Say Aloha to the Philadelphia Flower Show

Washington Gardener Magazine has two tours this year going up to the Philadelphia Flower Show. The Philadelphia Flower Show is the oldest and largest indoor flower show in the world. The theme for 2012 is “Hawaii: Islands of Aloha.” Join us for a visit to the beautiful, tropical experience that blends cutting-edge digital technology with the natural beauty and rich culture of the islands, and so much more. This is not your grandmother’s Flower Show … but she’s going to love it! The Flower Show attracts non-gardeners as well as die-hard green-thumbed people of all ages. Every day, the Show will come to life with hula, music, and fire dancing performances, free wine and spirits tastings, and a Man Cave filled with all the trappings of a happy hideaway. Participate in the Lectures and Demonstrations series, Gardener’s Studio, and All-Star Culinary Presentations. First-time and returning riders will enjoy the personalized and welcoming details of our coach service.

The two tours are on different days, at different times, from different locations. Here are the details:

~ Tuesday, March 6 from 8am-7pm, leaving and returning to Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD - includes a breakfast and free parking at the nursery - see the registration form for more details

~ Wednesday, March 7 from 10am-10pm, leaving and returning to downtown Silver Spring, MD - includes a lunch and is nearby to public transit - see the registration form for more details

Here are the registration form links:

- 3/6 form

- 3/7 form

(Note: The forms are for printing and mailing along with your payment. They are not interactive online forms.)

Grown From Seed Exchange Seeds

It is so rewarding to see our little Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchange seeds go out into the world into the hands of avid gardeners, but I rarely hear back on what happens to those seeds. I was so excited to get an email from Lilian Cerdeira that enclosed some pictures of flowers that she grew in her garden with seeds that she acquired at last year's Seed Exchange at Green Spring Gardens. The photos in this post are fabulously colorful -- note the goldfinch!

She added, "Thanks for organizing this wonderful event. This was my second year, and it is definitely something I look forward to."

BTW, if you missed last Saturday's event, you can still join us for the second 2012 swap in Virginia next Saturday, February 4, at Green Spring Gardens. We still have spaces left, but they are filling fast so I reccomend you pre-register by mail. Here are more details.

Washington Gardener Magazine 6th Annual Photo Contest Winners Announced!

Open publication - Free publishing - More flower photos

Here are the top 17 winners in the  Washington Gardener Magazine 6th Annual Photo Contest.  All entries were taken in the Washington, DC region in garden settings. There were over 300 photos submitted in this year's contest and I know our three expert judges had a Herculean task picking out the best of the best.

Note that what you are viewing online here, is a low-resolution version of the photo images. Winning images will be published in Washington Gardener magazine Spring 2012 issue. They will also be displayed during the Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges this winter and will appear in a local photo exhibit this spring/summer in the Washington. DC region.

Seed Exchange Update: Still Spaces Left, No Seeds Required!

We still have some spaces left, so you may register on-site at the Washington Gardener Magazine 2012 Seed Exchange on Saturday, January 28 12:30-4pm at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD.

On-site Registration opens at 12:00noon. The program begins promptly at 12:30pm.

We recommend that you print out the registration form and fill it in and bring it along with a check made out to "Washington Gardener" in order to speed things up and keep the registration line moving quickly.

For the registration form and event details go here. To read about the speaker program, go here. To prepare your seeds and yourself for the swap, go here.

We also still have spaces left for the Seed Exchange on February 4 at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA. You can mail in your registration for that, please ensure that it will arrive by February 2.

And yes, you can attend and participate, even if you have no seeds to swap. We always have plenty of extra to share with new and beginning seed starters!

Seed Starting Survey Results

Our January 2012 Washington Gardener Reader Contest winners chosen at random from among the submitted entries are:

~ Arlene Wagner, Reston, VA
~ CJ Rock, Hyattsville, MD

They each won two passes to the upcoming Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges (a $15 value per pass).

