Plant Profile: Lilies

Lilies (Lilium sp.) are a perennial bulb that produce a dramatic flower on tall stems. There are many varieties of true lilies from the Asiatic lily, the Longiflorum lily (aka Easter Lilies), the Oriental lily, and all kinds of crosses between these three types. These include hybrids that are double lilies, odorless lilies, and pollen-free lilies.
 
Most lilies are native to Asia and Europe, but there are three kinds of true lilies that are native to the Northeastern United States. They are the Wood Lily (Lilium philadelphicum), Canada Lily (Lilium canadense), and the Turk's Cap Lily (Lilium superbum).
Lilies are easy to grow and extremely rewarding. They make great cut flowers and combine well in garden beds with other perennial plants.
 
Plant lily bulbs as soon after you purchase them as possible in spring time for summer blooms. When you can’t plant your lily bulbs right away, store them in a cool, dark place such as in the refrigerator. This will keep the shoots from emerging too soon.
 
Put the lily bulbs in the ground 6 inches deep and 12 inches apart. Place them gently into the soil without pressing on them, then cover the flower bulbs with soil. As soon as the summer bulbs have been planted, give them a thorough watering to encourage their roots to develop quickly.
 
Lilies also do well in containers as long as the pots are sufficiently deep and have good drainage. One benefit of growing lilies in pots is that they can be brought forward right when the flowers are about to open and then tucked away when out of bloom. Lilies in containers also require extra fertilizer and have to be watered frequently so they do not dry out.

After flowering, snip off the spent lily flowers, but leave most of the stems standing to allow the plants to collect energy and return for you year and year.

Lilies - You Can Grow That!
 
The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.
Visuals by Amanda Cash
Audio by Kathy Jentz
 
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TikTok Tuesday: The Black-Eyed Susan Cocktail

By Molly Cuddy

For a garden media event we attended last Tuesday at Ladew Topiary Gardens in Harford County, we decided to make a cocktail inspired by the Maryland State Flower, the Black-Eyed Susan. We were inspired by this recipe, but switched up a few ingredients of the drink to make it closer to the "Official Drink of the Preakness" version.

For our recipe, you’ll need:

• Vodka

• St Germain Elderflower Liqueur

• Lime juice (fresh-squeezed, if you have it)

• Orange juice, mixed with pineapple juice

• Maraschino cherries for a garnish

You can check out our TikTok video here to see how we make this drink. We didn’t use any exact measurements, but it still turned out wonderfully and everyone enjoyed the drink.

For anyone who may not be 21, or for those who don’t/can’t drink, we also crafted a non-alcoholic version of this drink. Add the orange juice and lime juice, and top it with some club soda. And make sure to garnish it with a cherry!

Hopefully, in the future, we’ll have some more flower-inspired cocktail recipes we can post! Until then, enjoy the Black-Eyed Susan and let us know if you try it.  

About the Author Molly Cuddy is a journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park, and an intern this summer with Washington Gardener. She is also a campus tour guide and will be a teaching assistant for a professional writing class next semester.

Monday Thoughts

 

"Be pleased with your real garden, don’t pursue the perfection of a picture. What you see in a photo lasted only as long as the shutter snap." - Janet Macunovich

GardenDC Podcast Episode 65: Annuals A to Z

In this episode, we talk with Paul Westervelt, Annual & Perennial Production Manager; Director of New Plant R&D with Saunders Brothers, Inc., all about annuals. The plant profile is on Astilbe and I share what's going on locally and in the garden.

Here are a few links mentioned in the episode:

~ GardenDC episode: container gardening with Chanticleer

~ Mt. Cuba Center Trial Garden 

~ Ladew Topiary Gardens

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! See how at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/support.

