Washington Gardener Magazine is the award-winning publication for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners by local gardeners.
For our April 2025 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest, we are celebrating National Gardening Month by giving away a set of four new gardening books from Cool Springs Press/Quarto Publishing to one lucky winner. (Retail value: $100.)
The four garden books in the prize package are Go Forth and Forage by Whitney Johnson, Start with Soil by Juliet Sargeant, Plants with Superpowers by David Domoney, and Kitchen Garden Living by Bailey Van Tassel.*
"The plants are calling to us. They have a rich and diverse vocabulary and speak in many tongues."
~ Rosemary Gladstar
In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Ngoc Minh Ngo, celebrated photographer and author of Roses in the Garden*, all about photographing flowers. The plant profile is on Kangaroo Paws 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 Transforming Urban Spaces by Christy Page of GreenPrints.
If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 202: Documenting Gardens
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-202.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 17: Garden Photography
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-17-garden.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 13: Heritage Roses
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-13-connie.html
See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support.
Visit https://shop.kathyjentz.com/ to browse our new online store!
This episode is archived at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Flower-Photography-Tips-e3214lp
This week we rebooted the pollinator garden strip on the exposed corner of our community garden. Some of you may recall the school bus incident last May that demolished it, but it bounced back just fine (after I spent hours replanting it and pulling out pieces of embedded metal, rocks, and other debris.) After our hard winter, I thought few things would come back, but when we cleared out the dead material and weeded it yesterday, I was happy to say many plants returning. Those included Swamp Milkwood, self-sown Calendula and Borage, Mountain Mint, and a miniature Thyme. To those, we added Jerusalem Artichoke (Don't worry, the pollinator strip is hemmed in by concrete on all sides!) and started seeds of: Zinnia 'Andew Jewel, Zinnia 'Purity', Zinnia 'Forecast Mixed Colors', a dwarf yellow Tithonia, and Celosia 'Flamma Orange'. To that, I hope to add some unique Marigold varieties next week. As you can see from this listing, it is mainly going to be flowers in hot colors and that corner is practically going to GLOW. I hope that keeps any further incoursions by errant vehicles away!
This week also marked the end of the rabbit-proof box from our plot. It had done a great service in protecting our vulnerable veggies over the last few years, but the wood was starting to rot and fall apart. I salvaged one end of the box and made a little fence at the top of our plot. I also took off all the hardware cloth and formed those pieces into loose wire cages around the lettuces and other greens that I thought bunnies might be most interested in.
Everything else in our plot is humming along. We should be able to harvest the Arugula and Lettuce soon. I see heads forming on our Broccoli plants, some Potatoes are making a come back (We were SO SURE we dug all of them up last fall!), and the Dahlias left in the ground iver-winter are sending foliage up too.
What are you growing in your edible 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 13th 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).
Basket of Gold (Aurinia
saxatilis) is an evergreen perennial with a long period of bloom. Its
bright-yellow flowers can last for 4-6 weeks in mid-spring. It is also known as
Golden Alyssum, Madwort, and Golden Tuft.
It is native to Europe and is a member of the mustard family.
It is hardy to USDA zones 3 to 7.
It attracts butterflies and is a nectar source for other beneficial
insects as well. It is also deer-resistant
Basket of Gold prefers to grow in full sun in well-draining
soils and is drought-tolerant once established.
It is low-care. Simply sheer it back after the flowers fade
and be careful not to over-fertilize it.
Basket of Gold is low-growing, so it is a good choice for
containers, rock gardens, and in the front of garden beds.
You can propagate it by sowing seeds in the early spring or by
dividing it in the fall.
Basket of
Gold: You
Can Grow That!
The
video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant
Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.
Audio and text by Kathy Jentz
Video and editing by Madison
Korman
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Podcast: GardenDC
If you liked this video, you may enjoy these other plant profiles:
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2019/11/plant-profile-sweet-alyssum.html
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/04/candytuft-plant-profile.html
http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/06/chamomile-plant-profile.html
Happy Earth Day! Here is a NEW green holiday to boost!
Mark Your Calendar: Reduce Your Lawn Day is May 20th
Reduce Your Lawn Day returns on May 20, 2025—a national invitation to rethink our outdoor spaces and reimagine them as thriving habitats. Whether you’re planting a small pollinator bed or rallying your block to convert a shared green space, this movement makes sustainable gardening feel accessible and highlights the power of collective action.
Last year, over 3,000 participants pledged to replace more than 10.5 million square feet of lawn with pollinator plants, meadows, and low-water landscaping. This year’s goal? Inspire 10,000 pledges to take back turf for the planet.
Reduce Your Lawn Day is supported by over 25 organizations dedicated to sustainability, water conservation, and pollinator-friendly landscapes—and the movement is still growing! High Country Gardens is actively seeking additional partners to help spread awareness and inspire more homeowners to take action.
Less Lawn, More Flowers: 10 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Lawn
Looking for yard ideas and garden design inspiration? Here are 10 simple planting projects to kickstart your sustainable yard transformation:
Join the Movement
You can pledge to take part in Reduce Your Lawn Day on May 20th. Downloadable yard signs are available to help spread the movement—because sustainability begins in your backyard.
"Our spring has come at last with the soft laughter of April suns and shadow of April showers."
~ Byron Caldwell Smith
The April 2025 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is out.
Inside this issue:
·
How and When to Repot Houseplants
·
Magically Fragrant Mock Orange
·
Winterburn on Evergreens
·
Celebrating Tulip Time
·
Weeding Out Bad Bedstraws
·
Asiatic Lilies for Summer Drama
·
Parsnip, the Ancient Heirloom
·
Spring Native Plants
·
Garden Book Reviews and Contest
·
6 Tips for Transplanting Encore Azaleas
and much more…
Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the May2025 issue are due by May 5.
>> Subscribe to
Washington Gardener Magazine today to have the monthly publication
sent to your inbox as a PDF several days before it is available online. You can
use the PayPal (credit card) online order form here: https://www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm
In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Wendy Brister, Marketing Director of Cavano's Perennials, all about native edible plants. The plant profile is on Basket of Gold 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 Playing with Frost by Christy Page of GreenPrints.
If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 28: Preserving Your Harvest
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-28-preserving.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 148: Serviceberries
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-148.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 25: Paw Paws
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-25-michael.html
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/02/gardendc-podcast-episode-183-elderberry.html
See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support.
Visit https://shop.kathyjentz.com/ to browse our new online store!
This episode is archived at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Edible-Native-Plants-e31o464
The holiday season is here and I bet you have a gardener on your gift list, so we've updated our annual a Holiday Gifts for Gardener...
