Crystal Nguyen of Westminster, CA. "My garden aspires to be an unsullied haven and sweet blessing to all the bustling creatures who frequent it where, season after season, green happily bursts from the rare virgin ground heinously flanked by concrete and asphalt. It is important to me to give other life forms the opportunity of a more natural existence - of which we are often deprived."

"Our gardening is mostly house plants," explained Ron Horner of Kenosha, WI. "We have had a backyard garden with some fruits and veggies. Need to get back in to that."

Tom Mann of Clayton, NC said: "We organically garden for several reasons. While we're not yet certified, our gardens cater to wildlife. We love our birds and tolerate the occasional deer and rabbits that seem drawn to our yard and gardens, along with squirrels, turtles, and yes, even snakes.. We have a small (8'x10') goldfish pond so we've got to watch out for them as well. Most importantly, our children and their cousins, grandchildren and great nieces/nephew who live close by and are frequent visitors to our little slice of paradise. We want our yard safe for everyone, and everything, and in order to do that, we strive to work the yard as organically as possible, and that includes using Annie's Authentic Haven Brand manure teas for our veggies and flowers."

"I do not garden organically but, I’d really like to learn and remove all traces of chemicals from my garden," said Lara Ruiz of La Quinta, CA. "I have experimented a little and find my plants respond better without the harsh chemicals but I did have more aphid issues. I’m an amateur and open to learning how to garden organically for the health of me, my family and my garden."

Dale McCarthy of Carl's Watkins Pond Community Garden said: "I'm president of a community garden in the very densely populated community of King Farm in Rockville. The first plot in our organic garden is for children to learn to grow their own organic vegetables and edible flowers. They learn and practice composting, and we've even tried vermiculture - admittedly with limited success - and we would love to have some organic manure for next year's garden. We are about ready to plant our organic garlic the end of this month, and I would be really pleased to let the kids know (ages 5-11) that we have access to this important element to enrich their plots next season."
"I try to garden organically--especially for plants that I'll be eating!" explained Kenneth Moore of Washington DC. "Because I grow almost everything in pots, I try to use organic potting soil (trying to grow any edibles in a DC yard's soil is terrifying to me!). I'd love some of the MooPoo to give a little pep to my outdoor plants in the spring!"

"Yes! I am an organic gardener, taking full advantage of the mycorrhizae and beneficial bacteria, compost, and mulch in the living soil! " said Geri Laufer of Atlanta, GA.

"I do garden organically as much as possible," said Paige Puckett of Raleigh, NC . "The only exception I make is when fire ants enter the garden. I have a toddler and a preschooler, and I can't risk their sweet little bare feet to ant stings. I've used a variety of fertilizers, but over the years I've moved towards natural sources, compost, and manures. I like being able to munch on arugula while I tend to the garden and not have to worry about chemicals being on the leaves. I'd love to try Moo Poo Tea, as I see people talking about it on their garden blogs and Twitter all the time. Thanks!"

Jeavonna L. Chapman of Baltimore, MD said: "I grow organically because it is cheaper, healthier, more environmentally friendly. Did I mention cheaper. I've know about the benefits of manure tea for years, but whipping up a batch was always a pain. This version is so easy. Just drop the packet in a bucket of water and wait three days. I mix it half-an-half. Very satisfied with the results. This was a terrible garden year - weeks of 95+ humid rain-free days, Two crazy hurricanes, Irene and Lee. I didn't expect much. I started to pull everything up after Lee, but Annie said keep feeding 'em. They'll be fine. I've got figs, cherry tomatoes and magnolia blossoms in late October. My plants are doing great. Thank you, Annnie and Haven Brand Manure Tea. I like quick, easy and effective. "
"I will not say I have an organic garden since I do not always use organic seeds nor organic dirt," explained Faith Hood of Falls Church, VA. "I do my best to keep it as organic as possible. I also try to draw the proper insects. Though, I guess my garden was so good, that it drew more plant-eating insects such as grasshoppers."

The winner of our October 2011 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest is: Paige Puckett, who was chosen at random from all the submitted entrires. She receives a Sampler Pack of Manure Tea, which includes one each Cow, Horse, and Alfalfa manure tea bags from Authentic Haven Brand (a $13 value). Authentic Haven Brand (http://www.manuretea.com/) offers a full line of all-natural, premium soil conditioner teas for the home gardener, landscaper, and farmer. Haven Brand uses only the highest quality manures from livestock that are raised on permanent, native grass pastures at the Haven Family Ranch.

So do YOU garden organically? Why or why not?

Fenton Friday: Still More to Harvest

2011-10-28T17:08:00.000-04:00

Frost/freeze warnings last night and snow(!) predicted for this weekend, caused me to run over to my plot at the Fenton Community Garden and see what I could salvage before the cold moved in. I was surprised at how much is still there. I picked ripe tomatoes, tomatillos, and an eggplant.

I also cut down my okra and it is a bit too woody for eating, so I placed them on a screen in my unheated sun room to dry out. I want to save seeds and also use them for craft projects. (Spoiler alert: Everyone is getting an okra Santa ornament for Christmas this year!) I'll also be sending some up to NY for my crafty, garden writer friend Ellen Spector Platt. She requested some for her dried arrangements.

Then I remembered I still had two rows of German Butterball potatoes (three mounds each) that I had not dug up yet. I unearthed one mound and found those gorgeous little tubers. Guess what's for dinner tonight? I'm going to leave the rest in the ground for a bit until I do the full garden clean-out.

Win a Sampler Pack of Manure Tea

2011-10-28T10:31:00.000-04:00

For our October 2011 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener Magazine is giving away a Sampler Pack of Manure Tea, which includes one each Cow, Horse, and Alfalfa manure tea bags from Authentic Haven Brand (a $13 value).

Authentic Haven Brand (http://www.manuretea.com/) offers a full line of all-natural, premium soil conditioner teas for the home gardener, landscaper, and farmer. Haven Brand uses only the highest quality manures from livestock that are raised on permanent, native grass pastures at the Haven Family Ranch.

To enter to win Sampler Pack of Manure Tea, send an email with “Manure” in the subject line to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on October 30. In the body of the email please include your full name, email, mailing address, and tell us if you garden organically and why or why not*. The sample pack winner will be announced and notified by November 2.

*NOTE: Some of the contest entry responses may be used in future online or print articles by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Video Wednesday: How to Over-Winter Coleus

2011-10-26T19:04:00.000-04:00

Washington Gardener Magazine (www.WashingtonGardener.com) shows you how to over-winter your coleus plants by taking cuttings from them and rooting them in water.

My cat, Santino, was a BIG help filming this one. Because he would get out of the shots, I worked him into the video. I think a star is born!

Fenton Friday: Shared Herb-Cutting Garden Created

2011-10-22T11:39:00.000-04:00

Last week, a bunch of us at Fenton Community Garden gathered and weeded out an unused corner of the fenced-in garden space. It was quick work after all these recent rains. I was shocked to pull up all of weeds with deep taproots like dandelions and Queen Anne's Lace fairly easily. We laid out two large pathways to make access and future weeding just as easy. I dug one large lavender (think it is 'Hidcote') from my garden and transplanted it over to start the perennial herb section. Others came in the last week to weed the border and add straw mulch. We'll see next spring about filling out the garden with additional perennial herbs and cutting garden plants.

Video Wednesday: How to Hold a Plant Swap

2011-10-19T13:19:00.002-04:00

How to Hold a Plant Swap featuring the Takoma Horticultural Club, based in Takoma Park, MD, and the Takoma neighborhood of NW, Washington, DC.

