"I have my own flower and vegetable garden, and I’ve realized deadheading is a great metaphor for life: clear out the old, so you can put energy into the new." - Emma Lovewell
Monday, April 29, 2024
Saturday, April 27, 2024
GardenDC Podcast Episode 192: Urban Agriculture
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 175: Herstory of DC Gardens
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/12/gardendc-podcast-episode-175-herstory.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 143: Balcony Food Growing
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-143-balcony.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 68: Summer Vegetables
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-68-summer.html
This episode is archived at:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Urban-Agriculture-e2itl6g
BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month!
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SHOW NOTES will be posted after 5-1-2024.
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Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Interview Edit and Show Notes: Hannah Zozobrado
PIN THIS FOR LATER!
Friday, April 26, 2024
Fenton Friday: Garden Envy
Earlier this week, we visited the UMD Community Learning Garden on the College Park, MD, campus. I have to admit to a bit of garden envy when I saw their rain barrels up on high platforms connected to drip irrigation lines running through their raised beds. However, what I envied most was the turnout they had, a few dozen students were there weeding and planting. Oh, what I could do with all that youthful energy and enthusiasm! (Of course, we have an intern or two helping out each semester at our plot, so I count myself fortunate in that respect.) I'll share more pics from the UMD garden visit to our social media (@WDCgardener on Instagram and Twitter/X) in the next few days.
It has been a very dry week in our plot. I have had to go over twice to water the lettuce, pea, radish, and carrot seedlings and also put a cover cloth over the broccoli plant. It is supposed to get near 90 degrees on Sunday and I'm afraid the poor cool-season plants will not be able to cope. I'll see if I can get back over that morning and cover all the seedlings plus water them in well.
What are you growing in your edible garden 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 13th 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).
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Arugula Plant Profile
Arugula Plant
Profile
Arugula (Eruca vesicaria) is a cool-season edible plant that has a nutty and peppery zing. It is
a great addition to salads, on pizza, in sandwiches, or in pasta dishes.
It is also known as
Rocket or Colewort. It grows best when planted in the early spring and late
summer into fall. Pick a location for them in full sun to part-shade.
Plant the seeds a
quarter inch deep in rich garden soil that is free of weeds or in a large
container. The seeds germinate in a week or so. Water them regularly, if they
do not receive an inch or two of rain per week.
After the seedlings
are a couple weeks old, you can thin them by snipping out the smaller and
weaker ones or gently pulling them out so as not to disturb the roots of the
remaining seedlings. The seedlings you removed can be eaten as you would any
microgreen.
You can harvest the
leaves at any stage and keep coming back to harvest more throughout the season.
Snip off the biggest, outer leaves and let the younger, inner leaves keep
growing. Do not cut the leaves lower than 2 inches from the base of the plant
or they may not regenerate for you.
Once the weather
starts to get hot in our region, usually by early June, the arugula plants will
bolt – sending up a flower stem and then set seed. Arugula leaves are usually too
bitter to eat at this point. Collect
these seeds for sowing in the fall and you can also eat the seeds adding them
to stews and bean dishes.
Flea beetles will chew holes in the arugula leaves, so cover
them with a garden fabric in spring to prevent the beetles from doing so. You
can also use the cover cloth for the fall crop of arugula as extra insulation
against mild frosts.
Arugula: 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 Christine
Folivi
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~ Chamomile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/06/chamomile-plant-profile.html
~ Bronze Fennel https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/07/bronze-fennel-plant-profile.html
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Win a Flowerbulb.eu Gift Card in the April 2024 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest
Win a Flowerbulb.eu Gift Card in the April 2024 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest! For our April 2024 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away a Flowerbulb.eu gift card (value $100).
Flowerbulb.eu is the place to learn all there is to know about flower bulbs. It is not a site for purchasing bulbs; it is dedicated to providing education and inspiration on all thing’s bulb related. It’s time to buy your summer-flowering bulbs now. Your pollinators will love them! Follow Flowerbulb.eu on social media for stunning images and fun DIY projects. Visit Flowerbulb.eu to learn more.To enter to win the gift card, send an email to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com by 5:00pm on Tuesday, April 30, with “Flowerbulb.eu” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the April 2024 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine issue and why. Include your full name and address. The winner will be announced by May 1.
UPDATE: Our contest winner is Jen Defensor! Congratulations, Jen.
Monday, April 22, 2024
Monday Thoughts: “We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” - Aldo Leopold
“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”
- Aldo Leopold
Sunday, April 21, 2024
April 2024 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine –Flowering Almond, Salad Greens, Garden Tours, and much more…
The April 2024 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is out.
Inside this issue:
·
Delightful Dwarf Flowering Almond
·
Long-Blooming Catmints
·
Spring Garden Tour Listing
·
Sip the Azalea Cocktail
·
Two Exceptional Native Ephemerals
·
Combatting Fungus Gnats
·
Great Gardening Books Reviewed
·
Salad Greens: Endive, Escarole, Mustard, and
Cress
·
Meet FOOP’s Founder
·
Year of the Lily
·
and much more…
Note that any submissions, event listings, and
advertisements for the May 2024 issue are due by May 5.
>> Subscribe to
Washington Gardener Magazine today to have the monthly publication
sent to your inbox as a PDF several days before it is available online. You can
use the PayPal (credit card) online order form here: https://www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm
Saturday, April 20, 2024
GardenDC Podcast Episode 191: Plastics in Gardening
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 101: Sustainable Lawn Care
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-101.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 147: Sustainable Gardening Practices
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-147.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 117: Environmentally Friendly Gardening
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-117.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 189: Organic Gardening
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-189-organic.html
This episode is archived at:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Plastic-in-Gardening-e2ijckr
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 will be posted after 4-23-2024.