These seed swaps are in-person and face-to-face. You bring your extra seeds and swap them with other gardeners. Everyone will leave with a bag full of seeds, new garden friends, and expert planting advice. The Seed Exchanges are held on Saturday, January 28, 2012 in Maryland at Brookside Gardens and on Saturday, February 4, 2012 in Virginia at Green Spring Gardens from 12:30 – 4:00pm. See full event details here.

We asked our contest entrants to tell us:
What plants you are planning to start from seed this year?

“I will be starting several heirloom tomato varieties, broccoli, cucumbers, arugula, basil, beets, chard, and carrots from seed this year,” said Fred Pinkney of Takoma Park, MD.

“Tomatoes of course, and tomatillos, 5 kinds of basil, spaghetti, acorn, and some odd field cross squash, & melons. Big seeds for small hands. Artichoke if we get ambitious,” said Luc Phinney.

“I plan to start at least cilantro and thyme from seed this year, as well as (possibly) avocado (working on some pits currently!), tomatoes, and other plants,” said CJ (Chelsea) Rock of Hyattsville, MD.

Vernon Roberts of College Park, MD, is planning on starting white habanero chili peppers, cilantro, and tomatoes from seed this year, at the very least.

Arlene Wagner of Reston, VA, said, “This year I plan on starting from seed (and I already bought the seeds for them!): Broccoli, Cauliflower, Edame (soybeans), San Marzano tomatoes, Sugar snap peas, Herbs (like basil, chives, thyme, oregano), Hollyhocks, Japanese anemones, Corn, and Peppers (chocolate, yellow, red, orange, purple).

Cindy Walczak of Olney, MD, wrote: “I'm planning to start from seed: lettuce, radishes, snow peas, beets, malabar spinach, sweet peppers, butternut squash”

“I'm so excited for Spring!,” shared Nancy Davis of Edgewater, MD. “Sitting here writing this email with a dusting of snow on the ground, I'm anxiously awaiting to go outdoors and plant my seeds. I had never really grown anything from seed until last year. A friend and I were talking about gardening and I had said I wish there was more of a selection of plants to purchase at local garden centers. He suggested I buy seeds and grow the things I wanted to grow from seeds myself! For some reason this had not occurred to me. Sometimes the most obvious answers are not so obvious to the person trying to figure things out. I like to grow herbs, vegetables and flowers. Below is a list of what I'm growing from seed this year in all three categories:
~ Vegetables
Shell Peas, Bush Beans, Cucumbers, Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, Lettuce, Spinach, Onions, Broccoli
Carrots,Zucchini, Cauliflower
~ Herbs
Dill, Evening Primrose, Nettles, Burdock, Valerian, Wood Betony, Chamomile, Sage, Yarrow,
Marshmallow
~ Flowers
Nasturtiums, Zinnias, Sunflowers, Daisy”

Joe Schechter of Silver Spring, MD, plans starting these seeds for this spring: Lablab beans; purple pyramid peppers; asclepius tuberosa; black seeded Simpson lettuce; beets for greens and root; marigolds from saved seed. “Probably a lot of others that I've saved and exchanged at last year's seed exchange.”

Kenneth Moore of Washington, DC, said, “I plan on starting a couple things from seed--edibles such as tomatoes and peppers, of course, as well as lots of herbs (a ton of basils, in particular). I don't have a large seed collection anymore, since donating my entire collection to the Farm at Walker Jones when I moved to Saudi Arabia--I've only purchased a few (maybe 20 or so) seed packets since I returned to the U.S. I also am uncertain whether I'll have allotted outdoor space--I mean, I'll find my own *somewhere*, but it would make me much happier to know I could plant a sweet potato somewhere that it won't get ripped up or mowed.”

