“A flower does not use words to announce its arrival to the world; it just blooms."
- Matshona Dhliwayo
In this episode, we talk with horticulturist and garden podcaster Leslie Harris about pruning. The plant profile is on Snapdragons and I share what I picked up at our Seed Exchange as well as some upcoming events.
Show Notes:
1:04 Meet horticulturist and garden podcaster Leslie Harris! 2:33 “Definitely was not born with chlorophyll in my veins.” — Leslie talks about how she became a certified horticulturist 3:50 “We were not landscapers. We were gardeners.” — Leslie describes what made her old pruning service unique. 6:12 “Wow, now I wish I could have hired you.” — Kathy 6:51 How Leslie’s garden differs from her those of her clients 11:17 “I just started enjoying it” — Leslie talks about becoming a podcaster 12:09 Leslie describes what she’s pruning in her own garden during late winter 13:37 “I will lift your load…” — Leslie 13:55 Leslie’s favorite tools 15:00 Leslie and Kathy discuss handheld power saws! 16:50 “I’m one of those nerdy nerds…” — Leslie says she carries her pruners in a holster 19:53 Leslie talks about dealing with boxwood blight in 2018 20:28 “More information leads to better ways to deal with it.” — Leslie suggests cleaning your tools between each shrub 21:06 Leslie’s first decisions for pruning 22:11 “You gotta cut away the crazy bits.” — Leslie 26:04 Leslie and Kathy define “espalier” 28:35 Leslie and Kathy discuss pruning hydrangeas 32:02 “All I’m going to offer to your listeners is solace…” — Leslie talks about the difficulty of pruning clematis 35:49 “You want to prune to make a plant happy, but you also want to make yourself happy.” — Leslie 37:40 Leslie and Kathy discuss thinning and pruning for air circulation 40:59 Pruning vs. Shearing — Leslie says it’s not a good time to shear 45:57 Leslie’s alternative to removing a plant too big for a space 49:26 “Sometimes, we don’t need to prune.” — Kathy 51:03 How to get in touch with Leslie 52:10 Learn about the snapdragon in this week’s Plant Profile! 54:05 What’s new in the garden: The Washington Gardener Seed Exchange, new plants to grow, and the February edition of Washington Gardener Magazine 55:42 Upcoming events: Ikebana International Chapter No.1 luncheon, Silver Spring Garden Club meeting 56:36 Look forward to The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City by Teri Speight and Kathy 57:30 Celebrate spring at the National Garden Bureau online book party
Paperbush (Edgworthia chrysantha) Plant Profile
Paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysantha) has flowers that are fragrant and showy in the late winter landscape. The blooms resemble upside down parasols and are long-lasting – often hanging in for six to eight weeks in the garden.
The paperbush’s flaky, reddish-brown bark was used to make paper and is quite attractive. It is a plant of the woodland edge, often found growing along the banks of streams in its native habitats in China and the Himalayas. It prefers to be planted in dappled shade and well-drained soil. This shrub is not troubled by pests or diseases, and is long-lived under favorable conditions.
It is hardy to zones 7-10, though gardeners in zone 6 could attempt it if they can offer the paperbush a well-sheltered area of their property.
Edgeworthia offers multi-season appeal. When fully leafed out, the shrub has a tropical appearance. In the fall, its leaves turn bright yellow before they are shed.
Most cultivated forms of paperbush are yellow-flowering — a commonly available cultivar is ‘Gold Rush’ — there are also reddish-orange flowered varieties such for ‘Red Dragon’ and ‘Akebono’.
Edgeworthia: You Can Grow That!
The video was produced
by Washington Gardener Magazine.
Audio, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz
Video and Editing by Hojung Ryu
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For our February 2022 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away five pairs of passes to the Spring 2022 Maryland Home and Garden Show (prize value: $24 each).
Spring is home renovation and landscaping season. Get a head start at the Maryland Home and Garden Show, where hundreds of home improvement exhibitors will be waiting. Talk to them in person and learn how they can make your house a more welcoming, efficient, and fashionable home. The spring show is known for its garden displays, and 10 landscapers will showcase their artistry and creativity through this year’s theme: “The Painted Garden.” Using a painting as inspiration or incorporating art into their displays, they’ll present gorgeous creations of plants, water features, dining areas, and stonework—that they can bring to your yard. The show takes place March 5–6 & 11–13 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD. See: https://mdhomeandgarden.com/spring/.
To enter to win a pair of passes, send an email by 5:00pm on February 28 to
WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com with “Spring Maryland HG Show” in the Subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the February 2022 issue and why. Please include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on/about March 1.
UPDATE:
Congratulations to the following pass winners:
Johanna Kearns |
In this episode, we talk with garden blogger, author, speaker, and podcaster Carol J. Michel with a light-hearted look at universal gardening truths. The plant profile is on Paperbush (Edgeworthia) and I share what is in my winter vegetable plot as well as some upcoming events.
Show Notes: 1:08 Meet award-winning author Carol J. Michel! 2:00 “Were you born with chlorophyll in your veins?” — Kathy 3:22 Carol talks about how she got into writing through a blog 4:47 Kathy and Carol compare weather in Indiana to weather in Washington, DC 6:20 Carol says she’s surprised Kathy plants her peas on Saint Patrick's Day 8:03 Kathy describes an experience of pulling out a potato with her grandfather in Indiana 12:14 “You don’t want to grow vegetables in icky soil.” — Carol 12:50 Carol shares a secret to weeding — “Never pass a weed without pulling it out.” 14:18 Carol and Kathy share stories about weeds they regret planting 18:05 Carol and Kathy’s favorite scents! 23:46 “I claim to have the world’s largest hoe collection…” — Carol 26:40 Carol talks about her collection of old gardening books 30:22 “It’s kind of the scent of the book that I like, too.” — Kathy 31:36 “You never know what rabbit hole you’re going to go down.” — Carol 33:11 “I didn’t know physics had a philosophy.” — Carol mentions how someone used aspects of physics in his garden 34:19 What does Carol’s garden say about her? 36:39 Carol’s universal truths about gardening: “We’re going to kill a lot of plants” and “grow the plants you love” 38:33 “Is there such a thing as too much garden?” — Carol 40:26 Carol explains why so many pictures of plants are close-ups — “There’s a lot they’re not showing you.” 41:00 Carol talks about her podcast 41:59 The six books Carol has written 44:25 “When you’re just covered from head to toe with dirt and mud and sweat, you’re probably still going to have a smile on your face if you spent that time in your garden.” — Carol 44:47 Learn about the paperbush in this week’s Plant Profile! 46:22 Celebrate spring at the National Garden Bureau online book party 47:16 What’s new in the garden: garlic has emerged, the turnips have gotten big, and the tulips are about to bloom! 48:53 Special thanks to a listener 49:20 Upcoming events: Roses 101 talk hosted by Homestead Gardens, Washington Gardener Seed Exchange, Homestead Gardens talk about seed starting, Green Spring Gardens talk about small urban gardens 51:20 Look forward to The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City by Teri Speight and Kathy After listening to this episode, you might want to listen to these past episodes about Garden Theory and Humor:
Today is Amazon Prime Day, so I thought I'd again share the garden products I use almost every day. These are the tried-and-true w...