Fenton Friday: Struck Gold!

Sun Gold tomatoes

This week at my community garden plot we continued the longest and hottest heat wave of the summer --we ended it last night with torrential rains. Thank goodness! Hauling water to my plot and at my home garden in the 100+ degree heat was not doing the plants or myself any favors.

The heat did cause the beans and cucumbers to put on even more growth. We harvested 3 cucumbers this week and the beans should start really popping in the next couple of weeks.

The tomatoes are hitting their stride. Finally have a decent amount of 'Sun Gold' (pictured) to snack on.

How is your edible garden growing 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. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 5th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)

green beans climbing trellis

ADVERTISER OF THE WEEK: GreatGardenSpeakers.com

The goal of GreatGardenSpeakers.com is to provide a better way for garden clubs, botanical gardens, and other venues to easily find and book speakers. "We noticed
 that program chairs of garden clubs and other venues have a hard time finding excellent speakers, and we see this as a useful service to the gardening and horticulture community. If you are planning a workshop, symposium, conference, or panel discussion involving plants and the natural world, we are your one-stop shop for premier speakers."

ADVERTISER OF THE WEEK Details:
Every Thursday on the Washington Gardener Magazine Facebook page, Blog, and Yahoo list we feature a current advertiser from our monthly digital magazine. To advertise with us, contact wgardenermag@aol.com today.

Video Wednesday: Heyser Farms open house on Montgmery Counity Farm Tour Weekend 2016

The 27th annual Farm Tour and Harvest on the weekend of July 23 and 24, 2016, featured 20 farms in Montgomery County, MD. This video features Heyser Farms  at 14526 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring, MD. The farm includes orchard and gardens. Visitors could enjoy a wagon ride around the farm and sample fresh fruits including peaches as well as Spencerville RED apple products hard cider and wine. Antique farm equipment were on display and some local artists showcased their wares.

Invasive Species Spotlight: Wavyleaf Basketgrass

Guest post by Jacqueline Hyman

Wavyleaf Basketgrass is a low-growing perennial grass that has a somewhat mysterious beginning in Maryland, said an invasive plant ecologist at the Department of Natural Resources.

   Kerrie Kyde said two patches were found and reported in 1995, tested by many botanists, and eventually identified after a sample was sent to Germany in 1999. Kyde said the plant was rediscovered covering many acres in 2007.

    “My suspicion is that 1996 was not the year of entry, that it had already been here before that,” Kyde said, “but probably not too long before that.”

    Wavyleaf Basketgrass has deep green leaves with ripples across the surface, and the leaf sheath and stem “are noticeably hairy,” according to Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas. Additionally, it can grow to be as tall as 24 inches, said Kyde. “It covers the ground, but it doesn’t lie flat on the surface the way crabgrass does,” Kyde said.

    The awns are sticky, which allows seeds to spread to far places, Kyde said. She said they start to bloom in July and can last until after the first frost, but are stickiest in October. 

    Because of this “incredible distribution system,” Kyde said it is easy for people to spread the plant’s growth.

    Kyde said when she works in fields where Wavyleaf Basketgrass is present, she wraps duct tape around her hand backwards and uses it like a lint roller on her clothes. These seeds must be contained in a plastic bag and thrown in the trash.

    Wearing slick clothes, such as rain gear, helps prevent the seeds from sticking to clothes at all.

 

    Kyde said the plant does not like the sun, and grows primarily in disturbed woodlands. It can thrive in a range of habitats, she said, such as in moist, low places and in dry soil at the top of mountains.

    Although the plant is easy to remove, the task is time-consuming, said Kyde. “It’s very weakly rooted, it’s completely pullable by hand,” she said. “The trouble with that is that you have to get out all the roots.”

    Plant Invaders strongly advises gardeners not to buy or plant seeds of this or any basketgrass plant in the Mid-Atlantic states.

The  "Invasive Species Spotlight" is a summer blog series focusing on a different plant each week that is a problem for Mid-Atlantic home gardeners.

