Video Wednesday: Historic Garden Week in Virginia 2014

House and Garden Tours across the commonwealth of Virginia are offered April 26-May 3, 2014. Tour proceeds fund the restoration and preservation of Virginia's historic gardens. Each spring visitors are welcomed to more than 250 of Virginia's most beautiful gardens, homes, and historic landmarks during "America's Largest Open House."

Latest Magazine Issue Features Fabulous Ferns for the Mid-Atlantic Gardens

Our Early Spring 2014 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine has now printed and mailed to all current subscribers. The cover story is on "Fabulous Ferns for the Mid-Atlantic Gardens."

You’ll also find in this issue:
• Beet Growing Tips
• Daytrip to Chanticleer Gardens
• Profile of Patterson Clark, Washington Post’s Urban Jungle columnist
• New Plant Introductions for 2014
• Garden Book Reviews
• Easy to Make Terrariums
• Native Plant Profile of Rock Polypody
• Curbing Boxwood Blight
• Battling Iris Borer
• 9 Tips for Chemical-Free Weed Control
• And much, much more...

To subscribe and start with this issue, send a check for $20.00 payable to Washington Gardener Magazine today to:    
                    Washington Gardener
                    826 Philadelphia Ave.
                    Silver Spring, MD 20910  
 
OR go to www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm and use our PayPal credit card link.

Fenton Friday: Seedlings UP

Radish seedlings

This week brought the winds. The poor little seedlings are just poking through the soil at my Fenton Community Garden plot and the 35+ mph winds have been relentlessly beating them down over the past few days. I have tried to get over to the plot and give them a bit of extra water whenever I can.

The peas, radish, spinach, and turnip seedlings are all popping up in good numbers. Soon I will need to thin them. The carrots, lettuce, and arugula are not really showing yet, but I'll give them in extra week or so before I panic and re-plant them.

My aspargus is pretty well done and the broccoli is starting to slowly form heads. A nice surprise today was seeing that the strawberry plants have already started to bloom.

How is your edible garden growing?

Strawberry plants already flowering

Video Wednesday: Container Gardening Tips from the US Botanic Garden

Here is a timely share of a Washington Gardener Magazine video from our Youtube channel. As you pot up your containers this season, keep these tips in mind from the U S Botanic Garden on the National Mall in Washington, DC. In the summer, you have seen their wonderful container plantings -- big, bold, and healthy in the hot sun. In this video, USBG gardeners, Margaret Atwell and Beth Ahern, share some of their container gardening tips.

A few extra tips I learned from them that are not in the video footage:
~ Margaret likes to use 6 different plants per container.
~ They use their own soil mix -- basically a light potting mix.
~ After potting up, they sprinkle in Osmocote slow release fertilizer.
~ They do not use any rocks, gravel, or other fillers in the bottom of their pots for drainage.

Win a Leesburg Flower & Garden Festival T-shirt

For our April 2014 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away a two Leesburg Flower & Garden Festival T-shirts (prize value $20).

   The Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival is held annually on the third weekend of April. Standard event hours are 10am-6pm on Saturday and 10am-5pm on Sunday. There is a $3 suggested donation for visitors 10 years or older. This annual event heralds the coming of spring and features more than 120 vendors on the streets of historic downtown Leesburg, VA. Amazing landscape displays, plant material, annuals, perennials, tools, furniture, garden décor, and much more is on hand at this event.

         To enter to win the Leesburg Flower & Garden Festival T-shirts, send an email to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on April 25 with “Leesburg T-shirts” in the subject line and in the body of the email, please also include your full name and mailing address. Tell us: “My favorite local plant sale or garden festival is.. ” The T-shirt winner will be announced and notified by April 30.

Transform an Invasive Bradford Pear Tree into a Fruiting Pear ~ Washington Gardener Enews ~ April 2014

 

The Washington Gardener Enews ~ April 2014 issue is now out. It is also posted and archived online at:  

http://issuu.com/washingtongardener/docs/wgenews-apr14.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

• Back Issue Sale
• April-May To-Do List
• Hardy Ferns Magazine Excerpt
• Latest Blog Links
• Local Garden Events Listings
• Transform an Invasive Bradford Pear Tree into a Fruiting Pear
• New ‘Wild Boar’ Tomato
• Reader Contest to Win Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival T-shirts

Subscribe to Washington Gardener Magazine today to have the monthly enewsletter sent to your inbox as a PDF several days before it is available online. 