Acorn-ucopia ~ Washington Gardener Enews ~ October 2011

2011-10-16T17:45:00.000-04:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More Gardening

Washington Gardener Enews ~ October 2011

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
~ Acorn-ucopia: A Bumper Crop of Oak Seeds Litter Our Local Landscape
~ Magazine Excerpt: Earwigs - Foe or Friend?
~ Washington Gardener Magazine 2011 Day Trips
~ Reader Contest: Win a Sampler Pack of Manure Teas from Authentic Haven Brand
~ Washington Gardener's Recent Blog Post Highlights
~ Spotlights Special: ‘Strawberries and Cream’ and ‘Blueberries and Cream,’ two new, lacecap, long-lasting "gift" hydrangeas
~ Mid-Atlantic Garden To-Do List for October-November
~ The Top Local Garden Events Calendar
~ Washington Gardener Magazine Back Issue Sale!
and much more...

Blog Action Day: Food

2011-10-16T10:37:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd take this world-wide Blog Action Day centering on Food to spotlight again the Plant A Row program organized by the Garden Writers Association. As gardeners, we know that the best way to source local, organic food is to grow our own. We also know that sharing that bounty is one of the greatest joys in life.

Here is an article I wrote about the program for our Washington Gardener enewsletter in July 2009:

Is your garden’s bounty overflowing?
Donate Your Excess to Others in Need

Are your tomato plants groaning with loaded down branches of ripe fruit? Do your neighbors pretend their not home when you come over with yet another bag of zucchini? Looking for a place to donate your garden’s bounty?
Plant A Row for the Hungry (PAR) is one answer. The concept is simple. There are over 70 million gardeners in the U.S. alone, many of whom plant vegetables and harvest more than they can possibly consume. If every gardener plants one extra row of vegetables and donates their surplus to local food banks and soup kitchens, a significant impact can be made on reducing hunger. Food agencies will have access to fresh produce, funds earmarked for produce can be redirected to other needed items and the hungry of America will have more and better food than is presently available.
One in ten households in the United States experiences hunger, according to the U.S, Department of Agriculture. With the current economy, those extra fruits and vegetables from your backyard garden are needed now more than ever.
“Local help trickles down,” says garden writer and PAR spokesman Jeff Lowenfels. “PAR donations now really do mean acting locally and impacting globally.”
Lowenfels began PAR in his local Alaska garden column, when he asked gardeners to plant a row of vegetables for Bean’s Cafe, an Anchorage soup kitchen. Since then, PAR has grown exponentially through continued media support, individual and company sponsorship, and volunteerism. PAR does all of this without government bureaucracy and red tape -- just one gardener at a time helping their neighbors.
Carol Ledbetter, PAR coordinator at the Garden Writers Association, says, “Donating your excess produce is particularly important now... local gardeners’ donations are urgently needed. This is directly helping in our own neighborhoods.” Part of Ledbetter’s mission is to direct gardeners trying to find out where to donate their excess and also working with anyone wishing to start a PAR program in their local area. She can be reached at PAR@gardenwriters.org or 877.492.2727 (toll-free).
The Capital Area Food Bank has just launched the Grow A Row project. Gardeners throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area are encouraged to participate. Whether you grow an extra row, dig up your entire yard, or organize a collective donation from your community garden, we appreciate your contribution. Donated produce is provided to Capital Area Food Bank member agencies and local community organizations that have the capacity to use the produce. The Capital Area Food Bank works with a network of over 700 charitable organizations in the DC metro area, including food pantries, soup kitchens, youth programs, and emergency shelters. Contact Anika Roth (202.526.5344 x298 or rotha@cfoodbank.org) to participate and they will work with you to determine the best way to distribute your produce to the community. All participants will receive a Grow A Row Participant sign to put up in their garden and will be recognized on their web site.
In Prince William County, VA, the Virginia Cooperative Extension office oversees a volunteer master gardener program which coordinates donations to local food banks. On Thursdays and Saturdays, they do collections at the Manassas Farmers Market. Local gardeners can bring their excess produce to donate and we also collect any unsold produce at the end of the day from the market. This saves the farmers from hauling it back home and stops needless waste. For information on this program, contact the Virginia Master Gardener helpline at 703.792.7747.
One little known but highly effective local excess produce donation program is Harvest for the Hungry at the USDA in Beltsville, MD. Between 70,000 – 100,000 pounds of produce (tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, melons, potatoes, sweet corn, squash, etc.) per year is harvested by volunteer groups and given to Food for Others. The USDA tests out hundreds of new plant varieties and at the end of their testing the food would otherwise just go to waste in the fields. Last year, in one weekend, over 200 Girl Scouts toured the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and then helped pick produce which Food for Others uses for individual food boxes and local DC area food banks. For more information on the program, contact the USDA coordinator at 301.343 8295 or visit: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=8803.
During this harvest season, before you let your fruits and vegetables go to waste or straight to the compost pile, take a few minutes to pick a few and drop them off at your local area food bank or give them directly to anyone you know in need. The answer to your problem of excess is just a few minutes of extra planning and the satisfaction of giving where it is most needed.

Plant a Row for the Hungry Area Drop-Off Coordinators

Maryland —
Baltimore: Roberta Sharper (410.624.3144)
Hagerstown: Charles Stewart (charles@lawofficestewart.com)
Kent County: Barbara Ellis (bwe@fast.net)

Virginia —
Arlington: Lisa Crye, Arlington Food Assistance Center (ljcrye@earthlink.net)
Boyce: Steve Carroll, State Arboretum of Virginia (scarroll@virginia.edu)
Central Virginia: Annette Pelliccio, The Happy Gardener (Happygardenr@aol.com)
Culpeper County: Rob Burnett (robboblimey@hotmail.com)
Loudoun County: Julia Brizendine (jb@vpclc.com)
Newport News: Lisa Ziegler, The Gardener’s Workshop (lmziegler@cox.net)
Prince William County: Paige Duecker Prince William County Extension (pthacker@pwcgov.org)
Rappahannock County: Hal Hunter (hal@rappahannock.com; 540.937.4744)

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

2011-10-14T23:20:00.000-04:00

Toad lily (Tricyrtis)

Fenton Friday: Tomatoes Still Going Strong

2011-10-14T18:29:00.000-04:00

My Tomatoes Runneth Over

Green Zebra Tomatoes

Yellow Stuffer Tomatoes

The tomatoes at my Fenton Community Garden plot are still going gang-busters. Not only do I have a lot of fruit, but many plants are still setting blossoms. Here's to an Indian Summer that lasts through December!

Thanks to several days this week of torrential rains, I haven't been out to the garden plot much and certainly was not going to put out any seed in these nonstop gully-washers. I plan on starting radish, carrots, and greens once the ground dries out a bit.

'Coconut Ice' white sunflower

I was sad to miss the first-ever Harvest Potluck we had in the community garden on Columbus Day. My friend, Angela Erickson Jandrew, passed away and I was attending her memorial service that evening. I have been thinking a great deal about Angela this week when I did get out between rains to my home garden. I looked at my fence row of sunflowers in bloom and remembered how much she particularly enjoyed that flower. It matched her sunny personality and I think I'll always think of her when I see them.

Video Wednesday: Super-Easy Seed Saving

2011-10-12T15:50:00.000-04:00

Super-Easy Seed Saving with Washington Gardener Magazine. Here we are demonstrating seed collecting from a variety of flowering plants and herbs including basil, bronze fennel, marigolds, echinacea, and more.

Now is the ideal time to save seeds in the Mid-Atlantic and I hope you will attend our Seed Exchanges next year and share your seeds with us! Save these dates:
~ Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchange at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD, on Saturday, January 28, 2012
~ Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchange at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA, on Saturday, February 4, 2012.

Fenton Friday: Saving Corn for Seed

2011-10-08T11:57:00.000-04:00

So the corn plants at my Fenton Community Garden plot are done and played out, I'm yanking them out this week. Or rather, I TRIED to yank on them, but found their shallow roots are much stronger than expected, so I'll be digging them out. I'm saving the stalks for Halloween/Thanksgiving decor. I plucked off the last of the ears and am hanging them in my sunroom to dry out for seed saving. They actually are drying very nicely (see photo) so may go for decor use for a bit as well before I take off the kernels and label/store them for this winter's Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchange.

