GardenDC Podcast Episode 297: How to Photograph Your Garden

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with photographer Becca Mathias about capturing better images of our home gardens. The plant profile is on Lemongrass 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 "How to Zoodle Your Zucchinis" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.

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 238: Flower Photography Tips

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-238-flower.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 202: Documenting Gardens

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-202.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 17: Garden Photography

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-17-garden.html

Show Notes will be posted after 8/15/2026.

This episode is archived at: 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/06SQ27dJCtegDrJ9K8Cie5?si=wiHjkJxFQF-z8dWsgjSG4A

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

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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!

Fenton Friday: Okra for Days...

This week we got another decent rain storm of almost an inch. For most of the time, it has been very breezey and not stiflingly hot.

The BAD NEWS is that some jerk broke off the metal sign I purchased for the Pollinator Garden Strip and stole an entire Marigold plant. (This could be two different jerks, but I doubt it.) Of course, they took the special Marigold that I was sent to trial by a plant breeder, not the ones on the other end of the strip that are regular old Marigolds.

The GOOD NEWS is we have Okra and lots of it! (See photo above.) BTW, if you are not an Okra fan or an unfamiliar with growing it. See here and here.

The Squash vines have several fruits forming and one looks very close to picking. With the Montgomery County Fair just a few weeks away, I'm hoping we have some nice specimens ready to enter by then.

The rest of the plot is coming along well including the Eggplants, Beans, Peppers, Cucamelons, and Tomatoes. I cut more bouquets of Dahlias, Gomphrena, and Lisianthus.

We weeded and watered. We thinned out the Zinnia seedlings to give the reamaining plants more space to grow and flower. I pinched back the flowers on all the Basil plants to encourage them to become fuller. 

When I was weeding near the back corner of the plot, I pulled out a tiny Carrot by accident. I assume it self-sowed from plants that were in there last spring or fall.

I still need to clear out the last of the Dill stems to plant more 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).

Lantana Plant Profile

Lantana Plant Profile

Lantana (Lantana spp.) is a spreading annual plant that is covered in brightly colored flowers in yellow, orange, white, red, pink, or purple.

It is native to Central and South America. It is in the Verbena family.

Lantana can survive a light frost, but the plant will die if the temperature goes below 28ºF or stays cold for a long time. It is a hardy perennial when grown in USDA zones 8-11 and it can be invasive in some areas, including Florida, Arizona, and Hawaii.

It requires full sun and well-draining soils. Feed it with a slow-release balanced fertilizer monthly, especially if it is grown in a container.

Deadhead spent blooms on Lantana to encourage future flowers on bushier branches.

Use insecticidal soap to eliminate pests such as aphids, lace bugs, mealy bugs, whiteflies, and spider mites.

Lantana is deer- and rabbit-resistant. It is also extremely heat-tolerant.

The flower's nectar attracts several species of bees and butterflies, including the spicebush swallowtail.

Lantana can be propagated from seed or stem cuttings.

Lantana: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

Video, Photos, Audio, 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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If you like this video, we think you will enjoy:

~ Brazilian Verbena Plant Profile

http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/10/brazilian-verbena-plant-profile.html

~ Borage Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/07/borage-plant-profile.html

~ Stokesia Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/08/stokesia-plant-profile.html

 PIN THIS FOR LATER!

Organic Rose Talk hosted by the US Botanic Garden Now Available on YouTube

From the US Botanic Garden:

Join Kathy Jentz, host of the award-winning GardenDC Podcast, for a practical and engaging conversation around growing beautiful, resilient roses. From pruning and maintenance to common challenges, Kathy shares her personal organic approach to rose care along with her favorite disease-resistant varieties that thrive in our region. This program is connected to our current display “America’s State Flowers: An America250 Celebration.” Roses are the state flower for multiple states -- Iowa, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Washington, D.C. This program was recorded May 29, 2026. Find upcoming programs at www.USBG.gov/Programs

Monday Thoughts: “Gardening is an active participation in the deepest mysteries of the universe.” ~ Thomas Berry

“Gardening is an active participation in the deepest mysteries of the universe.”

 ~ Thomas Berry

GardenDC Podcast Episode 296: Flinging through Gilded Age Estates and Buffalo Gardens

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Jana Milbocker, about Gilded Age Gardens and the Buffalo Fling. The plant profile is on Wild Petunia 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 "When to Pick Bell Peppers" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.