Fenton Friday: Frozen Foods

The Mid-Atlantic was hot by a late cold snap this week and it is still lingering. The past three nights have hit below freezing (or close to it) temperatures sending many of us gardeners scrambling to cover up newly planting seedlings and all our tender plants. I threw a cover cloth over my Broccoli, but left everything else exposed at the Fenton community garden plot. Most of the rest is below ground, or like the perennial Asparagus and Strawberries are fairly frost-proof.

Between arctic wind blasts, I did manage to plant several rows of cool-season vegetable seeds. Those include:
~ Radish 'French Breakfast' from Botanical Interests
~ Slow-Bolt Cilantro from Renee's Gardens
~ 'Bloomsdale' Spinach from American Meadows
~ Lettuce Garden Blend from a mix given out by the Maryland Master Gardener
~ Sweet Curly Parsley from Renee's Gardens
~ Carrots 'Danvers 126' from Botanical Interests
~ Rocket aka Arugula from Love and Carrots
~ 'Purple Top White Globe' Turnips from Botanical Interests
~ and some unnamed seed potatoes shared by another gardener at the Fenton Community Garden

Given the frosty temps, I will give all of these an extra week to come up and see if any need re-seeding.

So what is growing in your edible plot today?

Video Wednesday: PlantBot Genetics

If you are in the DC area, I highly recommend spending a few minutes at a clever, interactive art exhibit "PlantBot Genetics" at the Montgomery College TP/SS campus on the Maryland-DC border. The artworks are a satire of modern industrial agricultural practices, but really, even if you don't care a fig about GMO or Big Ag, I think you'll still get a kick out a dahlia plant that sing's Warrant's Cherry Pie at full blast.

Here is a video of the Attackaratus. I promise the other "plants" in the exhibit are a lot more friendly.

A Monsoon for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

New Gnome Friend

 This month's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day arrives with a huge rainstorm and dip in the temperatures. Just as we dared hope that spring had finally sprung, we are getting hit by this one-two punch. In between the winds and rain, I managed to run out in the garden and take this two photos. The gnome above is one of a set of three I bought at last weekend's Beltsville Garden Club plant sale. What do you think of him? One friend remarked that he is appallingly phallic. I think he (or she) is adorable.

   Below is the Spring Snowflake (Leucojum), which resembles the early Snowdrop (Galanthus) bulb as well as the later Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis). I first saw the Spring Snowflake with its elegant nodding bells scattered along a woodland pathway at Hillwood's Gardens in DC and had to have it. A gardening friend said she had lots of extras at her place and dug three small clumps for me. Aren't fellow gardeners the most generous people on this planet?

   The rest of the garden is bursting with blooms and I hope they survive tonight's freeze. They include: Lilacs, Daffodils, Veronica, Snapdragons, Hellebore, Sweet Violets, Lobelia, Pansy, Hyacinth, Muscari, Tulips, Forsythia, PJM Rhododendron, Flowering Plum and Crabapple trees, Weeping Higan Cherry Tree, and Violas. Those are all that I could quickly jot down running around in the rain. I'm sure there is more, but it is growing late and I'll end with those.

   What is blooming in your garden today?

Spring Snowflake (Leucojum vernum)

Best Spots for Viewing Virginia Bluebells

Favorite Bluebell Peeping Spots (updated from a previous blog post)

Native Virginia Bluebells are unfurling all over the Mid-Atlantic this week. (Yes, it is not just all about the Cherry Blossom here in the DC area!) Get out to view masses of these special local wildflowers while they are at their peak over these next few weeks.

I asked the folks on the Native Plants East discussion list for their bluebell peeping suggestions. Here are their combined responses:

~ On Sunday, the Virginia bluebells were blooming at McCrillis Gardens in Bethesda, MD. Not sure about when they peak. - Eric Raun, Silver Spring, MD

~ I was just out at Carderock and in some areas the bluebells are almost fully out. In others they are still in bud... I also go to places on the Virginia side such as Riverbend, Scott's Run, and Turkey Run. These will all be better Easter weekend especially since the orientation of the Virginia side of the Potomac is more northerly, so gets a bit less warming than the Maryland side. But many native wildflowers are out now and 'peeping' is great just about any time.
- Marney Bruce, Montgomery County Master Gardener