Video Wednesday: DC Farm to School Week 2011

2011-10-05T15:26:00.000-04:00

This video is of DC Farm to School Week 2011 kick-pff event on 10/3/11. It is Washington, DC's annual week to focus on getting fresh, locally grown food into school lunches. This video features the chef competition, the school garden, and comments from the judges. Enjoy!

Favorite Autumn Perennials of DC-area Gardeners

2011-10-04T16:44:00.000-04:00

For our September 2011 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest , we asked readers to tell us about their favorite autumn perennial and why. Among our entries were these wonderful submissions:

~ Katie Rapp of Gaithersburg, MD, said: "Solidago: I love all goldenrods... nothing says early autumn to me like goldenrod catching the sun's rays in the late afternoon. I have a dwarf variety in my yard that I like very much (although the deer do, too)."

~ Madeline Caliendo of Washington, DC, said: "Sedum because it turns a beautiful bronze color in the fall (and it is easy to grow...)."
~ George Graine of Falls Church, VA said: "Nipponanthemum nipponicum (Nippon Daisy). This perennial extends the growing season with daisy-like white flower heads to 2-1/2 " across. The leaves are also different from the usual shasta daisy foliage."

~ Lena Rotenberg of Keedysville, MD, said: "My favorite autumn perennial is Sedum 'Autumn Joy,' when the deer don't get to it... My friend Marney gave me my first few plants and I've since purchased a few more. This year they look gorgeous in my native bed!"

Did we leave out YOUR Favorite Autumn Perennials? You can add it in the comments here.
The winner of our September 2011 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest chosen at random from among the submitted entries is: Lena Rotenberg of Keedysville, MD.

Congratulations, Lena! She wins a copy of The Perennial Gardener’s Design Primer by Stephanie Cohen and Nancy Ondra from Storey Publishing (a $25 value).

Stephanie Cohen and Nancy Ondra, both Pennsylvania gardeners, are thoroughly obsessed with everything about gardens and gardening — digging, planting, designing, and creating great canvases of living color and texture. Their encouraging words, based on practical experience and the belief that there is more than one right way to create a garden, boost confidence and promote experimentation. Along with design basics, they present 20 garden plans, as well as the before-and-after stories of gardens they’ve created for themselves and their families.

Look out for future monthly Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contests announced in each issue of Washington Gardener's online newsletter.

Fenton Friday -- Tomatillo: Food or Cat Toys?

2011-09-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

purple tomatillos

So I have these five purple tomatillos I grew at my Fenton Community Garden plot sitting on my kitchen windowsill. They are pretty and all, but I have NO idea what to do with them. Too few for a salsa or really any recipe. Too tart to just eat them straight. So there they sit. Or should I say, there they MOSTLY sit as every morning this week I have found one or two rolling around on the kitchen floor. Cat toys in some nocturnal kitty soccer game. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you'll see cat hair on the one that is second from the right as evidence. At this point, I may sacrific them all to the cats unless someone has a good recipe idea?

My Martha Adventure

2011-09-29T22:46:00.002-04:00

So it started a few weeks ago when a couple friends both separately mentioned wanting to take a NY trip this fall. I remembered I had wanted to take in a Martha Stewart Show taping sometime and figured I'd check the television taping schedule to see if any would make timing sense with the NY trips.

On the Martha Stewart web site, the first show listed was for a "Harvest" show and they wanted gardeners to bring in their home-grown edibles. I shot off a quick online note that night describing my new community garden plot and saying I'd bring okra. I got a call and email the next morning say "yes" -- to bring the okra (as no other applicants had mentioned it) and could I bring some gardening friends.

I immediately thought of my fellow garden writers and New York natives, Ellen Zachos and Ellen Spector Platt. I called the Ellens and they were both "in." I made my bus reservations and started planning my basket design and wardrobe. The show sent a few more notes asking again for more gardening friends, for garden advice tips, and to tell us all the rules. Those included not to wear black, tan, or grey; to not bring Martha "gift" or expect an autograph; to arrive on time (8:30am for our 10am live show); etc.

Packing up my basket the day before my departure, I saw I was a little low on okra so I added a strawberry basket in of tomatillos, yellow cherry tomatoes, and a small jar filled with ground cherries. I then asked a few fellow community gardeners if they had okra to spare. I cut 2 green from one plot and 3 reds from another. I figured more was better than looking skimpy. I'm glad I did as I lost a couple okra somewhere along my journey!

The morning of the show, the Ellens and I arrived at the studio to find a long line out front. We had a little time as they brought in groups a few at a time through security and screening. We compared basket contents with our line-neighbors and exchanged stories/backgrounds/introductions. It became clear to me that most others there were not home gardeners, but instead were professional farmers. Indeed, as we were grouped and seated for the show, they called folks in by their farm names. I was disappointed that the theme and focus had shifted off of backyard, urban growers, but I understand the staff had to make sure there was a full bounty and good turn-out.

While we waited outside, Joey, the warm-up guy, and a few producers came out and told those of us still in line to get ready for a camera pan and to put on our "TV smiles." They did a few passes with a steady cam then we got in and filled out release forms, checked our bags, and got seated.

Before the show and during the commercial breaks they played amped-up energy pop like Eminem and the Pussycat Dolls. I had to wonder if Martha actually liked it or merely tolerated it.

The opening segment, Martha pulled out HER basket of home-grown okra and proceeded to cook with it. So, yeah, my presence or basket were not needed - LOL.

It was an interesting show with chef Emeril Lagasse as the only guest. He came in the ground and made a dish from the ingredients he collected from baskets. To me he seemed rather subdued and quiet, maybe Martha makes him nervous?

Next, they pulled a NY corn farmer from the audience and he got to use his sweet corn with Martha showing some cooking and preserving tips.

A segment taped at the National Heirloom Exhibition in Sonoma, CA, was very well done, and actually made me want to go to it next year. Though I believe the time conflicts badly with the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello :-(.

Most of the produce brought to the show went to City Harvest, a NY food bank. (You were given a choice if you wanted to take it back or donate it and Martha even commented off-camera that she knew it would be hard for some to give-away their home-grown babies as they put so much work into them.) I gave all the okra (about 5 pounds worth), but kept the jar of ground cherries as I promised to try and save the seeds for a few fellow gardeners. The ground cherries and tomatoes I shared with seat neighbors to snack on.

After the show, we all received two books, ""Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders," by Emeril Lagasse and "The Heirloom Life Gardener," by Jere and Emilee Gettle. I perused both on the bus ride back to DC. I'll be adding the heirloom edibles book to our review pile for the magazine and think I'll make the Emeril book a prize in a future contest.

Ellen Zachos in blue, Ellen Spector Platt in red, and me in tangerine sweater set (waving).

Don't blink or you'll miss me!

Emeril picks the lilac wine from Ellen's basket. I'm on her left.

Emeril trying to open Ellen's lilac wine on air.

During the Q&A, the women in front of us gets picked first. You can see Ellen Spector Platt's herb basket on her left and my okra basket to her right.

As the end credits roll, they panned up the aisle and you get a really good luck at us and our "tv smiles."

Video Wednesday: DC School Garden Week 2011 Kick-Off

2011-09-28T08:30:00.000-04:00

DC School Garden Week 2011 kick-off event at the Walker-Jones Academy in NW Washington DC at the Walker-Jones Farm.

The events this week include workshops, talks, networking, and school garden tours. Find out more at http://www.dcschoolgardenweek.org/.

Music in this video is "Everything Begins" by http://www.danosongs.com/.

Tip for Halloween Pumpkin Shoppers: Buy Local and Buy Early

2011-09-25T09:01:00.006-04:00

Margaret McGrath, associate professor of Plant Pathology at Cornell University, comments on the current growing season and the availability of pumpkins to consumers this fall.