The episode is posted at:
https://anchor.fm/gardendc/episodes/Episode-65---Annuals-A-to-Z-e13d7sq

Stachytarpheta mutabilis var. violacea 

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gardendc/id1502631179
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5AsWArNpQo8OlzHoMDMSI8
• RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/gardendc-G2ql5V
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• Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/GardenDC-Podcast/B08JJNZBMX
• Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/gardendc
• Castbox: https://castbox.fm/channel/GardenDC-id2691161?country=us
• Listen Notes: https://lnns.co/VIfcBjWRnw6
• Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/gardendc/
• Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/2629285
• PocketCasts: https://pca.st/9phvd8bk
• Podlink: https://pod.link/GardenDC
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/gardendc-1137444
• Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1502631179/gardendc
• TuneIn: http://tun.in/pj7Sb
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/washingtongardenermagazine
• Google Podcasts at this link (note that currently, this link will only work on Android devices.)

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

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Fenton Friday: Garlic Harvest Time

This week at the community garden plot, we had some good rains and continuing nice weather with moderate temps and low humidity. 

I took advantage of a mild day and harvested the garlic. It is curing now on a rack in my sunroom.

The strawberries have petered out and I pulled out the last of the lettuce mix. In place of the lettuce, I planted a row of assorted zinnia seeds. I also put in a row of double cosmos nearby. I still need to find a spot to put down some marigolds seeds as well.

The turnips and carrots are humming along. I may try to pull one of each next week to see if they are big enough.

I planted peanuts in a container as an experiment. Those came from the ladies at Garden sPOTS and they should be a fun experiment this summer.

The little seedlings are up on the zucchini, beans, and cucumber. I already thinned the cucumbers out to just the best 3 as all 6 seeds germinated.

I am still debating on planting a melons and have to get my okra seeds started.

What is growing in your edible garden?

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 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Win a Hydro Wine watering system in the June 2021 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest

For our June 2021 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away one Hydro Wine watering system each to three lucky winners.

   The Hydro Wine watering system from BioGreen USA (https://biogreen-products.com/products/hydro-wine) fits most wine bottles and gives your plant just the right amount of water. Gently push the terracotta stake into the pot and load your water-filled wine bottle. Perfect for long weekends or forgetful or busy plant parents. You can decorate the wine bottles to fit any aesthetic!

   To enter to win a Hydro Wine watering system, send an email to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com by 5:00pm on Wednesday, June 30, with “Hydro Wine watering systems” in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us what your favorite article was in the June 2021 issue and why. Include your full name and mailing address. The winners will be announced by July 2.  

UPDATE:

The three contest winners are -
-  Peter Frandsen, Silver Spring, MD
- John Boggan, Washington, DC
- Cindy Walczak, Olney, MD

Plant Profile: Astilbe

Astilbe (False Spirea) is a perennial for that wet, shade spot in your garden. Feather-y blooms atop fern-like foliage give this plant a graceful appearance. It can take some sun, but will burn in hot afternoon summer sun.

It is deer-resistant and tolerates clay soils well. Use mid-border in a mixed garden bed or in a container as the central feature. It spreads slowly and is fairly easy to divide. It is generally hardy down to Zone 4.

Astilbe is often seen in white hues, but also check out the different colors offered in the Astilbe chinensis 'Visions' collection -- from dark red to pink-purple.

I inter-plant mine with early-spring bulbs such as 'Thalia' daffodils so that the emerging Astilbe foliage in mid-spring covers the bulbs as they die-back. Also, I leave the flower heads to dry on the plant as remain attractive for many months. You can also give them a shot of spray paint or floral paint to keep their color all season -- and no one will be the wiser. Then cut them back in winter when they start to look ratty.

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Visuals by Amanda Cash
Audio by Kathy Jentz

 

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

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TikTok Tuesday: Fava Bean Hummus

@wdcgardener

Fa-va-voom! We grew, harvested, and processed fava beans to make a tasty green hummus with them. ##gardendc ##fava ##gardening101 video by @mollycuddy

♬ original sound - Kathy Jentz

By Molly Cuddy

As a summer intern with Washington Gardener, I have a semester-long project that I’ll be working on, and for it I decided to do weekly blog posts. “TikTok Tuesdays” will feature our own TikTok videos on the Washington Gardener account, where we will document what’s happening in our community garden, local events, garden cocktail recipes, etc. Some weeks, I may highlight a creator on the app who posts gardening and/or foraging videos. 