Ruth H. Axelrod of Frederick, MD, replied:
“Although I’m an experienced ornamental gardener, until two years ago I had not raised food crops except herbs, an occasional tomato plant and a wide terra cotta bowl of salad greens. Partway through that summer, having settled into our new suburban townhouse in Frederick, we bought oak boards and posts, cut to our specifications at a local mill, and built a trio of small, raised beds. That year and the next, I filled the new garden with purchased seedlings from my favorite Washington-area nurseries. My reward was the thrill of preparing and eating salads made entirely from our tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and herbs, and supplementing store-bought lettuce with fresh romaine. But I have been disappointed at the limited variety of greens available as seedlings. So, now, I am ready for the next step--raising them from seed.
Last fall, I purchased a chrome rack that fits along the wall of our basement bathroom, hung a silver mylar emergency blanket behind it and a 4' shop light from each shelf. Last week, I bought two seedling trays to augment those that I scrounged from nurseries last year (and disinfected with 10:1 water and chlorine bleach).
Now, I am creating my schedule--planning when to start each type of seed that I have and looking around for any interesting ones that I haven’t acquired. Two years ago, when I started thinking about doing this, I attended the Washington Gardener magazine’s Seed Swap at Brookside Gardens, which is the source of some of my vegetable and flower seeds. I enjoyed that swap so much that I organized one for my fellow Frederick County Master Gardeners last year and, by popular acclaim, again this year. I am trying not to be too ambitious but I am planning a succession garden this year and, so, will hold some back some seeds to start later in the growing season and the fall.
Why am I doing this? We don’t save any serious money with our tiny garden of edibles and I certainly don’t need more things to do, but I relish the magic of tiny seeds potent with life and rejoice at bringing into the world such a basic necessity as food. It gives me yet another reason to indulge my love of partnering with nature and soothing my spirit by mucking around in the dirt!”

What are you starting from seed this year?

Video Wednesday: New Plant Hardiness Zone Map Unveiled

This video is from today's press conference held at the U.S. National Arboretum. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released the new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM), updating a useful tool for gardeners and researchers for the first time since 1990 with greater accuracy and detail.

The new, interactive map is available online at: www.planthardiness.ars.usda.gov

According to the USDA:

"Compared to the 1990 version, zone boundaries in this edition of the map have shifted in many areas. The new map is generally one 5-degree Fahrenheit half-zone warmer than the previous map throughout much of the United States. This is mostly a result of using temperature data from a longer and more recent time period; the new map uses data measured at weather stations during the 30-year period 1976-2005. In contrast, the 1990 map was based on temperature data from only a 13-year period of 1974-1986.
However, some of the changes in the zones are a result of new, more sophisticated methods for mapping zones between weather stations. These include algorithms that considered for the first time such factors as changes in elevation, nearness to large bodies of water, and position on the terrain, such as valley bottoms and ridge tops. Also, the new map used temperature data from many more stations than did the 1990 map. These advances greatly improved the accuracy and detail of the map, especially in mountainous regions of the western United States. In some cases, they resulted in changes to cooler, rather than warmer, zones."

The USDA representatives did not think this was conclusive evidence of climate change, in that the data is from a 30 year period and that a much longer period of data (50-100 years) would need to be examined to warrant that assertion.

Kim Kaplan of the USDA stressed that the plant zone map is merely a guide and that home gardeners should use their best judgement when selecting plants for their own nano-climates.

What I find most exciting about this new zone map, aside from the interactive search and increased detail, is the listing of cold hardiness ratings of woody plants that will thrive in each zone. That will be a truly valuable addition for home gardeners to explore.

Seed Exchange Sponsor Swag

I've been tweeting out as new Seed Exchange swag has been coming in my door. (And my living room becomes a bigger mess than normal!)

Here are just a few of the items that have come in so far:

American Horticultural Society http://twitpic.com/8au2lr
Cobrahead http://twitpic.com/88vuqf
Botanical Seeds http://twitpic.com/88uy8s
Plant More Plants http://twitpic.com/88h1bb
Renee's Garden http://twitpic.com/8996zf
WinterSown.org http://twitpic.com/8b7bsu

Most of these items will go into the attendee goody bags and the rest will be door prizes.

