Saturday, July 01, 2023

GardenDC Podcast Episode 154: Townhouse Gardening


In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we chat with David Yost, horticulturist and plant specialist, Merrifield Garden Center, all about small-space and townhouse gardening. The plant profile is on Vitex 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 returning guest, Doug Oster, who gives the Last Word on Succession Planting.

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Show Notes: 01:08 Meet David Yost of Merrifield Garden Center. 02:21 Yost’s time on the “Merrifield’s Gardening Advisor” TV program for over 16 years. 04:32 How to access past episodes of “Merrifield’s Gardening Advisor” and what hosting it meant to Yost. (Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MGardeningAd...) 06:29 The history of Merrifield Gardening Center. 09:38 What differentiates Merrifield from other gardening centers? 11:11 Yost used to be a customer of Merrifield before entering college and later joining their staff. 13:08 Yost’s history with an interest in plants and gardening - as well as his difficult adjustment to keeping plants alive. 16:16 How the local Master Gardeners came to join Merrifield after losing funding for his volunteer program. 18:41 Yost’s introduction to getting to host a TV program and his additional outreach with Merrifield. 21:15 Moving from a large gardening space to a smaller one can be a difficult change - but it can also be a blessing. 24:40 Yost’s garden creep. 25:40 “If you don’t correct and get drainage problems straight from the beginning, they never get better.” 26:31 What you have to do to adjust to a smaller gardening space – and Yost’s priorities. 29:45 “I learned because I’ve made every mistake and I’ve killed every plant there is.” 30:12 Plant diversity in the garden. 32:28 Yost’s color scheme to promote cohesiveness in his garden. 33:53 Host Kathy Jentz’s method of grouping by color. 35:28 “I think it is important when you’re in a small space that plant selection becomes more critical.” 36:09 People love to nurture their plants, but hate fighting with them, so sometimes emphasizing easier-care plants can improve your experience. 36:48 Yost’s experience with fighting mildew and how plants do in different environments. 39:28 Groundcovers in the garden. 40:51 Using Dwarf Mondo Grass in your garden may take time to fill in. 42:53 More groundcover choices for the small garden. 46:38 Keeping borders to your gardens. 47:37 Using perennials in place of shrubs to fit your own needs. 52:19 Space is more precious in a small garden, but you still have an incredible amount of options if you do your research. 53:47 HOAs and gardening: “If you work to meet the intent most people are reasonable, and they’re going to work with you.” 57:33 Don’t always try to follow HOA guidelines to the letter as they may not lead you in the right direction, but always work to communicate with your neighbors. 58:32 Growing edibles in your small-space/townhouse garden. 1:00:46 Contacting Yost and the Merrifield Garden Center. (Visit the website here: https://www.merrifieldgardencenter.com/) (Email: dyost@mgcmail.com) 1:02:40 Advice for new homeowners who want to start their garden. 1:04:00 Vitex: This week’s Plant Profile! 1:07:30 Garden Updates: The Abelia shrubs are blooming, the Gladiolus bulbs put on flower spikes, and the ‘Parisian’ Carrots have been dug up. 1:07:54 Upcoming Events: The American Iris Society’s annual sale; Penn State’s “Turf and Ornamental’s School” (https://extension.psu.edu/turf-orname... Garlic Fest at the Takoma Park Farmers Market; Montgomery County’s Annual Agricultural Farm Tour (https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/ag... Maryland Native Plant Society meeting over Zoom. 1:09:51 “Groundcover Revolution” by Kathy Jentz. 1:11:13 “The Urban Garden” by Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight. 1:12:13 The Last Word on Succession Planting by Doug Oster. 1:14:54 Why YOU should attempt succession planting. If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to: ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 66: Small-Space Gardening https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-66-small-space.html ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 143: Balcony Food Growing https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-143-balcony.html

This episode is archived at: 

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.

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

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