Garden Photo Show Opening Reception 2026

You are invited to view the winning images of the 20th annual Washington Gardener Photo Contest at an art show at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA. All 17 stunning photos were taken in DC-area gardens. Both inspirational and educational, this show represents the best of garden photography in the greater DC metropolitan region.

The photo show reception is Sunday, August 2 from 2:00-3:30pm in the Meadowlark Visitor Center's lobby. The opening reception is open to the public and is free to attend. You may also come by and view the photos any time during the normal Visitor Center hours (10am-7pm daily). The photo show runs through August 31.  

Please RSVP at our Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1HeMXQznBW/

Washington Gardener Magazine is already announcing the 21st Annual Washington Gardener Photo Contest. Start gathering your images now and throughout this year. Most of the entry rules will remain the same as this year’s contest. Photos need to be taken during the 2026 calendar year in a garden-setting in the greater Washington, DC area. We will accept the entries during the first three weeks of January 2027.

Washington Gardener Magazine (http://www.washingtongardener.com/) is the gardening publication specifically for the local metro area — Washington DC and its suburbs. Washington Gardener Magazine’s basic mission is to help DC area gardens grow better. The magazine is written entirely by and for local area gardeners.

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (www.nvrpa.org/park/meadowlark_botanical_gardens) is a park of beauty, conservation, education, and discovery. Throughout the year at this 95-acre complex are large ornamental display gardens and unique native plant collections. Walking trails, lakes, more than 20 varieties of cherry trees, irises, peonies, an extensive shade garden, native wildflowers, gazebos, birds, butterflies, seasonal blooms, and foliage create a sanctuary of beauty and nature. Meadowlark is part of Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

Thank you to our Washington Gardener Magazine 2026 Garden Photo Contest Prize Sonsors:

- Capital Photography Center

- Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Shrubs 

Additional prizes provded by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Monday Thoughts: “Sometimes I forget the garden is me — wild, tender, unruly, and always capable of blooming again.” ~ K.L. Ember

“Sometimes I forget the garden is me — wild, tender, unruly, and always capable of blooming again.”

 ~ K.L. Ember

GardenDC Podcast Episode 293: In Defense of Okra

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Chris Smith*, executive director of the Utopian Seed Project, all about Okra. The plant profile is on American Elderberry and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on "Moonlight and Wildflowers" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.

*You can order Chris Smith's book The Whole Okra at https://amzn.to/4wp4sLe
This link is to our Amazon affiliate account and we may earn a few pennies from these sales, 

but it wil not impact your purchase price.

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

See how at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/subscribe

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 88: Seed Swaps and Exchanges with Ira Wallace

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-88-seed-swaps.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 68: Summer Vegetables

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-68-summer.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 277: Revolutionary Tomato Growing

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2026/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-277.html

Show Notes will be posted after 7/15/2026.

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4y9pIhoDUVVWjFv0eFA85P?si=Il9TKHrLSiqY7C743Pw6Zg

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

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• Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/gardendc
  
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• YouTube: https://youtube.com/washingtongardenermagazine

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!

*You can order Chris Smith's book The Whole Okra at https://amzn.to/4wp4sLe
This link is to our Amazon affiliate account and we may earn a few pennies from these sales, 

but it wil not impact your purchase price.

Fenton Friday: Hot Enough for Ya?

Last weekend, we had good soaking rains. Then the week started off hot, but that was nothing compared to the heat wave that has since set. We are experiencing record temps. It is 100 F as I write this.

Before the worst of the heat arrived, we weeded and spread wood chips on the inner and front paths of the plot. Next week, we may get the wood chips along the side and back paths. 

I planted the "seed potatoes" of Potato 'Purple Majesty' in a potato grow bag. They had all already sprouted, but I hope they survive the transfer.

The African Marigold 'Lanna Lace' has one flower, and the 'Citrine' Tomato is surprisingly continuing to produce more fruit -- most tomatoes slow down pt pause in this heat stress.

 

The Okra 'Puerto Rico Everblush' and Squash 'Thriller' seedlings all tripled in size. The Heirloom Pole Beans 'Rich Purple Pod' are up and almost 18 inches tall after just one week.

I harvested three Blackberries, all of which have bird damage. Not really worth eating, but I figured it was best to remove them to direct the plant's energy into ripening the green berries still on the plant.