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

View our album of Buffalo Fling photos at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1690104923121515&type=3

Visit Garden Walk Buffalo at https://www.gardensbuffaloniagara.com/garden-walk-buffalo

Jana's books:

~ Gardens of the Gilded Age*

~ The Garden Tourist: 120 Destination Gardens and Nurseries in the Northeast*

~ The Garden Tourist's Mid-Atlantic: A Guide to 90 Beautiful and Historic Public Gardens*

*Amazon affiliate link

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 167: Flinging with the Garden Tourist

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-167-flinging.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 32: Garden Tours - Europe and Beyond

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/10/gardendc-podcast-episode-32-garden.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 146: Spring Color Inspiration at Longwood

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-146-spring.html

Show Notes will be posted after 8/8/2026.

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/224Zh07b6Rukb414Tu2G12?si=dIveTPtgQiWbED3PrQrW9w

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gardendc/id1502631179
• Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc
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• 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 Jana's book at https://amzn.to/4wTL0q8
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: Baby Aubergines

 
This week the temperatures dropped, and so did the humidity. We also got a decent storm system with almost an inch of rain in our zip code. It was most welcome!

The row cover blew off the 'Fairytale' Eggplant growing in a container at the front corner of the plot. This revealed multiple tiny fruits forming, so I am leaving the cover off for now.

The Squash vines are also full of baby fuits beginning to form and the Okra has many flowers developing into pods. Peppers are forming as well and the Cucamelon vine is taking off.

We weeded and watered a bit, then picked a few Blackberries, Dahlias, 'Citrine' Tomatoes, and Lisianthus.

I clipped the Lettuce and Dill seedheads to dry them. I gave a grocery bag full of Dill heads to our Harvest Share collection this week. I hope someone can make use of them -- maybe for a pickling project.

Next, I want to clear out the Dill's space and plant either some quick-growing Cucumbers or more Beans -- or both.

On the Fenton Community Garden's discussion list, many plot gardeners have posted saying they are seeing rats, squirrels, and rabbits stealing their produce. It seems particularly bad this summer for some reason.

In the Pollinator Strip, the Zinnias have yet to flower, so I think it may be that they are too crowded. We will thin them next week.

Everything else is coming along well. 

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).

Getting Our Laurels

We Won a Laurel Award! The Following Work Has Been Awarded a 2026 GardenComm Silver Laurel Media Award: Photography: Cover (book or magazine): July-August 2025 Washington Gardener Magazine - Kathy Jentz

We won a Silver Award in the Cover Photography category and now we are up for the Gold Award against some seriously talented photographers, wish us luck! The Gold Award winners will be announced in August at the GardenComm annual meeting in Portland, OR. The winning cover and issue are posted here:  https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/07/july-august-2025-issue-of-washington.html I took the photo at Mt Cuba Center in Delaware. It is of their beautiful pond and Black Cohosh plantings. I'm pretty proud of it as Black Cohosh is not an easy plant to capture well in still images, because of its tall, open, and airy growth habit.  Each year, I try to enter the GardenComm Laurel Awards in a category that I have not won in previously as a challenge to myself and to not continually dominate in one category (e.g. let others have a chance to win and get their Golds and Silvers). Here is the official awards press release: For Immediate Release                                                                        Media Contact: Chris Sabbarese   Ph: 951.899.5015  info@gardencomm.org   Kathy Jentz Receives 2026 GardenComm Media Awards Silver Laurel Medal of Achievement    Kathy Jentz has received a 2026 GardenComm Silver Laurel Medal of Achievement in Photography: Cover (book or magazine), presented by GardenComm: Garden Communicators International.  The international awards program recognizes individuals and companies that achieve the highest levels of talent and professionalism in garden communications. The 2026 competition drew 146 entries across 43 categories.  Since the early 1980s, the GardenComm Media Awards program has recognized outstanding garden-focused work across writing, photography, publishing, digital media, broadcast, podcasting, and other communications disciplines.  The 2026 Silver Laurel Medal recipients were announced July 20 during the GardenComm Silver Laurel Media Awards Live Stream. The full list of 2026 winners are available at gardencomm.org/awards/2026-winners. For more information about the awards, contact Chris Sabbarese at info@gardencomm.org. About GardenComm GardenComm, Garden Communicators International, is an organization of professional communicators in the green and garden industry including book authors, bloggers, staff editors, syndicated columnists, freelance writers, photographers, speakers, landscape designers, television and radio personalities, consultants, publishers, extension service agents and more. No other organization in the industry has as much contact with the buying public as GardenComm members. Learn more at www.gardencomm.org.