Friday, May 31, 2024

Fenton Friday: It's Blackberry Time


Much better news from the garden plot this week after last week's bus crash incident.

I cleaned up the pollinator garden area - raking out many pieces of metal, concrete, and other odd debris. A few pieces of Milkweed and Calendula are actually showing new life and sending out new leaves! I planted several Lemon Basil plants, a few Thai Peppers, and assorted other herbs along with some Calendula seedlings I still had on hand as well as a row of Marigold seeds. Then I re-set the "Pollinator & Herb Garden" sign.

In our own community garden plot, I harvested Lettuce for a couple of salads and cut scapes off the Garlic. I plan to make some fresh pesto with the latter in a few days. 

The Dahlia plants that overwintered there are growing quite large and I need to make time next week to get the cutting garden section seeded and planted.

I took the new interns over to show them around. Next week, we'll plant the Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplant. 

The big news though is that the first Blackberry ripened his week and I picked another handful today. I think I'll get a few quarts of them by early next week. That is, if my mesh netting and fake snake (https://amzn.to/3X66Loi -- Amazon affiliate link) do their jobs of keeping birds and squirrels away.

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, May 30, 2024

Meet the New Interns

This summer, I have taken on two editorial interns. Look for their author bylines in our upcoming Washington Gardener Magazine issues and on this blog as well as our GardenDC Podcast and YouTube channel. As a first assignment, I asked them to write a short introduction to our readers.


My name is Esha Bhatti (pictured at left) and I am a senior at the University of Maryland in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. I’m a multi-platform journalism major with a concentration in public policy. I decided to pursue journalism after I witnessed how minority Americans such as myself are often misrepresented by mainstream media. I hope to bolster the voices of these individuals so that they can be the writers of their own stories. I served as head of the Howard Community College Times from 2021-2022, contributed diversion stories to The Diamondback in 2023, and most recently wrote about campus life at Her Campus magazine. I garden a little bit at my home in Highland, MDm with my mom, and have always loved being outdoors. I’m thrilled to be a part of the Washington Gardener team this summer with hopes of nurturing a shared love of gardening among people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs.

Hello! My name is Josh Panepento (pictured at right) and I am a rising senior journalism major at the University of Maryland. On campus, I am the editor-in-chief and reporter for Terrapin Sports Central and a reporter for Maryland Baseball Network. My earliest gardening experience is helping my mom and grandmother with their gardens. In elementary school, my mom bought each of my two sisters and me a sunflower and taught us how to take care of it. I still enjoy helping her with her backyard garden and trying to learn what I can. I am excited to attend events, tell local stories, and learn more about gardening this summer.


Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Win a copy of Growing Herbs for Health, Wellness, Cooking, and Crafts by Kim Roman in the May 2024 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest

 

Win a copy of Growing Herbs for Health, Wellness, Cooking, and Crafts: Includes 51 Culinary Herbs & Spices, 25 Recipes, and 18 Craftsby Kim Roman in the May 2024 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest! (The prize retail value is $19.99.)

   Learn everything you need to know to start your own culinary herb garden in this comprehensive guide about how to get started growing herbs and spices, whether indoors or outdoors. The book includes 51 useful herb plant profiles, including echinacea, St. John’s Wort, turmeric, elderberry, ginger, chamomile, Tulsi (holy basil), anise, hyssop, and many more. The author also shares a few of her favorite recipes where herbs are the star ingredient, including marinades, salad vinaigrettes, infused oils, delicious cocktails or mocktails, herbed and plain focaccia bread, teas, and more.

  To enter to win the gift card, send an email to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@

gmail.com by 5:00pm on Friday, May 31, with “Growing Herbs” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the May 2024 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine issue and why. Include your full name and address. The winner will be announced on June 1.

*Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3KpPy1j 
If you order after clicking the link we made receive a few pennies, but it will not effect the cost of your books and other products.

Monday, May 27, 2024

Monday Thoughts: “There is simply the rose; it is perfect every moment of its existence.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

 “There is simply the rose; it is perfect every moment of its existence.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

For other Garden Quotes by Emerson, click here.

Saturday, May 25, 2024

GardenDC Podcast Episode 196: Small Town Arboretum

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with returning guest Phil Normandy about a small town arboretum. The plant profile is on Creeping Raspberry and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events and this week's garden tasks in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Stumpy's Farewell from Christy Page of Green Prints.

