Monday, July 31, 2023

Monday Thoughts: “The garden reconciles human art and wild nature, hard work and deep pleasure, spiritual practice and the material world. It is a magical place because it is not divided.” - Thomas Moore

“The garden reconciles human art and wild nature, hard work and deep pleasure, spiritual practice and the material world. It is a magical place because it is not divided.” 

- Thomas Moore

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Saturday, July 29, 2023

GardenDC Podcast Episode 158: Garden Transformations

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we chat with Claudia Kousoulas author of Private Gardens of the Potomac and Chesapeake: Washington, DC, Maryland, Northern Virginia*, about garden design transformations. The plant profile is on Pickerel Weed 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 close out Dr. Allan Armitage**, who returns to share the Last Word on Plant Pronunciations.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 89: Working with a Landscape Designer

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-89-working.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 148: Garden Design for Plant Collectors

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-149-garden.html

This episode is archived at: 

*Amazon affiliate book link: https://amzn.to/47aUp0O. Any purchases made from the link may add a few pennies to the GardenDC account, but will not impact the prices you pay.

**Dr. Allan Armitage is offering GardenDC listeners a discount for free domestic shipping when ordering his books through June 2024 at allanarmitage.net, simply enter the code LASTWORD at checkout.

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 
See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support.

Show Notes: 01:11 Meet Claudia Kousoulas, author of “Private Gardens of the Potomac and Chesapeake: Washington, DC, Maryland, Northern Virginia.” 3:11 Kousoulas comes at growing from a design standpoint, attempting to create a beautiful and usable environment for the tenants. 6:46 What does “the Potomac and Chesapeake” include? What is the area like? 10:02 Kousoulas’ book includes a plant list at the end of each garden profile, letting readers know what the garden uses and can compare which are more common and which go together. 11:55 The starting points of design: the “business end.” 13:27 Chapman Stables: What can we learn from the design? 17:27 Rooftop gardens are beautiful, but have a weight limit and particular depth making it a bit of a learning experience. 19:07 “Gardens are for people:” They can bring together people and communities, and the placement of gardens depends on the owner’s preferences on sound, look, practicality, and more. 23:00 Being a landscape gardener means tapping into psychology, but what does that mean? 27:37 Kousoulas chose the landscapes by finding actual landscape designers and asked them which their favorites from their actual portfolios were. 29:24 Integrating the garden with the home. 34:05 Ipe wood is a common choice for designers as a sustainable, sturdy, and outdoor choice. 35:20 Garden “rooms” give the owners segmentation in their lives, letting them separate peaceful areas from noisy ones (or choose not to). 37:37 The Taylor Residence: A residence that bought the lot next door to expand their garden, allowing them to create their personal little botanical garden. 41:15 Contact Kousoulas through her email: appetite@kousoulas.com. 41:28 Find Kousoulas’ book on Amazon, through Schiffer Publishing, or locally at East City Books or at Politics and Prose. 43:10 Pickerel Weed: This week’s Plant Profile! 44:58 Garden Updates: The Lycoris is blooming and Zucchini plants are pumping out squash. 45:36 Dr. Allan Armitage is offering GardenDC listeners a discount for free domestic shipping when ordering his books through June 2024 at https://www.allanarmitage.net/, Simply enter the code LASTWORD at checkout. 46:17 Upcoming Events: Friends of the National Arboredum’s Herb Garden Goodies (https://www.fona.org/); the American Horticultural Society’s River Farm Anniversary Picnic (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/river-fa... Visiting Oak Spring Gardens (https://www.osgf.org/visiting) 48:03 “The Urban Garden” by Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight. 49:03 “Groundcover Revolution” by Kathy Jentz. 50:25 The Last Word on Plant Pronunciations by Dr. Allan Armitage. 51:20 One place to find the “correct pronunciations” is at the back of The American Gardener. However, Dr. Armitage has his own advice.

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/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 podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Interview Editor and Show Notes: Marissa Yelenik

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Friday, July 28, 2023

Fenton Friday: Peppers through a Prism


The 'Prism' Pepper plant we were sent to try out from PanAmerican Seed was laying on the ground, so I picked it up and propped it inside a tomato cage and that is when I saw it is loaded with peppers. They are a mid-sized pepper so some appear to be full-sized. Now we just have to wait for them to turn orange or red to pick them, although I like green sweet peppers, too.