She says: “There has been a lot of concern about the pumpkin crop this year because conditions were very favorable for diseases to develop with all the rain during recent storms. But just like a bad flu season when many of us are able to avoid becoming sick, there are some nice healthy pumpkins available, especially for the early shoppers.
“Our farmers put a lot of effort and money into producing top quality pumpkins and other produce. In a year like this when they have lost more than usual, it is especially important to buy local to help support these farmers so they can stay in business. They don't increase their prices to make up for their losses.”

Pruning the Social Media Maze for Gardeners and Garden Organizers

2011-09-24T10:48:00.002-04:00

You are invited to a FREE talk -- part of DC School Garden Week --
Pruning the Social Media Maze for Gardeners and Garden Organizers

Moderator:
Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher of Washington Gardener Magazine

Panelists:
~ Abbie Steiner, The Capital Area Food Bank
~ Lola Bloom Co-founder, City Blossoms
~ Frances Evangelista, Community Outreach and Development, Walker Jones Education Campus

Tuesday, September 27, 5:00 p.m.

In the school library at the Walker Jones Education Campus. 1125 New Jersey Avenue NW.

FREE to attend
Find out where gardeners are hanging out in the social media sphere and how to best reach them. We’ll discuss the pros-cons, hows and whys of Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, e-newsletters, and, the newest to the party, Google +.

Fenton Friday: Watermelon "Feast"

2011-09-23T17:17:00.003-04:00

garlic

Another water-logged week in the Mid-Atlantic, so I'm not doing much over at my Fenton Community Garden plot other than oicking some okra, cherry tomatoes, and corn as well as pulling the occasional weed. I did see that the garlic I planted has popped right up. Maybe next year, I'll have some nice-sized heads.

'Sugar Baby' watermelon on the vine

I also finally picked one of my 'Sugar Baby' watermelons. It never grew much bigger than a large grapefruit and rather than let it rot out there, I figured I might as well cut it and see what is inside. The outside flesh is a very dark green, almost black, which is just as 'Sugar Baby' should be. The inside flesh was red and sweet, though not that much to it really. It has more seeds than I care for when eating it, but I suppose I should collect and save some for the upcoming Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchanges this winter. For anyone who wants a "personal-sized" watermelon, this would do well. I think though as I love to snack on watermelon in the summer heat, I'll look for a variety that is a bit bigger, seedless, and ripens earlier in the season.

'Sugar Baby' watermelon cut up

Eyewitness Gardening

2011-09-22T17:46:00.000-04:00

Guest Blog by Sharon Corish

I have always loved gardening, but recently I have really gotten interested in the botany aspect of gardening. I have gone to the library to pick up books like Botany for Gardeners: Revised Edition by Brian Capon, and the Eyewitness Books on plants. I have turned to encyclopedias and browsed various web sites in search of answers to plant questions. Though, nothing quite beats the privilege of hands-on learning.

My favorite way to learn about the plants around me and how they work is by watching them. For instance, most of this past summer I was wondering why I did not see many impatiens seedpods. I soon learned that they would not produce many pods until later in the summer, and when they do, the pods burst when they have ripened fully. Learning from real-life experiences is the only true way to learn something and actually remember it. I do not think any textbook reading or online article can match to the excitement and surprise I felt when that impatiens seedpod suddenly exploded out of my hands shortly after being picked. Nature is an exciting classroom, best experienced in person. Articles are great for background knowledge, because without them, sometimes we have a hard time knowing what to look for.

About Our Guest Blogger:
Sharon has started blogging at http://sharon-corish.blogspot.com/. She loves botany, art and writing, and has a passion for helping others.

We welcome guest blog posts from beginner and experienced gardeners. If you'd like to submit a guest blog post, contact us at wgardenermag (at) aol (dot) com with "Guest blog" in the subject line.

Video Wednesday: Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello

2011-09-21T15:15:00.000-04:00

This video is to give you a little flavor of the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello.

Free Royalty Free Music by DanoSongs.com

What's Cooking, Uncle Sam?

2011-09-18T12:30:00.025-04:00

This past week I visited a great exhibit at the National Archives in downtown DC. The free exhibit runs through January 3 and is all about the government's effect on the American diet. It sounds like a rather dry subject, I admit, but don't let that prevent you from going. I found a lot of the displays were quite fascinating and much ofthe subjects were centered on gardening/growing of food in this country and how the government has had a hand in guiding it.

For instance, did you know the US government gave out free seeds from 1839-1924 just for the asking? A log book is on display at the exhibit as well as some of the seed packs. Not just crops like wheat, just also cosmos flowers and more ornamental plants. The practice ended after the American Seed Trade Association successfully lobbied against the practice as clearly this hurt the seed trade.

Another fact I had not known was that while the folks back home were on rations during World War II and told to grow their own food, our boys overseas were alloted 5,000 calories per soldier and the average joe came back 15-20 pounds heavier!

If you go, be sure to stop by the gift shop on your way out. They have some nifty cookbook reprints and retro-style items. I have my eye on a tin mug stamped "Dig for Victory" that will make a great holiday gift for a couple folks on my list.

BTW absolutely NO photography is allowed inside the exhibit, so leave the camera at home.

Heritage Harvest Fest this weekend!

2011-09-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

I'm ecstastic that Washington Gardener Magazine will be the part of the 5th annual Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello this year. It is a celebration of gardening, sustainable agriculture, and local food, held on the breathtaking West Lawn of Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, VA. Taste heirloom fruits and vegetables and learn about organic gardening and seed-saving at this fun, family-friendly festival talking place Friday-Saturday, September 16-17, 2011.

We'll have a table in the Tasting Tent all day Saturday where you can sign up for subscriptions or buy current and back issues. I'll also be talking on "Small Space Gardening" on Saturday from 3:15-4:15pm in Classroom 7, Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center.

I'm really looking forward to seeing some of my friends and colleague there as well as participating in the old-fashioned Seed Swap on early Saturday morning. One booth I'll definitely stop by is Landreth Seed Company. If you have not already heard, they could really use your support.

I hope you will join me for all or part of the festival!

Fenton Friday: Tomato Time!

2011-09-16T08:00:00.018-04:00

So finally the tomatoes are doing something! After weeks of piddly fruit and those few I did get all cracking/splitting from the hurricanes/tropical storms, I finally have a good crop ripening all at once. I am surprised to see that many of my fellow Fenton Community Gardeners have already ripped out their tomato plants (fruit and all) and throw them on the compost pile. There is still plenty of life in those vines left folks and I guarantee we'll have more 90+ degree days in the next few weeks as summer is NOT over yet. (Despite what big retailers and marketers would have you believe.) Even if we do not have any more hot days, you can still pick the green one and let them ripen at home or use them "green" in salsa, jams, or other savory recipes. Personally, I'm not pulling my tomatoes until the frost blackens them.

Fall Annuals -- Washington Gardener Enews -- September 2011

2011-09-15T22:46:00.000-04:00

Washington Gardener Enews ~ September 2011

Washington Gardener Enews ~ September 2011

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
~ Fall Annuals: Colorful Plants for the Cooling Season
~ Magazine Excerpt: Amsonia hubrichtii
~ Washington Gardener Magazine 2011 Day Trips
~ Reader Contest: Win a copy of "The Perennial Gardener’s Design Primer" by Stephanie Cohen and Nancy Ondra
~ Washington Gardener's Recent Blog Post Highlights
~ Spotlights Special: Grafter Tomato and Vegetable Plants
~ Mid-Atlantic Garden To-Do List for September-October
~ The Top Local Garden Events Calendar
~ Washington Gardener Magazine Back Issue Sale!
and much more...

The issue is posted online at:
http://issuu.com/washingtongardener/docs/sept11

NOTE: As of August 2011, the monthly Washington Gardener Enews will only be sent out as a PDF to current Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers.

The Washington Gardener Enews is a monthly, online sister-publication to the printed quarterly Washington Gardener Magazine, they have the same mission, but different content and delivery methods.

Without your support, we cannot continue publishing this enewsletter nor Washington Gardener Magazine!