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 75: Versatile Virburnums

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-75-versatile.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 190: Dogwoods

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-190-dogwoods.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 6: Spring-Flowering Trees and Shrubs

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-6-spring.html

This episode is archived at: 

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Small-Town-Arboretum-e2k3mku

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: 0:56 Welcome Phil Normandy, retired plant collections manager at Brookside Gardens 1:50 Phil’s home garden: he’s planting amsonia, baptisia, and more 4:50 The background of Garrett Park, MD, a town known for its trees 7:53 How Phil started his work in Garrett Park as the town arborist 8:10 Phil shares the story of Barbara Shidler’s work in the 1970s to make Garrett Park an arboretum 11:46 Are new people moving into Garrett Park? 12:37 Phil shares his worries that developers may tear down trees to build large homes 14:17 Tulip Poplar trees are prevalent in Garrett Park 16:47 Which trees do we typically encounter in the D.C. area and how old are they? 18:00 How to properly take care of your trees and how Phil tends to the diseased trees in Garrett Park 21:17 Stewartia is one of the most popular small trees in Garrett Park 22:09 Phil’s failure to grow Franklinia and why it didn’t work 25:06 What Phil has learned about variegated plants 27:46 Other understory trees in Garrett Park: Dove Trees 31:28 There’s an interest in adding more natives to Garrett Park so they added Serviceberries, Fringe trees, and more 33:33 Phil leads guided walks around the town’s arboretum twice a year 35:10 What has Phil planted in Garrett Park recently? 35:47 To find maps and learn more about the arboretum go to garrettparkmd.gov/ 38:10 Phil and Kathy break down how trees are analyzed on the website 41:05 Phil’s favorite trees in Garrett Park: Nordmann Fir and Dawn Redwood 43:07 How to create your own arboretum; it’s a tough task, but achievable 43:42 To learn more or get in contact with Phil and the town government visit garrettparkmd.gov/ 46:05 Phil’s final thoughts: a message of gratitude to Garrett Park 46:57 Plant Profile: Creeping Raspberry 49:52 What’s new in the garden this week? Spirea, astilbe, radish, and a school bus crash 50:32 Upcoming events in the Maryland, D.C., and Virginia area – Memorial Day weekend art and nature festival at the National Botanic Garden. The Farmyard and American Landscape Institute’s 5th annual plant sale fundraiser on June 1st. Washington Youth Garden picnic party on June 8th. 51:53 GardenDC is nominated for a People’s Choice HORTI award 52:25 This week’s garden tip on Clematis 53:15 Check out Groundcover Revolution by Kathy Jentz for low-maintenance alternatives for lawns on Amazon.com and Bookshop.org 55:40 Christy Page from GreenPrints on Stumpy’s farewell, a cherry blossom tale, an article by Don Nicholas

Please vote for GardenDC in the first-ever GardenComm’s People’s Choice Horti Awards.Voting happens now through 6/15. Go HERE: 

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
Show Notes: Josh Panepento

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Friday, May 24, 2024

Fenton Friday: A Bus Came Through

Fenton pollinator garden pre-bus crash. Photo by Cassie Peo.

Fenton pollinator garden post-bus crash and fence repairs.

I woke up Monday to the sound of sirens and the sight of a school bus lodged on the corner fence of the Fenton Street Community Garden like a beached whale. It was reported that no children were on board and that no one was hurt during this crash. However, three of our garden plots suffered damage and the heavy-duty deer fence itself was a tangled mess.
   You can see pics of the bus crash and the immediate aftermath here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C7Mj-1gOcYe/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
    
The pollinator garden we had planted on the outside corner of the fence took the brunt of the crash and suffered even more damage from the works putting in the temporary fence replacement along with the final repairs that took place yesterday. I went over this morning and saw that nothing was salvageable from the plantings -- those included the sunny and colorful Calendula you see at top in the "before" pic along with several Borage plants and a dozen or so Common Milkweeds plus many Marigold and Zinnia seedlings that were just emerging.

I hope to be over there in the next few days to clear the debris out -- a lot of sharp metal pieces and other junk are strewn about. Then, I have some herb seedlings left from the Silver Spring Garden Club's GardenMart sale that I can plant along with some packs of marigolds and zinnias.  I'll share an updated "after" shot next week.