~ There are two local Bluebell festivals (Merrimac Farm and Bull Run) that took place last weekend and both parks welcome visitors. - KJ

~ Lovely stands of bluebells occur at BlockHouse Point Park which is also along the Potomac, but further out River Road. If possible park at the second (small) parking area and take the BlockHouse Trail into the woods. - Cheryl Beagle, Conservatory Gardener, Brookside Gardens

~ I've seen them on the C-and-O canal (years ago) near the locks above Swains (like Pennyfield Lock). Not sure how many are still there, and it wasn't a huge field or anything, just patches alongside the towpath. If you can get a bike out there to ride the canal, you can cover more miles to discover more patches. - Cindy Walzcak, Takoma Hort Club member

~ Turkey Run Park (the trail down to the Potomac River from the first parking lot) has wonderful bluebell displays in mid-April. This site mentions Balls Bluff east of Leesburg and also here is a link to bluebells at River Bend. - Mary Ann Lawler, VNPS

~ Last weekend, I saw a lot of bluebell "buds" at Great Falls, on the Maryland side, near the Billy Goat trail. I imagine this weekend they would be in full and glorious bloom! - Paula Jean Harvey

~ I saw Bluebells blooming along the steam in the hosta garden at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens last week. I know they also have them in their Potomac Wildflower collections, but I didn't get to walk through that part of the garden. - Mona Miller, Volunteer, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Vienna, VA

~ Turkey Run has bluebells along the Potomac: from parking lot C-1, take zig-zag trail down to the Potomac Heritage Trail ; wander either up or down river from there. Also some nice smaller patches along Woods Trail heading east (north? In the same direction as the river flows) from the Parkway Headquarters Building. - Margaret Chatham, Falls Church, VA, Potomac Gorge Weed Warrior at Turkey Run

Do you have any favorite spots for viewing Virginia Bluebell in the Mid-Atlantic? Please share them in the comments section below.

Click on this photo of the Great Falls Carderock bluebells for an enlarged view. The bluebells are hard to photograph en masses as the light blue tends to blend in with the sky, but I think this one and the close-ups I posted above give you some idea of this plant's beauty.

Be sure to read the companion blog post today on how to grow Virginia Bluebells in your own garden!

And see still MORE about growing Virginia Bluebells here.

How to Grow Virginia Bluebells

Guest Blog by Carol Allen

When I first moved into my then-rural neighborhood, deer sightings were a chance occurrence and I loved to ramble the TROT maintained horse paths through the adjacent Seneca State Park.  I had known of Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginiana) through pictures and maybe seeing one or two plants.  Nothing quite prepared me for that first spring! I had noticed the huge numbers of the emerging cluster of leaves where the horse path forded a stream and the banks were wide and gently sloped. I wondered what could possibly be so numerous. Some sort of alien invasive? Back then the biggest concern was Japanese Honeysuckle and abandoned home sites with their masses of Vinca minor. By the last part of March and the first week of April, the plants were uncurling and showing color.  There were hundreds and hundreds of Virginia Bluebells covering areas bigger than city lots! Yes, I succumbed to the temptation and dug up a couple of the younger plants.  I found that mature plants had deep, heavy parsnip-like roots that resisted transplanting.  That was 40 years ago.

The spot down by the ford is long gone, a victim of deer overpopulation and an upstream housing development causing massive erosion of the stream bank. My "little" patch?  ....is now a couple of hundred feet square!

Virginia Bluebells are true spring ephemerals and complete their life cycle before the tree's leaves are fully mature. The clustered buds are pink and the flowers open and mature to a beautiful lavender-blue. The leaves are oval and grey-green with the plants reaching a height of 1 - 2'.  They are summer dormant and are gone by late June in our area. Bluebells can be found in floodplains and areas of moist soil.  Mine have flourished in good garden soil with the occasional summer drought-relieving watering.

Seed can be collected in early June as the stems collapse. They can be sown in the fall for spring germination or stored, cold stratified and sown out in the early spring. Crowns can be divided as well. Virginia Bluebells are easy to propagate and can be found in most good nurseries.

Native Americans used the roots of Virginia Bluebells to treat tuberculosis, whooping cough, and other ailments.  Today it is listed as either vulnerable or threatened in both New York and Michigan. Virginia Bluebells are reported to be rabbit-resistant, but sadly they are not deer-resistant.