To subscribe to Washington Gardener Magazine, see the form on page 9 of the attached Enewsletter.

Video Wednesday: Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

2011-09-14T17:20:00.000-04:00

I figured this week I'd kill two birds with one stone and combine my weekly video post with Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Here is a short video of a few of the things blooming in my garden. I especially tried to highlight interesting plant color combinations. Enjoy!

Music: "I'm Gonna Go" from Free Royalty Free Music by DanoSongs.com

Living Tribute to 9-11 Victims

2011-09-11T16:44:00.000-04:00

(I originally published this blog post on 9-12-2009, and thought it'd be appropriate to share it again today.)
This past Friday was 9-11. I'm sure that many of you reflected on the events of 2001 that day. One of the things it has re-affirmed for me is to celebrate life and to focus on the living. The Remember-Me Rose Garden project does that by creating living tributes to those who lost their lives that day. Pictured here is the 'Patriot Dream' rose, one of a collection of 11 new rose varieties commemorating the heroes of that day. It was planted at LaSalle-Backus Education Campus in NW Washington DC (near Ft Totten) at a ceremony attended by educators, city officials, and the press as well as friends and family of loved ones on Flight 77. I have posted a series of photos from the rose planting ceremony at LaSalle at the Washington Gardener Magazine Facebook page here.

FOBG Plant Sale Attracts DC-area Plant-a-holics

2011-09-09T15:09:00.001-04:00

Washington Gardener Magazine will be at FOBG Plant Sale, sponsored by the Friends of Brookside Gardens, this Saturday, September 10 from 10:00am-3:00pm outside the Brookside Gardens' Visitors Center. We'll be signing up new subscribers and taking renewals plus selling current and back issues as well.

FOBG members get in early and get first dibs from 8-10am -- and yes, you can join FOBG onsite and shop the early morning hours too.
Directions: 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton, MD 20902
This event is rain or shine.

PS This once-a-year sale is well-known amongst DC-area plant-a-holics. I'm hearing rumors about some hardy pomegranates, variegated caryopteris, and other rare/choice finds.

Fenton Friday: Waterlogged!

2011-09-09T11:40:00.001-04:00

This week I hardly spent anytime outdoors, much less at my plot in the Fenton Street Community Garden. It was one day of torrential downpours after another. Today is no exception. I did get over to the plot yesterday afternoon during a brief reprieve just so I could quickly clean up anything down on the ground and pick a quick collection of things for dinner.

I got another 'Snow Leopard' honeydew melon, this one bigger and even more tastier than the previous ones. I also picked 3 ears of corn, a cup or so of pole beans, more okra, and lots of cracked tomatoes. I discovered one of my beloved 'Sugar Baby' watermelons was rotting and invaded underneath by worms, so I chucked that along with all the crack tomatoes into the compost pile.

When I got home I shucked the corn and found one ear was pretty wormy too so that also went to compost. The other two I cleaned, wrapped in wax paper, and zapped in the microwave together for 4 minutes. The ears are smaller than "store-bought" ones, but the individual kernels are quite plump and large in a golden yellow. With a nice pat of butter, they were so yummy.

I cut up the 'Snow Leopard' honeydew melon and shared a few tiny pieces with the cats. They beg for it and also like to share my cucumbers. Go figure.

The pole beans I cleaned and cut off the ends, then snapped the larger ones in half. I threw them all into a small pot of boiling water for 4-5 minutes. Again, with a nice pat of butter, they hit just the right spot on a cool, wet evening.

What are you picking and eating from your vegetable plots this week?

Video Wednesday: "You'll Find Me in the Garden" Student Documentary

2011-09-07T10:31:00.000-04:00

This short student documentary is entitled: "You'll Find Me in the Garden." It was filmed in my garden in early spring 2010 and debuted a year ago at the Docs in Progress student film screening. I have just located it on Youtube and can now share it with you all. (A typo in the description kept it hidden from my previous searches.) Enjoy and stay dry during this post-hurricane week!

Landreth Seed Company Needs Our Help! part 2

2011-09-06T14:57:00.000-04:00

BARBARA MELERA: Heirloom Seed Saver
interview by Kathy Jentz
photo by Drena J. Galarza

Barbara Melera is co-owner of D. Landreth Seed Company based in New Freedom, PA. She has a whirlwind schedule, but we caught up to her during the recent New Jersey Flower & Garden Show.

Q Tell us about your background and how you came to the decision to purchase D. Landreth Seeds?

A I was a venture capitalist for 20 years and worked with leading edge technology companies. I decided I wanted to retire from it and someone who knew me (another venture capitalist) knew of my passion for gardening and history. She laughingly told me about this seed company and I fell in love with it.

D. Landreth Seed Company was family run from 1784 until it was sold in 1940s. It was run for the next 30-odd years by Ben Goldberg. He passed away at age 95 and his son was looking to sell.

The company has had over the last three centuries many loyal customers who bought from them for decades. They sold all throughout the country and were a modest wholesale operation. The customers were largely family-run hardware stores and nurseries.

The inventory it offered was vintage classic heirloom seeds – a huge selection of 500 different varieties – with that in place we decided the business should take advantage of its history and take a place in that heirloom market. But within the first year we also discovered there were two other promising, undeveloped markets for these seeds. The market in children’s gardening and that of container gardening. We found we could target plants just for them, since many of the classic varieties lent themselves well to both of those markets. It was a natural extension of the offerings we hand on hand. We didn’t need to develop new ones; we had the inventory on hand already to market to those needs.

Q What is typical work day like?

A I get up around 4:30 in the morning, pick up one of our employees in Baltimore City at 6:30, and we are in the office between 7-7:30 depending on traffic and weather.

From November through January, there are four of us and we are packing seeds either with an automated machine or by hand for the more valuable seeds. In the January to May period, we are either at flower shows or filling orders.

Starting March to September, we are tending our trial gardens, which consist of more than 300 containers with more than 450 varieties largely veggies and some flowers. Throughout the summer we are visiting customer’s gardens and spend time with them as well getting photos and material ready for the annual catalog.

Beginning in July, we do germination testing of our current inventory, which takes about three months to complete. Also in the summer we are looking at new “old” varieties to add to our catalog. We are cleaning the warehouse and reconditioning the equipment — readying for fall.

August to September, seed orders for our inventory is completed and the catalog is done. We do two mailings: by November 15 to our wholesale customers and we aim for the retail catalog to be in our customer’s hands right on December 26.
Q What mistakes/triumphs have you encountered in your work with heirloom seeds?

A Lots of mistakes! Seed integrity is definitely an issue. People we buy from can innocently get varieties confused. As an example, The Long White cucumber and White Wonder cucumber are often confused. We are trying to offer the consumer the correct seed variety. It is a big issue for anyone dealing in heirloom seeds and believing that your seed sources know what they are doing is not always guaranteed. Not that they are deliberately doing it, it is accidental – which you just don’t know.

Availability of seeds in the heirloom market is precarious. They are not grown on a mass scale so you become vulnerable to the growers and what is available. Knowing or hearing about outstanding varieties that are ceasing to exist is hard. The Dr. Martin lima bean has only one source on the East Coast. He is an 80-year-old man who has promised us his seed stock — about 40-50 pounds from his crop this year. The Dr. Martin lima is two inches long when dry. It is legendary in size and loaded with flavor. We don’t have a second source for them. It is an agonizing issue.

One triumph we had is a great story. My husband, Peter, and I had owned the company for less than six weeks when he was assigned the duty of cleaning up the inventory. He got to the pumpkin section and found Boston Marrow, a cherished pumpkin pie squash. He took the 15 pounds of seeds and threw it all out as it looked buggy. Another employee then set about ordering more and found no sources. She spent 18 months – one or two days every week with no luck in getting more seeds. We panicked thinking we had destroyed the last seed stock for that variety!

