Monday, February 10, 2025

Monday Thoughts: “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” ~ Anne Bradstreet

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” ~  Anne Bradstreet

Saturday, February 08, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 227: Ironweed for the Mid-Atlantic Garden

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Sam Hoadley, Manager of Horticultural Research at Mt. Cuba Center, all about Ironweed (Vernonia spp.) for the Mid-Atlantic Region. The plant profile is on Night-Blooming Cereus 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 Love Grows from Christy Page of Green Prints.

You can find Mt. Cuba Center's Vernonia Report here.

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 182: Amsonia

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/02/gardendc-podcast-episode-182-amsonia.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 134: Carex

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-134-carex-for.html

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

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ToLWZp9Mcn8qoJdPZw2lo?si=s5GI4QD3T9uUIQrCqLTN_w

Show Notes: 01:20 Introducing Sam Hoadley 03:39 Focusing on Ironweed (Vernonia) 04:23 Vernonia as a genus and its growing conditions 07:06 “[Ironweeds] are very low maintenance after the first year,” Sam explains 09:06 Sam introduces Mt. Cuba Center, its soil conditions, and trial garden 12:15 Is it Ironweed or Joe Pye Weed? 13:43 Incidence of disease, rust, and powdery mildew in Ironweed 17:38 Ironweed is a great pollinator plant -- bees and beetles 22:29 Pollinators continued: butterflies, skippers and more 25:14 Differences of Vernonia cultivars and foliage 27:48 The ecological and ornamental benefits of leaving up the seed heads 30:30 The Chelsea Chop: what worked in the trial garden and what didn’t 33:30 Propagating New York Ironweed: digging and division 35:10 Iron Butterfly steals the show 36:27 Mt. Cuba’s highest rated Ironweed 38:20 Vernonia gigantea: Mt. Cuba’s second highest rated Ironweed 39:25 Vernonia Summer Swan Song/Summer series 40:32 The Missouri Ironweed: Mt. Cuba’s third highest rated Ironweed 41:19 Extraordinary Ironweed, those types less suitable for the home gardener 42:42 “Any other advice on Ironweed?” Kathy asks Sam 44:38 How to source Ironweed 46:20 How to access Mt. Cuba Center’s report (mtcubacenter.org) 47:20 Mt. Cuba Center’s hours and open dates 48:43 The Urban Garden by Kathy Jetz and Teri Speight 49:37 Plant Profile: Night-Blooming Cereus 51:33 What's new in the winter garden this week? Snowdrops and Heathers 52:41 Upcoming local gardening events 54:54 The Last Word by Christy Page, reading “Love Grows” 57:21 How to support the Garden DC Podcast

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
Interview Edit and Show Notes: Skylar Drew
Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

PIN THIS FOR LATER!
Variegated Fritillary on Vernonia gigantea.
Photo courtesy of the Mt. Cuba Center (https://mtcubacenter.org/).

Tuesday, February 04, 2025

Meet the New Interns: Spring Semester 2025

This winter/spring, I have taken on two editorial interns. Look for their author bylines in our upcoming Washington Gardener Magazine issues and on this blog, our YouTube channel, GardenDC Podcast, etc. As a first assignment, I asked them to write a short introduction to our readers so you can get to know them. 

Hello my name is Madison Korman (pictured above, left) and I recently graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor's degree in journalism and a history minor. While attending I wrote a variety of pieces for several student publications including food policy and culture articles for the Black Explosion newspaper and fashion pieces for the Campus Trainer magazine. Additionally, I previously interned at the College Park Here & Now and I am excited to gain more writing and gardening experience working at the Washington Gardener. Since I was young I have always enjoyed gardening and cooking what I am able to grow and can’t wait to expand my gardening and photography skills and share what I create with the readers.