About the Author
Carol Allen describes herself as a committable plant-a-holic. She has more than 25 years’ experience in the horticulture industry with special interest in plant pests and diseases and is a Licensed Pesticide Applicator in the states of Maryland and Virginia. Carol can be contacted at carolallen@erols.com. Carol is also the "InsectIndex" columnist for Washington Gardener Magazine.

Be sure to also visit the companion blog post on great spots in the DC-region to view masses of Virginia Bluebells in bloom.

Fenton Friday: Broccoli In, First Asparagus

'Packman' Broccoli

I ate my first asparagus from the garden plot -- two spears that I gobbled raw right there at Fenton Community Garden, so no photos to share with you. After waiting 2+ years for my first harvestable asparagus, I could not wait any longer.

This week I out in a 6-pack of 'Packman' broccoli seedlings that I bought at American Plant nursery. Since I have not had much luck with broccoli in the fall, I decided to take a chance on growing it in spring. I covered them with reemay fabric in hopes of keeping cabbage worms and other pests off them. I hope they form nice heads before the summer heat sets in.

I think my pea seedlings are starting to come up, but they are so tiny that I will have to wait a few more days to see if that is them or if they are returning weeds.

What is growing in your edible garden this week?

Cherry Blossom Viewing Alternatives in the DC Region

(One of our most popular and imitated blog posts -- updated for 2014.)

It is Cherry Blossom Festival madness again in Washington, DC. If you have been there/done that, hate the crowds, or just can’t get enough of those dainty pink and white blossoms and want more, here are a few local alternatives to the Tidal Basin display:

Public Gardens

~ The National Arboretum has a splendid and more varied display and LOTS or parking. Stroll around Fern Valley and the other gardens as well while you are there. Take the Self-Guided Tour: Beyond the Tidal Basin: Introducing Other Great Flowering Cherries  to explore the arboretum’s collection of over 2,000 cherry trees representing 600 different cultivars, hybrids, and species of various shapes, sizes, flower colors, and bloom times, including trees that have been created by arboretum scientists. Note: The free tour covers several miles of arboretum roads, and can be driven, biked, or walked. Pick up a brochure in the Administration Building. (The USNA is only open Friday-Monday, so plan your visit accordingly.)

~ Tudor Place hosts three Cherry Blossom Teaa and also a Blossoms and Bubbly night. Or take a stroll on your own through the spectacular Yoshino Cherry Blossoms during the full bloom. Inside the Historic Mansion, enjoy an up-close look at Tudor Place’s collection of early 20th century Japanese fans. Event and entry fees apply.

~ Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown, WDC, has a marvelous orchard of cherries. There is an $8 admission fee that goes to support the gardens. Parking is also a bear in that neighborhood -- I recommend you walk or take the bus.

~ Hillwood Estate in NW DC is pleased to celebrate the National Cherry Blossom Festival with short guided tours of Mrs. Post’s Japanese-style garden. Docents will be available to answer questions between the tours. The suggested entry donation to Hillwood is $12 per adult.

~ Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD, also has beautiful cherry blossom trees and many other flowering trees like plum, apricot, magnolias, and quince in bloom right now, and you don’t have to fight the crowds to see them. The gardens are also full of flowering bulbs like hyacinths, tulips, and hillsides of daffodils.

~ Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA, has over 100 cherry trees surrounding a lovely lake that you can stroll around. Admission to the gardens is $5

~ Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, VA, has a ring of Yoshino cherry trees around their lake and Okame cherry blooms throughout the gardens. There is an entry fee of $10 to visit the gardens.

Neighborhoods

~ The Bethesda, MD, neighborhood of Kenwood for their stunning display. Park and walk in for an immersion in cherry tree lined streets.

~ An anonymous post to my blog, tipped me off that there are several blocks of cherry blossom trees creating an arch above the streets of Garrett Park Estates in Kensington, MD. Take Strathmore Road near Holy Cross Church, turn onto Flanders and then I think it’s Waycross. The trees span several streets, are lovely, and totally free of crowds!

~ Adam Bailey let me know that “Stanton Park and Lincoln Park on the Hill — and the Capitol Hill neighborhoods in general — have a good display of blossoms, too.”

Grow Your Own!

