Monday, May 30, 2022

Monday Thoughts: "Something essential happens in a vegetable garden. It’s a place where if you can’t say 'I love you' out loud, you can say it in seeds. And the land will reciprocate, in beans."- Robin Wall Kimmerer

 

“People often ask me what one thing I would recommend to restore relationship between land and people. My answer is almost always, “Plant a garden.” It’s good for the health of the earth and it’s good for the health of people. A garden is a nursery for nurturing connection, the soil for cultivation of practical reverence. And its power goes far beyond the garden gate—once you develop a relationship with a little patch of earth, it becomes a seed itself. Something essential happens in a vegetable garden. It’s a place where if you can’t say “I love you” out loud, you can say it in seeds. And the land will reciprocate, in beans.
Robin Wall Kimmerer

Saturday, May 28, 2022

GardenDC Podcast Episode 106: Ancient Plants

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Richard Olsen, director of the U.S. National Arboretum, all about Ancient Plants. The plant profile is on the Gladiolus and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events.


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

Show Notes: 1:19 Meet Dr. Richard Olsen, director of the U.S. National Arboretum! 2:17 Dr. Olsen talks about gardening as a child in Wisconsin and North Carolina 4:33 Working outside over sitting in an office at a desk as a career 6:03 PhD in plant breeding 8:06 Joined the USNA directly out of PhD program 10:00 Dr. Olsen explains growing meadow plants in his home garden with prairie like environment 14:27 Some mosses, grasses, etc have been around for 500 million years 14:37 Ferns are some of the earliest vascular plants 15:37 Cycads are one of the earlier families that are still extensive in gardens today 17:57 Ginkgo trees are an early seed plant that saw its peak 150 million years ago that is now relegated to one species 19:09 Cycads and Ginkgos are primitive and intertwined in our earth’s biological history 20:42 Extinction of Ginkgo in Northern Hemisphere from last Ice Age 23:00 “Stinky ginkgo” 24:03 Paleobotany: study of ancient plants 24:55 Pollen stays well-preserved in fossils, while other parts of plants fall away 25:20 “Potomac Group” is one of the most important historic fossil records 26:00 Genus of angiosperm named “Anacostia marylandensis” after this area 27:00 Evolution of conifers 28:30 Waterlilies are from a lineage dating back to the dawn of flowering plants 32:28 Chloranthus has 14 species only found in East Asia but the Arboretum houses some! 33:40 Chloranthus lineage unclear 35:01 Magnolias are also an ancient family with pollination structure based on beetles 37:30 Calycanthus aka Sweet Betsy is also considered an early angiosperm 38:24 Dinosaur-themed gardens 40:20 Boxwood family is very primitive 42:05 U.S. National Arboretum as a research institute with long history of plant breeding 44:10 29,000 accession plants at the USNA 45:05 Visitors are important and valued to the USNA community 45:50 700,000 visitors per year 47:58 Get in touch with the U.S. National Arboretum through their website and with Dr. Olsen via email or call the front desk! 49:24 Learn all about gladiolas in this week’s plant profile! 50:41 New this week in the garden: lots of rain, strawberry harvesting, flowers on the snap peas, thornless blackberries are abundant, self-sowing zinnias and celosias, peony blooms, cutting flowers, and more! 52:08 Summer garden reading recommendations 53:33 Local garden events: Valley View Farm Q&A Garden Book Party, Patuxent Nursery talk by Kathy Jentz If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to: ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 85: Camellias https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/12/gardendc-podcast-episode-85-camellias.html ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 94: Magnolias https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-94-magnolias.html

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.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite platform so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Show Notes: Tori Vandergriff

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Friday, May 27, 2022

Fenton Friday: Peas Finally Flower

This week is a bit of a limbo time at the community garden plot as we transition from cool weather to warm weather crops, but the ground is so oversaturated from recent rains that I am holding off planting anything. There are areas of our garden that are a literal mud pit! Thank goodness for the woodchip paths around my plot that are keeping things fairly tidy.

I've been harvesting strawberries and weeding a tiny bit. I need to check if the scapes have formed on the garlic as they usually appear by now. The carrots seem to be increasing, but I will wait a few more weeks before pulling another one to check.

The big news is the flowers on the purple podded snap peas are finally blooming and that means peas aren't far behind!

Also, the thornless blackberry has really hit its stride. It is covered in green fruits and I suspect that as soon as it starts to ripen I'll need to move the netting off the strawberries over it.

I also found a few self-sown zinnia and celosia seedlings where I am prepping a bed for tomatoes. I'll transplant those to a better spot soon.

What are you growing and eating this week from 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 11th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Carolina Allspice Plant Profile

Carolina Allspice Plant Profile

Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus) is also known as Sweetshrub. It is native to the Eastern United States and is known for its fragrant blossoms in mid to late spring.

The roots and bark also have a scent when injured or rubbed that is similar to camphor.

The flowers are a dark burgundy color and the leaves are deep green that turn light yellow in the fall before dropping off.

It can grow from full sun to full shade and tolerates most any soil type. Though it prefers moist ground and to be positioned in dappled shade as a woodland understory plant.

This shrub can get 8 feet wide and high, so plant it where it can attain its full size and it will not need pruning.

It occasionally sends out root suckers and you can cut those off or dig and pot them up to gift to another gardener.

Carolina allspice is deer-resistant and has no major pests or diseases.

