June 2026 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine: Stewartia, Baltimore Orioles, Hot Peppers, and much more…

The June 2026 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is out.

It is posted and archived online at: 

https://issuu.com/washingtongardener/docs/washington_gardener_magazine_june_2026

Inside this issue:

·         Summer Dogwood - Stewartia

·         Joe Bozik’s Gardening Passion

·         Meet the Chesapeake Cactus and Succulent Society

·         Top Tips for Growing Hot Peppers

·         A Flavorful Herb Garden in Containers

·         Manage Pests Rather than Rely on Internet Myths

·         Garden Book Reviews

·         Hanging with the Baltimore Orioles

·         Taking Care of Your Yard During a Heat Wave

·         The Elusive Azalea Plant Bug

·         Perennial Picks for Supporting Bees

·         and much more…

Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the July 2026 issue are due by June 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

Monday Thought: “It was June, and the world smelled like roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold all over the grassy hillside.” ~ Maud Hart Lovelace

“It was June, and the world smelled like roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold all over the grassy hillside.” ~ Maud Hart Lovelace

GardenDC Podcast Episode 289: Landscape Design Combinations

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with garden designer and blogger Lee Miller, about landscape design combinations*. The plant profile is on Japanese Snowbell Tree 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 "Peas Don't Like me" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.

***Please Vote for our show the GardenDC Podcast at

https://bestof2026.washingtoncitypaper.com/ under Arts & Entertainment > Best Local Podcaster

The deadline to vote is June 10, 2026. Thank you in advance! ***

*You can order Lee Miller's book Landscape Design Combinations at https://amzn.to/4vALSzC
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 135: Plants for Shade

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-135-plants-for.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 111: Flower Combinations

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-111-flower.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 102: Annual Combinations

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-102-annual.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 72: Low-Maintenance Gardening

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-72-low.html

Show Notes will be posted after 6/15/2026.

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/75PLiYQxGF2tumQ8ufeLnB?si=UImjbc-lTHSZiq30CFnrQg

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/
  
• aCast: https://play.acast.com/s/gardendc
  
• Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/776561ca-75d6-4c63-833b-7dafedf57a72/GardenDC
• Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/GardenDC-Podcast/B08JJNZBMX
• Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/gardendc
  
• Bullhorn https://www.bullhorn.fm/gardendc
• Chartable: https://link.chtbl.com/GardenDC
• Castbox: https://castbox.fm/channel/GardenDC-id2691161?country=us
• Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/show/5587897
• GoodPods: https://goodpods.app.link/u3gtlpybILb
• Headliner: https://play.headliner.app/podcast/37086
• Himalaya: https://www.himalaya.com/courses/gardendc-1747568
• Ivy: https://ivy.fm/podcast/gardendc-940013
• Listen Notes: https://lnns.co/VIfcBjWRnw6
• Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/gardendc/
• PocketCasts: https://pca.st/9phvd8bk
• Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/2629285
• Podfollow: https://podfollow.com/GardenDC
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• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/gardendc-1137444
• Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1502631179/gardendc
  
• Reason: https://reason.fm/podcast/gardendc
• 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 Lee Miller's book Landscape Design Combinations at https://amzn.to/4vALSzC
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: Blackberry Harvest

 

This week was there was no rain and constant, drying winds -- now the 90-degree days have moved in. That means I'm watering the tiny seedlings a lot and praying for a pop-up storm.

The Blackberries are ripening now and I harvested about a pint this week (see pic above) with many more to come. They are very large and juicy -- and delicious! I draped some plastic mesh over the shrub along with a few rubber snakes in hopes of keeping the birds off them for now.

I actually have harvested a couple Pea pods thanks to the wire cage around one remaining vine -- with the heat setting in now that is the end of the pea season. 

We harvested all the Kale and one of the summer interns planted tomatoes in their spot -- they are the Purple Tomato and Citrine.

The container with the Romaine Lettuce growing it wil be harvested next and I think I may put a Sweet Potato in there.

I harvested and shared the Dill and Cilantro as well as cutting a big bag of the bolted Cilantro for drying to go to seed to collect the Coriander. 

The Asparagus is now tied up and next to it is where the other summer intern planted Okra 'Puerto Rico Everblush'. The seeds were shared with us at our Seed Exchange last January and I am eager to try out this variety as we have never had it before.

I discovered more returning Dahlia plants! So they were not all a loss from last winter, just very slow to return.

In the pollinator strip, I planted more Cornflower seedlings and the interns planted three kinds of Nasturtium ('Baby Red', 'Baby Yellow', and 'Baby Gold') and Zinnia ('Zydeco Fire' and 'Crestar Fieldgrown Mix' seeds. I also added a Verbena seedling and we did a bit of weeding. The Crabgrass there is rampant and battling it is super-frustrating.

Next week, I plan to add Cucumber and Squash as well as the Lisianthus seedlings in the cutting garden.

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).

Blue-Eyed Grass Plant Profile

Blue-Eyed Grass Plant Profile

Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) is a clump-forming perennial plant with tiny violet-blue flowers. These flowers close up late in the day and open again in the morning, It is actually not a grass, despites its name and grass-like looks but is instead in the Iris family.