I weeded out a section of overgrown and nonproductive strawberry runners and dug a trench where I finally planted the two packages of 'Mary Washington' Asparagus in that I bought from https://harvesting-history.com/ in the spring. Not ideal timing, but as they say "better done, than perfect." I also planted a few Thai Basil plants there that were languishing in a plant tray that I kept pushing to the side when I was working on other stuff, poor things.

The baby Celosia seedlings transplants have recovered from last week's rough treatment and are growing well.

The Zucchini 'Incredible Escalator' is trying to take over the world and I've managed to grab a few tendrils and start training them up the trellis. We'll see how that works when they are loaded with heavy squash on them. 

The cutting garden is coming along -- but the Zinnias and Dahliasare still the only things with flowers showing yet. I cannot wait to see what the blooms on the Cosmos 'Apricotta', Scabiosa 'Black Knight' and Cornflower 'Velvet Dawn' look like! I anticipate the combination of peach-pink and black-purple is going to be amazing,

How is your garden plot 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 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 12th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)  See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).
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Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Vitex Plant Profile

Vitex Plant Profile

Chaste Tree (Vitex spp.) is a small tree that is native to the Mediterranean and Asia. It has been cultivated for thousands of years both for its ornamental value and herbal uses.

The tree blooms profusely in mid-July. The flowers are fragrant and the leaves are also scented. It also produces a fruit, which is technically a drupe, but is commonly referred to as a berry. The seeds from the dried fruit are ground and used as a pungent peppery spice. The seeds, the roots, and bark are all used in traditional medicine.

Vitex is a great addition to the butterfly garden. It is reported that our native pollinators all visit the Chaste Tree. The Vitex flowers also make the most valuable and best varieties of honey. 

This is a fast-growing tree that grows to a height of about 20 feet within a few years and then expands to about 20 feet in width.

Vitex is often mistaken for Butterfly Bush (Buddleia spp.) as the flower panicles are similar. They are light purple and upward-pointing, but their leaves are very different looking. As a matter of fact, the foliage of the Chaste Tree is often mistaken for Cannabis, because of the fine-toothed leaf pattern!

It is also known as the Texas Lilac tree or the Arabian Lilac. Vitex can thrive in heat where real Lilacs would whither, so it is widely available and popular in the Southern US.

Chaste Tree prefers well-drained soil and full sun. Once the root system is developed, Vitex is drought-tolerant.  It is best to plant it during the spring, after the soil has warmed up, to give it plenty of time to develop its root system before the winter season.

Prune it in early spring to remove any crossing and dead branches. Also remove any upright sprouts. Then train it to be a tree form or shrub shape as you wish. Vitex can also be a good container-grown tree. Snip off the spent flowers right after they start to lose their color to encourage a rebloom about six weeks later.

Vitex is deer-resistant due to the fragrance. Wear gloves when handling this plant. As with many aromatic plants, skin contact can cause an allergic reaction.

Vitex agnus-castus, the straight species, and the cultivar ‘Shoal Creek’ are available in tree form at many area garden centers. Among the newer cultivars are compact shrub forms like ‘Pink Pinnacle’ and ‘Blue Pinnacle.’ Also, look for the dwarf ‘Blue Diddley’.

Warning that the round-leaved Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) was brought to the East Coast in the 1980s for use as a coastal soil stabilizer. It has now naturalized in some states and is an aggressive spreader. It is not available for purchase commercially.

Vitex: You Can Grow That!

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

Video and editing by Taylor Edwards

Audio and text by Kathy Jentz

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Monday, July 24, 2023

Monday Thoughts: “Gardening is how I relax. It's another form of creating and playing with colors.” - Oscar de la Renta

 

“Gardening is how I relax. It's another form of creating and playing with colors.” 

- Oscar de la Renta

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Sunday, July 23, 2023

Win a 2024 "Cottage Love" calendar from Workman Publishing

Update! Our contest winner is Joanna Protz of Lynch Station, VA.

For our July 2023 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away a 2024 calendar from Workman Publishing (value $16, workman.com). Workman 2024 calendars are the perfect gift for the green thumbs and nature enthusiasts in your life. 

