Monday, October 31, 2022

Monday Thoughts: "The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul." - Alfred Austin

"The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul."

- Alfred Austin

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Saturday, October 29, 2022

GardenDC Podcast Episode 126: Garden Cemeteries

In this episode of the GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Gregg Tepper, Senior Horticulturist at Laurel Hill, all about garden cemeteries. The plant profile is on Celosia and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We also solicit contributions for a new segment -- The Last Word.


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: 01:04 Introducing returning guest Gregg Tepper, senior horticulturist at Laurel Hill. 02:15 The history of cemeteries and gardens 05:45 Cemeteries and big trees 07:26 Mount Auburn cemetery 10:21 Cemetery fauna 12:04 “One thing older cemeteries are keeping alive…” 14:08 Restrictions for cemetery gardens 19:10 Visitors, expectations, and cemeteries 20:54 “It took me about six months to a year before I felt like I could really navigate the cemetery.” -Gregg 24:17 Laurel Hill updates 30:23 “What is a green burial?” and other burial alternatives 36:03 Famous burials of Laurel Hill 38:29 Cemetery tourism 43:56 Artwork and cemetery sculptures 46:36 Gregg’s cemetery garden recommendations 49:58 How to get in touch with Gregg 51:30 This week’s plant profile… Celosia (Celosia argentea)! 53:27 What’s new in the Garden? Dahlias and parsley 54:05 What’s going on around town? Chrysanthemum tours, webinars, and fall leaf viewings 57:28 An introduction to ‘The Last Word’ from Kathy Jentz

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
This episode is archived online at:

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
Editing: Brandie Bland
Show Notes: Jaime Breeden

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Friday, October 28, 2022

Fenton Friday: Parsley Parsed

Parsley photo from https://harvesting-history.com/

This week I planted Parsley in the plot. I was inspired by the article in our October 2022 issue of Washington Gardener by Barbara Melera. I had grown parsley for a few years, but let it peter out and had been wanting to replace it for a while. Her article reminded me how much I love the taste of fresh parsley. My favorite way to eat it is finely chopped up and sprinkled on truffle fries. What is your favorite way to eat it?

I also read fellow garden writer Lynette L. Walther's article here on "trick or treat" plants and had no idea all of the folklore that surrounded parsley and how closely it is tied to the Devil -- really fascinating and a great read! 

The weather was fairly mild this week and we had some light rains. The Dahlias are looking particularly spectacular and I cut several for Halloween bouquets. The rest of the cool-season crops are growing well. I'm still hanging on to some of the warm-season crops like the peppers, cucamelons, and pumpkin vine as they are also still putting out some fruits and I don't have the heart to rip them all out yet.

Our goal for next week is to get the garlic planted and maybe pull a radish to check it for size aka "doneness."

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.

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Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Brazilian Verbena Plant Profile

Brazilian Verbena Plant Profile

Brazilian Verbena (Verbena bonariensis) is a tall flowering plant that is also known as “Verbena on a stick”, “Purpletop Vervain,” and “Tall Verbena.” It is a hardy perennial to USDA zones 8-11 and a self-seeding annual that comes back for years in colder zones. It is native to Brazil and Argentina. (Note that in some mild climates like California and Australia it has naturalized and some consider it to be a weed.) With its puff of purple flowers sitting atop long stems, Brazilian Verbena looks great planted in groupings or planted in combination of low-growing plants. It requires full sun and well-draining soils. It is drought-tolerant once established as well as deer- and rabbit-resistant. The flowers are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. Brazilian Verbena is also excellent for cut-flower arrangements. A few new cultivars are on the market. Verbena bonariensis ‘Purple Haze’ has 1-inch sized balls of flowers and ‘Vanity’ is a more compact version the straight species. It is very pollinator-friendly and has a subtle evening fragrance. Brazilian Verbena: 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 and text by Kathy Jentz Video and editing by Brandie Bland ➤ 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 ~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com ~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener ~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/ ~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine ~ Podcast: GardenDC

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Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Win a TreeDiaper® garden mat twin-pack in the October 2022 Washington Gardener Reader Contest

For our October 2022 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away three sets of the TreeDiaper® garden mat twin-pack (prize value: $33.99).

   This TreeDiaper® garden mat is great for your garden. Simply soak the mat in water to get it started, then place it around your plants. It can be arranged to satisfy watering needs and spacing of most plants: a single mat for a double row, double mat for a single row, or a single mat for a single row. If you prefer a natural look, just add mulch on top of the mat.

   Because TreeDiaper® garden mat is made from durable materials, it can be used for years. Water release rate varies depending on indoor or outdoor plants, temperature, air flow, and humidity. In one test, the mat continued to release water for a full two months.

   To enter to win one of the three TreeDiaper® garden mat twin-packs, send an email to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com by 5:00pm on October 31 with “TreeDiaper® garden mat” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the October 2022 issue and why. Please also include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on or about November 1.


UPDATE:

The winners of the  “TreeDiaper® garden mat” in our October 2022 Reader Contest are: 

Robert Alonso

Marsha Douma

Marjorie Smith

Congratulations to all!

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Monday, October 24, 2022

Monday Thoughts: "Trees and plants always look like the people they live with, somehow." - Zora Neale Hurston

"Trees and plants always look like the people they live with, somehow."

- Zora Neale Hurston

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Saturday, October 22, 2022

GardenDC Podcast Episode 125: Garden Lessons Learned

In this episode, we talk with Ashlie Thomas aka The Mocha Gardener and author of How to Become a Gardener: Find empowerment in creating your own food security.* The plant profile is on Brazlian Verbena and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We also introduce a new segment -- The Last Word.



*Amazon affiliate link

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: 01:07 Introducing The Mocha Gardener Ashlie Thomas, author of How to Become a Gardener: Find empowerment in creating your own food security 01:58 How did Ashlie get into gardening? 03:12 Ashlie’s first garden 06:30 From gardener to teacher 08:15 "I wanted to really not just grow food for ourselves, but for our family." -Ashlie 09:29 What grows in Ashlie's zone? 13:11 About Ashlie's book 15:44 "There are so many things that are working in harmony to really create this beautiful space we call a garden." -Ashlie 20:45 How to stay resilient in the face of adversity 25:52 Setting a pace at the start of the season 31:47 "When you slow down and really look at the space you're cultivating, it helps you become more informed." -Ashlie 35:05 Freedom through food 42:17 Gardening with respect 46:38 Gratitude in the garden 48:24 “Gratitude unlocks the fullness in our lives.” 50:26 How to get in touch with Ashlie 53:10 This week’s plant profile… Brazilian Verbena (Verbena bonariensis)! 54:48 What’s new in the Garden? Virginia witch hazel, final harvests, and a new magazine release 55:51 What’s going on around town? Orchid auction and native plant sale 58:12 The last word from… Kathy Jentz on appreciating and supporting local Public Gardens

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 92: Universal Gardening Truths
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/02/gardendc-podcast-episode-92-universal.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 74: Garden FAQs
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-74-garden-faqs.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
Editing: Brandie Bland
Show Notes: Jaime Breeden

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