Monday, January 13, 2025

Monday Thoughts: He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter. ~ John Burroughs

"He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter." ~ John Burroughs

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Saturday, January 11, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 223: New Plants and Products for 2025

In this special episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Debby Ward of Prior Unity Garden about all the new plants and products we saw at MANTS 2025. (We skipped the Plant Profile, What's New, and Last Word segments this time to devote more time to talking about all that cool new stuff.)

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 

See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 177: New Plants and Products for 2024

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-177-new-plants.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 133: New Plants and Products for 2023

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-133-new-plants.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 209: Seed Catalogs

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/12/gardendc-podcast-episode-86-2022-garden.html

Visit https://shop.kathyjentz.com/ to browse our new online store!

This episode is archived at: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/E6SAAyeN4Pb

Show Notes wil be posted after 1/14/2025.

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

PIN THIS FOR LATER!
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Monday, January 06, 2025

Monday Thoughts: "A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky—unbidden—and seems like a thing of wonder." ~ Susan Orlean

 "A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky—unbidden—and seems like a thing of wonder." 

~ Susan Orlean

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Thursday, January 02, 2025

SEED EXCHANGE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

 

Washington Gardener Magazine presents the 
19th Annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges
on Saturday, January 25, 2025, 12:30–4:00pm 
National Seed Swap Day!
at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD
 Registration is now open at 
and 
on Saturday, February 1, 2025, 12:30–4:00pm
at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA
Registration is now open at 

Join us for:
Seed Swapping
Door Prizes
Planting Tips
Expert Speakers
Goody Bags
Indoor Plant Cuttings Table

Overview:
Washington Gardener Magazine, the publication for DC-area gardening enthusiasts, is hosting the 19th annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchange at Brookside Gardens and Green Spring Gardens. 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.

Where:
We are holding a duo of Seed Exchanges one week apart on opposite sides of the Washington Beltway. We urge you to attend the one closest to you.
   One exchange will be held at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton, MD. The other will be at Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA.

How to Register:
   Register online for the 1/5/25 event OR for the 2/1/25 one. Be sure you are registering for which event you plan to attend. 
    Registration fee is $20 per person. Friends of Brookside members, Friends of Green Spring members, and current Washington Gardener subscribers receive a discount rate of $15 per person.
We strongly urge you to register in advance. There is a limited enrollment of 100 participants at each location!

We are GREEN!!!
We also have a Garden Book and Seed Catalog Exchange table. Seed Exchange attendees are encouraged to bring their used or new garden books and seed catalogs to swap and share at this year’s event. 
   We also ask you to bring your own water bottle or reusable mug and a home-made nametag. We will have a “best nametag” contest, so get crafty!

Event Hashtags #GardenDC and #SeedSwapDay

If You Have Seeds to Bring and Swap:
Please package them in resealable plastic zipper or wax sandwich baggies. Put an average of 20 seeds per baggy — more for small seeds like lettuce, fewer for large seeds like acorns. Label each baggy with a white sticker (such as Avery standard 5160 address label sheets) giving all the information you have on the seeds. If known, include the plant's common and scientific names; its soil, sun, and watering needs; and, its origins — where and when you collected the seeds. If you don't know all the information, that is okay; just provide as much as you can.
   Yes, you can bring unused or opened commercial seed packs.
   We also have table for houseplant cuttings and starts. We encourage everyone to bring your cuttings labeled and packed in individual baggies to share.
   You can also bring bulbs/corms, cover crop seeds, etc.


What If You Don't Have Any Seeds to Swap?
Come anyway! Even if you don’t have any seeds to trade, you are welcome to attend. We'll have plenty of extra seed contributions on hand and many attendees will be there just to learn, network, and prepare for next year's seed collecting.

Education Program
Expert speakers from the local gardening community will give short talks on seed collection and propagation tips. There will be ample time for individual Q&A throughout the program with the featured speakers, and invited experts as well.

Schedule
(Note: This schedule is subject to change.)
12:00-12:30 Registration check-in
12:30-12:40 Introductions
12:40-1:20 Gardening talk
1:20-1:55 Gardening talk
2:00-2:15 Snack break and room reset
2:15-2:30 Seed Swap preview time
2:30-3:00 Seed Swap
(3:00-3:30 Photo Contest winners - at Green Spring event only)
3:30-4:00 Door prizes and closing talk

How Do We Swap?
As you check in, staff will collect your seeds and place them at the appropriate seed category tables.
You will be assigned a random seed swap number. There will be a short period for attendees to preview all the seeds brought in and available for swapping. You will be called in by your number to pick a seed pack from each of the category tables (if desired).
After the initial seed swap is complete, attendees are free to take any of the left over seeds and to trade seeds with each other. Dividing of packets is encouraged and extra baggies with labels will be on hand for that purpose.

What Types of Seeds?
Seed swap categories will include natives, edibles, herbs, exotics, annuals, perennials, and woodies (trees/shrubs). If you can pre-sort your seeds in advance into which of these seven major categories fits best, that would help us speed up the process on the swap day.