About the author:
Jacqueline Hyman is a junior journalism and English major at the University of Maryland. She is the editor-in-chief of the Mitzpeh, an independent Jewish newspaper at UMD. In addition, Jacqueline enjoys musical theater, and teaches piano and voice at Guitar Center. She is excited to be interning this summer for the Washington Gardener. 

Image credit: Invasive wavyleaf basketgrass covers part of the forest floor in the South River Greenway in Maryland Photo by Rich Mason/USFWS.

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Garden Photo Show Opening Reception 2016

You are invited to view the winning images of the 10th annual Washington Gardener Photo Contest at an art show at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA. All 17 stunning photos were taken in DC-area gardens. Both inspirational and educational, this show represents the best of garden photography in the greater DC metropolitan region.

The photo show reception is Sunday, August 7 from 2:00-3:30pm at the Meadowlark Visitor Center's lobby. The opening reception is open to the public and is free to attend. You may also come by and view the photos any time during the normal Visitor Center hours (10am-7pm daily). The photo show runs through September 21.

To RSVP and for updates, visit our Facebook event page at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1069868059774341/



Washington Gardener Magazine is already announcing an 11th Annual Washington Gardener Photo Contest. Start gathering your images now and throughout this year. Most all of the entry rules will remain the same as this year’s contest. We will again accept the entries during the first three weeks of January.

Washington Gardener Magazine (http://www.washingtongardener.com/) is the gardening publication specifically for the local metro area — zones 6-7 — Washington DC and its suburbs. Washington Gardener Magazine’s basic mission is to help DC area gardens grow better. The magazine is written entirely by and for local area gardeners.

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (www.nvrpa.org/park/meadowlark_botanical_gardens) is a park of beauty, conservation, education and discovery. Throughout the year at this 95-acre complex are large ornamental display gardens and unique native plant collections. Walking trails, lakes, more than 20 varieties of cherry trees, irises, peonies, an extensive shade garden, native wildflowers, gazebos, birds, butterflies, seasonal blooms and foliage create a sanctuary of beauty and nature. Meadowlark is part of Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

Win Natural Start Plant Fertilizers in July 2016 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest

For our July 2016 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away two pounds each of the new Natural Start by GreenView All Purpose Plant Food and Natural Start by GreenView Tomato, Vegetable & Herb Food (an $18 value). Natural Start products are from GreenView (www.GreenViewFertilizer.com).

   Natural Start Plant Food is a special blend of natural, organic and inorganic nutrients and beneficial microbes that improve soil fertility so your plants have the best chance to develop to their full potential.

   To enter to win the set of both fertilizers, send an email to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5pm on Friday, July 29, with “Natural Start” in the subject line and in the body of the email tell us which was your favorite article in the July 2016 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine and why. Please also include your full name and mailing address. The winner will be announced and notified by August 1.

UPDATE:
Our winner chosen at random from among the submitted entries is Carol Yemola of Drums, PA. Congratulations, Carol!

Fenton Friday: First Cuke

This week at my community garden plot we are starting our third serious heat wave of the summer -- ushering that in was a huge storm overnight a few days ago that dumped 2 inches of rain in an hour. Both those factors are making the garden explode. I have reined in the tomato plants a few times and the cucumbers and sweet potato vines keep making a run for the plot borders.

The summer interns' cucumber plants are covered in flowers and pictured here is there first cuke of the season. I predict we are about to be inundated with them.

The basil is getting really big now and the garlic has finished curing as well so I plan to make a batch of pesto to have at our upcoming garden photo show.

How is your edible garden growing 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. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 5th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)

ADVERTISER OF THE WEEK: Wings of Fancy at Brookside Gardens

The Wings of Fancy live butterfly exhibit in Wheaton, MD, runs daily through September 25, from 10am to 4pm, Brookside Gardens South Conservatory features live butterflies. Come witness the butterfly life cycle as tiny eggs hatch into crawling, chewing caterpillars, which then encase themselves in jewel-like chrysalides and emerge as sipping, flying adult butterflies. Learn about the best annual and tropical plants, and hardy shrubs that are used as nectar sources, to attract butterflies to your own garden.

See more details at http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/wings_of_fancy.shtm. 