I'll be tweeting more pics as the donations come in the door. You can follow my tweets at Twitter.com/WDCgardener and drool along with the other seedheads.

If YOU would like to donate items for the Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges, please contact wgardenermag (at) aol (dot) com.

For full Seed Exchange information and registration see pages 4-5 of our latest Washington Gardener Enews posted here.

Reader Contest: Seed Exchange Passes

For our January 2012 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away passes to the upcoming Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges (a $15 value per pass).
These seed swaps are in-person and face-to-face. You bring your extra seeds and swap them with other gardeners. Everyone will leave with a bag full of seeds, new garden friends, and expert planting advice. The Seed Exchanges are held on Saturday, January 28, 2012 in Maryland at Brookside Gardens and on Saturday, February 4, 2012 in Virginia at Green Spring Gardens from 12:30 – 4:00pm. For full event details, see pages 4-5 of the current Washington Gardener Enewsletter issue.

To enter to win a pass to the Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges, send an email to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on January 25 with “Seed Exchanges” in the subject line and tell us what plants you are planning to start from seed this year. In the body of the email, please also include your full name, email, and mailing address. The pass winners will be announced and notified on January 26. (Note: your entry response may be used in a future Washington Gardener publication.)

Seed Exchange FAQ

Many of you have questions about how to get ready for the Washington Gardener Magazine 2012 Seed Exchanges. Here are a few tips to prepare and make the day a success:

~ You can bring unused seeds from purchased packs or seeds you gathered from your own garden. Carefully pack and label your seeds as best you can. The more information you can provide, the better. More details on seed packing and labeling are on the registration form. Did you know you can make your own seed packs? Get great free downloadable templates are here: http://tipnut.com/seed-packets/
Please do NOT bring large quantities of seed in one bag. Our volunteers are over-whelmed at the check-in tables already with sorting seeds into the table categories, please break them up into smaller quantity packs ahead of time or we will not be able to put them out.
(No, you don't have to bring seeds. It is great though if you do bring them.)
(Yes, you can bring bulbs, tubers, corms, etc. to the swap. They should be bagged and labeled just like seeds.)
(Older seeds are fine, if you can test for viability that would be great. The exceptions are lettuce, onions, and impatiens seeds, which should all be less than a year old.)

~ Make a list of your seed “wants.” It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of the day and forget the basics that you came for or the rarities that you had been seeking.

~ We recommend eating lunch before coming. We will be serving a healthy, light snack break mid-way through the event -- fruit, granola bars, etc. We have spring water - if you have a travel mug, bottle, or cup with lid you like, please bring that to fill up. We will have some plastic/paper cups on hand, but are trying to keep this event as “green” as possible and cannot allow open containers in the room with the seeds as an accidental spill would be devastating. It will help to label your mug/bottle/cup too, in case it gets misplaced.

~ We will give away a prize for the most creative name tags :-). Please make a name tag or recycle one from another event. If you do not bring one, we will have generic blank name tags on-hand. Again, we are trying to recycle and make this event eco-friendly.

~ When you get your goody bag at check-in, please make sure to label it with your name -- all the bags look alike and can get easily mixed up. Bringing a few sheets of those personalized address labels you get with charity mailings will come in handy for this and for labeling your seed packets, giving out your contact information to fellow gardeners, etc.

~ If you are bringing seed catalogs for our give-away, catalog recycling table, be sure to rip off the address labels and tear out any order insert with your personal information on any seed/garden catalogs you bring in.

~ We screen incoming seeds and do not accept any invasives listed in the "Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas" booklet from the National Park Service. So please check your seeds against the invasive listing at: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/toc.htm.
~ Bring extra seed envelopes/baggies, in case you want to break up a bigger seed bag/pack or share with another attendee.

~ We have a Show & Tell portion of the schedule and participation is strictly voluntary. We encourage you to introduce yourself, share some fun facts and background on the seeds you bring, or tell us about any local garden projects or garden-related groups which you are involved in. You can also use this time for special requests for any particular seeds you have been seeking. You may want to jot down some speaking points before the event.