Door Prizes! Goodie Bags!
Each attendee will receive a goodie bag at the seed swap. The bags include seeds, publications, and garden items donated by our sponsors. In addition, we have some incredible door prizes to give away especially for area gardeners.
   If your organization would like to contribute seeds or garden-related products for the goodie bags and door prizes, contact Kathy Jentz by January 21.

Charitable Donations:
Extra seeds from the swap are donated to local, nonprofit gardening groups.
A donation from part of the event proceeds will be made to the Seed Savers Exchange.
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Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Top Garden Books of 2024

Here is a list of the best gardening books that were reviewed in 2024 in the Washington Gardener Magazine. These 10 selections are listed below in no particular order.

Buy a few of these for yourself and for the plant geeks, garden lovers, and horticultural nerds in your life! 
(Note that if you click on the links, it takes you to the book's Amazon page and we get a few pennies if you order it from there through our affiliate link. We have also included the Bookshop.org link from our account for those who do not use Amazon.)

1. What Makes a Garden: A Considered Approach to Garden Design

Author: Jinny Blom

Publisher: Frances Lincoln

Order Link: https://amzn.to/44PiJEF and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9780711282957

Cost: $50.00

Reviewer Marsha Douma wrote, "Jinny Blom’s newest book is a comprehensively fascinating and uniquely thoughtful book on garden design. This is not the more usual, practical garden design book which has suggestions and templates for the beds and various flower combinations. Quite the opposite. What Makes a Garden is about the myriad elements to consider when creating a garden. ."

2. The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise

Author: Olivia Laing

Publisher: W.W. Norton and Company

Order Link: https://amzn.to/404y2sH and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9780393882001

List Price: $27.99

Reviewer Beth Py-Lieberman wrote, "In January of 2020, Olivia Laing, a British essayist, novelist, and memoirist, discovered a Suffolk home with an abandoned garden formerly owned by designer Mark Rumary, known for his work at the award-winning nursery Notcutts. Laing had recently married poet Ian Patterson; and their combined income afforded the third-of-an-acre property, located about two-and-a-half-hours northeast of London...In this magnificent read, essays featuring a vast tapestry of classic literature, the decorative arts, and histories both classic and contemporary are set against Laing’s own hard labors to rediscover Rumary’s horticultural vision."

3. The Galanthophiles: 160 Years of Snowdrop Devotees

Authors: Jane Kilpatrick and Jennifer Harner

Publisher: Orphans Publishing

List Price: $62.10

Order Links: https://amzn.to/3O8zIKK

Reviewer Jim Dronenburg wrote, "This book is an historian’s look at the cultivation of Galanthus (snowdrops), primarily in Britain. It starts with the species as they came into the country, and then the cultivars and hybrids—through the lens of the stories of the people who grew and promoted snowdrops...Admittedly, if you want a hands-on, 'do thus and so' snowdrop book, this isn’t for you, but if you want to know how you came to get the ones you have (or could get; snowdrops do well here), this is a book well worth the reading. "

4. The Geriatric Gardener 2.0

Author: Duane Pancoast

Publisher: The Pancoast Concern, Ltd.

Order Link: https://thepancoastconcern.com/the_geriatric_gardener

List Price: $19.99

Reviewer: Beth Py-Lieberman wrote, "Pancoast’s new book is one that might actually tuck nicely into the Christmas stocking of even an energetic young gardener. The reason? His sage tips might save any gardener a few extra steps and provide some long-term safety ideas to ward off the accidental fall.
Adaptive gardening, he says, is to garden smarter, not harder. 'Tend your garden, don’t toil in it,' he advises."

5. From Wasteland to Wonder: Easy Ways We Can Heal Earth in the Sub/Urban Landscape

Author: Basil Camu

Publisher: Leaf & Limb

List Price: Free/$10.75

Order Links: https://www.leaflimb.com/wonder/

Reviewer Zachary Intrater wrote, "This book is an excellent guide for anyone who wants to do their part in helping heal the planet. Camu does a great job of explaining some of the specific issues with our current environmental practices in a manner that is thorough yet easily digestible, while also providing solutions. Another great thing about this book is that all of the potential solutions and recommendations that Camu offers are things that can be easily done by your average reader. From Wasteland to Wonder is practical, informative, and useful—do yourself and our planet a favor and give it a read!"

6. Growing Bulbs in the Natural Garden: Innovative Techniques for Combining Bulbs and Perennials in Every Season

Author: Jacqueline van der Kloet

Publisher: Timber Press

List Price: $35.00

Order Links: https://amzn.to/3LsRoPz and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9781643264028

Reviewer Josh Panepento wrote, "The author uses her experience as a garden designer in North America, Europe, and Asia to create an intriguing mix of personal stories, pictures, and how-to guides...I recommend this book to anyone growing bulbs, no matter how much experience you have because it can inspire a new project. I also recommend it to anyone who enjoys flipping through colorful flower photos. "


7. Nature at Your Door: Connecting with the Wild and Green in the Urban and Suburban Landscape

Author: Sara A. Gagné 

Publisher: Stackpole Books

List Price: $29.95

Order Links: https://amzn.to/3Umr6nk and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9780811772266

Reviewer Teri Speight wrote, "This is quite the informative book, filled with usable information, relevant to urban, as well as suburban settings. Many times, it is hard to address both conditions with one reference. However, author Sara A. Gagné has done an excellent job of assessing the needs of the total landscape and beyond."