There is also a West Coast species, Calycanthus occidentalis, and a Chinese sweetshrub (Calycanthus chinensis). Popular Calycanthus floridus cultivars and hybrids include ‘Athens’, which has chartreuse flowers; ‘Venus’, which is a compact grower that has white blooms with a banana scent; and, ‘Aphrodite’, which has bright red flowers with a citrus-y fragrance.

Carolina allspice: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

 

Audio, video, and text by Kathy Jentz

 

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Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Win a set of Beyond Peat samples in the May 2022 Washington Gardener Reader Contest

For our May 2022 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away five sets of Beyond Peat samples (prize value: $20).

   The new line of Beyond Peat™ soil mixes is peat-free, more sustainable, and environmentally friendly. It features BioFiber technology, which extracts vital nutrients from agricultural and horticultural residuals, and uses locally sourced ingredients to make a pro-grade product that is better for the environment. With every bag of Beyond Peat™ Professional Organics soil mix you use, you help reduce carbon emissions and the footprint caused by needing to mine natural resources. And in the fight against climate change, every bag helps. It’s why we set out to create a product that can act as a sustainable alternative to peat moss. For more information, visit https://beyondpeat.com/.

   To enter to win one of the five sets of Beyond Peat samples, send an email by 5:00pm on May 31 to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com with “Beyond Peat” in the Subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the May 2022 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine and why. Please include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on/about June 1.

UPDATE:
Congratulations to our 5 winners! They are:

Edward Yemola, Drums, PA

Annie Shaw, Greenbelt MD 

Phyllis Downey, Pasadena, MD

Joanna Protz, Lynch Station, VA

Wendy Bell, Takoma Park, MD 


Saturday, May 21, 2022

GardenDC Podcast Episode 105: Crinum Lilies

In this episode, we talk with Jenks Farmer, owner of Jenks Farmer, Plantsman and author of Crinum: Unearthing the History and Cultivation of the World's Largest Bulb*, all about Crinum Lilies. The plant profile is on the Carolina Allspice and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events.


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

Show Notes: 1:20 Meet Augustus Jenkins Farmer III (Jenks Farmer), owner of Jenks Farmer Plantsman! 3:50 Jenks talks about life in his childhood home with wood heat 5:00 “I was ready to see the big, bold world.” — Jenks 5:45 From Zambia to Seattle then back to South Carolina! 8:00 Rain and heat in South Carolina similar to DC for gardening conditions 10:50 There are hardy crinum lilies for USDA Zones 6 and 7 11:45 Pittsburgh zoo’s gorilla exhibit has crinums! 12:25 Orange River Lily (Crinum bulbispermum) is the most cold weather hardy variety 13:57 “Imagine Christmas amaryllis on steroids.” — Jenks 14:28 These lilies have more of a fountain-like flower formation 17:10 Jenks talks about selling the lilies as cut flowers called “Chicken Feet Flowers” 18:00 Cut the entire plant down to the ground, throw away the top foliage, and it will come right back! 18:40 The farm became fully organic 10-12 years ago 19:42 The lilies can have bulbs underground that are as big as volleyballs! 20:25 Field peas, sun hemp, cornflower/bachelor’s buttons, and assorted veggies are cover crops for the lilies 21:39 Nematode issues in South Carolina 23:12 “World’s Largest Bulb” controversy 25:39 400 pound clumps once the bulbs are rooted! 25:24 Aquatic crinums are one of the most popular aquarium plants 26:50 Great plants for flooding, which allows them to be used in parks in Savannah and Charleston 29:35 Crinums are “nocturnally fragrant” 30:00 Moths are attracted to the flowers since they can detect the fragrance at a high level 31:41 Nitrogen is essential for egg production which could be enticing to moths 32:42 Lots of medicinal uses for crinums 33:13 People with pets should be aware of crinums, but not too concerned 34:32 Leaf rust is a bigger concern for Jenks’ farm than pests 35:10 Jenks’ new book (https://amzn.to/3RhjZsK)* talks all about his absolute favorite crinums 37:04 Crinums are easy to grow from seeds 37:52 One of the problems with crinum breeding is how long it takes to grow 39:04 Coloration of the bulb indicates the color of the bloom 42:11 Crinum history revolves around maritime and slave trade 43:13 By 1900, crinums fell out of favor and only recently regained it 45:53 Crinums are known to be pass-along plants 47:18 Lots of crinums imported from India 47:57 Crinums have a very long lifespan. Jenks has one that’s over 70 years old! 49:16 Jenks recommends growing plants that love your climate 50:00 Find Jenks on social media and his website! 51:22 Learn all about Carolina Allspice bush in this week’s Plant Profile 53:18 New this week in the garden: heat wave in DC, flowers are blooming, Japanese snowbell tree, May issue is out now, and more! 54:30 Local gardening events: online talk for Brookside Gardens by Kathy Jentz, Homestead Gardens hosting chat and book signing with Hilton Carter, and Plant Sale Fundraiser If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to: ~ Gardening with Bulbs https://washingtongardener.blogspot.c... ~ Daylilies -- the Perfect Perennial? https://washingtongardener.blogspot.c...

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.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite platform so other gardeners can find us too!

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. And be sure to like/follow/subscribe/share this video and this channel, so that other gardeners can find us too! Episode Credits: Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz Show Note: Tori Vandergriff *This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. If you order after clicking these links, we may receive a few pennies, but it will not impact the price you pay at the Amazon site.

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