So I went to Aaron Whaley at Seed Savers Exchange and asked him to look for a family still growing them. We finally found three sources a year later. They started growing them for production. Then last summer, he called and said we were going to have Boston Marrow squash for you. It turns out the most reliable seed was from Aaron’s father who purchased it from Ben Goldberg at Landreth back in 1986. It has come full-circle and is now finally available again in our 2007 catalog.

Q What advice would you give to beginners/amateurs in designing their own home landscapes or vegetable gardens?

A My advice is wherever possible to create edible landscapes especially in the DC-area where land is at a premium. I’m becoming passionate about it. You could have a gorgeous garden that is all edible ornamentals. That is how we should garden in our region.

One suggestion I’d make to gardeners in our region are to grow the Belgian White carrot. The green feathery top is magnificent. It flowers in late August through September. You can pick some of carrots as well as leaving some to go to seed.

Another suggestion, it is not an heirloom, but certainly one of the most stunning, is the Black Pearl hot pepper. Every garden should have them. Of the same caliber is the Fairytale eggplant which is absolutely beautiful and very easy to grow.

Q What vegetables/plants are your favorites to use in the greater DC area?

A I recommend the smaller carrots, Thumbelina and Tonda Di Parigi, for small, urban gardens. I like the mini sweet peepers – Miniature Chocolate Bell, Miniature Red Bell, and Miniature Yellow Bell. I love the fava beans. We don’t use them enough here. The Brits use them all the time and grow them in small spaces. Try Aqaudulce favas to start. Grow the whole beans – not bush beans – if you are in an urban environment. It is just a more efficient use of space. My all-time favorite eggplant is the Louisiana Long Green and for cukes try to Lemon cucumber. Finally, every urban garden should try a summer squash called Lemon.

Q Conversely, what plants would you advise others to avoid?

A Avoid the butterhead lettuce. Novice gardeners have such high hopes of raising a perfect Iceberg lettuce. It is very hard in our regional environment. People get very disappointed

It is not cool enough for long enough in our springtime without a frost to grow them well. Try leaf lettuce instead.

I also caution against artichokes for two reasons. The only way is to do it in a container and it has to be brought inside and protected in the winter months. It must be in big pots, at least a half whiskey barrel. In general though, it is hugely disappointing and not worth it in this climate.

Q What do customers request the most?

A The always ask what vegetables and flowers will deer, raccoons, squirrels, etc. not eat. With the exception of daffodils almost anything will be eaten.

They also all want a reliable red sandwich-size heirloom tomato. Customers who haven’t grown heirlooms are scared to try them and think they will not have good productivity. I recommend Mortgage Lifter first to them. They can also try Purple Calabash or the old standby Brandywine.

The next most prevalent question I get is for squash unattractive to the dreaded squash borer. The answer is there are none, but the most resistant is the Lemon squash.

Q Anything else you want to add or think would be of interest to our readers?

A There is a perception that heirlooms are hard to grow or less bug resistant or more finicky. Our experience is that is not the case. Especially when grown in containers, they are as vigorous, if not more so, than the common varieties. They’ve been around a long time and are every bit as susceptible to the vagaries of weather and disease as other plants, but are certainly not more so. Every garden should have a few heirlooms and embrace some of the new varieties as well that have outstanding potential.

Barbara Melera can be reached at 800.654.2407 or bmelera@landrethseeds.com. D. Landreth Seed Company is online at http://www.landrethseeds.com/.

This interview profile was reprinted from Washington Gardener Magazine's March/April 2007 issue.

Please see part 1 of this blog posting for how you can help Landreth Seed Company survive and thrive.

.

Landreth Seed Company Needs Our Help! part 1

2011-09-06T14:45:00.001-04:00

Landreth Seed Company is a generous sponsor of Washington Gardener Magazine's annual seed exchanges and has been extremely supportive of the local gardening community, please order from them and pass on the word to fellow gardeners.

I have just spoken to Barbara Melera and she says the new catalog will be extraordinary. It will contain the origins and history of the foods we grow. Knowing that in past years their catalog was snapped up and out-of-stock immediately, I am pre-ordering a few dozen copies for my garden club and a dozen more for personal holiday gifts.

Here is an email she put out last week explaining the company's dire situation:

To All of Our Customers & Friends

All of you know the story of Landreth and most of you know me, Barb Melera. My husband, Peter, I have been working to restore this historic American company for the past 8 years.

We set about to restore this Company because it is the most historically important American small business in existence. It is the only American company, still operating daily, that existed when this country became a ...nation. Its founders were honorable men who helped establish and guide the agricultural and horticultural industries of this country in the 1700s, the 1800s and the 1900s. Landreth exemplifies American business and the ethics and integrity that built this nation.

On Wednesday, August 31, 2011, the Company’s accounts were frozen by a garnishment order initiated by XYZ law firm of Baltimore, MD at the request of a Miss Liz King of Petaluma, CA. Landreth owes Miss King $250,000 plus interest. In 2009, the management of Landreth asked Miss King to give them an additional 2 years to pay off the debt owed to her. She and her lawyers refused and sued the Company and the owners in 2010. Miss King provided her lawyers with an incorrect address for Landreth so that notification of the trial was never received by Landreth management. A Baltimore judge ruled in favor of Miss King because no one from Landreth showed up at the trial to defend Landreth and to request a modest extension of the note for 2 years. In today’s troubled economic environment, the request was not unreasonable. Both Miss King and her lawyers knew this.

If this garnishment order is not satisfied within the next 30 days, Landreth will cease to exist and a part of America’s history will be lost forever. I need to sell 1 million 2012 catalogs to satisfy this garnishment and the cascade of other indebtedness which this order has now initiated.

If you want to help save this piece of America, if you love gardening and heirloom seeds, if you care about righting the injustices of a legal system badly in need of repair, then please help Landreth. Please purchase a Landreth catalog, and if you can afford it, purchase several for your friends. Please send this link to everyone you know, www.landrethseeds.com. One million catalogs is a big number, but with the internet it is achievable. Please help us to save Landreth.

~ Barbara Melera, Landreth Seed Company

In part 2 of this blog post, I will post an interview with Barbara that we published published in spring 2007. This will give you just a hint of what makes this woman and the Landreth Seed Company such a treasure to our local and national gardening communities.

Crafty Gardeners Share their Favorite Projects

2011-09-05T11:47:00.002-04:00

Our August 2011 Washington Gardener Magazine reader contest call for crafty area gardeners brought out some impressive entries! Here are some of the inventive creations by Mid-Atlantic gardeners.

Lynn T. of Lanham, MD shared her artistic craft: "Ed A. and I were captivated by the hanging mirror art at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore -- so we went to a workshop given by the artist, Bob Benson, at his home in Glen Burnie, MD. Here is a photo of one that I did at his workshop. These were easy, great fun, and even imperfect work looks wonderful flashing in the sun."

Madeline C. of Washington, DC says: "Garden crafts I have created are various support structures made out of bamboo. My husband (with my help) made a bamboo fence, we both made a bamboo trellis (see pics at TakomaHort.org), and I have made smaller bamboo supports (mini-trellises) for house plants. I like the look of bamboo, that it can be made into functional items for the garden, and that bamboo is a renewable garden resource."

"My garden craft is my wattle fence, which is rustic even by wattle standards. Three pictures are attached. I started the fence in the Spring of 2010, using small branches from a cedar tree that my neighbors lost in that winter's storms for the vertical posts. Then I started weaving wattle from any source I could find, so it's quite an eclectic mix. Existing wattle dries out and breaks, so I always have my eye out for new wattle," said Sue H. of Kensington, MD

Rachel E. of Alexandria, VA submitted her entry noting: "I have experimented with terrariums a little bit - here is a wall bubble that I purchased and then put in a small succulent from this summer's farmers market with a tiny ceramic turtle that I purchased at a random souvenir shop in Costa Rica. It is hanging above my desk and I love to observe it while thinking/taking a break from the work day."