Every Thursday on the Washington Gardener Magazine blog, we feature a current advertiser from our quarterly print magazine or monthly online enewsletter. To advertise with us, contact wgardenermag@aol.com today. 

Fabulous Flowering Tobacco in the July 2016 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine

The July 2016 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is now out.

You can view it online at: http://issuu.com/washingtongardener/docs/washingtongardenerjuly2016

                      

Inside this issue:

~ Fabulous Flowering Tobacco

~ When and How to Harvest Sweet Potatoes

~ Your Monthly Garden Tasks To-do List

~ DC’s Public Gardens via Public Transit

~ Local Gardening Events Calendar

~ Growing a Cutting Garden in the Shade

~ Meet Community Gardening Guru: Pat Lynch

~ Summer Watering Tips

~ Safer Gardening in Polluted Urban Soils

and much more!

Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the August 2016 issue are due by August 10.

  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: http://www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm

Video Wednesday: Waterlily and Lotus Fest 2016 at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

The annual Waterlily and Lotus Fest 2016 at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens includes gardening workshops, traditional Asian & African dancing performances, and much more.

Invasive Species Spotlight: Garlic Mustard

Guest post by Jacqueline Hyman

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) may be an almost-attractive flowering plant, but it is actually an invasive species containing toxic chemicals, according to Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas.

            This invasive was introduced by settlers coming from Europe for use as medicine and as a “flavoring agent in soups,” according to the Maryland Invasive Species Council (MISC).

However, the plant quickly spread and became harmful to native eastern U.S. plants and animals, according to a 2003 post on MISC’s web site.

            The plant is a biennial herb in the mustard family, with leaves and stalks that change as the plant ages. Additionally, the book says that the “crushed leaves and stems smell like garlic,” presumably giving the plant its interesting name.

            Garlic Mustard overtakes and impacts many plants, including wild ginger, bloodroot, and toothworts. When toothworts are taken over, three native butterfly species, the West Virginia white, the mustard white, and the falcate orange-tip, are greatly impacted, according to Plant Invaders.

            This is because the chemicals in the plant are extremely toxic to the larvae of the native butterflies, which inhabit the toothwort plants. The butterflies feed on toothwort, and if their eggs are laid on Garlic Mustard instead, they will not hatch, according to MISC.

Garlic Mustard can occur not only in forest habitats, but also along roadsides and disturbed lands. However, according to the University of Maryland Home & Garden Information Center, the plant does prefer the shady environment of the forest and floodplain.

Management of Garlic Mustard takes a long-term effort, as the seeds can survive for over five years in the soil, according to Plant Invaders. The book says that hand removal can be effective for lightly scattered infestations of the plant, but suggests different methods for flowering plants with mature fruits.

So, if you want to see wildflowers and butterflies thrive, planting Garlic Mustard is not the wisest idea. Just make sure to eradicate it if the plant is already growing, because this intrusive plant will overwhelm anything nearby.

The  "Invasive Species Spotlight" is a summer blog series focusing on a different plant each week that is a problem for Mid-Atlantic home gardeners.

About the author:
Jacqueline Hyman is a junior journalism and English major at the University of Maryland. She is the editor-in-chief of the Mitzpeh, an independent Jewish newspaper at UMD. In addition, Jacqueline enjoys musical theater, and teaches piano and voice at Guitar Center. She is excited to be interning this summer for the Washington Gardener.

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Fenton Friday and Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day Collide

 
It is Garden Blogger's Bloom Day again! On the 15th of each month, we gardeners with blogs share a few bloom photos from our gardens. It is also Friday during the growing season and that is when I do my weekly community garden plot update. So rather than do two separate posts, I figured I'd combine the two and report that here in the Mid-Atlantic USA (USDA zone 7) on the DC-MD border the past week had been hell-a-hot! I have been out watering almost every day. The home garden and garden plot are loving all the summer heat and are bountiful with sun-loving flowers - ranging from sunflowers to hibiscus to waterlilies.

In the section of my garden plot that I set aside as a cutting garden, the Mrs. Burns Lemon Basil is doing well and so is the Celosia and Nicotiana. The Zinnias are all starting to pop (Benary’s Giant Pink Zinnia, Benary’s Oklahoma Zinnia Pink, and Lime Green Zinnia). I expect to be gathering them by the armful soon.

