Monday, May 19, 2025

Monday Thoughts: "A garden is where the mind rests, the heart beats, and the soul blossoms." ~ Dr. Pam Stephens Lehenbauerough

"A garden is where the mind rests, the heart beats, and the soul blossoms."

~ Dr. Pam Stephens Lehenbauerough

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Saturday, May 17, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 241: Lost Trees and Climate Activism

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with author and climate activist Mike Tidwell, about his latest book, The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue*, which is an exploration of global warming’s impact on his own home block.The plant profile is on Pagoda Dogwood 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 Bean Succession Planting by Christy Page of GreenPrints.

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 165: Gardening and the Weather with Margaret Roach

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-165-gardening.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 141: Nature's Best Hope

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-141-natures.html

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.

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

This episode is archived at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Lost-Trees-and-Climate-Activism-e32v6j2

Show Notes will be posted after 5-20-2025.

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

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*Mike's book can be ordered at https://amzn.to/3SLPH3f
(Note: This is an Amazon affiliate link.)
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Friday, May 16, 2025

Fenton Friday: Did Brer Rabbit Make a Visit?

I don't think I ask for much -- I mean, it is too much to ask folks to keep your vehicles and steaming hot blobs of fresh black tar out of the pollinator garden strip (see pic above)?!?! 

I visited the garden yesterday to check on the annual seedlings we had planted in the pollinator strip, which included a few different varieties of Zinnias in strips and then two batch of Marigolds on each end. All of the Zinnias are up, except for one variety that I may need to replace. The Marigold seedlings are up too  --except that the patch nearest to the corner had big blops of fresh hot black road tar on them! With the help of gardening friend Beth P-L's narrow trowel, I was able to scoop out most of it and deposit it on the nearby sidewalk in a neat pile so no one steps in it. 

Marigolds are pretty tough, so I think they'll survive, but yeesh! can we not have a repeat of that please? I am assuming a road crew was filling holes nearby and this was a one-time accident and not deliberate...

In our plot, everything is growing by leaps and bounds thanks to all the recent rains and warm weather. I need to do a thorough weeding soon. 

I harvested bunches of Cilantro to cook with and for a local food pantry. I need to harvest more Arugula and Lettuce too as they are already trying to bolt. I threw an old cover-cloth over them for now to try to buy a few more days on that.

Next week I plan to get some of the summer herbs planted then the tomatoes and peppers.

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 14th 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).

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Monday, May 12, 2025

Monday Thoughts: “Oh, soon with heaping measures The spring will bring her treasures To gladden every breast; The sky with warmth a-beaming, The earth with love a-teeming — In life itself new zest!” ~ John Burroughs


“Oh, soon with heaping measures The spring will bring her treasures To gladden every breast; The sky with warmth a-beaming, The earth with love a-teeming — In life itself new zest!” ~ John Burroughs
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Saturday, May 10, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 240: Top Urban Trees

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Robert Shaut, Director of Tree Operations at Casey Trees, about the best choices for Urban Trees. The plant profile is on Basil 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 Great Tomato Adventure by Christy Page of GreenPrints.

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 181: Invasive Plants with Casey Trees

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-204-natural.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 204: Natural Tree Care

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-204-natural.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 87: Winter Tree Care

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-87-winter-tree.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 187: Mad About Mulches


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.

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

This episode is archived at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Top-Urban-Trees-e32g5ej

Show Notes will be posted after 5-13-2025.

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

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Friday, May 09, 2025

Fenton Friday: Growing My First Salad

Guest Post by Skylar Drew

This semester at Washington Gardener, I finally got down in the dirt and learned the basics of edible gardening. After so many years of watching the adults in my childhood neighborhood constantly planting and weeding, my turn had come!