~ In the very first issue of Washington Gardener Magazine, we did a PlantProfile column on the selection and cultivation of cherry trees for our area. Ever since getting my weeping ‘Higan’ cherry, I feel no need to rush downtown. I keep a daily watch on my baby tree and celebrate loudly when the buds finally burst open. I highly recommend it.

Got other DC-area Cherry Tree viewing locations? Please share them in the comments below.

Signs of Spring in the Native Plant Garden

Guest Blog by Rachel Shaw

This past weekend I was searching hard for signs of spring in my yard. My crocuses had been in their glory until they got chomped by something. Boo. Daffodils, of course; nothing is more cheering than their bright faces at the end of winter.

What about natives? I was happy to see one already in bloom: the aptly named Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) pictured here.

These delicate little plants are only a few inches tall, with leaves like slender blades of grass, and pretty-in-pink petals (actually white or light pink striped with darker pink.)  I had almost forgotten about them; they are among the more ephemeral of spring ephemerals. Once the flower is gone the grass-like leaves are not very noticeable, and these also soon disappear for the rest of the season.

Spring Beauty prefers moist soil and sun to part-shade, but based on its wide distribution – Eastern U.S. and Canada to Texas – it is not terribly fussy. The little clump I found blooming was nestled against the step up to our patio, probably giving it a little more warmth and sunlight than the original patch, a few feet away. (This is one plant I would be glad to have spread a little more as it is so unproblematic, unlike some of my well-loved but more rambunctious natives.)

A relative, Claytonia caroliniana, or Carolina Spring Beauty, is somewhat less widely distributed and can be identified by its ovoid leaf. Corms of the Claytonia species were a food source for Native Americans; they are said to be both nutritious and tasty when cooked, but I have no intention of digging up these sweet little plants to find out!

Once I started searching, I saw shoots of other natives that must have been emerging even as the last late snow was melting. A couple, like Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) and Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla), have flower buds and will be blooming soon. (The Twinleaf will come and go in the blink of an eye, going almost immediately from flower to exploded seed capsule, leaving behind the beautiful divided leaf into early summer.) Others, like Columbine, (Aquilegia canadensis), won’t bloom for a few more weeks; the Scarlett Beebalm, (Monarda didyma) won’t flower until early summer. 

What native plants are getting a spring start in your yard, nearby park, or wooded area?

About the Author

Rachel Shaw focuses on vegetable gardening and growing native plants in her small yard in Rockville, MD. She blogs at http://hummingbirdway.blogspot.com/. This guest blog post is part of a monthly Native Plants series that Rachel will be posting here on the 10th of each month.

 

Video Wednesday: Scenes at the US National Arboretum

Local garden writer and Garden Rant blogger, Susan Harris, put together this video encouraging visitors to come to the US National Arboretum in Washington, DC. "I’ve long had the notion that somehow short, viral-going videos showing the fabulousness of a garden that’s open to the public might increase visitorship – and thereby support for the garden," writes Susan. "And here in the D.C. area the poster child for a fabulous garden that could use some support is the National  Arboretum, which was hit hard by the last sequester (when WAS that?  And what the hell IS a sequester, anyway?).  Since then it’s been open just 4 days a week, and Arboretum-lovers would dearly love to get that situation corrected and back to normal – open seven days as week and FREE, just like most gardens in this city (museums, too!)"

First Signs of Spring

A few weeks ago, we asked Washington Gardener Magazine readers to tell us when they know Spring has finally arrived in their gardens. Here are some of their responses.

"I know Spring has begun in my garden when the snow melts!!"
~ Douglas Reimel, Clarksburg, MD

“I know Spring has really arrived in my garden when... I spend all day working outside shedding layers as the day progresses, there is a pile of soil-soaked garden gloves nearby, and as sunset arrives I finally arrive at the porch glider thoroughly sore and completely contented!"

~ Alison 

Rolen, Harwood, MD

"I know spring has really arrived in my garden when the weeds start blooming!"
~ Judy Thomas, Mechanicsville, VA

" I know spring has arrived in my garden when I found my kitty cats rolling around in it.  I know the soil is warming up."

~ Mary Valentine-Boutté, Hedgesville, WV

"I know Spring has really arrived in my garden when the robins are hopping around, finding wigglers to eat."

~ Kris Prendergast

" I know spring has really arrived in my garden when the Pearlbush has begun to leaf out, the dwarf Forsythia blooms, and Robins arrive to glean any last berries off the Chokeberry bush."