Holly B. of Sunderland, MD modestly wrote, "One of the garden crafts that I make is dish gardens in emu egg shells. Here is a picture."

Kenneth M. of Washington DC said, "I haven't actually made much in the way of garden crafts, which seems unusual, given my crafty bent. But! I do plan on making little plant pockets over the winter for a massive guerilla gardening project in the spring. (For example, see: http://agritate.tumblr.com/post/9511264823/a-great-combination-of-my-passions-crafty)." Kenneth, those are a darling idea. I do hope you share photos of the project when you complete it!

*Drumroll* And the winner chosen at random from among the submitted contest entries is Holly B. of Sunderland, MD! She wins a copy of Terrarium Craft: Create 50 Magical, Miniature Worlds by Amy Bryant Aiello and Kate Bryant from Timber Press. Easy to make and a wonder to behold, jewel-like terrariums are winning over a new generation of crafters and gardeners. Terrarium Craft is the first step-by-step project book for this new audience. Authors and nursery owners Amy Bryant Aiello and Kate Bryant offer up everything a beginning terrarium crafter needs to get started, from advice about tools and materials, information about plant choices and simple maintenance tips. 50 unique projects offer fantastical inspiration alongside easy-to-follow instructions and ingredients lists.

I hope you all are as inspired as I am by these crafty gardener entries and will post (with photo links) any creations you make in the comments below.

Fenton Friday: Hurricane Harvest

2011-09-02T19:35:00.000-04:00

After a week away at the Garden Writers Association annual symposium (this year in Indianapolis), I came back expecting to find my hurricane-impacted plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden in tatters. Instead, it looked pretty good. My corn is somewhat bent, but the ears are ripening and seem no worse for the storms. Thanks to Diane S. who looked after my plot while I was away. (I had looked after hers the week before.) I was able to pick all that you see pictured here plus leave some out there for later consumption. Some of the tomatoes are splitting and have worms moving in, so those went straight to the compost pile.

I also finally have beans! Lots of them! I picked just a few representative pole beans for the photo above, but did not want to pick the rest until right before I consume them.

Back at my home garden, the hurricane brought down lots of small branches and a few big ones. Overall though, most things actually seem to have greatly enjoyed the repeated soakings followed by cooler temps. Many plants have jumped into bloom and my pond plus rainbarrel are over-flowing again. After a horribly dry July, what a difference a month of good storms makes!

Video Wednesday -- CSI: Garden Pests

2011-08-31T09:10:00.005-04:00

This week, Washington Gardener Magazine staffers are away at the annual Garden Writers Association symposium, so we have another guest video to share. This one features Mike Raupp and is called "CSI: Garden Pests.” I know you'll enjoy it.

Michael Raupp, Ph.D., is a Professor of Entomology at the University of Maryland. (Go Terps!) Many of you know Mike from his multiple local radio and TV appearances or from his web site: http://www.bugoftheweek.com/.

You can see more videos like this one courtesy of the University of Maryland Extension Services at http://www.growit.umd.edu/.

BTW, if you like what you saw of Mike on the video, he is talking more about Garden Insects on Wednesday, September 21, from 7:30-9:00pm at the Auditorium, Takoma Park Community Center 7500 Maple Ave, Takoma Park, MD. His talk is the monthly meeting of the Takoma Horticultural Club, which is being co-sponsored by the City of Takoma Park. This event is Open to the public and Free. Directions and details at http://www.takomahort.org/ and http://www.takomaparkmd.gov//.

Are You a Crafty Gardener?

2011-08-29T07:16:00.013-04:00

For our August 2011 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away a copy of Terrarium Craft: Create 50 Magical, Miniature Worlds by Amy Bryant Aiello and Kate Bryant from Timber Press.

Easy to make and a wonder to behold, jewel-like terrariums are winning over a new generation of crafters and gardeners. Terrarium Craft is the first step-by-step project book for this new audience. Authors and nursery owners Amy Bryant Aiello and Kate Bryant offer up everything a beginning terrarium crafter needs to get started, from advice about tools and materials, information about plant choices and simple maintenance tips. 50 unique projects offer fantastical inspiration alongside easy-to-follow instructions and ingredients lists.

To enter to win Terrarium Craft: Create 50 Magical, Miniature Worlds, send an email with “Terrarium” in the subject line to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on August 31. In the body of the email please include your full name, email, mailing address, and tell us about a garden craft you have created. Photos of your garden craft are welcome! The book winner will be chosen at random from among the entries and announced on September 2. Note: some of the entry responses may be used in future online or print articles by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Fenton Friday: Corn-tas-tic!

2011-08-26T09:30:00.007-04:00

This week at my Fenton Community Garden Plot, I harvested my first ever ear of corn. I planted the corn hills a bit late in the season, so did not have high hopes for any yield. I have about 3-4 ears per plant and that is far exceeding my own predictions. I have been waiting weeks for the first ear to become fully ripe.

As you'll see pictured here, the first few kernels are damaged as I kept piercing one each day with my nails to see if it was at "milky stage" and ready to eat yet. When I got it home and shucked it, I saw the next few sets of kernels were being eaten by a little worm (now dead!). The rest of the ear was perfectly fine, so I zapped it in the microwave and had it with dinner. It was a bit scrawny, but it was super sweet and I have my eye on several more ears of corn whose tassels are starting to brown-up,. My hope is to catch those at peak ripeness before the little worms move in.

This week I also harvested and ate several more ground cherries and okra, a few small tomatoes, and one of my two eggplants.

Video Wednesday: Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

2011-08-24T15:30:00.000-04:00

This week, while Washington Gardener Magazine staff is preparing to get away for the annual Garden Writers Association symposium, we have a guest video to share. This one features Mike Raupp and is about “Integrated Pest Management (IPM).” Michael Raupp, Ph.D., is a Professor of Entomology at the University of Maryland. (Go Terps!) Many of you know Mike from his multiple local radio and TV appearances or from his web site: http://www.bugoftheweek.com/.

You can see more videos like this one courtesy of the University of Maryland Extension Services at http://www.growit.umd.edu/.

BTW, if you like what you saw of Mike on the video, he is talking more about Garden Insects on Wednesday, September 21, from 7:30-9:00pm at the Auditorium, Takoma Park Community Center 7500 Maple Ave, Takoma Park, MD. His talk is the monthly meeting of the Takoma Horticultural Club, which is being co-sponsored by the City of Takoma Park. This event is Open to the public and Free. Directions and details at http://www.takomahort.org/ and http://www.takomaparkmd.gov/.

A DayTrip to Chanticleer and Nemours with Washington Gardener Magazine

2011-08-23T20:25:00.000-04:00

Treat yourself to a daytrip on Wednesday, September 21, to Chanticleer and Nemours, two of the most beautiful gardens on the East Coast.

This tour is a partnership between Washington Gardener Magazine, Behnke Nurseries of Beltsville, MD, and Cheval’s Second Act Garden Tours. The partners will host four Mid-Atlantic region garden tours in 2011 and plan to expand to six tours in 2012. The trips all depart and return to the Behnke Nurseries location in Beltsville, MD.

See this flyer for full trip details and to register today. We expect an early sell-out so urge you to sign-up soon. Note that current Washington Gardener Magazine receive a discount of $5 off the fee.

Details and tour information on the other tour dates are posted at http://www.behnkes.com/, http://www.chevals2ndact.com/, and http://www.washingtongardener.com/.

"Back to the Garden” Seminars on September 3 at Behnke Nurseries

2011-08-22T09:05:00.000-04:00

Come join us for a morning of seminars to get you “Back to the Garden” after a long, hot summer. The seminars take place on Saturday, September 3, 10:00am to 1:00pm at the Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD, and they are FREE.
The seminars are presented by Washington Gardener Magazine and Behnke Nurseries. This morning of free workshops to get gardeners back into the growing frame of mine and ready for the fall busy season. Attend one or two or stay for all. No need to RSVP.