Read more about the Healthy Pots, Healthy Planet initiative the April 2021 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/04/april-2021-issue-of-washington-gardener.html
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- Google Podcasts at this link (note that currently, this link will only work on Android devices.)
Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Interview Edit and Show Notes: Hannah Zozobrado
PIN THIS FOR LATER!
Friday, April 19, 2024
Fenton Friday: Potatoes Planted
This week, I finally got the potatoes planted. They are Dark Red Norland seed potatoes that I got from Valley View Farms in March. I had this potato grow bag (see photo at right) that was given to me a few years ago sitting around and thought I'd finally use it to test our grow potatoes in it. There is a flat on one side near the bottom that is attached with velcro, so you can open it and harvest the potatoes then reclose it and let them keep growing. I'll be eager to see if this will be easier than digging and hilling them as you normally would when growing potatoes.
What are you growing in your edible garden 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 13th 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).
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Top Local Spots for Azalea Viewing: Best Bloom Displays in the DC-MD-VA Region
Top Local Spots for Azalea Viewing: Best Bloom Displays in the DC-MD-VA Region - updated for 2024
What is a spring in the Mid-Atlantic without abundant azalea blooms? Masses of bright blossoms make for a wonderful sight after a long, cold winter. Sure, they can be over-used at times, but the reason we love them so much is because they are so successful and reliable in our gardens.
Azalea season runs from April through June with early-, mid-, and late-season blooming shrubs. (Though technically, with the new re-blooming varieties, the flowering season can extend through fall.) Be sure to re-visit some of these locations throughout the several weeks of bloom so you can enjoy the changing mix of colors as different varieties wax and wane.
A few years ago, Washington Gardener Magazine asked local azalea fans for their favorite bloom-viewing spots in our region. “I’ve always enjoyed the ride along Prosperity Avenue between Little River Turnpike and Route 50 in Fairfax County, VA. Many homes have beautiful, mature azaleas,” said Rick Bauer, president of the Northern Virginia Chapter, the Azalea Society of America.
“My first place vote will always go to the National Arboretum,” said Mike Welsh, retired city gardener for Takoma Park, MD. “It has everything: a great collection, many different forms and varieties, the wonderful lay of the land for viewing, and a central location. By far, the most fascinating lore and history. It gets better, year after year. All one needs do is to go and look at the faces of those visiting and witness first-hand their expressed pleasure and their interaction with those beautiful azaleas.”
Mike’s professional gardening domain was Takoma Park, MD, which is well-known for its many beautiful azaleas, in both private and public gardens. The location is the former home of Benjamin Y. Morrison, the famed horticulturist who was the founder and first director of the U. S. National Arboretum. Morrison is noted for cross-breeding different strains of azaleas to produce the Glenn Dale azaleas, which are prevalent today throughout the eastern United States. Morrison lived near Piney Branch Road and many of his Glenn Dale introductions can be seen throughout the city’s private home gardens and public parks.
Azaleas at the USNA bonsai collection. Photo courtesy of DCGardens.com |
• Brighton Dam in Brookeville, MD, has more than 20,000 azaleas and is provided by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.
• Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD, features more than 300 varieties of azaleas represented by 2,000 plants.
• Landon School in Bethesda, MD, hosts an annual Azalea Festival on the first weekend of May. The Perkins Gardens include 15,000 azaleas.
• The U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC, is where thousands of azaleas cover the flanks of Mount Hamilton in a blaze of color.
• McCrillis Gardens in Bethesda, MD, was the private collection of an azalea gardener before being given to Montgomery County Parks in 1978.
• Franciscan Monastery in Washington, DC, features a hillside of azaleas on its 40-acre grounds.
• U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, DC, and the adjacent grounds of the U.S. Capitol building offer both native azaleas and Asian kinds in many colors.
• Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Gardens in Washington, DC, includes hundreds of azaleas sprinkled throughout the many garden rooms.
• Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA, has a small collection of natives and some Asian varieties.
• Rachel Carson Conservation Park, in Olney, MD, is known, in part, for Rachel Carson’s famous wild azaleas (Pinxters), which are in full bloom in mid- to late-May.
• Norfolk Botanical Garden in Norfolk, VA, contains an azalea collection with more than 50,000 plants representing more than 550 species in full bloom. They also host an annual Azalea Celebration Week in early May.
• Cylburn Arboretum in Baltimore, MD, is known for its Azalea Trail and offers guided walks on occasion.
• Maymont in Richmond, VA, includes a Japanese Garden with spectacular combinations of azaleas, Japanese Maples, and spring-flowering trees.
• Annmarie Garden in Solomons, MD, has about 500 shrubs in its Glenn Dales collection established in 1997 and tended by volunteer gardeners.
Did we leave any of your favorite local azalea viewing spots off this list? Let us know where you go to be amongst “the royalty of the garden.”
Here are some tips and sources for growing great azaleas in YOUR garden:
- All About Azaleas https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-9-all-things.html
- Azalea Plant Profile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2018/05/plant-profile-azaleas.html
- Azalea Society of America https://www.azaleas.org/
- A reader tip: "White's Nursery supplies many of these places with their azaleas. There are hundreds of varieties. The prices are very reasonable because it is a one-man business. Mike White does it as a hobby. Even if you don't need azaleas, go look at the beautiful flowers at 22531 Wildcat Rd Germantown, MD."
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