In my own plot, the Radishes, Cilantro, and Spinach are already bolting - as is my Broccoli, which is under a covercloth! It hasn't been that hot out, but apparently, the plants think otherwise. 

I have a bit of weeding to do and the new interns start next week, so we'll plant the warm-season seedlings together then including tomatoes, peppers, and maybe an eggplant.

I also am behind on my cutting garden due to this bus crash and the fact that the row of purple Zinnias I planted two weeks ago was chewed on by, well, I'm not sure. Maybe rabbits. Could be slugs. I'll re-sow those seeds and out Sluggo pellets out and a covercloth over them this time.

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, May 23, 2024

May 2024 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine –Native Azaleas, Green Heron, Summer Squash, and much more…


The May 2024 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is out. 

Inside this issue:

·         Native Azaleas

·         Battling the Red-Headed Flea Beetle

·         Meet NWF’s Rosalie Bull

·         Growing Summer Squash

·         Lithops: Rock Your World

·         Great Gardening Books Reviewed

·         A Visit to the Sandy Spring Museum

·         Gold Medal Plants

·         Summer Bulbs Bring Joy

·         Green Herons

·         A New Geum

·         and much more…

Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the June 2024 issue are due by June 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



Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Native Azaleas Plant Profile

 

Native Azaleas Plant Profile

Native Azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) are flowering shrubs that are found in the woodlands on the East Coast of the USA. They do best in light, dappled sunlight.

One of the most striking characteristics of native azaleas is their strong, sweet fragrance, which is often compared to that of honeysuckles. The flowers also resemble clusters of honeysuckle blossoms. Hence, the common name for native azaleas of Wild Honeysuckle.

Native azaleas are deciduous—dropping their leaves in the fall. While the Japanese and Korean azaleas are mainly evergreen as are most of their hybrids. Native azaleas prefer moist, well-drained, acidic soil that is high in organic matter.

The Piedmont azalea (Rhododendron canescens) or the Southern pinxter azalea is native from the Carolinas south to Florida and west to east Texas. The flowers are shades of white, pink, and red. It can grow to 10 feet wide and high and has an airy, open growing habit. It is hardy to USDA zones 5-9.

The Pinxterbloom azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides) is similar to the Piedmont azalea, but thrives in a more northern native range from Massachusetts to north Georgia and over to Tennessee. It is hardy to USDA zones 4-8 and grows to 5 feet tall and wide.

The Florida flame azalea (Rhododendron austrinum) is native to northern Florida and other far southern states. It grows to 8 to 10 feet tall and has yellow, orange, red, or pink blooms. It's hardy to USDA Zones 6 to 9.

The Alabama azalea (Rhododendron alabamense) is native to Alabama and Georgia. It grows 5 to 6 feet tall. It has blossoms that are white with yellow blotches. It is hardy to USDA Zones 7 to 9.

The Sweet azalea (Rhododendron arborescens)  can grow to 10-20 feet tall. It is native to the Appalachians from Pennsylvania to Alabama, It has white blossoms with red stamens. It is hardy to USDA Zones 4 to 7.

Native birds (especially hummingbirds), bees, butterflies, and other wildlife are attracted to these shrubs and their amazing flowers.

Native Azaleas: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Video and Editing by Cassie Peo

 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

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~ Podcast: GardenDC

If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ Azaleas: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2018/05/plant-profile-azaleas.html

~ Aronia: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/05/aronia-chokeberry-plant-profile.html

~ Carolina Allspice: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/05/carolina-allspice-plant-profile.html

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Tuesday, May 21, 2024

My favorite flower colors are…

My favorite flower colors are shades of purple and green. I especially love it when those two colors are combined in one bloom. Here are a few examples from my garden:

Clematis ‘Taiga’

Hardy Hibiscus ‘French Cabaret Purple’

Rose 'The Bishop'

Bearded Iris - variety unknown

Campanula - variety unknown

Datura Hybrid  'Double Purple'

What are your favorite flower colors?

This post is part of the #GardenBloggersChallenge sponsored by Gardencomm for the month of May. You are invited to join in and can see more details at https://info.gardencomm.org/

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