~ If you are attending the Maryland location, here is a link to directions to Brookside Gardens and a map:
http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside
We will be in the Visitor Center in the Main Auditorium.
There is additional parking down the hill at the Conservatory entrance.

~ If you are attending the Virginia location, here is a link to directions to Green Spring Gardens and a map:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/gsgp/directions.htm
We will be in the Horticulture Center in the Main Auditorium.

~ Here is the updated event schedule*:
12:00-12:30 Registration and seed drop off to WG Staff & Volunteers
12:30-12:35 Introductory remarks and overview
12:35-1:25 Speaker 1
1:30-2:00 Speaker 2
2:00-2:30 Refreshment Break & Seed Swap Preview
2:30-3:00 Seed Show & Tell**
3:00-3:30 Seed Swap!
3:30-3:45 Garden Photo Contest Winners Presentation
3:45-4:00 Final Door Prizes and closing remarks - Kathy Jentz Washington Gardener magazine
*As with all live events, the schedule is subject to last minute change.

Snow Plan
If there is a bit of snow, we'll ignore it and carry on.
If it is a real blizzard and we have to change things, we'll send out an email that morning by 10am to alert folks IF anything changes.
Again, we’ll make the decision by 10am so check your emails after 10am, if there is any question about the weather. No note from us means we are still on as planned.

PS We recommend you register in advance as the event is limited to 100 attendees at each location. To register, see the form here. Print it out and mail it in with your registration payment.

RootingDC Happy Hour Fund-Raisers

Guest Blog by Katy Nally

Madam’s Organ was the perfect setting for Rooting DC’s second fundraising happy hour. Locals came out last Thursday to the Adams-Morgan bar, which donated $1 from every drink and 20 percent of food sales.

The event raised money and awareness for Rooting DC – an annual forum organized by the Field to Fork Network that aims to bring together urban gardeners and community members to learn about food production and food access within DC. This year’s 5th annual event will be held Saturday, February 18, and will feature workshops focusing on gardening, nutrition and food preservation.

Last year’s Rooting DC hosted several panel discussions and included Gordon Clark, founder of Montgomery Victory Gardens, as its keynote speaker.

For more information about Rooting DC, visit fieldtoforknetwork.org/rootingdc or check it out on Facebook at facebook.com/rootingdc.

Pictured here are Ann Margaret Millspaugh (right) and Kirsten Stasio (left) looking through seeds given away at the Happy Hour provided through the America the Beautiful Fund.

A third Rooting DC fund-raiser is planned on Thursday, February 2 from 5-8pm. Celebrate 5 years of Rooting DC with us. Complementary tasty treats provided by our hosts at The Looking Glass Lounge, a silent auction with goodies for everyone and, of course, drinks and laughter. A$10 suggested donation is request, but no one will be turned away! AWESOME drink specials: $2 off draft beers $1 off rail drinks and special just for US a $4 Rooter Shooter.

Video Wednesday: What is a Seed Exchange?

This video was taken at our Washington Gardener Seed Exchange three years as part of the ThinkGreen show and it aired multiple times on Montgomery County, MD cable television. (I'm sad to report that ThinkGreen is no longer in production, another victim of the poor economy.)

To sign up for this year's Seed Exchanges, go to this form and print it out. Be sure to mail it in soon, registrations are rolling in and space is limited!

A BIG thank to to Phil Shapiro of self-described "public geek" of Takoma Park, MD for his assistance in ripping and uploading this file online.

Seed Exchange 2012 Speakers Announced!

I'm so thrilled to announce our Seed Exchange 2012 Speakers. I called in some favors and got some of the best talents in local gardening world to commit there Saturday afternoon to us!