~ Nancy Khan, Washington, DC

" I know Spring has really arrived in my garden when I see seeds that I planted in the fall popping up as green shoots…YEAH!!!!"

~ Amanda Greene, Rockville, MD 

"I know Spring has really arrived in my garden when the weeds start turning green."

~ Faith Hood, Falls Church, VA

"I know Spring has really arrived in my garden when I: (1) see the listings for upcoming plant sales and (2) spy emerging Virginia Bluebells. The sales are now duly noted in all my calendars. The dark purplish foliage of the bluebells are now 1-2 inches high and now, oh, how I yearn to start planting spring greens.  In the snow falling today, I know I cannot.  Yet."

~ Annie Shaw, Greenbelt, MD

"I know it is spring in my garden when the deer return to nibble and when the daffodils bloom for Easter. And this year Easter is late and likewise my daffys."

~ Joan Richards, Fairfax, VA

"I know spring has come to my garden when I see robins picking around in the soil for worms and bugs." 

~ Norma Jo Shore

"I know Spring has really arrived in my garden when I can see the hostas' conical 'noses' begin to push through the soil."
~  Anne Hardman, Silver Spring, MD

"I know spring has arrived in my garden when the squirrels start chewing on the new growth of my potted weeping Trident Maple. It's sap seems to be squirrel chocolate milk. For about three weeks, I move the tree to the foyer where the critters have not yet been bold enough to venture. Once the sap has risen the danger is over. I may not have deer and rabbits, but I'm not out of the woods when it comes to animal treats. "

~ Carol Edwards, Washington, DC 

"I know that Spring has arrived in my garden when the last Junco heads north."
~ Sue Hauser, Kensington, MD

"I know spring has really arrived I my garden when I see the trillium leaves unfolding!"

~ Rachel Shaw, Rockville, MD

“I know Spring has really arrived in my garden when the forsythia blooms."
~ Pam McGroarty

"I know spring has really arrived in my garden when the dozen or so kids (5-12) who signed up to learn to garden organically in the community garden I run, start counting the worms who are 'building our soils.'"
~ Dayle McCarthy, Rockville, MD

“I know Spring has really arrived in my garden when...the snowdrops have blossomed, the daffodils have bloomed, and the robins are pulling worms up from the ground and gulping them down."

~ Susi Baranano, Washington, DC

 “I know Spring has really arrived in our garden when homeless people start hanging out, sitting on the sides of the raised beds, sitting in the sun, and waiting for a shared meal that includes spring greens from the church garden." 
~ Ashley Goff, Washington, DC


So when is it "officially" Spring for you?

PS The winner of our contest chosen at random from among the submitted "Signs of Spring" entries to win a copy of "Building Soils" was Judy Thomas of Mechanicsville, VA. Congratulations, Judy!

A Crocus Lawn: You CAN Grow That!

You too can have an enchanting lawn filled with crocus blooms!

I have previously posted here on this blog about this house in NW Washington DC, that is pretty nondescript all year, except in March, when the front lawn explodes into a crocus lawn. This year, I noticed at least another 10 such flowering lawns in my neighborhood and I've added my own to the list as well.


To get one of your own, start with a turf grass lawn -- the thinner and more shade-challenged the better. A thick, lustrous lawn does not allow for the bulbs to emerge and succeed.


The best bulbs to use are the Tommy Crocus (Crocus tommasinianus). They are tiny bulbs (just a few centimeters across). They also naturalize and spread by seed. The Snow Crocus (C. chrysanthus) is another option, though they are not as prolific nor as squirrel-proof as the Tommies. The traditional crocus (C. vernus types) are not suitable for this application as they too large and come up too late in the season.

Mark your calendars for this October/November. Buy at least one hundred crocus bulbs at a local garden center (actually pretty cheap project - you can get a bag of 100 for $30).

Or place your order this spring with a mail-order bulb company to guarantee the best selection -- Tommy Crocus often sell out fast. (BTW, Anne Hardman and I will be at the Beltsville Garden Club plant sale this Saturday, 4/12/14 with a bucketful of Crocus tommasinianus bulbs. Get them while supplies last!)

Plant them randomly, A good technique is to throw them out, scattering by hand, and plant them where they land. (Unless of course your yard is like mine, and they'd all roll into one sunken spot together.) I find a long, thin dandelion weeder is the ideal tool for planting these tiny bulbs and you can pull a weed a stick in a few bulbs in that same hole. Then sit back all winter. Enjoy the following March-April!