If you’re unfamiliar with TikTok, it’s an app where people can post short videos about pretty much anything. We’ll be posting videos there as much as possible, so you should follow us at @wdcgardener.

This week, as you may have seen in the Fenton Friday blog post, we harvested the Fava beans that had been planted by spring intern Khloe Quill. I took some footage of the other interns, Kathy, and myself getting the beans out of the pods. Kathy blanched the fava beans at home, referencing this Youtube video, and was able to make a delicious green hummus out of the beans and garlic also grown in our plot. You can check out the recipe here: https://ellerepublic.de/en/fava-bean-dip-green-hummus/.

Make sure you to check this blog and our TikTok account next week for another Tiktok Tuesday!

About the Author Molly Cuddy is a journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park, and an intern this summer with Washington Gardener. She is also a campus tour guide and will be a teaching assistant for a professional writing class next semester.

Monday Thoughts

"There are never gardening mistakes, only experiments."

- Janet Kilburn Phillips

June 2021 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine –Yucca, Melons, Native Shrubs, and much more

 

The June 2021 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is out.

Inside this issue:

·         Yucca: Tough and Easy-Care

·         Are You Planting Melons Too Early? 

·         Native Shrubs for Year-round Interest

·         New School Garden Guide

·         Reducing Mosquito Breeding Sites

·         Crocosmia: A Fiery Family

·         Garden Tour Season Wrap-up

·         Schifferstadt Heritage Garden

·         Meet Arlington’s Cooperative Extension Agent

·         DC-MD-VA Gardening Events Calendar

·         Rage Gardening

and much more…

Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the July 2021 issue are due by July 5.

>>  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

GardenDC Podcast Episode 64: Daylilies -- the Perfect Perennial?

In this episode, we talk with Stuart Kendig, owner of Perfect Perennials, all about daylilies and what makes them the "perfect perennial." The plant profile is on Solomon's Seal and I share what's going on locally and in the garden.

Here are a few links mentioned in the episode:

~ American Daylily Society (American Hemerocallis Society)
~ Region 3 of the American Daylily Society
~ Lilyhemmer 2021 Fall Festival

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! See how at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/support.

The episode is posted at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/episodes/Episode-64---Daylilies-e132t73

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gardendc/id1502631179
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5AsWArNpQo8OlzHoMDMSI8
• RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/gardendc-G2ql5V
• iHeartRADIO: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-gardendc-73615877/
  
• aCast: https://play.acast.com/s/gardendc
  
• Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/776561ca-75d6-4c63-833b-7dafedf57a72/GardenDC
• Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/GardenDC-Podcast/B08JJNZBMX
• Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/gardendc
• Castbox: https://castbox.fm/channel/GardenDC-id2691161?country=us
• Listen Notes: https://lnns.co/VIfcBjWRnw6
• Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/gardendc/
• Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/2629285
• PocketCasts: https://pca.st/9phvd8bk
• Podlink: https://pod.link/GardenDC
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/gardendc-1137444
• Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1502631179/gardendc
• TuneIn: http://tun.in/pj7Sb
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/washingtongardenermagazine
• Google Podcasts at this link (note that currently, this link will only work on Android devices.)

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

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Fenton Friday: Favalicious

This week at the community garden plot, the weather has been gorgeous! The heat finally broke and it has been amazing with moderate temps and low humidity.

We harvested the fava beans and processed them. They are pictured here shelled from their big, cushiony pod. Then, they still needed to be blanched and the tender inner beans removed and THAT is what you eat. I made them into a green hummus using this recipe. It was delicious! We'll be sharing a TikTok video of the whole process in a few days.

I pulled out one of the garlics to test it out, but I found it a bit small, so I am leaving the rest in for another week of so.

A few berries ripened on the blackberry plants and I got to eat a few of those plus the last of the strawberries and made a few more cuttings from the lettuce for salads.

The carrot tops are up and the 'White Egg' turnips are starting to get large enough to pull a few and try them out.