In early March, I planted 'White Globe' Turnips,  'New Zealand' Spinach, and 'Frosty' Peas in the community plot and anxiously awaited their sprouts. Unfortunately, my spinach never made an appearance, but seeing the tiny green leaves peeking out from the turnip and pea rowss filled me with awe. We eventually planted Carrots, Radish, Lettuce, Onions, Arugula, and Cilantro in the following weeks to make for a more plentiful harvest. The turnips grew ferociously, and a few (returning) potato plants even sprouted in the same bed! (We harvested a few mid-sized turnips on my final visit to the plot. The peas are still growing and may be ready to harvest in a month.)

I was shocked to find how simple it can be to grow your own food, especially since I was often only in the garden once a week. Still, I have plenty to learn. The vegetables really took off during April and on the first of this month, we were able to harvest some of the Lettuce and Arugula! Bringing it home to make a small salad was one of the highlights of my semester, and I was so proud to have helped raise something from seed into sustenance.

Even on the days where I felt I was dragging, I was always excited to see how much each plant had grown from the last time I had been there to weed or water.

As spring closes in on summer, I’m looking forward to beginning my own garden back at home with the knowledge Washington Gardener editor Kathy Jentz has given me. I’m especially excited to one day start a small pollinator garden. I’ve always known gardening to be extremely important, but it’s one thing to know and another to do. I’m so grateful that I was able to have this experience of growing something myself, and I see myself in a long line of people to spread the word: plants are life!

What are you growing in your edible garden this week?

About the author: Skylar Drew is an intern this spring semester with Washington Gardener. She is a senior journalism major at the UMD College Park. She is from Bel Air, Maryland, where she watched her mom grow her garden.

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 14th 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).

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Wednesday, May 07, 2025

Fleabane Plant Profile

Fleabane Plant Profile

Fleabane (Erigeron species) are a daisy-like wildflower that pop up in disturbed areas. They are considered a “pioneer species” and can act like an annual or biennial.

The common name fleabane comes from the belief that dried flower clusters of this plant could rid your home of fleas.

Erigeron annuus (formerly Aster annuus),is known as  the annual fleabane, daisy fleabane, or Eastern daisy fleabane. It is native to North America and Central America. It blooms from June to October and grows to about 3 feet tall.

Eastern daisy fleabane is hardy to USDA zones 2 to 9. It  grows well in full to part sun sites and. it is tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions.

Erigeron acris (previously known as Erigeron philadelphicus) is commonly known as Philadelphia Fleabane, Bitter Fleabane, and Blue Fleabane.

Philadelphia Fleabane is native to most of the United States and blooms from April to June. It is hardy to USDA zones 2 to 9. It  grows well in full to part sun sites and. it is tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions.

Erigeron pulchellus known commonly as Robin's plantain is a biennial or short-lived perennial  that is native to eastern and central US. It has lavender-blue to white flowers that bloom  from April to June. IT is hardy to USDA zones 3 to 8. 

Fleabane flowers are pollinated by a variety of bees,; as well as flies, wasps, small butterflies, and other insects.

They are deer-resistant and drought-tolerant.

Fleabane: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Video and Editing by Madison Korman

 

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

~ Shasta Daisy Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/08/shasta-daisy-plant-profile.html

~ Golden Ragwort Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/05/golden-ragwort-plant-profile.html

~ Lyreleaf Sage Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/04/lyreleaf-sage-plant-profile.html

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Monday, May 05, 2025

Monday Thoughts: "In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous." ~ Aristotle

"In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous." 

~ Aristotle

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Saturday, May 03, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 239: DOGE Cuts and Your Garden

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Thomas Christopher, horticulturist, author, and podcaster, about Department of Government Efficency (DOGE) impacts on gardening. The plant profile is on Trillium 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 Types of Pruning Shears by Christy Page of GreenPrints.

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 117: Environmentally Friendly Gardening

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-117.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 145: Everything is Politics, Even Gardening

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-145-everything.html


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.

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

This episode is archived at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/DOGE-Cuts-and-Your-Garden-e32b76c

Show Notes will be posted after 5-6-2025.

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

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