•10:00am From The Ground Up—a Garden from a Bare Hillside with Jim Dronenburg, Washington Gardener Magazine Book Reviewer and author, garden columnist for Montgomery Life (InSight) magazine, one of Behnke Nurseries’ resident experts in season. Jim also manages the Four Seasons (DC Metro area) garden club.

•10:30am Edibles for the Fall Season with Elizabeth Olson, a Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist and avid home gardener.

•11:00am Using Native Plants in Your Flower Bed with Cheval Force Opp, a garden writer, lecturer and tour guide.

•11:30am Getting Your Garden Ready for Winter with Kathy Jentz, editor and publisher, Washington Gardener Magazine.

•12:00noon Day Trips to Local Gardens with Cheval Force Opp and Kathy Jentz

I'm BeRibboned!

2011-08-21T17:29:00.000-04:00

Today was the Montgomery County Fair ribbon pick-up day and I was happy to find out I won in several categories this year that I entered for the first time.

For my the first-ever potatoes I'd grown, I got Third place, and am very happy with that as their was a lot of competition on display. I also won Second place in the Most Unusual Vegetable category for my Ground Cherries.

I won both First and Second place in the Marigolds -Africa (aka Aztec) category. (You are allowed to have two entries per category.) That was book-ended by my Fourth place and an Honorable Mention for my two Coleus entries. My last two ribbons were Second place showings for the Aster and Ornamental Sunflower categories.

I have been entering for just a few years now and with the summer drought, I'm very pleased with this showing. Next year, I'm thinking about entering more edibles like okra and peppers.

Fenton Friday: Niece's Visit

2011-08-19T11:45:00.000-04:00

My nieces, 8 and 10 years old, visited me this week and we went out daily to the Fenton Community Garden Plot to inspect for bugs and pick any ripe items. We harvested two cucumbers, a few yellow cherry tomatoes, one 'Red Star' tomato, some okra, a few ground cherries, and this honeydew melon (pictured at left).

We found bugs in abundance as this video shows and also insect eggs as shown in the photo below. We also found and squashed many cucumber beetles and a few stink bugs. I'm hoping the stink bugs are not after my corn and that I'll be able to harvest some to taste it. I'm hearing so many stink bug horror stories from local farmers that I'm seriously in dread of what they could do to our small. fledgling community garden.

insect eggs on squash

Video Wednesday: Bug Detectives!

2011-08-17T20:50:00.017-04:00

Here are my nieces, Lexi and Savannah, help me hunt down and identify evil bugs in the community garden plot.

Living Fences: Green Barriers Make Good Neighbors ~ Washington Gardener Enews ~ August 2011

2011-08-15T18:20:00.000-04:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More city garden

Washington Gardener Enews ~ August 2011

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
~ Living Fences: Green Barriers Make Good Neighbors
~ Magazine Excerpt: Growing A-Maize-ing Corn
~ Washington Gardener Magazine 2011 Day Trip to Chanticleer and Nemours Registration Form
~ Reader Contest: Tell Us About a Garden Craft You Have Made and Win a copy of Terrarium Craft: Create 50 Magical, Miniature Worlds by Amy Bryant Aiello and Kate Bryant from Timber Press.
~ Washington Gardener's Recent Blog Post Highlights
~ Spotlights Special: Daphne ‘Eternal Fragrance’
~ Mid-Atlantic Garden To-Do List for August-September
~ The Top Local Garden Events Calendar
~ Washington Gardener Magazine Back Issue Sale!
and much more...
The issue is posted here or you can access it at:
http://issuu.com/washingtongardener/docs/wgenews-aug11

Note that only current Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers will receive the issue as a PDF attachment direct to their email.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day: Late Summer Color

2011-08-15T12:19:00.000-04:00

This is usually the time of year in DC, that all of our annuals have started to lose energy and most all the flowering shrubs and perennials are long gone. I still have a few spots of color to show here for this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. So what is blooming in your garden?

African marigolds

Rose of Sharon

Black-eyed Susans

Trumpet creeper vine

Cannas and other tropicals in containers

Abelia

Myths & Facts About Native Plants

2011-08-14T14:57:00.000-04:00

Guest Blog by Beth Lacey Gill, Irvine Nature Center

Often, gardeners are nervous about stepping into the native plant arena. But they shouldn’t be! Planting native is best for the environment, but also easy and affordable. Plus, Irvine Nature Center offers one of our region’s best native plant learning opportunities. The 2011 Native Plant Seminar & Sale will take place on August 27 from 8:30am-4pm. You can register online at http://www.explorenature.org/.

1) MYTH: Native plants are not as colorful or showy as exotic plants.

FACT: The colors and textures in a native plant garden are restricted only by the designers' taste. Really! There are hundreds of hues and shades of every color, hundreds of textures, shapes and sizes of native plants to choose from. All it takes is just some knowledge on the best plants for your space. Or a walkthrough Irvine’s Woodland Garden, which is currently in bloom and showcases at least 30 colors.

2) MYTH: Putting native plants in my garden is too expensive.

FACT: It’s true that sometimes a native plant is a little pricier than non-natives at the retail store. But when you factor in the far reduced cost of water, zero fertilizer, zero herbicides, zero fungicides and zero insecticides, as well as the lack of mowing and mower maintenance, gasoline, oil, labor, de-thatching, aeration, weeding, etc., and you have a huge, beautiful return on your small investment.

3) MYTH: Native plants are finicky or hard to grow.

FACT: These plants have been evolving for millennia before we came along with our trowels, fertilizer blends and chemicals. They like our soil and climate just the way it is. If you do your research properly, and plant species where their requirements will be met in your yard (ie. Shade for shade lovers, wet areas for those that like damp feet, etc.) your native plants will thrive for many lifetimes to come.

4) MYTH: Native yards and gardens look like the forest, or are too wild and messy.

FACT: You can have as manicured a native yard as you like, using low-growing ground covers with borders of taller plants, shrubs and trees to look like a conventional yard, or branch out and use color and texture to design a structured and formal bolder look. Dramatic sculpturing and manicured yards are easily achieved by plant selection and placement.

5) MYTH: Native plants are not easily available.

FACT: Many local nurseries are stocking more and more native plants each year, as the trend takes off. If your nursery has yet to offer a variety of local natives, encourage them to get what you want in. In our area, the Nature Store at Irvine sells native plants almost year round. Irvine’s Native Plant Seminar & Sale will have more than a dozen native plant vendors with an amazing selection.

Fenton Friday: Harvest Bounty

2011-08-12T19:39:00.000-04:00

This is the first week at my Fenton Street Community Garden plot that I feel like I'm actually starting to see some decent returns. Pictured here is a cucumber, 'Snow Leopard' honeydew melon, and some okra. I also picked lots of ground cherries, a couple tomatillos, more okra, and some cherry tomatoes.

Where I dug out the 'Banana Fingerling' potatoes last week, I have put in a 'Jim Jam' mix of Autumn gourds and squash -- funky shapes, mini pumpkins, and odd colors. I'm optimistically thinking I'll have something from that planting for Halloween decor, but more likely I'll be able to use some for Thanksgiving.

Also this week I gave in and bought fish emulsion. The smell is revolting and the thought of how they process the fish to make the stuff, really turns my stomach, but everyone in our garden who has gorgeous tomato plants swears by it. So I'm holding my nose and adding a couple capfuls when I water.

'Snow Leopard' honeydew melon

Here is a photo of the 'Snow Leopard' honeydew melon cut up and ready to eat. The rind is very thin and the same color as the flesh. I'm enjoying a couple slices now. It is definitely a milder, more delicate flavor than the classic green honeydew. I have a second melon on the vine just about to be ripe and several small babies. I highly recommend growing it, if you have the space. It has sprawled in every direction and I guide it back constantly. The one plant still covers a good 4.5 ft wide by 10 ft long. BTW, you know who else loves this melon? My little cat, Versace! I give him tiny pieces off my slice and he begs for more.