I planted two types of beans - 'Castandel' bush beans and 'Purple Podded' pole beans along with a mound of 'Lisboa Slicing' cucumber.

I still need to plant the okra seeds and some more cutting flowers. I am also debating on melons. After last year's tragic incident with them, I am hesitant to put so much time and effort in them again. I'll look through me seeds and see if any inspire me to take the plunge again.

How is your edible garden growing?

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 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Solomon’s Seal Plant Profile

Solomon’s Seal is a great perennial for the shade garden. The Solomon’s Seal plant has lovely, arching stems with white, bell-shaped blossoms that dangle below the foliage in April through June.

 There is a dwarf version that is 6-8 inches high as well as tall one that is over six feet high.  The common garden variety is between one to three feet tall. There is a solid green version as well as many variegated ones. The solid green true Solomon’s Seal and False Solomon’s seal are native to the US, and some of the variegated ones are native as well.

They are hardy to USDA Zones 3 to 8. They spread by underground rhizome, so give them space to spread when you plant them. They prefer moist, well-draining soil that is amended with organic compost. They are easily divided and moved around by digging out a root section in spring or fall.

True Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum spp.) is not to be confused with the False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum racemosum formerly Smilacena racemosa). The easy way to tell the difference is the true Solomon’s Seal carries its flowers underneath of the leaves, while the false version has the flowers emerging at the tip of the leaves. Also, the fruits of true Solomon's Seal are dark blue and the false one has red fruits.

Solomon’s Seal combine well in the woodland garden with ferns and hostas. They also make a good groundcover and understory plant beneath shrubs and trees.

 Solomon’s Seal - You Can Grow That!

 The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Visuals and Audio by Kathy Jentz

Edited by Amanda Cash

 

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE

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~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/

~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC

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Dreaming on Bloom Day

 

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.

Here in the Mid-Atlantic USA (USDA zone 7) on the DC-MD border, the past month has been in turn dry for weeks, followed by monsoon-like rains, then sultry heat, the unseasonable cool, and back again. 

Pictured here is one of my asiatic lilies in bloom right now. It is ‘Purple Dream’ is from Brent and Becky Bulb's. It is almost as tall as me and I have nice-sized patch of them, so I have plenty to cut and share.

In the rest of the garden today, I have blooming: Hydrangea, Astilbe, Lavender, Roses, Campanula, Commom Milkweed, Clematis, Daylilies, and many annuals!

Be sure to follow @WDCgardener on Instagram for daily pics of what is blooming in the garden and area gardens that I visit.

So what is blooming today in YOUR garden?

Monday Thoughts

"How fair is a garden amid the trials and passions of existence." 

- Benjamin Disraeli

GardenDC Podcast Episode 63: Water Gardening and Koi Ponds

In this episode, we talk with Mike Gannon, owner of Full Service Aquatics, about water gardening and koi ponds. The plant profile is on Crocosmia and I share my impressions of the recent Philadelphia Flower Show.

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! See how at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/support.

The episode is posted at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/episodes/Episode-63---Water-Gardening-and-Koi-Ponds-e12kci2

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gardendc/id1502631179
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5AsWArNpQo8OlzHoMDMSI8
• RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/gardendc-G2ql5V
• iHeartRADIO: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-gardendc-73615877/
  
• aCast: https://play.acast.com/s/gardendc
  
• Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/776561ca-75d6-4c63-833b-7dafedf57a72/GardenDC
• Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/GardenDC-Podcast/B08JJNZBMX
• Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/gardendc
• Castbox: https://castbox.fm/channel/GardenDC-id2691161?country=us
• Listen Notes: https://lnns.co/VIfcBjWRnw6
• Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/gardendc/
• Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/2629285
• PocketCasts: https://pca.st/9phvd8bk
• Podlink: https://pod.link/GardenDC
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/gardendc-1137444
• Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1502631179/gardendc
• TuneIn: http://tun.in/pj7Sb
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/washingtongardenermagazine
• Google Podcasts at this link (note that currently, this link will only work on Android devices.)

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

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