For the Saturday, January 28 Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchange at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD, we have:

> Basic Seed Saving: Squash and Peppers
Learn to save seeds from your (non-hybrid) squash and peppers. This workshop includes tips for seed saving at home, plus an opportunity to see some of the many beautiful and tasty heirlooms a gardener might grow and save.
Presented by Ira Wallace of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

> Seed Starting Tips and Techniques for Hardening Transplants
Common challenges of starting from seed and how to overcome them.
Presented by Jon Traunfeld from the University of Maryland Extension Service



For the Saturday, February 4 Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchange at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA, we have:

> My Seeds Sprouted! Now What Do I Do?
The best ways to get your seeds growing and thriving after they have started.
Presented by Linna Ferguson aka Linna the Locavore of VA Foodscaper.com

> America’s Love Affair with the Tomato
A history of the tomato breeding and the best local varieties.
Presented by Barbara Melera of D Landreth Seed Co.


I hope you can join us for one or both of our Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchanges! For full details and how to register, please see the previous blog post here or download the form directly from here.

Links for more information:
http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2012/01/seed-exchanges-2012.html
http://issuu.com/WashingtonGardener/docs/seedexchange2012/1

Caring for Cut Flowers ~ Washington Gardener Enews ~ January 2012

Open publication - Free publishing - More DC

Washington Gardener Enews ~ January 2012

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

~ Caring for Cut Flowers

~ Magazine Excerpt: A Daytrip to Biltmore Estate

~ Washington Gardener Magazine 2012 Seed Exchange Details and Advance Registration Form

~ Mid-Atlantic Garden To-Do List for January-February

~ Reader Contest: Win passes to Washington Gardener Magazine's 2012 Seed Exchanges

~ Washington Gardener's Recent Blog Post Highlights

~ Washington Gardener Magazine 2012 Photo Contest Rules

~ Spotlights Special:Bloom-A-Thon Azaleas

~ Top Local Garden Events Calendar for January-February

~ Washington Gardener Magazine Back Issue Sale!

and much more...

A Frozen Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Heather

Time for another Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day -- how time flies! The weather here in the Mid-Atlantic USA (Zone 7 DC/MD border) has turned bitterly cold these past few days, after some wonderfully balmy temps last weekend. My little pond is one again frozen over, but I still have several things in bloom -- most notably this Heather pictured here. Also in bloom are Winter Jasmine, Helleborus niger 'Josef Lemper', Pansies, and some Primrose.

 




'February Gold' daffodils

The 'February Gold' daffodils are higher up and more advanced than at this time any other year that I've had them. They look actually like the could bloom next week, if this cold snap breaks. Usually, they don't bloom for me until late February or early March.

So what is blooming now in your garden?

An update on Recent Damage to the Bishop’s Garden



Damage to boxwood near Pilgrim Steps

Huge Crane Falls on Herb Cottage and Bishop’s Garden at Washington National Cathedral

Guest Blog by Linda Daisley,
All Hallows Guild, Washington National Cathedral

The century-old Herb Cottage building was badly damaged on Wednesday, September 7, 2011, when a towering crane being used to secure the earthquake- damaged pinnacles of the Cathedral’s central tower toppled during windy storm conditions, smashing the front roof and garden area of the structure. Long a main source of revenue for All Hallows Guild, the Gift Shop in the Herb Cottage sustained considerable damage. Luckily, no one was injured. The clipped roof, causing structural and water damage, will be repaired. The garden, mutilated by the huge crane, can be re-established. The garden benches, the re-circulating pool and walkway can be renovated and the smashed fig tree replaced. Though beheaded and damaged in the crash, the small bronze statue of Pan, the legendary god of forests and gardens, which has greeted visitors at the front entrance to the Cottage since the 1960s, can be mended and reinstated in its familiar location. The treasured stone walls which have acted like protective surrounds to the area can eventually be restored. The shattering destruction means a long restoration period and will require strong financial support from All Hallows Guild and its many friends and followers.