8. Bird-Friendly Gardening: Guidance and Projects for Supporting Birds in Your Landscape

Author: Jen McGuinness

Publisher: Cool Springs Press

List Price: $27.99

Order Links: https://amzn.to/3XNRE2L and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9780760382110

Reviewer Marsha Douma wrote: "If you want to attract more birds to your garden or invite them to visit your balcony, this is the perfect book to help you do that. The subtitle, “Guidance and Projects for Supporting Birds in Your Landscape,” is an accurate description of the generous instructive offerings in this book...I enthusiastically recommend this book to all bird lovers who want to attract them to where they live. Also to all gardeners who want to not only have plants in their garden that are beautiful, but ones that can support more birds at the same time."

9. Bonsai Master Class: Lessons and Tips from a Japanese Master For All the Most Popular Types of Bonsai

Author: Kunio Kobayashi

Illustrated by: Mai Ly Degnan

Publisher: Tuttle

List Price: $24.99 

Order Links: https://amzn.to/49a8iMa and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9784805317433

Reviewer Cassie Peo wrote, "As a beginner gardener myself, I had very little bonsai knowledge, but this book provides a great introduction to the art and inspired me to do more research about the history of bonsai. This book would make a great gift for anyone looking to get into bonsai or for longtime fans. Kobayashi’s love for bonsai is evident on every page and will inspire all audiences."

10. A Gardener at the End of the World

Author: Margot Anne Kelley 

Publisher: David R. Godine Publisher

List Price: $28.95

Order Links: https://amzn.to/4bC00iN and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9781567927344

Reviewer Beth Py-Lieberman wrote, "Four years have passed and we can’t keep ourselves from marking the traumatic moments in those perilous first weeks when reports trickled in of people in China sickening from the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2...Kelley has penned a vivid reminder of that year in her new book...Kelley’s evocative memories gently compel the reader down that perilous road on a necessary journey to revisit the multiple traumas of the year 2020. The author’s deep dives into past pandemics, human disease transmission, global trade, and the origins of crops and plants are viewed through the lens of the garden that Kelley and her husband Rob maintain on their one-acre homestead. As the couple hunkers down for what would become more than a year of isolation, Kelley, a cancer survivor with a weakened immune system, envisions the process of gardening as a 'defiance.' Her 2020 garden would become 'a way to propagate life and health and pleasure and optimism when death feels terrifyingly present.' "

Here are our past year's listings of our Top Garden Books:

- The Top 10 Garden Books of 2023 are here
- The Top 10 Garden Books of 2022 are here
- The Top 10 Garden Books of 2021 are here
- The Top 10 Garden Books of 2020 are here
- The Top 10 Garden Books of 2019 are here
- The Top 10 Garden Books of 2018 are here
- The Top 10 Garden Books of 2017 are here
- The Top 10 Garden Books of 2016 are posted here
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Monday, December 30, 2024

Monday Thoughts: “I prefer winter and fall, when you can feel the bone structure in the landscape---the loneliness of it---the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it---the whole story doesn't show.” ― Andrew Wyeth

“I prefer winter and fall, when you can feel the bone structure in the landscape---the loneliness of it---the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it---the whole story doesn't show.” 

― Andrew Wyeth

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Saturday, December 28, 2024

Thanks for Listening to the GardenDC Podcast: Check Out Our Top 10 List of 2024

Thank you to all of our GardenDC Podcast listeners, supporters, guests, and contributors! We had a great year and are looking forward to much more educational and informational fun in 2025--including winning a Horti Award for Best Gardening Podcast! While we are on holiday break, now is a great chance to jump in and catch up on any of the 222 episodes that you may have missed or re-listen to your past favorites.

Here are our Top 10 episodes from our fifth season in order of number of listens:


2. Mad About Mulches

3. Planning Your Vegetable Garden 

4. Making More Plants 

5. Dogwood 
6. Elderberry 

7. Birdscaping

8. Amsonia 

9. New Plants and Products for 2024

10. Hollies 

  • You can see the Top 10 List from our first season (2020, episodes 1-40) here.
  • You can see the Top 10 List from our second season (2021, episodes 41-86) here.
  • You can see the Top 10 List from our third season (2022, episodes 87-131) here.
  • You can see the Top 10 List from our fourth season (2023, episodes 132-176) here.

Note that the GardenDC podcast is taking a break for the holiday season and will be back later in early January. 

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 
See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support.

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!
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