It is native to eastern North America and is hardy to USDA Zones 4 to 9. It grows from 8 to 12 inches tall.

It flowers in late spring and does best in full to part sun. It prefers moist or wet soils and will die if it is allowed to get too dry. Avoid applying mulch around it as that can cause crown rot.

Blue-Eyed Grass is often used as a groundcover, edging plant, or in cottage gardens. Pollinators are attracted to the flowers’ nectar and pollen. It is considered to be rabbit- and deer-resistant.

You can propagate it by digging and dividing it in the springtime. It can also self-sow if you let it. Deadhead the flowers as they finish blooming, if you do not want it to produce seeds.

Blue-Eyed Grass: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Videos Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Editing by Koree Perry

 

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

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~ Podcast: GardenDC

 

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

~ Little Bluestem Grass: 

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/08/little-bluestem-grass-plant-profile.html

~ Mexican Feather Grass:

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/10/plant-profile-mexican-feather-grass.html

~ Hakone Grass: 

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2019/10/plant-profile-hakone-grass.html

 

PIN THIS FOR LATER! 

Meet the New Summer 2026 Interns

 

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

Greetings, readers and listeners! My name is Maya Hand (pictured above, at right). I am a rising senior journalism major at the University of Maryland in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. I am minoring in science, technology, ethics and policy. I want to be a science communicator, doing science writing as well as formats like podcast and video. I have contributed as a science writer to UMD’s College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences (CMNS) News site. I have also written and produced an audio package for WMUC News, UMD’s student-led radio. I am about to depart for a two-week study abroad program in Tanzania, where I will collaborate with students from UMD and the University of Dar es Salaam to create a broadcast about Dar es Salaam’s youth-led innovations against climate change.

   I enjoy dancing, listening to podcasts, hiking, and eating international cuisines! I am excited to join the Washington Gardener magazine. I look forward to learning more about gardening and getting to engage with the local gardening community!

Hello everyone! My name is Koree Perry (pictured above, on left) and I am a senior studying Multi-Platform Journalism Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland College Park, and I will be one of two of the interns this summer for Washington Gardener Magazine. I’m a native of Baltimore City, MD, and while I’m a beginner at all things gardening, I’m excited to learn and write this summer! I was a freelance writer and copy editor for Her Campus, a Gen Z lifestyle publication on campus, as well as the historian for the Maryland Association of Black Journalists for the 2025-2026 term.

Outside of my time with Washington Gardener, I love to cook, read, and write fiction (I’m currently working on writing my first book)! I’m excited to be apart of this wonderful magazine and able to write meaning stories about gardening for you all to hopefully enjoy!

Monday Thoughts: "The pleasures of spring are available to everybody, and cost nothing." ~ George Orwell

"The pleasures of spring are available to everybody, and cost nothing." ~ George Orwell

GardenDC Podcast Episode 288: Growing Roses Naturally

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Rita Perwich, consulting rosarian and author of Natural Rose Gardening*, about growing roses organically. The plant profile is on Larkspur 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 "Summer Squash Companions" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.

***Please Vote for our show the GardenDC Podcast at

https://bestof2026.washingtoncitypaper.com/ under Arts & Entertainment > Best Local Podcaster

The deadline to vote is June 10, 2026. Thank you in advance! ***

*You can order Rita Perwich's book Natural Rose Gardening at https://amzn.to/4nV1Rpj
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.

Rita will be speaking to the Potomac Rose Society in January 2027. Be sure to join the society at https://potomacrose.org/.

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 13: Heritage Roses with Connie Hilker

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-13-connie.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 111: Flower Combinations

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-111-flower.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 285: Thomas Jefferson's Flowers

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2026/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-285-thomas.html

Show Notes will be posted after 6/15/2026.

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4GYz8DYyIzu70HVOi0LeLk?si=9ESpz-f8SZGutiWlFrofCA

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/
  
• aCast: https://play.acast.com/s/gardendc
  
• Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/776561ca-75d6-4c63-833b-7dafedf57a72/GardenDC
• Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/GardenDC-Podcast/B08JJNZBMX
• Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/gardendc
  
• Bullhorn https://www.bullhorn.fm/gardendc
• Chartable: https://link.chtbl.com/GardenDC
• Castbox: https://castbox.fm/channel/GardenDC-id2691161?country=us
• Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/show/5587897
• GoodPods: https://goodpods.app.link/u3gtlpybILb
• Headliner: https://play.headliner.app/podcast/37086
• Himalaya: https://www.himalaya.com/courses/gardendc-1747568
• Ivy: https://ivy.fm/podcast/gardendc-940013
• Listen Notes: https://lnns.co/VIfcBjWRnw6
• Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/gardendc/
• PocketCasts: https://pca.st/9phvd8bk
• Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/2629285
• Podfollow: https://podfollow.com/GardenDC
• Podlink: https://pod.link/GardenDC
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/gardendc-1137444
• Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1502631179/gardendc
  
• Reason: https://reason.fm/podcast/gardendc
• 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 Rita's book at https://amzn.to/4nV1Rpj
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.