Washington Gardener Magazine is the award-winning publication for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners by local gardeners.
"I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down / into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, / how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, / … / Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?” ~ Mary Oliver
In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with award-winning horticultural author, speaker, and podcaster Eva Monheim* about Summer Tree Care. The plant profile is on Lantana 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 "Planting an Herb Garden" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.
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BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month!
If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 12: Shrubs and Hedges with Eva Monheim
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-12-eva-monheim.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 87: Winter Tree Care with Lou Mayer
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-87-winter-tree.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 240: Top Urban Trees with Robert Shaut of Casey Trees
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-240-top-urban.html
Show Notes will be posted after 6/28/2026.
Next week, we need to plant the Cosmos seeds as well as the Pole Beans.
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).
Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica) is a deciduous shrub that is native to the Eastern United States. It is also known as Virginia Willow.
It grows into a small mound that is 2 to 5 feet tall and wide. It is hardy to USDA Zones 5 to 9.
In the spring, it produces cascading branches of fragrant white flowers that attract butterflies and bees.
In the fall, the leaves turn to beautiful shades of red and orange. The seeds are eaten by songbirds.
It prefers to grow in part to full sun in moist but well-draining acidic soils.
It can spread into a dense thicket via root suckers. You can propagate it by seed, taking cuttings in the spring, and root division.
Virginia Sweetspire is deer-resistant and can tolerate occasional flooding.
Selected cultivars include ‘Henry’s Garnet’, ‘Little Henry’, and ‘Fizzy Mizzy’.
Virginia Sweetspire: You Can Grow That!
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Audio, Video, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz
Editing by Koree Perry
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If you liked this video, we think you will like these other
Plant Profiles:
~ Northern Spicebush Plant Profile
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/04/northern-spicebush-plant-profile.html
~ Smooth Hydrangea Plant Profile
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/07/plant-profile-smooth-hydrangea.html
~ Japanese Andromeda Plant
Profile
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/04/pieris-japonica-plant-profile.html
For our June 2026 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away a copy of The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City by Kathy Jentz and Teresa Speight (prize value: $27, https://amzn.to/4xyef2Y*).
In The Urban Garden, you’ll find dozens of inspiring and creative ways to grow flowers, shrubs, vegetables, herbs, and other plants in small spaces and with a limited budget. Whether you want to grow on a balcony, rooftop, front stoop, or tiny urban patio, turn your growing dreams into reality and build a gorgeous and unique garden that showcases your personal style while still being functional and productive. With the ingenious ideas and resourceful tactics found here, you’ll be maximizing yields and beauty from every square inch of your space, while also making a lush outdoor living area you’ll crave spending time in.
To enter to win the book, send an email by 5:00pm on Tuesday, June 30, to:
WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com with “Urban Garden” in the Subject line and in the body of the email tell us what your favorite article was in the June 2026 issue and why. Please include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on July 1. Entry comments might be published.
*Amazon affiliate link to our account. We may earn a few pennies if you click on the link.
“Sometimes all it takes is a single blossom.” ~ Jane Fulton Alt
In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with plantsman Rich Crider of Three Shovels Farm all about Louisiana Iris. The plant profile is on Japanese Painted Fern 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 "Plant in June" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.
BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month!
If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 64: Daylilies - The Perfect Perennial?
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-64-daylilies.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 53: Superior Perennials
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-53-superior.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 150: Sourcing Native Plants
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-150-sourcing.html
Next week, I plan to finally get the Lisianthus seedlings in the cutting garden and to add some rows of Cosmos seeds.
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).
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...
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