I cut more Dahlia flowers and was able to snip a few early Lisianthus blooms to put in bud vases.

In the pollinator garden strip, the dwarf Sunflower is blooming along with the Borage (see photo at top). The Marigolds are also flowering well in this heat. 

I'm watering every other day. I may need to increase to daily unless we get a good storm over this holiday weekend.

Next week, I still need to get the Pepper seedlings in and plant the Cosmos seeds. The Nasturtium seeds never came up, so we will look at replacing those.

What are you growing and harvesting in your garden this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 15th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton"  into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).

Love-in-a-Mist Plant Profile

Love-in-a-Mist Plant Profile

Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella spp.) is an annual flower with beautiful blue, pink, or white blooms and fine, fennel-like foliage. The seed pods are quite striking as well.

It is native to southern Europe and northern Africa. It is hardy to USDA Zones 2 to 11. It is surprisingly deer-resistant.

It is a pretty cut-flower specimen in a vase whether in its flower or seed stages. It also dries well for an ever-lasting bouquet.

Love-in-a-Mist grows from 1 to 2 feet tall and it does best in full sun. It prefers well-draining, rich soils. It grows in the cool-seasons of spring and fall and will peter out in the heat of summer. So get the seeds started as soon as the soil can be worked in early spring.

Once established, it will self-sow and pops up in sidewalk cracks and the edges of plantings. You can pull and transplant these seedlings quite easily. You should also thin the self-sown seedlings to prevent over-crowding. Deadhead the seedpods, if you don’t want to let it self-sow.

It is an old-fashioned favorite and does well in mixed borders and cottage gardens as well as in containers.

Love-in-a-Mist: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Video, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Editing by Koree Perry

 

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~ Podcast: GardenDC

If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ Spider Flowers (Cleome): https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/10/spider-flowers-cleome-hassleriana-plant.html

~ Celosia: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/11/celosia-plant-profile.html

~ Brazilian Verbana: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/10/brazilian-verbena-plant-profile.html

~ Blue Mist Shrub: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/09/blue-mist-shrub-caryopteris-plant.html

PIN THIS FOR LATER!

Monday Thoughts: “I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars, / And the pismire is equally perfect, and a grain of sand, and the egg of the wren, / And the tree-toad is a chef-d'oeuvre for the highest, / And the running blackberry would adorn the parlors of heaven.” ~ Walt Whitman

“I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars, / And the pismire is equally perfect, and a grain of sand, and the egg of the wren, / And the tree-toad is a chef-d'oeuvre for the highest, / And the running blackberry would adorn the parlors of heaven.” ~ Walt Whitman

GardenDC Podcast Episode 292: Hydrangea Tips and Tricks

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with garden writer, speaker, and radio host C. L. Fornari* about Hydrangea Tips and Tricks. The plant profile is on Cornflower and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on "Benjy and the Bees" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.

*You can order C. L. Fornari's book Hydrangea Happiness at https://amzn.to/4f9rJKr
This link is to our Amazon affiliate account and we may earn a few pennies from these sales, 

but it wil not impact your purchase price.

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

See how at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/subscribe

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 279: How and When to Prune Hydrangeas

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2026/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-279-how-and.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 142: Hydrangea Care and Pruning

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-142-hydrangea.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 60: Hydrangea Varieties with Andrew Bunting

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-60-hydrangeas.html

Show Notes will be posted after 7/5/2026.

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/41ItA0vT18kl4oQhdIRFuC?si=xjuJc6x5RqmguQQI1wgTLw

 

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gardendc/id1502631179
• Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc
• RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/gardendc-G2ql5V
• iHeartRADIO: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-gardendc-73615877/
  
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• Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/GardenDC-Podcast/B08JJNZBMX
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• Himalaya: https://www.himalaya.com/courses/gardendc-1747568
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• TuneIn: http://tun.in/pj7Sb
• Vurbl: https://vurbl.com/station/gardendc/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/washingtongardenermagazine

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!

*You can order C. L. Fornari's book Hydrangea Happiness at https://amzn.to/4f9rJKr

This link is to our Amazon affiliate account and we may earn a few pennies from these sales, 

but it wil not impact your purchase price.