The Cottage Love calendar celebrates cottage living all year long: cozy, relaxed, and filled with natural beauty. Cottage Love celebrates the cottagecore aesthetic with a year of transportive, full-color photographs and quotes that embody its simpler, back to nature ideals. A rustic wood cabin is almost swallowed up by exuberantly overgrown greenery. A quirky potting shed jumbled with tools and supplies promises a beautiful garden ahead. Freshly picked vegetables and a bouquet of sunflowers make for a cheerful, pastoral still life. And a hammock slung under a cherry tree is just the invitation you need for an alfresco nap. With every glance, escape to the countryside and a life of pure tranquility. Printed on responsibly sourced paper.

   To enter to win a  Cottage Love calendar from Workman Publishing, send an email to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com by 5:00pm on July 31 with “Garden Calendar” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the July 2023 Washington Gardener issue and why. Please also include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on August 1.

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Saturday, July 22, 2023

GardenDC Podcast Episode 157: Ginger and Turmeric

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we chat with herbalist Susan Belsinger, all about growing Ginger and Turmeric. The plant profile is on Eggplant 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 close out with the Last Word on Mini Meadow Design by Graham Gardner, author of Tiny + Wild*.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 109: Lavender

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-109-lavender.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 16: Garlic

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-16-garlic.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 62: Edible Flowers

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-62-edible.html

This episode is archived at: 

*Amazon affiliate link. Any purchases here made there may add a few pennies to the GardenDC account, but will not impact the prices you pay.

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 
See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support.

SHOW NOTES: 01:05 Meet Susan Belsinger: herbalist, culinary educator, food writer, photographer, and author. 02:36 Belsinger’s current growing environment in Howard County, Maryland. 03:30 Belsinger visited North Africa and Italy where she became interested in and learned how to grow her own herbs. 06:20 How Belsinger got her first article published in a cooking magazine with Carolyn Dillie. 09:18 The Smithsonian Folklife Festival: The Ozarks. 14:06 Public engagement with Belsinger’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival display, 14:53 Visitors showed a lot of interest in the weeds Belsinger brought, as well as ginger and turmeric. 18:37 Belsinger grows vegetables (Tomatoes, Peppers, etc.), herbs (Basil, Dill, Cilantro, etc.), a pollinator garden (Milkweed, Elderberry, etc.), and a Mediterranean herb bed (Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, etc.). 24:38 Growing ginger at home. 26:20 How and when to plant your ginger to promote sprouting. As a tropical plant, ginger sprouts when it is hot out, so Belsinger recommends planting in April in preparation for the hotter months. 27:35 What to do when your ginger sprouts. 28:30 Ginger will not grow as big in pots, but don’t feel discouraged if that is your only space. 29:10 What should you do after harvesting your ginger to get it to come back next year? 33:23 Belsinger’s 5-year-old ginger plant. 36:20 Do ginger/turmeric flower? How much of the plant is edible? 39:29 The medicinal usage of ginger: from stomach issues to blood flow. 44:36 Belsinger’s experience as the “village herbalist” at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. 45:40 Ginger is also a great culinary ingredient, both savory and sweet. From ginger snaps (https://susanbelsinger.com/triple-gin...) to ginger syrup (https://www.finegardening.com/article..., there are tons of options. (Recipe for ginger syrup can also be found at https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipe...) 48:30 Making pickled ginger is always a great option and a great gift to friends and family. 50:19 Find Susan Belsinger through her website (https://susanbelsinger.com/), on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/susan.belsin..., or on Instagram (@cookinwithherbs). 53:20 Eggplant: This week’s Plant Profile! 55:10 Garden Updates: First Zucchini and Zinnia blooms, as well as Coneflower and Goldenrod. 56:40 Upcoming Events: Arlington Central Library’s Vegetables for Fall and Winter Harvest (https://arlingtonurbanag.org/garden-t... Battling Bugs at the USBG (https://usbg.doubleknot.com/registrat... Art in the Garden by Tudor Place (https://tudorplace.org/event/art-in-t... Washington Gardener Magazine’s Tomato Tasting. 58:42 “Groundcover Revolution” by Kathy Jentz. 1:00:03 “The Urban Garden” by Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight. 1:01:03 The Last Word on Mini Meadow Design by Graham Gardner. 1:03:19 Gardner’s planting strategy to create a “spontaneous, yet considered” mini meadow.

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/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 podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Interview Editor and Show Notes: Marissa Yelenik

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