Hi everyone! My name is Skylar Drew (pictured above, right), I’m a senior journalism major at the University of Maryland and I’ll be interning for Washington Gardener Magazine this spring. I’m from Bel Air, Maryland, where I’ve watched my mom and neighbors grow small gardens of their own throughout my childhood. Although I’m new to the world of gardening, I hope to come out of this semester with a toolbox full of knowledge to help me get started on my own garden back home. I’ve covered music and entertainment for my school’s publications, The Diamondback and Her Campus Maryland, and wrote data stories for Capital News Service last fall. When I’m not writing, I enjoy running, crocheting, and illustrating my own comics that I hope to publish one day. I’m looking forward to meeting experts and fellow novice gardeners at each event this spring, so don’t be afraid to say hello if you see me!

Monday, February 03, 2025

Monday Thoughts: "In winter, I plot and plan. In spring, I move." ~ Henry Rollins

 

"In winter, I plot and plan. In spring, I move." 

~ Henry Rollins

Sunday, February 02, 2025

Washington Gardener Magazine 2025 Garden Photo Contest Winners

 

Here are the 17 Award-winning Garden Photos in the Washington Gardener Magazine 2025 Garden Photo Contest Winners. Contest entries must have been taken in the 2024 calendar year in a garden setting within 150-mile radius of Washington, DC. Learn more about the annual contest at https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/.

The photo show reception of the contest winners will be published in the February 2025 issue and on view this summer at the Meadowlark Visitor Center's lobby. Washington Gardener Magazine is already announcing the 20th 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 2025 calendar year in a garden-setting in the greater Washington, DC area. We will again accept the entries during the first three weeks of January. Look for the contest entry details at the end of this year on our blog and in our magazine.

Thank you to our Washington Gardener Magazine 2025 Garden Photo Contest Prize Sonsors:
Additional prizes provded by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Saturday, February 01, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 226: Designing Your Natural Garden

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Kelly D. Norris, award-winning author and plantsman, about designing your natural garden. The plant profile is on Mangave 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 the Best Seed Starting Methods  from Christy Page of Green Prints.

You can order Kelly's newest book, Your Natural Garden, at our Amazon affiliate link here: https://amzn.to/4hE638D

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 207: Garden Planning and Design

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-207-garden.html

GardenDC Podcast Episode 158: Garden Transformations

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-158-garden.html

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

This episode is archived at: 

Show Notes: 01:16: Introducing Kelly D. Norris 01:45: “Were you born with chlorophyll in your veins and a green thumb?” Kathy asks Kelly 03:54: Kelly’s home growing region in Des Moines, Iowa 06:39: Ornamental gardening and food growing in his area 07:50: Introducing “Your Natural Garden: A Practical Guide for Caring for an Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden” by Kelly Norris 10:00: Natural gardens - “It’s a way of opening your mind and being a little more open to the… inclusiveness of a great amount of diversity that we share the planet with.” 11:50: Humans plant in ways that very few other animals do 14:10: “So much of gardening in the last 250 years…is based on this idea of trying to control something.” 15:47: Kelly discusses humans’ relationship with turf grasses and lawns 18:20: Transitioning to a natural garden and the cultural phenomenon of lawns 24:43: The notion of interpretation when viewing wild landscapes 28:00: A Beautiful Disturbance: Kelly on urban ecology 36:04: The ephemerality and complexity of community and urban gardens 36:58: Deer and other wildlife in a primarily native landscape 42:25: Upcoming GreenScapes program by Brookside Gardens on Feb. 14, 2025 43:00: Practicing New Naturalism: Kelly’s talk at GreenScapes 44:52: “What plants are on your mind these days?” Kathy asks Kelly 49:59: Who are Kelly Norris’ heroes? 52:39: “The Urban Garden” by Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight 53:47: Plant Profile: Mangave (Agave-Manfreda hybrid) 55:11: What's new this week in the garden? More Cold! 57:50: The Last Word with Christy Page: “The Best Seed-Starting Methods for Max Germination” by Amanda MacArthur 1:01:24: How to support the GardenDC Podcast

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!

Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4hE638D

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