Incense Cedar outside Herb Cottage


As the crane fell on the Cottage its great weight devastated surrounding gardens. Nothing was spared. According to the Cathedral Director of Horticulture Joe Luebke, there was significant damage to plants and trees from the Pilgrim Steps to the front of Church House. The Yew and Sophora japonica above the Upper Border are destroyed as is the Weeping Cherry, memorial Crab Apple and American Holly. The Norman Arch is damaged and the Bishop’s Garden lost trees, boxwood, bushes and flowers of historic interest and ancient heritage. Peggy Steuart, chair of the AHG Garden Committee is busy formulating plans for the recovery of the damaged area and advises everyone to view the Cathedral website for current information. Rehabilitation will take months, if not years. Engineering and horticultural experts are still finalizing recovery options. Until then, All Hallows Guild –like Humpty Dumpty is putting it all together again.

We have suffered a "hit," but still expect to open the Garden to tours April 1st.

For updated information and more pictures of the damage to the Herb Cottage and Bishop’s Garden, please visit our website: http://www.allhallowsguild.org/ on the home page under “Tours” or “Fall Events”. If you would like to help the Guild restore, repair and renew the extensive areas of destruction, you may do so online: https://www.allhallowsguild.org/involved/donation_form.php.

Video Wednesday: Dreaming of a Hort Career?

Washington Gardener Magazine is happy to be a part once again of the annual GWU Landscape Design Career Fair. The next one is Saturday, January 21 at a new location in Arlington near the Ballston metro.

If you have ever thought of a career in horticulture, this is the event for you. Come talk with our exhibitors from 1-4 pm and then stay for our career panel from 4-5pm. Refreshments will be served. RSVP (preferred but not required) to mfeuer@gwu.edu.

Even though this is titled a "landscape design career fair," it is certainly not limited to landscape designers and aspiring designers. My experience has been that it covers all aspects of horticultural and green jobs. The networking alone is worth spending your winter afternoon at it.

Don't blink and you'll see Washington Gardener Magazine's table at last year's career fair in this terrific video from GWU:

Seed Exchanges 2012

Register NOW to Save Your Seed Exchange Spot


It's that time again! Washington Gardener Magazine's Seed Exchanges are coming up on Sat Jan 28 in MID and Sat Feb 4 in VA. I hope you can make one of those dates.

The full information and registration form is posted here:

Open publication - Free publishing - More annuals

(IF you have already signed up, thank you! I will be sending confirmations to those registration I have received so far over the next few days.)

Video Wednesday: Brookside Garden's Youtube Channel

An arctic blast is blowing outside and my hands almost fell off trying to film a short video today, so I'll save that idea for next week.

Meanwhile, I thought you'd all enjoy a taste of spring-summer by sharing with you Brookside Garden's Youtube Channel.

Brookside Gardens is a wonderful public garden just north of Washington, DC, in Wheaton, MD. There are over 80 videos to choose from right now from gardening how-to to plant identification. I chose the one I'm sharing above just for the sunshine and warmth it conveys. I, for one, cannot wait to be in short sleeves and shorts again!

Some Light Winter Reading...

While I'm a busy bee behind the scenes working on several projects*, I realize I've been somewhat ignoring my blog friends. Here are some recent articles of mine that have been published online.

~ Green Your Home from the Inside (Indoor Gardening)
The Voice newspapers

~ Gardening By the Rules (5 Rules to Break, 5 Rules to Make)
see pages 80-81
Pathways Magazine

~ Nearby Destinations for Silver Springers to Get a Garden Fix
Silver Spring Patch


~ Silver Spring Residents Vent over Leaf Blowers Use
Silver Spring Patch


~ Residents at Odds with Growing Deer Problems
Silver Spring Patch


Enjoy and let me know what you think!

*Some of the projects happening now and coming up:
~ Washington Gardener Photo Contest
~ Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges
~ Washington Gardener Magazine Winter issue
~ Washington Gardener ebook of Local Daytrips
~ Washington Gardener Tours to the Philadelphia Flower Show
and much more...