As far as the veggies in my plot go, the cucumber vines have started to fight it out with the sweet potatoes and the beans are coming along well. Peppers and okra are producing - slow and steady.

The only bad news is that this week I noticed yellowing and brown spots on the tomato plant foliage. I think it is Fusarium Wilt  and that is typical for our humid climate, even though I used resistant varieties and rotated the tomato plant location in my plot there is not much I can do to escape it. The plants still have many fruits, they just look ugly while doing it.

What flowers are blooming for you today?

How is your edible garden growing 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. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 5th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)

Garden Visit: Wendy Bell

Guest post by John Powers

Wendy Bell is a Takoma Park, MD resident of 23 years who maintains a large, four-season garden in her front and back yards. 

“I am retired, so I spend quite a bit of time playing in the garden,” said Bell, who started cultivating her garden little-by-little when she first moved to the property in 1993. The lawn was only grass at the time, but you would not guess that from looking at the garden today. The dense array of pollinators, small trees, and lawn decorations cover the front yard, giving viewers something new and beautiful to notice each time they pass by.

Bell has been showcasing her garden this summer for the Takoma Park House and Garden Tour, the Montgomery County Master Gardeners, and the Takoma Horticulture Club. She has tried to prune most of her plants in order to prepare for the coming tours. “It’s always fun to see each other's gardens,” she said. Bell, a graduate of the landscape design program at George Washington University, decided that gardening would not be her livelihood, but rather an intensive hobby.

Stepping into the backyard, you are sealed off from the rest of the world by several large trees on the outskirts of the area. Two crape myrtle trees provide shade throughout different parts of the garden, and in the middle is a vegetable garden, which gets the most sun. Bell has been growing vegetables since she was in college and has continued the practice to this day, with beans tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and many more. Though Bell admits that she has not netted them properly, she has a number of berries growing in her back yard as well.

“At least we’re feeding the birds,” said Bell as we watched a sparrow nibble at her bushes. A fig tree off to the right of the vegetable garden had a very fruitful crop of figs, to be picked once they are fully ripe. The backyard also features many plants for pollinators, specifically hydrangeas, which Bell loves and wishes she had room for more of them, and viburnums.

Bees fly from flower to flower in this hidden paradise of plant life, and blue jays call from the treetops of Bell’s backyard. She pointed out a plant she was particularly fond of, her bottlebrush buckeye. It took six years, but the plant is finally flowering for the first time. 

The "GardenVisit" is a monthly blog series showcasing a Mid-Atlantic home garden.

About the author:
John Powers is a rising senior multi-platform journalism major and environmental economics and policy minor at the University of Maryland. He has worked as a staff writer for "Stories Beneath the Shell," an online publication at UMD, and currently works at the copy desk of The Diamondback, the university’s official newspaper. He has spent a summer working as a farmhand back in his home state of Massachusetts. He is an intern with Washington Gardener Magazine this summer.

ADVERTISER OF THE WEEK: Green Spring Gardens

Green Spring Gardens (http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring/) in Fairfax County, VA., is a "must visit" for everyone in the metropolitan Washington, DC area. It's a year-round gold mine of information and inspiration for the home gardener. It's an outdoor classroom for children and their families to learn about plants and wildlife. It's also a museum, a national historic site that offers glimpses into a long, rich history with colonial origins. There's something here for everyone: a wooded stream valley with ponds, a naturalistic native plant garden, over 20 thematic demonstration gardens, a greenhouse filled with tropicals, and a well-stocked horticultural reference library. Visit the Garden Gate Plant Shop and the two gift shops, where you'll find gift ideas ranging from books and gardening gloves to china and wind chimes. Green Spring will educate, inspire, and delight you. The gardens are always changing, so come back often for new ideas. Be sure to come to the BIG SPRING Plant Sale and Fall Plant Sale.

Every Thursday on the Washington Gardener Magazine blog, we feature a current advertiser from our quarterly print magazine or monthly online enewsletter. To advertise with us, contact wgardenermag@aol.com today.

