Monday, March 09, 2026

Monday Thoughts: "It’s not just the seeds. It’s the stories and places that they come from." ~ Ira Wallace

"It’s not just the seeds. It’s the stories and places that they come from." 

~ Ira Wallace

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Saturday, March 07, 2026

GardenDC Podcast Episode 276: How to Botanize

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with authors Ben Goulet-Scott and Jacob S. Suissa all about botanizing. The plant profile is on Peas 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 "Dancing with Marigolds" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.

*You can order Let's Botanize at https://amzn.to/4u9gfgp
This link is to our Amazon affiliate accounts and we may earn a few pennies from their sales, but this does 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 43: Galanthus

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-43-galanthus.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 219: Native Ferns

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/11/gardendc-podcast-episode-219-native.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 106: Ancient Plants

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-106-ancient.html


Show Notes will be posted after 3/17/2026.

This episode is archived at: 
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0DRArGZLnDVDI7dGcoFm8c?si=8AP0QnItRa2IO-hbfG7-XA

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 Let's Botanize at https://amzn.to/4u9gfgp
This link is to our Amazon affiliate accounts and we may earn a few pennies from their sales, but this does not impact your purchase price.
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Friday, March 06, 2026

March 2026 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine: Winning Photos, Skunk Cabbage, Lilies, Staghorn Fern, and much more…

 

The March 2026 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is out.

It is posted and archived online at: 

https://issuu.com/washingtongardener/docs/washington_gardener_magazine_march_2026

 

Inside this issue:

·         17 Award-winning Garden Photos

·         Did the Harsh Winter Affect  Native Plants?

·         Tips for Healthy Staghorn Ferns

·         Dealing with Weedy Mallow Plants

·         Enjoy Lilies in Containers

·         Year of the Impatiens

·         Garden Book Reviews

·         How to Grow Skunk Cabbage

·         Changes at the Bonsai Museum

·         A New Daylily

·         What We Learned at the GreenScapes Symposium

·         Are Sterile Versions of Invasive Species Okay to Plant?

·         and much more…

 

Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the April 2026 issue are due by March 15.

>>  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


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Wednesday, March 04, 2026

Spiderwort Plant Profile

Spiderwort Plant Profile

Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginia) is a perennial plant with blue-purple flowers on grass-like stalks. It is native to the Eastern United States into Canada. Some rare varieties bloom with pink, white, or red flowers.

The flowers open in the morning and close in the afternoon or evening. The bloom period is from spring to early summer. You can cut back the plant after the first flush of flowers are done to get it to rebloom in late summer and early fall.

It does well in full sun to part shade in moist but well-draining soils. It is hardy to USDA zones 4 to 9.

Spiderwort grows to about 18 inches tall.

Spiderwort attracts pollinators such as long-tongue bees.

The plant is said to edible but can cause allergic reactions in pets and humans. It was used in indigenous medicine for insect bites – which is where its common name stems from.

Another common name is Inkweed due to the Spiderwort flowers containing a strong pigment that can be used as a dye. They can also stain your skin and clothing.

It reseeds around a bit and can be dug and moved to a better location, if desired.

Spiderwort: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Videos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Editing by Aicha Bangoura

 

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE

~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com

~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener

~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/

~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC

 

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

~ Cup Plant Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/08/plant-profile-cup-plant.html

~ Sunflower Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2019/07/plant-profile-sunflowers.html

~ Daylily Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2019/07/video-plant-profile-daylily.html

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Monday, March 02, 2026

Monday Thoughts: "One thing about coming into the greenhouse every day, you see something that you didn’t see yesterday." ~ John Hope Franklin

"One thing about coming into the greenhouse every day, you see something that you didn’t see yesterday."

~ John Hope Franklin

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Saturday, February 28, 2026

GardenDC Podcast Episode 275: Garden Pests and Friends

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with illustrator and author Halsey Berryman, all about her new book, Pests & Other Friends*. The plant profile is on Wallflowers 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 "Growing Kale in Pots" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.

*You can order Halsey's book, Pests & Other Friends, at https://amzn.to/4r0m1hF 
This link is to our Amazon affiliate accounts and we may earn a few pennies from their sales, but this does 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 198: Rats and Other Destructive Critters

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-198-rats-and.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 174: Wildscaping

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/11/gardendc-podcast-episode-174-wildscaping.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 50: Deer-Resistant Native Plants

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-50-deer.html


Show Notes will be posted after 3/10/2026.

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7DbopQr5esMgj59V08ECtO?si=qs5l69t2R36T6QS5gRLYjg

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 Halsey's book, Pests & Other Friends, at https://amzn.to/4r0m1hF 
This link is to our Amazon affiliate accounts and we may earn a few pennies from their sales, but this does not impact your purchase price.
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Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Skunk Cabbage Plant Profile

Skunk Cabbage Plant Profile

Eastern Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is a herbaceous perennial plant. It is also known as swamp cabbage, clumpfoot cabbage, meadow cabbage, foetid pothos, West Virginia Hosta, or polecat weed). It has huge leaves, that when bruised smell like – well – skunk or some say overcooked cabbage, mustard, or garlic.

The purplish flower, which is called a spathe, looks a lot like its smaller cousin -- the Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). It attract flies, gnats, and beetles for pollination. 

It is native to the eastern half of the United States and is hardy to USDA zones 4 to 7 . There is also Western Skunk Cabbage and an Asian cousin.

The plant emerges from the ground in late winter to early spring. Amazingly, it generates enough heat to melt the snow around it as it emerges.

Eastern Skunk Cabbage is typically found in very wet soil such as stream valleys, bogs, and marshes, and that is the best place to plant it in your garden. Note that it does go dormant around early summer if it is planted in drier soils, but in wetter locations, it persists into autumn.

It prefers to grow in part- to full-shade.

It can reach 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide during years of heavy rainfall. Once established, they are very difficult to transplant because the root system can be larger than the plant above ground.

Seed is the best way to propagate Skunk Cabbage, but you must sow the seeds immediately when ripe, as they are very ephemeral.

The foliage contains heavy amounts of oxalic acid so it is deer- and pest-resistant. According to the National Wildlife Federation, bears will eat the berry-like fruit. They also eat the roots after emerging from hibernation because the roots act as a laxative.

Skunk Cabbage: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio and Text by Kathy Jentz

Video, Photos, and Editing by Aicha Bangoura

Additional Photos by Barry Glick and Miri Talabac

Video footage collected on the campus natural areas of the University of Maryland Arboretum & Botanical Gardens.

 

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE

~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com

~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener

~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/

~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC


If you liked this video, you may enjoy these other plant profiles:

 Virginia Bluebells Plant Profile

 https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2018/04/plant-profile-virginia-bluebells.html

 Baptisia Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/07/baptisia-plant-profile.html

 Spring Beauty Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/04/plant-profile-spring-beauty-claytonia.html


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