Now here is the real key: do NOT mow in the spring until the crocus blossoms and foliage have died back on their own. If you mow too early and cut off the foliage, you are cutting off their food and they won't come back well for you in future years and what you want is for them to not only come back but also to multiply. If you simply have to mow, set your mower at the highest setting possible (3" is ideal), so you are higher than most of the crocus foliage.


Another precaution, if you irrigate your lawn, this will not work. Bulbs need premium drainage and cannot stand to be in constantly wet soil. They will rot. Also, don’t use weed-killers. Don’t fertilize. Don’t aerate. Basically, be lazy and your crocus will multiply.

All who are involved with You Can Grow That! (YCGT!) believe that plants and gardening enhance our quality of life. We want people to be successful with what they grow and to become more aware of the many gifts that horticulture brings. Find out more at http://www.youcangrowthat.com/.

Fenton Friday: A New Beginning!

garlic after a long winter

It has been a long, hard, horrible winter, but spring has finally sprung this week! After several false starts we are finally able to get into our community garden plots at the Fenton Urban Park in downtown Silver Spring, MD (zone 7).

I cleared my plot of weeds and spread aged llama and goat manure from a local animal rescue farm in the beds. Then I topdressed it all with leaf compost and re-covered with paths with fresh wood chips.

I stood back and surveyed what survived the harsh winter. The Garlic has sprouted nicely, Strawberry foliage looks okay, and the Asparagus looks ready to jump out of the ground. The big loss was my Calendula. I know that it is a tender perennial for our area, yet I had hoped at least one plant had made it through  -- nothing. The Salad Greens and Broccoli that I had left under a cover cloth were also long gone, but I had not expected anything different from them.

peas planted

After soaking the Sugarsnap Peas for several days, I went out and planted them today. They are labeled "70 days until harvest" -- who wants to take bets on that?

Video Wednesday: How to Grow M&Ms

A terrific and well-made April Fool's video made its way around the online gardening community yesterday. If you did not see it, I have posted it here for you as our weekly video share selection. Oh, how I wish this were true!

DC's Cherished Cherry Trees in Danger

Guest blog post by Jim Dronenburg

     As we all know, the cherry blooms will be late this year.  But go see them while you can, since it will be the last time for years that they will bloom in all their glory.  

    Perhaps you know already, as this has been happening for several years— the retaining wall between the Tidal Basin and the Potomac, on both sides of the “peninsula” between, has been failing.  Leaving it go any farther now is going to risk destabilizing the Jefferson Memorial.  Finally, they are getting set to do something—and this being Washington, it is going to be monumental in scope. 

    Really monumental.  The retaining walls, all of them, will be replaced, section by section.  The new walls will be four feet higher.   So will the soil level where the cherry trees are now planted. 

    It will result in all the cherry trees being taken out.  Yes, taken out, for the duration of the project, and 

then replaced at the new soil level.   They will start with the largest trees that they think will survive the move, and plant them at the National Arboretum for the duration, which is scheduled to last about three years.   

     Likely this will work for the younger trees.   But there is only room at the Arboretum to plant about forty percent of those moved. 

     For the rest, they are setting out an Adopt-A-Tree program.  This isn’t like the Adopt an Animal program at the Zoo — if you have the space, they will actually excavate and MOVE ONE OF THE CHERRY TREES TO YOUR SITE.  You will take care of it (with some help from them) and at the end of the renovation period — some three years supposedly, but you never know — the tree will be moved back to its original location.

     Of course, there are constraints here.  The site you propose would have to be evaluated, including (and it’s a big “include”) access for the tree and the equipment moving it in.

     One other thing, and I notice the blurb I got didn’t mention this, is who is going to fill in the hole after your refugee tree is repatriated to the Tidal Basin.  I assume they will, but it would be best to find it out. 

      Look around and if you have such a site, consider it.   But time is of the essence.  If you CAN host a tree, please respond immediately to gotcha@aprilfool.com  and then read the first letter of each paragraph above. 

About the Author

Jim Dronenburg is an accountant by day, an Irish harper/singer by night, and a Behnkes Nursery weekend warrior to support his expanding gardens in Knoxville, MD. He is a regular contributor to Washington Gardener Magazine.