Video Wednesday: Sunflower Fields

Sunflowers at McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area located in Western Montgomery County. Each summer, the state of Maryland plants fields of sunflowers at McKee-Beshers for feeding and attracting migratory game birds. (This is a hunting preserve.) Photography and art clubs love it, but it is so big and never so crowded that it is a problem.

McKee-Beshers WMA is a 2,000-acre area located on River Road just outside of Seneca, Maryland  (between Potomac and Poolesville in Montgomery County). It is not far from the intersection of River Rd and Rt 112. McKee-Beshers is on the left hand side of the road. Just pull in, walk around the gate, go 20 yards around a clump of brush, and BAM! Sunflowers as far as the eye I can see. Totally hidden from the road.

A few photos I took are posted here at the facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine page. BTW, no need for a step ladder this year (as one friend had recommended I bring), the flowers are all between waist and chest high. If you like birding, go early in the day. I went in late afternoon and saw lots of butterflies and bees. The blooms should last a few more weeks and you can go anytime during daylight hours. Best of all, it is free! 

Invasive Species Spotlight: English Ivy

Guest post by Jacqueline Hyman

Although many people may enjoy planting English Ivy as a ground cover in their yards, the plant is an invasive species that weakens trees and can carry disease.

    English Ivy (Hedera helix) is an “evergreen perennial climbing vine that attaches to bark of trees … and other surfaces by root-like structures that exude a glue-like substance to aid in adherence,” according to Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas, a guide to invasive species created by the National Park and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.

    This plant, which was introduced mainly by European colonists in the early 1700s, is favorable to many who enjoy a perennial ground cover that does not require much maintenance. It thrives in the eastern U.S. region and can be identified by its dark green and waxy leaves, which typically have whitish veins.

    “It’s very care-free, when you think of having to take care of something and keep it looking good,” said Carole Bergmann, the forest ecologist and field botanist at the Montgomery County Parks system. “If you’ve got a bare spot, it’ll cover it for you and stay green year round.”

    However, because of these same admired qualities, Bergmann said the plant is also “a terrible problem for natural areas.” English Ivy invades many of the 417 parks in the Maryland National Capital Park system when people grow the plant in their yards on the edges of the parks, Bergmann said. Birds and other animals, which eat the seeds, also spread the invasive vine.

    Many home gardeners, Bergmann said, throw the plant trimmings over their fences and onto the park property.

    “They think that’s no problem, they think it’s going to disintegrate and turn into compost,” said Bergmann, “and often English Ivy will re-root and go up the trees.”

    Bergmann said the plant poses two main problems: firstly, it prevents other native species from growing when it covers the ground. Secondly, the vine covers trees, weakening them and making them heavier in the wind, allowing them to blow over easily.

    According to Plant Invaders, the vine also impedes photosynthesis because it blocks the tree’s access to sunlight. Additionally, the ivy is likely to harbor diseases, such as bacterial leaf scorch (Xylella fastidiosa), according to the book.  

   The leaves and berries of English Ivy are toxic if ingested, according to the book, and may cause a variety of symptoms including diarrhea, fever, and breathing difficulty.

   In the county parks, Bergmann often enlists volunteers to help remove English Ivy because it takes a large amount of time. “English Ivy is more of a tedious job to get it off … individual trees,” Bergmann said. “[It] has roots that dig into the tree bark.”

   Bergmann strongly urges gardeners to avoid planting English Ivy in their yards, but understands that people enjoy an easily maintained plant as ground cover.

“If they … want to plant English Ivy in their yard,” she said, “the way that they can contain it is to let it just grow on the ground in their yard and not let it go up to trees.”

The  "Invasive Species Spotlight" is a summer blog series focusing on a different plant each week that is a problem for Mid-Atlantic home gardeners.

About the author:
Jacqueline Hyman is a junior journalism and English major at the University of Maryland. She is the editor-in-chief of the Mitzpeh, an independent Jewish newspaper at UMD. In addition, Jacqueline enjoys musical theater, and teaches piano and voice at Guitar Center. She is excited to be interning this summer for the Washington Gardener. 

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